Category Archives: Wildlife

To overwinter or not to overwinter?

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We had some strange old weather today, all was looking bright until about 3pm when it pelted it down and then at about 4pm the sun came out again and we got the Garlic and Shallots in the raised bed. We’ve tried to make it pest proof after all of the shenanigans this weekend too. The metal protection was the shelving from one of those mini greenhouses we had years ago.

The beds have had the added benefit of the soil improver a few weeks ago and we’ll add some compost to the top of them as well sometime this week. Fingers crossed the Shallots do well next year. We didn’t have a bad year with the Garlic but we’ve love to know the secret to getting more out of them. Anyone out there know any good tips for getting decent Garlic in raised beds? Any ideas appreciated!

And news just in is that This is a music show 135 is up on the cloud. Cheers Dazman for posting this up! This week’s show includes Ernest Freeman, a tribute to Richard H Kirk, a steel band cover of The Beatles and some great Reggae as always. So if you love decent music and also love the medium of shortwave radio listen to the below.

And talking of radio shows, tune to The Rhythm Doctor’s Waiting Room on IDA Radio (Tallinn) tomorrow morning at 8am UK time for 3 hours of the best tunes across lots of genres. Link to the live link here tommorow morning and you want to choose the Tallinn station. Here’s last week’s show by the way. Radio is still the way forward!

The death of a cob

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We’ve just come back from a visit from Shannon’s today and this is the first thing that greeted us when we came back. We’re now thinking of starting up in nature photography and jacking in this gardening lark what with our brushes with nature this weekend.

We are even really considering a scarecrow (as suggested by Stevyn of Iron Feather Journal fanzine) as there was a cat sleeping possibly 3 metres away which didn’t deter the pesky squirrel consuming one of the many corn cobs that had formed on our plants we purchased from Shannon’ early this year. There’s two cobs left and they’ve been taken off. The really hot pepper plant beside it hasn’t been touched, we wonder why?

And on a good note here’s what we bought in Shannon’s earlier this morning, some Garlic bulbs and Shallots to overwinter, even though we didn’t have much luck with them last year. We will do as we always do, try again! Gardening eh why do we do it?

Text goes here, text goes here

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No words just a picture. It could be a contribution for Countryfile’s annual calendar competition, who knows?

Or hang on a minute, what about a Weeds up to me knees caption competition? The winner will get something, some comfrey liquid, an assortment of leftover seeds or an old Percy Thrower gardening book? Or how about a fake copy of Sniffin’ Glue, we’ll see what we can dig out. Send us your contributions as comments.

Blame Jimi Hendrix or Humphrey Bogart for these!

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Growing giant sunflowers come with various different problems. You have to stake them up to stop them snapping in the wind, keep the slugs and snails off them and there’s also the pigeons and squirrels to contend with. Now the Peckham parakeets are onto them.

It’s not the best photo as it had to be taken clandestinely but there’s at least three birds on the nearest sunflower the one with the multiple heads and one perched on the one furthest away (which hasn’t any flowers) on lookout duty.

It’s funny as when these birds appeared the pigeons and squirels were nowhere to be seen, the same as the cats. You just can’t win! More on those pesky parkeets and the origins of where they may have come from here.

Breakfast in Hokkaido

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A big shout to Stevyn Iron Feather Journal‘s Towne Club Records collection of remixes and alternate versions of Pink Floyd’s Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast which are all up in their glory here. It features a remix (below) by our very own Madtone called Pete’s Ambient Breakfast.

This tune later formed the basis of Jazz’min & Madtone‘s Earth Citizen which was featured on Echo Chamber – Around The World In Dub Vol 9 & 10 by Dan Dada Records a set well worth downloading here and it’s all for FREE as are all of the Around The World in Dub series are.

Stevyn has informed us that they are still seeking remixes, dubs, edits, extended, cover versions, mashups, etc. of this song done in any genre or styles. There’s no rules so give it your all and send him your creations. If you like a good read of all things on a different tip have a butchers at Iron Feather Journal here.

Odds and ends

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There won’t be many words in this post just mainly pictures from the garden earlier. The first (below) is the result of the random throwing around of seed when receiving them from ebay (This is possibly from a wild flower mix). With the flowers we very rarely mark out seed drills and stick down plant labels, it’s straight out of the bag and onto the bed.

And the second is a rather strange and wonderful freshly picked tomato. It seems a shame to eat it!

And the third is the super tall Sunfower looking down on us ready to flower. This one next to the garage is nearly 10 foot. Bonkers.

And on in the background whilst we were writing this post was this week’s Rhythm Doctor’s Waiting Room on IDA Radio Tallinn (every Monday from 8-11 UK time and archived here). There’s lots of musical goodness on the show as udsual and at the start some works from one Vladimir Tarasov teased in and out of other downtempo gear. A idea “stick it on the stereo” midweek summer evening listen.

Tales from the heap

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The other week we cleared out some grass clippings and recent vegetation from out of the dalek compost bin and stuck it into the old fashioned “out in the elements” heap of old next to it. Up until a few days earlier the wooden frame was full of a few years worth of sticks and ivy that had never rotted down but we moved that into the local council’s garden refuse bin leaving the bottom of the dalek with a load of brandling worms chomping their way through some well rotted warm debris.

Well we looked in the “Open to the wilds of SE23” compost area today (we took off the once stylish now mouldy, bath mat cover first) and gave it a good fork over and it seems to be rotting much quicker than it was in the dalek, not sure if it’s the weather or just being outdoors but whatever it is, it’s working well (see above).

The quarter full darlek (above) is also doing well, there’s less brandling worms compared to last time we looked which means it’s on its way to maturing. Composting well is a bit of a science but it’s worth delving into (no pun intended) as your garden will thank you for it!

More Sunday night radio fun

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This Sunday 22nd August 2021 is a transmission called The Return to KMRT broadcast on WRMI (also home to the excellent This is a music show) at 2300 utc (12 midnight UK time) on 9395 in the 31 metre band. If you haven’t a radio of a shortwave type you can always try a online SDR here at the allotted time.

Talking of supermarkets the original KMRT broadcast from earlier this year is up on the KMTS mixcloud site featuring at 28 minutes in a mix from One Deck Pete called “Buy one get one free”. Tracks from Tyler Newman, Allen Ginsberg, Anima Universalis, Japanese Sound Portrait, Beatz for Food, Lullatone, Cantoma and Z Lovecraft. Tune in and grab yourself a bargain!