Hobbies & interests outside of trading?

[Signalcalc]

I saw on the news that the Asian hornet is coming ever closer. A sting from one of those little monsters apparently can be fatal.

Yikes

The DM rag has run this story for years now, we have seen one or two big flying beasts in the South UK, certainly not an invasion yet though.

Just waiting for the killer shark spotted off Cornwall story to run, it's not the school holidays yet, but they will run it, it always turns out to be a beautiful basking shark.

DM eejits.

 

[Signalcalc]

Orange was the new ...wait a minute!.... allusion fatigue has set in......aksherly, that particular orange slug godzilla was mostly "oop north" (here you'll just have to imagine the French equivalent of that) it being wet and green enough to support them. Down south, in my neck of the scrub, it's much hotter and dryer and the slugs are correspondingly smaller and darker. Curiously, almost every time it rains, we have thousands of snails but just a few slugs.

I did bring the highly political Extinction Rebellion into it 😁

But of course we all know who is the biggest orange slug is on the planet 😂

We seem to be getting closer to the middle of France weather wise, hot and dry, followed by rain, just right for a Summer garden 👍 a friend of mine has a plot in Normandy and appears to be self sufficient and is always swapping food with the fellow locals, seems to be how it works over there, now if only I could share my cucumber with the neighbours

 

[cantagril]

I did bring the highly political Extinction Rebellion into it 😁

But of course we all know who is the biggest orange slug is on the planet 😂

We seem to be getting closer to the middle of France weather wise, hot and dry, followed by rain, just right for a Summer garden 👍 a friend of mine has a plot in Normandy and appears to be self sufficient and is always swapping food with the fellow locals, seems to be how it works over there, now if only I could share my cucumber with the neighbours

Normandie is exactly where I'd expect to find the orange buggers - the climate changes radically around the Lyon level though the SW is more temperate and considerably damper than further east. The veg sharing goes on in most rural/semi-rural places.

I can see that the offer of sharing your enormous cucumber with the Vicar's wife might cause some dismay to the Reverend but just remind him that it sez in Corinthians 9:7 " God loves a cheerful giver".... I spose that means that you should be careful to keep a smile on your face.....

 

[Pat494]

Perhaps you've forgotten that the 10 Commandments say " You should not fancy your neighbour's arse "

 

[cantagril]

Perhaps you've forgotten that the 10 Commandments say " You should not fancy your neighbour's arse "

A decent fellow he may be..... but in my case there's little danger

 

[cantagril]

Killing slugs is a never ending battle, they are actually beneficial to the soil food web, but when a seasonal crop is at stake there's no choice but to eradicate, there will still be plenty left, my meagre attempts will not dent the wildlife population, Extinction Rebellion can rest easy

It appears the slugs have their own plans for our extinction - or at least to ensure that the trains do not run on time, which will no doubt be a source of existential angst to the rising tide of crypto fascists.

Rogue slug blamed for Japanese railway chaos

A power cut that stopped trains on Kyushu island was caused by a slug shorting the system.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Signalcalc]

It wasn't until I read up on nematodes that I discovered that slugs mostly live in the soil, around roots and will even munch on newly planted seeds, I think most people think they are just a pest above ground and go and hide in a hole during the day as the results of their leaf and veg/fruit destruction is all you see, I certainly used think that.

I pulled a couple of wild flowers from my wildflower patch only to discover, surprisingly, a couple of slugs attached to the roots, that is what sealed my decision to introduce nematodes. Nematode treatment may be on the expensive side of slug treatments (although slug pellets are quite expensive also) and you need to be patient, but 6-8 weeks since starting there is a noticeable reduction in damaged veg crops.

Now I need to figure out what is munching my radish leaves, they are in a separate set of beds from everything else and I suspect a flying pest is to blame, it could also be butterfly caterpillar, not time to introduce ladybirds just yet, but I need to figure a way to encourage more predadatory beetles into the garden as cheap as possible.

Slug identification | John Innes Centre

There are approximately 40 species of slug currently found in the UK, with only a small number of these considered as pest species. However, it has been estimated that these pest species cause…

www.slugwatch.co.uk

 

[Pat494]

Find a hedgehog. They will eat all your slugs.

 

[cantagril]

Find a hedgehog. They will eat all your slugs.

Of course!

If your hegehog-napping skills are rusty, perhaps these folk might help with some sources for slug-munchers local to you. I not ethat Ann Widdicombe is a patron...or matron

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society

www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

 

[¿Cuántas acciones hay en]

Personally I like to walk around different parks, they are perfect to spend the time and meditate your projects that you want to realize.

 

[Pat494]

Personally I like to walk around different parks, they are perfect to spend the time and meditate your projects that you want to realize.

Have you tried talking to the trees in the parks ?
Sounds daft but some swear they answer...…..

 

[timsk]

. . . Here's a coffee table I made for my brother...

Hi Dowser,
Nice looking table, bravo!

I wonder if I might pick your brains . . .
My wife and I are renovating our house (a 60s bungalow - so not a house at all!) and we're at the stage where we're about to have a new kitchen installed. It's being made for us by the village chippy out of birch plywood. I'm unsure how best to seal and protect it? I've used Osmo oil on some floorboards which I laid - and it's great - but I wonder if there's another product that's better suited to kitchen doors and cabinets? (The worktop will be granite.) I've watched some YouTube vid's extolling the virtues of thinned down polyurethane which can be applied very thinly in multiple coats using a cloth to avoid unsightly brush strokes. There are loads of products out there and I dare say most will do the job okay - but I thought I'd ask you in case you think there's one in particular that really stands out that's particularly suited for kitchens made out of Birch Ply?
Cheers,
Tim.

 

[Dowser]

Hi Dowser,
Nice looking table, bravo!

I wonder if I might pick your brains . . .
My wife and I are renovating our house (a 60s bungalow - so not a house at all!) and we're at the stage where we're about to have a new kitchen installed. It's being made for us by the village chippy out of birch plywood. I'm unsure how best to seal and protect it? I've used Osmo oil on some floorboards which I laid - and it's great - but I wonder if there's another product that's better suited to kitchen doors and cabinets? (The worktop will be granite.) I've watched some YouTube vid's extolling the virtues of thinned down polyurethane which can be applied very thinly in multiple coats using a cloth to avoid unsightly brush strokes. There are loads of products out there and I dare say most will do the job okay - but I thought I'd ask you in case you think there's one in particular that really stands out that's particularly suited for kitchens made out of Birch Ply?
Cheers,
Tim.

Hi Tim,

That table was finished in Fiddes 'Hard Wax Oil' - so very similar to your Osmo. It's great because you can use really fine sandpaper between coats to get rid of those little nibs and ridges producing a beautiful glass smooth finish...

I think there's a lot to be said for using a finish that you are familiar with and has produced good results. If the Osmo oil has worked for you in the past consider trying it again. If you do decide to thin down varnish make sure you do it methodically and maybe ask the chippy for some scraps to practice on. If the varnish is water-based you might find that the first coat lifts the grain and some sanding may be required. Varnish laminates too (the separate coats don't melt into each other) so scratches can be more visible - they can almost appear white. Also, there's nowt wrong with good old fashioned danish oil - it's easy to apply and repair and it's cheap! Has the guy building it recommended any particular finish?

Here's my latest project - a cute little garden gate for my dear old Mum!

 

[Pat494]

Treasure hunting around Europe and metal detecting were 2 of my hobbies in earlier days.
Even finding a few modern coins on the local beach was an interesting afternoon's activity.
! The local history of old places can be fascinating. " There's nowt so queer as people " as some Northeners say.
While in London a good place to fossick around was the Thames embankment.

 

[Signalcalc]

Of course!

If your hegehog-napping skills are rusty, perhaps these folk might help with some sources for slug-munchers local to you. I not ethat Ann Widdicombe is a patron...or matron

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society

www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

I've hardly had to do anything about slugs after the earlier treatments, just squashed the odd one I've found, so a successful treatment [emoji16]

Now we have wasps, they are swarming earlier than usual. We have identified the nest, it is through a hole in the brickwork of a neighbour's false chimney stack. Two problems here are that there is also a bat roost of at least 80 bats in the same chimney stack and the neighbours are away until probably the end of August. So no action would be taken anyway.

We will have to just find a wasp trap method for the time being whilst debating about the nest, we are in a dilemma about telling the neighbours about the bats as we watch them every evening unbeknown to anyone in the neighbourhood [emoji7]

 

[counter_violent]

I've hardly had to do anything about slugs after the earlier treatments, just squashed the odd one I've found, so a successful treatment [emoji16]

Now we have wasps, they are swarming earlier than usual. We have identified the nest, it is through a hole in the brickwork of a neighbour's false chimney stack. Two problems here are that there is also a bat roost of at least 80 bats in the same chimney stack and the neighbours are away until probably the end of August. So no action would be taken anyway.

We will have to just find a wasp trap method for the time being whilst debating about the nest, we are in a dilemma about telling the neighbours about the bats as we watch them every evening unbeknown to anyone in the neighbourhood [emoji7]

Being the ever helpful sort. Is there anything to be done with a long pole, a piece of string, some duct tape and a tin of wasp killer? I fekkin hate wasps! 😬

Leaves no evidence

 

[cantagril]

I've hardly had to do anything about slugs after the earlier treatments, just squashed the odd one I've found, so a successful treatment [emoji16]

Now we have wasps, they are swarming earlier than usual. We have identified the nest, it is through a hole in the brickwork of a neighbour's false chimney stack. Two problems here are that there is also a bat roost of at least 80 bats in the same chimney stack and the neighbours are away until probably the end of August. So no action would be taken anyway.

We will have to just find a wasp trap method for the time being whilst debating about the nest, we are in a dilemma about telling the neighbours about the bats as we watch them every evening unbeknown to anyone in the neighbourhood [emoji7]

After trying various different types of modern and sometime expensive gadgetry, I went back to the trusty jam-jar and funnel arrangement and dregs etc. At the beginning of wasp season I'd just find half a dozen or so discrete places to put the traps and clear them out once a week. I did start with one or two but they filled up in a day or so.....

...and stay very quiet about the bats - a little guano never hurt anybody

 

[Atilla]

Being the ever helpful sort. Is there anything to be done with a long pole, a piece of string, some duct tape and a tin of wasp killer? I fekkin hate wasps! 😬

Leaves no evidence

Have you tried contacting your local council. They would normally remove it for free.

Report a pest problem

Contact your council to find out if they provide pest control services to remove pests like wasps, rats, mice and bedbugs

www.gov.uk

 

[Pat494]

Have you tried contacting your local council. They would normally remove it for free.

Report a pest problem

Contact your council to find out if they provide pest control services to remove pests like wasps, rats, mice and bedbugs

www.gov.uk

" removing bed bugs "

Is that an attack on the unemployed ?

 

[Exscudo]

I often go for a walk to a nature reserve, maybe ride a bike. Overall I like reading, ideally something classic. Also, love various genres of photography.