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Clarence
May 3, 2012

Do we think Dan has been eaten by a fox yet?

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DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
camping five acres



It got dark quick. Had noodles and then a hot chocolate and then got ready for bed



New torch is stupid bright on lowest setting, should have brought my astronomy torches. Well, I'm wrapped up in the cocoon and this thing is warm and cosy as gently caress, and the net over the top makes it feel secure like a tent. Morning soon!

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

Clarence posted:

Do we think Dan has been eaten by a fox yet?

It's the cats I'm worried about tbh

simplefish
Mar 28, 2011

So long, and thanks for all the fish gallbladdΣrs!


Dan do you have a blog or something where I can read one post at a time? My phone won't load a whole page's worth of images at once

endlessmonotony
Nov 4, 2009

by Fritz the Horse

simplefish posted:

Dan do you have a blog or something where I can read one post at a time? My phone won't load a whole page's worth of images at once

Edit the "perpage" value in the URL.

Sloth Life
Nov 15, 2014

Built for comfort and speed!
Fallen Rib
What are you using for a toilet??

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

simplefish posted:

Dan do you have a blog or something where I can read one post at a time? My phone won't load a whole page's worth of images at once

I keep meaning to get one set up and will look into it again but if it's public facing then lol it's gonna be cleaner than on here



Sloth Life posted:

What are you using for a toilet??

When I need to piss, I select a tree and have at it



When it's a sit down event, I hope the need isn't too pressing while evicting a bunch of spiders from this thing I built in '17



But the view is exceptional- will probably consider building a new one this year for when I have people over to camp



camping six some kinda pun idk



I had kinda expected to do a late night update but I slept really well- the sleeping bag was so warm I was a little too warm even stripped down, but that was a lot easier to deal with than a little too cold. 10/10 sleep



This was meant to be elevenses but I wanted a treat, probably have this then have a walk. More, soon

simplefish
Mar 28, 2011

So long, and thanks for all the fish gallbladdΣrs!


endlessmonotony posted:

Edit the "perpage" value in the URL.


Thanks!

DesperateDan posted:

I keep meaning to get one set up and will look into it again but if it's public facing then lol it's gonna be cleaner than on here


You could edit this into the top of your original post as "Blog View" or whatever :)
https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856888&userid=88836&perpage=1

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

simplefish posted:

Thanks!
You could edit this into the top of your original post as "Blog View" or whatever :)
https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856888&userid=88836&perpage=1

It's just showing the first page as normal for me on the awful app, but if it works on desktop/for other folks I will put it on the first page :)



camp the seventh




I left about half a can of spam chopped up for the trailcam, and fried the rest in with the spuds. Thought it was going to be a disaster because despite plenty of oil the pan was very keen to stick and I had to keep scraping the burnt off the pan. Fortunately, the burnt was delicious!




I did hope that this would expand dramatically or just generally do something but it was a washcloth and it washed in a perfunctory manner



Then I started clearing up, washing up and packing up



I had considered doing some more work, but I'm low on useful lumber for what I want to do, and would rather bring in some more and do a better class of bodge joinery






Part of me wishes I had done more sightseeing but I'm glad I got poo poo done



wheelbarrows are more fun when it's downhill- I'm home now and planning another, more soon

Loki Kunti
Mar 31, 2010

DesperateDan posted:


Also people had previously asked about donations and such and the fellas on the pod cast prompted me to set up this ko-fi link where you can give me money and I will put it into planting trees/shrubs/etc- if you have a preference of what then state your poison


Done!
Rock on!

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

Loki Kunti posted:

Done!
Rock on!

Thankyou! Anything in particular you want it spent on?

Loki Kunti
Mar 31, 2010

DesperateDan posted:

Thankyou! Anything in particular you want it spent on?

You probably know best :hfive: - feel free to use it as you like!

I am enjoying all your adventures you report on here!
(And this thread is what rekindled my gardening lust and lead me to spending much time in my garden in the last 1,5 years (as long as we are living in our house). The garden is small and it is totally different than your garden and especially the Five Acres - but I am feeding the birds, have put up some housing for wild bees, have restarted the compost heap, have planted a lot of (simple) plants, ... So - thanks!)

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

Loki Kunti posted:

You probably know best :hfive: - feel free to use it as you like!

I am enjoying all your adventures you report on here!
(And this thread is what rekindled my gardening lust and lead me to spending much time in my garden in the last 1,5 years (as long as we are living in our house). The garden is small and it is totally different than your garden and especially the Five Acres - but I am feeding the birds, have put up some housing for wild bees, have restarted the compost heap, have planted a lot of (simple) plants, ... So - thanks!)

Then it goes into the hedgerows against capitalism fund, thanks!

Glad to hear it inspired some more nature :)



the bees amongst the buttercups







It probably wasn't even a good idea to leave the house today health wise but it has been a week and that's far too long so for the sake of my health so I hiked in




The weather was warm enough that the fine morning dew soaking me was a pleasant greeting after a few minutes hiking in the sun



Not much brought in



The uht cream was better than I remembered but by and large I think I will stick to mochas



The main chores were the basic chores- birdfeeders and trailcams. Quite behind on sorting trailcam footage, maybe next week will spare a few hours.



The other part was collecting this prize- a two year seasoned, prime length of blackthorn. This is going to tool/knife handles and carving duty, but this winter I'm going to cut myself a few more lengths and try my hand at traditional shillelagh making












It was a genuine pleasure to be down here and I felt rather sad that I didn't have the energy to do much more




At home, in between getting my arse kicked and complaining , I did a bit of loving about with an old screwdriver and a recycled box I want to use for tinder. Haven't finished with either, fun to mess round with sanding and staining



And also cut my back garden a bit after some trimmer repairs- the only part of the fuel system I didn't replace last year (or the year before? fuckin covid turned the last two years worth of timeline to mental mush) was the primer so obviously it was the primers turn to die and piss fuel all over me while cutting.




Had to take the carb in half to fit it, but somehow I managed not to let the magic out, and the fucker runs like a sewing machine again. More soon!

endlessmonotony
Nov 4, 2009

by Fritz the Horse
UHT cream and milk: Perfectly tolerable when you manage your expectations and drink it with something where sugar wouldn't be a problem.

I prefer just to keep teabags and single-serving honey in a locked box. In a LOCKED box, somehow a closed box always ends up getting pests inside it.

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

endlessmonotony posted:

I prefer just to keep teabags and single-serving honey in a locked box. In a LOCKED box, somehow a closed box always ends up getting pests inside it.

In a box/container in a cupboard that even the most energetic mouse wouldn't be able to access, is the rule for a lot of foodstuffs in the caravan

They never bother the coffee sachets though :)



pre-inspection tidying volume one 56k gets stung by bees



What's up on the home front? Tomatoes, is one of them. The things. At home. They got planted late but it's better than never, and a few days outside in the earth has already been transformative. About 30 planted, 5 varieties, 1 picture cause it's getting super-low-effort this year



I divvied up my blackthorn into a few blanks. Not sure of the carving terminology but it's what I'm calling them. Did think about making myself a walking stick, but it wasn't quite long or thick enough for my liking




Did some work on a handle for a hammer and making a small baton/swagger stick/offensive weapon pursuant to the offensive weapons act 2019. Blackthorn is incredibly hard wood when cured which makes it time consuming, but it's an absolute pleasure otherwise as a material



I really need to stop putting off fixes to this poor thing, lol it's fine, not like this baby ever gave us any problems, right?







Alright well this trip had about as much me wandering around testing the new phone camera as it did doing a pre-inspection cleaning visit (I like it a lot)



Didn't bring much in, the usual sundries and some of these "strong poo poo" coffee bags. Much better than they smelt dry. Bit.. nutty?



Seeing some good wildflower numbers and variations



Lots and lots of these butterflies today, some orange tips too, but not even this fancy camera can get a good shot on those flighty fucks easily



And it looks like lots more lil flappy buddies set to join us soon



You want ants? Wait around rotting wood. That's how you get ants.



Fruit coming through in many places- I hope it finds hungry bellies.



This old archery target of a big white bag of rags became home to many frogs and slugs and such, but it's technically an eyesore now so it got relocated close by, now hidden from the inspector inside a green tarp bag inside a bush yet providing biodiversity



This has been peeking out at me for a long time. Household burglar alarm bell box. No idea how it got there, or when, other than before my time. Electronics that I could see looked 80s era. I dug it out, lest it be inspected, but like the big bag of rags it was teeming with life, so I relocated it out of sight for me to prod and poke at another day



More, soon!

xcheopis
Jul 23, 2003


Those flying fuzzy kittens are doing well!

mark immune
Dec 14, 2019

put the teacher in the cope cage imo
Very glad I found this thread, keep up the good work Dan. Would love to see you craft a shillelagh tbh.

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

xcheopis posted:

Those flying fuzzy kittens are doing well!

They really are this year :) I haven't spoken to the apiarist properly since winter but all the hives seem active and busy, with several wild hives around

mark immune posted:

Very glad I found this thread, keep up the good work Dan. Would love to see you craft a shillelagh tbh.

Welcome aboard! I spent a little of today looking at prospective blackthorn patches to cut this winter for shillelagh/crafts and there's some old bastards in there thicker than my thigh- be a few years before it seasons though :)



it was probably JB Priestley's best known work



My whittling hours got reduced a lot because the washing machine died, and I must know why. I think it's a shock absorber and fixable, maybe later today will tell me for sure



The plants on the deck are also going crazy- will be interesting to see a comparison with the babies I got in march by autumn time





Quite a day for it- while trying to avoid sounding like an absolute hippy, and for want of better words, this place has a fantastic energy to it in the summer, like it's screaming with life



Well this was the union dues, there was later set of refreshment for the visitors. The work done today was largely diplomatic in nature, and we managed a grand job of it-




After all, the last few years were spent building this kind of paradise, might as well use it to influence what I can. I'm gonna keep remaining vague as ever, but comrades, things are in motion.



Even this big old bear looked happy



Well there's gonna be more, soon

jabadoo
Aug 10, 2004
lovely stuff.

spookygonk
Apr 3, 2005
Does not give a damn

In England's green & pleasant land. :unsmith:

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

jabadoo posted:

lovely stuff.

spookygonk posted:

In England's green & pleasant land. :unsmith:

thankyou goons :unsmith:



interregnum



The car needs a coolant pipe (and other bits) cause it's losing fluids at a very variable rate- between not, and like a case of liebfraumilch my aunt spotted

Unfortunately a new pipe from audi in the uk is a lot of trees worth of money so I ordered a much cheaper one direct from germany with a bunch of other bits, where it was rapidly dispatched to then sit in customs for a week+, and that's why I'm still at home being bored



Oh and it wasn't the shock absorbers or the motor although the motor wasn't long for this world by the look of things, no idea on the actual fault but at least I tried, new machine installed, various parts robbed from old one for future recyclings



had a cheap offer on a photobook so I tossed a bunch of five acres shots at it and now I have a whole book of my works in glossy pages which did deep level nice brain stuffs for make work feelgoods




Did a little more work on the fighting stick, waiting on some high grit sandpaper now to put the finishing touches in- especially on the ends where you can see the rings quite nicely already- then I can give it a clean, let it dry out again and then put a nice finish on it.



The garden has lots of bees. I commune with them when it's not raining, which luckily for me has been a whole fuckload of rain the last week, which will have been great for my plants given I can't get out there to water them

The parts might be here tomorrow! so there might be more soon!

spookygonk
Apr 3, 2005
Does not give a damn

DesperateDan posted:



had a cheap offer on a photobook so I tossed a bunch of five acres shots at it and now I have a whole book of my works in glossy pages which did deep level nice brain stuffs for make work feelgoods

Well that is a great idea (you have been posting excellent photos).

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

spookygonk posted:

Well that is a great idea (you have been posting excellent photos).

Thanks- I think I'm going to gift this one as part of a diplomacy and keep my eye out for further deals

And while my photography skills have gotten a little better in the last few years a lot of it is still down to shooting lots and lots from slightly different angles while refocusing, then deleting a lot of shots that didn't work out




Das Kühlmittelrohrleitung und Du



So the parts came



And so the easier job of the ignition system was tackled first, with the help of a militia mechanic



Before and after shows this may have been overdue



The coolant system is comprised of bits that are meant to be soft that are going hard and bits that are meant to be hard that are going soft. This is the latter, I need to take the hoses off the pipe and replace the pipe



I unclipped the hose clamp and put all my strength into shifting the hose off and I was shaking the whole car around and the hose wasn't shifting a planck length with regards the pipe, and I proceeded to thoroughly gently caress up my shoulder and arm in trying because one and a half tons of car aren't meant to be moved like that



The secret to pipe removal with fluid in the pipe is to use a little hex key to sneak past and break the seal and then it pops off like a saucy metaphor because then you aren't fighting fluid dynamics anymore and did you see the size of the textbooks on fluid dynamics? Ain't no one fighting that, ain't no one



I found this hex bolt and another is kinda essential to getting the tube removed and both are very locked in and this one is also a bit rounded out so rather than try and hulk it out while tired with not quite the right tools I made a strategic withdrawal to rest and assess and it was about that time I noticed my arm and shoulder didn't really want to respond to commands anymore and looking more than a few degrees starboard caused sharp neck pains



I picked up some adapters and long hex sockets to let me use the driver to hopefully smack the hex bolts free, muscles have now been 3 days recovering and I might be ready to take another stab at it tomorrow but also might make myself wait another day or so until I'm sure I'm not just gonna gently caress myself up again- More, soon

DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jun 27, 2021

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
hell of a day, lick em' tomorrow though



Alright well my shoulder and neck took longer which was frustrating but best not to rush it, injure myself again and spend much longer recovering twice. First up I ran a battery charger out and topped up the battery- it wasn't dangerously low but it's been a few weeks without a start so I might as well keep it healthy, took it from 12.2V to 12.9V once settled



A touch of electrical tape to fill out the worn-out gaps in the hex and the impact driver slammed it free in only 4 mild brap braps, so satisfying after struggling with it before



With the pipe somewhat loose, I fought these two coolant hoses off and bagged em to stop excess crap getting in



And now we meet our final foe- I need to get the last hose off the pipe but the hose clamp is stupidly restricted by the big stud coming right out off of the pipe yup and I wrassled it for awhile with little progress. Rather than fight increasing fatigue/pain I packed away my tools and I'm gonna get the bastard tomorrow, by hook or by crook. Once that's off, replacement shouldn't be too hard (lol)



Spent a long time today listening to some tunes and re-sanding my bashy stick/shillelagh handle and ends at the highest grit sensible- I had promised myself I wasn't going to go crazy on getting all the tool marks out but there's something very therapeutic in seeming to make no progress for ages, then wham, it's done with

More, soon!

DesperateDan fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Jul 1, 2021

mark immune
Dec 14, 2019

put the teacher in the cope cage imo
Good stuff. hope you get the auto situation sorted. looking forward to the next update

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

mark immune posted:

Good stuff. hope you get the auto situation sorted. looking forward to the next update

Thanks-

If the car works and passes a test drive then I will be there at the weekend or sooner- I really miss the place and keep looking at various beaten up pickup trucks to serve as a second chariot of doom but the market is still kinda messed up

much like lumber still costing 2-3 times pre apocalypse levels


oh god I'm looking at auto trader again someone do an intervention

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
peace was never an option but at least we tried



You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later hacksaw'l cut you down

It went even quicker when I turned the blade the right way round



Once that drat clamp was out the way I got stuck in on the last hose



Ain't so tough now are ya?



The new one was cheap for a reason and needed a little fettling work to fit



It not only went back together but it works too



I went and washed it and forgot the after pictures where it looked a certain percentage less dirty so I guess I will have to go do things with it at the weekend so more soon

Clarence
May 3, 2012

'fettling' is such a good word.

It'll be interesting to see how much things have grown since your last visit. Things have shot up here - the grass has been left to grow and the amount of pollen is crazy.

mark immune
Dec 14, 2019

put the teacher in the cope cage imo
fighting the good fight against entropy

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.

Clarence posted:

'fettling' is such a good word.

It'll be interesting to see how much things have grown since your last visit. Things have shot up here - the grass has been left to grow and the amount of pollen is crazy.

I have been hit hard with the hay fever this year as has everyone else I know with it

There has indeed been a lot of growth, as you can see yourself :)

mark immune posted:

fighting the good fight against entropy

I'm actually a double agent working undercover, shhhhhh



exposure of the legal, lethal kind



It got even cleaner in the rain I guess



Right so, and now then- it was raining a lot but I went with it anyway



As a result of walking through deep foliage in the rain, a lot of me got soaking wet very very fast :dance: and my boots decided that any amount waterproofing was for wimps, and turned into little squelchy mobile footbaths



So when I got down there priority one was a hot drink and getting out of some of the wet clothes- despite the temperature being a pleasant 18C the wet clothes in a bit of a breeze were shedding body heat a lot faster than I could replace it and I needed to fix it or have a poo poo time so I fixed it



While I was sat cradling my mocha and feeling a bit more human again this adorable little fox came and peeped me









So other than the normal bits like not die to exposure and feeding the birds, the main orders of the day were an extended rounds to check on a few weeks growth- I don't want to miss this much again, and while I missed it while I was away, I didn't realise how much until I was back here



I didn't miss all of the cherries but getting two is better than none and they did taste real nice



There were raspberries. I hope whatever enjoyed them enjoyed them, and the seeds went good places after the bad




I wish I had more time today, whole place was crawling and there were butterflies and moths I can't remember seeing before




By the time I left it was sunny again, by the time I hiked up the hill to the car it was overcast and threatening another storm. There will be more, soon

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats


I see the boss came to check on you.

Loki Kunti
Mar 31, 2010

Thanks for the post and the pictures! :tipshat:

Maugrim
Feb 16, 2011

I eat your face
Any spider experts lurking itt? I saw a lovely pure white spider with bright red markings eating a bee on the lavender yesterday. Unfortunately my phone with decent camera is off being repaired, so I only managed to get an out-of-focus picture with the piece of crap I'm using as a temp phone. At least you get an impression of size I guess? It doesn't seem to appear on any of the lists of common UK spiders...

Tjadeth
Sep 16, 2012

:minnie: Cat Army :minnie:
2nd Battalion
VOLUNTEER
:nyan:

Maugrim posted:

Any spider experts lurking itt? I saw a lovely pure white spider with bright red markings eating a bee on the lavender yesterday. Unfortunately my phone with decent camera is off being repaired, so I only managed to get an out-of-focus picture with the piece of crap I'm using as a temp phone. At least you get an impression of size I guess? It doesn't seem to appear on any of the lists of common UK spiders...



sneaky assassin crab

spookygonk
Apr 3, 2005
Does not give a damn

Maugrim posted:

Any spider experts lurking itt? I saw a lovely pure white spider with bright red markings eating a bee on the lavender yesterday. Unfortunately my phone with decent camera is off being repaired, so I only managed to get an out-of-focus picture with the piece of crap I'm using as a temp phone. At least you get an impression of size I guess? It doesn't seem to appear on any of the lists of common UK spiders...



From the size of that body I'd say it's most likely a crab spider:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/20/country-diary-when-a-crab-spider-executes-plan-bee

quote:

Some individuals have bright red dorsolateral spots or lines on their backs...

Maugrim
Feb 16, 2011

I eat your face
That’s the one! Thank you both. She’s still hanging out in the same spot, presumably digesting. Nom.

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
that's a goddamn cool looking spider :kiddo:


spin cycle



At home I started treating the shillelagh to some linseed oil- gonna let it thoroughly cure and then probably whack a second lot on there, the bark was thirsty for it






so my hay fever was so bad that despite a double dose of meds my nose was literally running like a tap



I have something fun planned for most of these bits which I mocked up and designed in my head a bit and which you can see more of soon



Various currants and berries are ripe and being eaten and I even got a few fistfulls myself. Hopefully in a few years I start finding bushes all over the place :)




As part of a smaller jobs campaign I put some tarps on top of last winters wood



And I also installed one of the solar panels outdoors for more photons



But my sealant gun finally died a heroes death in the effort, angels carry thee to thy rest wherever in the caravan it landed and hopefully the panel got enough sticky stuff to stay there till the next attempt




Burger naan. Pretty good.



Used some auxillary water to make sure the lavender and heather and such that are still in pots flourishes




A great day that would have been greater if I could breathe through my nose and more soon

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
forty seven minutes



I really need to find the actual hammer part at some point so I can figure out how fitting it will work but I'm loving working on the handle every now and then










Super limited on time, but not on targets- whole place was crawling



There were lots of butterflies- here's two kinds I still couldn't get decent shots of despite chasing them around, and there was a green looking one I couldn't even get close to, thing flew like greased poo poo off a teflon shovel



Deliveries were some bread rolls and carrots that were better expended here in front of a trail cam than wasted- lots of things will eat them



Feeders were bare after less than a week, gave em a quick clean and refill



Quite overcast, but the solar panel was giving enough juice to the fan to have it spinning well- another similar panel and a battery are awaiting the purchasing departments decision



Unsurprisingly for the amount of rain that's been had, the pond is at high levels given the season



So a goon once asked me if I had birds foot trefoil and I was like I dunno, maybe, let me plant some and whaddayaknow now a year or so later here's some birds foot trefoil and its now in a bunch of places so there you go for that goon and for any other interested parties



Checked my plums out, they seemed healthy. Also the fruit at the farm seems in good general health.



Even the half eaten fruit looks pretty to me



Short trip, but I had much to attend to today, more soon

DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
h two low









hot day for a hike, but just look at the drat place :)

Had hoped for a quicker return but the docs tried me on some new meds and lol that wasn't fun so I lost a few days



The pond is lower but still very much splashy not squelchy



I had lots of water before I left and drank 3 litres of water while I was there but still ended up feeling the heat/dehydration- I should have taken a piss as soon as I got there to allow stuff through- I failed this part and ended up pissing dark and needing to take some time to sort it with rest, hydration and some sugary goop (followed by some super salted french fries on the way home for replacement salt)



Dragonflies and damselflies and butterflies and moths and bees and beetles and everything was flying around but dragonflies are by far the hardest to get a shot on, goddamn, I walked into bramble that was over my head to get these



Still going with the trailcams, haven't bothered with uploading as I lack time/effort but I'm hoping to build up some interesting stuff regardless and it's always nice to keep track on what's happening and where



Like I'm pretty sure this trampled area is muntjac but I'm not sure if it's a bed or a rest area so I rigged up a camera and then I can find out




I was surveying my place for my new building and this might indicate the bigger deer species rubbing antlers here- the upper patch was shoulder height to me, and I'm 2 metres tall in boots and hat. Bark chips were left on floor which would seem to rule out rodents of unusual size

Thought about rigging one of the trailcams to see but the area is flush with bramble and it sets off the IR sensors too easy



Haven't seen one of these get so overgrown- there's a crew that comes along every year or two to cut them but they haven't been around 'cause of the whole apocalypse thing I guess



So despite the whole dehydration thing it was a fun day, which was yesterday, and you find out about it now because imgur is a piece of poo poo



Today was about trying to fix the air-conditioning on the car and pickling some veg, I only took pictures of the latter but pretend I stuck my middle finger up at the concept of air-conditioning systems being complex, More, soon

Adbot
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DesperateDan
Dec 10, 2005

Where's my cow?

Is that my cow?

No it isn't, but it still tramples my bloody lavender.
triplet






Now then- I'm probably/maybe/apparently moving house at short notice (no, not to the acres... yet) as well as all the regular poo poo I have going on/kids home for summer holidays etc so I'm gonna be compressing a few visits into each post and it might be awhile before the next one drops

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I



This was a resupply and BBQ trip



strongly recommend chapati as a easy cook, versatile bread product



the foxes or badgers or both have found some more shoes I guess, probably means someone fly-tipped a local road



The red soldier beetle, aka the hogweed bonking beetle, living up to its name here



Asked one of the woodland trust veterans what was causing this (cause even a very tall deer isn't doing this damage 5 metres up a tree) and they reckon squirrels after all- going after sap



Good visit, but getting too overgrown


II



I had a really good day and managed 3 and a bit tankfulls on the brushcutter cutting out 95% of the existing pathways



I forgot the naan for the beef curry but it was a lot better than it looked regardless



Never seen the pond this high in August. Actually, I don't think I have seen it with actual water in August.



Much more pleasant for my guests now



I haven't checked but I'm fairly sure the blackberries are later this year



I secured myself some excellent eggs while returning my gear- one day chickens will be at the acres :)


III



This was todays quick sunday morning trip, mainly just doing the rounds and birdfeeders and such. Trailcam looks like it got a magpie getting ticks off a muntjac again, will check it out properly later



Strongly recommend the silver bottle of bug spray for serious business bush living- it's very nasty stuff if it gets in your eyes or mouth, but it gives you an invisible protective bubble for hours against a variety of pests. The other one is the same chemical but at half concentration and great for lighter duty/kids



Saw some birds making a kerfuffle on a plum tree, and with good reason- picked a pocketful for home



Lots of bugs and birds making use of the cleared space

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Well, whatever comes to pass, I shall have some adventures to tell you of- more, soon.

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