Hobbies, Life and Retirement

Tomatoes and Strawberries

2009-06-05T09:58:00.002+01:00

I have strawberries on their way :) I am not sure how many I will get this year but they seem healthy enough. I guess I had better get some netting over them PDQ before the birds get them! My tomato plants seem to be much smaller than everybody else's but I think I know why now. I left it quite a while until I planted them on into their final pots. I have a feeling they need to spread their roots a bit until I see vertical growth again. They seem to be getting going again now so fingers crossed.

Turned out nice again

2009-05-25T08:38:00.002+01:00

Lovely weather again today. Ended up sitting out yesterday when a friend called and decided to stay overnight. Opened some wine and Linda made a fabulous corned beef hash! All finished off with blueberry cheesecake. It is nice to 'blow out' occasionally but it just means I have to thin out the carrots today instead :)

Cucumbers and Macs

2009-05-22T14:11:00.002+01:00

Interesting day today. Popped into Lidl and got some nice looking cucumber plants. They were in very good nick and well watered too :) The Mac has been moved to my shack and now I am waiting for the new monitor to arrive which will be midweek next week. I am really looking forward to that as it is a 23 inch widescreen Samsung that actually is widescreen format so should be great for movies etc :)

Lovely day

2009-05-21T19:54:00.003+01:00

Wow, what a lovely day today! I got mucho stuff done in the greenhouses and there was still plenty of time to enjoy a bottle of wine :) On the Mac front, I still have problems on bootup with video. Very odd, everything else seems to work! I ordered a 23" Samsung monitor today so we will see what happens with that!

Time in the greenhouses

2009-05-20T16:44:00.002+01:00

For a while it was sunny and warm today which gave me a chance to start sorting out the greenhouses. I got the strawberry plants outside in their new home and everything moved around ready for the summer. We are already using our own salad leaves, rocket etc and the tomatoes are coming on nicely :)

Guitars and Garageband

2009-05-20T16:41:00.001+01:00

I fitted my Line6 GuitarPort to the Mac today and after a bit of fiddling with the sound, have my guitar working through the Mac. What a great piece of software. I can't wait to get practising and playing with loops etc.

More Mac Fun and LNB's

2009-05-19T21:02:00.002+01:00

After my usual morning walk (about 3.5 miles) I arrived back at the ranch to find the new LNB had arrived. We had bought another Freesat box for the bedroom and I needed a multiway LNB. What we got in the end was a quad LNB from Amazon for £5!! Amazing value. It took 5 minutes to fit and another 30 minutes to run the cable. Job done. After that I spent more time with the new Mac, starting to reorganise my music collection. Things are coming on apace and I am really starting to get used to the Apple way :)

Resolutions

2009-05-18T08:37:00.003+01:00

No, not new year. Why not make a mid-year resolution? :) I have decided to resolve that I will update this blog each day no matter what drivel I spout! We shall see if I can keep it up. After all, it is pointless having a blog unless you use it and this has been woefully short on entries. I am actually starting to become more social in my Internet world, I even have Twitter and BrightKite amongst my tools these days! So we shall see what happens. After all, it will give me more reasons to use my new Mac won't it? :)

New Mac :)

2009-05-17T20:53:00.004+01:00

I have wanted a Mac for years. Finally I am getting my wish. Tomorrow my new Mac Mini arrives ready for me to have new adventures on. I intend to use it for music and video production and to store my music and photo collection. We will see where that all leads! This thing really is tiny at only 6.5" square but has a 2GHz processor and 4Gb RAM. OSX Leopard and all the bits too. I am looking forward to having some fun :)

My Online Log

2009-02-06T17:21:00.014+01:00

www.hrdlog.net

Isn't weeding wonderful?

2008-07-24T19:32:00.002+02:00

I never really noticed before (perhaps I thought it a chore), but weeding is a really relaxing occupation. I spent some time weeding today and after short while realised that I was actually enjoying it! I was able to simply let my mind wander whilst I was picking out weeds and forking over the bed.

A great book!

2008-07-21T09:41:00.005+02:00

Having started gardening and growing vegetables I have been looking at a lot of books on the subject. I have also been browsing youtube. I thought I would share a couple of really good resources I have found.

The first is from youtube. There are around 40 videos as I write and that number is growing. The thing to search for is *claireasallotment* and Claire manages to put things over really well without being patronising. I am learning so much from her.

Secondly my wife brought me a book from our local library. I am going to have to buy this one. It is called 'The Allotment Keeper's Handbook' and is by Jane Perrone (ISBN 978-1-84354-548-4).

I can't stop reading this one. The book is one of those that are just a joy to read. When was the last time you picked up a gardening book and read it cover to cover in one sitting? It is soft backed and not too big so you can take it with you. It is also, importantly, a terrific source of information and inspiration with lots pf good reference. Jane has written it in a no-nonsense style that makes you believe you can do it too. I don't have an allotment but the information in this book works for anyone who grows their own food.

She also has a blog called 'Horticultural' and I will link it on the side bar. Great stuff Jane :)

High Definition

2008-07-02T10:16:00.004+02:00

Just took delivery of a Humax HD FreeSat box today. It just connects right to the Sky dish without any need to readjust :) What a fabulous picture. Just right for Wimbledon. The picture on the non-HD channels is also brilliant, highly recommended. It also receives in Dolby sound so is a completely different experience all round! My plants are really coming on well I am pleased to say. We should have some tomatoes to eat very soon :-D Linda and I have worked out that we can get a vegetable plot built in the garden too so hopefully next year we will be able to grow most of our needs.

New life!

2008-06-26T23:48:00.003+02:00

This is really exciting! I planted some rocket seeds on Monday and now on Thursday, they are quite visible! Lots of small leaves growing over the compost :) The Spinach has not shown itself as yet but give it time. The mixed leaves are starting to develop too. I guess to those of you who garden, this must seem daft but I am loving it :)

Gardening

2008-06-23T18:48:00.004+02:00

I find myself in June already! Where do the months go? I have spent much of May and June (both of which have been lovely on the whole weatherwise) working on the garden. I have created a couple of raised beds and completely reworked the area around the shed. The old shed was rotten so it was taken down. I put it on Freecycle and someone came and got it. If you have a Freecycle near you, use it. It is a fantastic idea and you can put wanted ads on as well as putting your old stuff on there for other people. It is on the web and a quick 'Google' will find it. The only proviso is that it is all free, you cannot ask for any money. However it means that other people come and take away stuff that you do not want or need and it costs you nothing! Back to the garden. I got a new shed and a greenhouse. I have never had a greenhouse before but I am enjoying it thoroughly so far :) I have planted tomatoes, courgettes and cucumber as well as several types of lettuce and leaf. I also got a couple of strawberry plants for good measure! As well as all that I have sown some spring onion so we will see what happens!

K3 update

2008-04-02T09:51:00.004+02:00

I have been using the K3 for some time now and it is a wonderful radio. It still has some stuff that needs ironing out of course but I expected that. 40W from my K3 gives 400W from the Ranger 811 using the tune function but SSB probably only drives it to about half that, although I have found this to be a bit variable. I did find the TXGain function in the config menu though which allows you to compensate in SSB for up to 3dB either way which has helped somewhat. My FM filter should be here very soon and shortly after that the firmware is expected from Elecraft. This should give me the ability to use my Elecraft XV144 transverter to actually work the local repeater from my K3. That will be fun to try and I will report on my findings. We are also coming up to the Sporadic E season and I am seriously thinking about the second receiver option so I can monitor 6m while working the HF bands.

A year has passed!

2008-04-02T09:07:00.002+02:00

Where did it go? This week sees the 1st anniversary of my retirement! I can hardly believe it. Linda and I have just about got used to the change. It is really odd as I worked from home during the last few years but of course when I was working my office was sacrosanct as I could have been on the phone trying to close a deal etc. Now of course I can be interrupted at any time, or at least Linda thinks so :D Looking back over the year the most surprising thing is that I have not missed work at all! I simply do not think about it. I really thought I would but no. A couple of colleagues keep in touch which is really great and listening to how things have gone since I left, I am really glad I left when I did.

Wow!

2008-02-24T17:18:00.004+01:00

Well the rig only took 2 days to get from Aptos, CA to Morecambe! It arrived last Thursday Morning. I had the build finished by Friday morning and now I am starting to learn about it. What a terrific radio this is! I have linked it with Ham Radio Deluxe and started playing seriously with the data modes. The K3 has a built in data interface and it rocks!
Although the K3 is simple to use right out of the box, it is going to take some time to learn the finer points. I am enjoying the learning though and already working other K3's on the air in the UK.

On its way!!

2008-02-20T10:07:00.003+01:00

Well finally, after all these months my K3 is on its way from Aptos CA :) I am really looking forward to receiving this radio. I have already moved the shack around to suit it and to have the linear available. I have also made up leads for audio and for the transverter interface so I can run my XV144 from the K3 as well. I spent some time on 80m yesterday and worked 2 K3 owners, M0CIC (Roy) and G3SJJ (Chris). Chris was a huge signal and loud! I have been enjoying using the K2/Ranger 811 combination on 80m for a few days and had some great audio reports using the Heil Goldline on its broadcast insert.

Wow, where did the time go!?

2007-12-31T15:59:00.000+01:00

I cannot believe it was June when I last blogged. The time is just flying by. All those people who say 'I don't know how I found the time to go to work' after retiring are right!
Anyway, I am going to make a concerted effort to blog more often.

I am still baking and intend to do more with that in 2008. The table is finished and I will get a photo of that in here as soon as possible.

The Midland Hotel is also coming on a treat and looks fantastic when the sun makes the rendering sparkle :-)

Lastly for this entry, my K3 is not here as yet. Elecraft have been working their socks off but due to manufacturing delays and the sheer amount of K3's ordered, they are well behind. I expect to see mine toward the end of January with any luck. I have put one together for a friend of mine though, John GW0SYN. It was great to be able to have a play for a couple of days and I can tell you, if you are a radio amateur who likes HF, you *need* this radio! In fact I was just talking with John earlier today and he was running 6W into his amp from it. The K3 was pulling 2.4A at that! Imagine being able to run an HF radio of this quality with a 3A supply :-)
You can see his radio in the photo.

More soon I promise!

Ian

New toy ordered :-)

2007-06-16T09:33:00.001+02:00

I have ordered an Elecraft K3 to complement my K2 lineup. It looks like a beauty of a rig. 160m through to 6m all mode and tons of features, never mind stunning performance. I can hardly wait for it to arrive.
The K3 is a kit but all the boards come ready built so it is pretty much a mechanical job fitting it all together. I will have to wait until September before it arrives though :-(

Getting there

2007-06-07T23:37:00.000+02:00

Sheesh, this blog is becoming the saga of the patio table! Still, it is coming on and I hope to have the tiling finished tomorrow. There must be an easier way of doing this!

Mosaic madness

2007-06-06T22:54:00.000+02:00

I have concluded that I hate mosaic tiles. How did the Romans get to be so good at it? I have started on the table but it is a really slow business. Still, tomorrow is another day.

The tables turned

2007-06-05T23:13:00.000+02:00

Well the table is coming on nicely :-) I will have a photo tomorrow to show. It will be unique if nothing else! What a wonderful week of weather so far. Hopefully it should continue to be lovely and I can get even more brown than I am already :-)

Patio woes

2007-06-02T17:51:00.000+02:00

Well today I have started to rework our patio table. We have had it less than a year but it has been really poorly made. The frame is fine but the top (wooden slats) has collapsed. Maybe I should not have left it outside! :-) Anyway, I have removed all the slats and fitted some external ply to the bottom. The plan is to use mosaic tiles to finish the top. It should look really nice when finished and give us a much nicer table to boot! It has been a beautiful day but the clouds are starting to roll in, looks like rain tomorrow :-(

Midland Hotel

2007-06-01T14:52:00.001+02:00

The Midland Hotel is starting to look good again. It should be reopened early next year. For those who don't know, the Midland was once Morecambes most prestigious hotel. Built as an Art Deco piece, it has fallen into disrepair over the years, despite its prominent position on the promenade.
I am really looking forward to it reopening when we will see more money coming back into the town.
I am starting to get a lot of pictures of the town so I decided to start a gallery. I will post a link when it is ready for viewing.

Isn't life wonderful?

2007-06-01T14:46:00.000+02:00

Went for a walk this morning along the promenade here at Morecambe. The views were fantastic and I got a lot of good shots with the camera. The other side of the bay was misty but the colour of the sea was wonderful. The tide was on it's way in and the weather beautiful, I could have walked all day!
Good to see families on the beach and a couple of kids setting up to hopefully catch some fish.
At this moment I am very content indeed, although I am sure I will get grumpy about something today :-)

Am I getting to be a Grumpy Old Man?

2007-05-31T16:46:00.001+02:00

Why oh why is the English language going to the dogs? People cannot tell the difference between their and there, spelling is atrocious, they do not capitalise their 'I's and cannot punctuate for toffee! I see it more and more and people seem to think it is acceptable. Most blame it on dyslexia! Complete crap, it is pure laziness! Where and were is another favourite. For Gods sake guys, get some lessons and learn the difference..... ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!

Farewell

2007-05-31T12:52:00.001+02:00

Today is one of those sad days that seem to come around more and more as I get older. We have to go to a funeral today of the mother of one of Lindas oldest chums, Diane. Having lost my father 10 years ago, I remember the pain of losing a parent well. However, they never really leave us, they stay within your heart forever. Hopefully the occasion will not be too overwhelming for Diane.

Music

2007-05-30T21:30:00.000+02:00

Music is one of my other great hobbies. I have a very varied and eclectic taste in music although my favourite band of all time must be Pink Floyd. I guess if I have to choose (and why should I?) I prefer Gilmour to Waters but I guess that is because I am a guitarist. My guitar is pictured here. I play through my computer via an interface by Line6 called GuitarPort. It really is a superb piece of kit and enables me to sound like anyone I choose, even if I cannot play like them :-)
I have played guitar for about 34 years but I had a long period (about 10 years) where I didn't play. I have always played acoustic folk until I got the Ibanez but I am now trying to learn to solo.

Heron

2007-05-30T14:50:00.000+02:00

One of the joys of having a large shallow bay in Morecambe Bay is that the bird life is both profuse and varied. I managed to get a shot of this Heron this morning before the batteries ran out on the camera!

nb: note to self.... take spare batteries!

This was as close as I got to the bird before it noticed me and flew off.

More on Morecambe

2007-05-30T14:46:00.000+02:00

We are currently having a lot of work done on the promenade here. This includes sea defences and tons of sand being dumped on the beaches. It is making a huge difference. The photo shows a tractor cleaning the sand which is really nice to see. It is terrific seeing families on the beaches again, making sand castles and walking barefoot :-)
I live not far from here and I can be on the promenade within a couple of minutes. How lucky am I?

Morecambe

2007-05-30T14:19:00.000+02:00

Although my place of birth is Manchester, I consider Morecambe to be my home town. Now I am retired I am enjoying cycling and walking along the promenade. The views are always wonderful, no matter what the weather is doing. This photo shows a view from Morecambe across the bay looking at Grange-over-Sands. It does not look it but Grange is probably about 15 miles away in this picture! Before the invention of the train, coaches regularly traversed the sands and people still walk it today, usually for charity, in the company of the Queens Guide, Cedric Robinson.

Cats

2007-05-30T12:22:00.000+02:00

The photo on my page shows me and Kai. Kai is our cat and he is a Burmilla. Apparently, the breed came from a chance mating between a Burmese and an Asian Chinchilla. The gene stuck and the Burmilla was born. Fortunately, they retain the best parts of both breeds. I have *never* come across a more laid back cat! He has the intelligence of the Burmese and the chilled out character of the Chinchilla. He can be extremely demanding when he wants something and will be very naughty if you ignore him! However, he demands to be picked up and cuddled in a morning and sleeps on the bed every night. Boy, can he snore! It's like his internal organs relax as well, he grunts and sighs with the best of them :-)

Amateur Radio

2007-05-30T12:03:00.000+02:00

Amateur Radio (AKA Ham Radio) is probably my biggest hobby. In fact both my wife, Linda and I are keen radio operators. My callsign is G0VGS and Linda is G0YLM. She has her own blog here.
She is a very regular poster and also keeps a blog for Sands Contest Group, a small but beautifully formed group of like minded individuals that we belong to. We have a LOT of fun playing radio in one form or another. You can find out more by going to our website.

My main interest is building and using my own equipment. I am especially a fan of Elecraft kits. I have an Elecraft K2 (#4044 for those who like to collect serial numbers) which will output up to 100W, has DSP etc. You can see a photo of the lineup in this posting. I hope to purchase the new K3 later in the year but I will not be selling the K2, I love it :-)

It had to happen!

2007-05-30T11:52:00.000+02:00

It was only going to be a matter of time until I started to blog. Having retired in April this year and having more time on my hands (you are joking!!) I decided it was the right time to start. Hopefully these musings will inform and amuse the reader. I hope to share photographs of my home town and hobbies and to reflect on lifes rich tapestry.