Seemingly trivial things that cheer you up

morstar

The countryside is now back to be being visited by people who like to be in the countryside and not those with nothing better to do.
2 hr trail run in perfect summer weather on a Saturday in July and only saw about 30-40 people in total.
It would literally have been several hundred this time last year.
Hardly any cars either.

Pross

morstar said:

The countryside is now back to be being visited by people who like to be in the countryside and not those with nothing better to do.
2 hr trail run in perfect summer weather on a Saturday in July and only saw about 30-40 people in total.
It would literally have been several hundred this time last year.
Hardly any cars either.

Did a trail race last week in Shropshire and the final downhill mile or two was horrendously busy with even the wide section of road at the end being blocked. Local spots are still very busy too.

pinno

Came all the way to Northumberland and the roads were quiet all the way here.
Hardly a soul around.

morstar

Pross said:

morstar said:

The countryside is now back to be being visited by people who like to be in the countryside and not those with nothing better to do.
2 hr trail run in perfect summer weather on a Saturday in July and only saw about 30-40 people in total.
It would literally have been several hundred this time last year.
Hardly any cars either.

Did a trail race last week in Shropshire and the final downhill mile or two was horrendously busy with even the wide section of road at the end being blocked. Local spots are still very busy too.

Interesting. Thing that particularly struck me today is that I reckon it was quieter than I’d have expected it to be pre Covid given the weather.

I guess maybe people are going further afield now. Rivington is not a national draw but was rammed when people couldn’t go anywhere. Maybe the people who would have been in Rivington today under normal circumstances are in the Lakes etc. making up for last year. My gain whatever the reason.

Pross

morstar said:

Pross said:

morstar said:

The countryside is now back to be being visited by people who like to be in the countryside and not those with nothing better to do.
2 hr trail run in perfect summer weather on a Saturday in July and only saw about 30-40 people in total.
It would literally have been several hundred this time last year.
Hardly any cars either.

Did a trail race last week in Shropshire and the final downhill mile or two was horrendously busy with even the wide section of road at the end being blocked. Local spots are still very busy too.

Interesting. Thing that particularly struck me today is that I reckon it was quieter than I’d have expected it to be pre Covid given the weather.

I guess maybe people are going further afield now. Rivington is not a national draw but was rammed when people couldn’t go anywhere. Maybe the people who would have been in Rivington today under normal circumstances are in the Lakes etc. making up for last year. My gain whatever the reason.

Start and finish was at Carding Mill Valley which is National Trust so that probably accounts for the crowds.

Pross

Some of the shots played so far in the T20, especially the straight 6 by Livingstone that cleared the roof of the new grandstand.

ballysmate

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

surrey_commuter

Pross said:

morstar said:

Pross said:

morstar said:

The countryside is now back to be being visited by people who like to be in the countryside and not those with nothing better to do.
2 hr trail run in perfect summer weather on a Saturday in July and only saw about 30-40 people in total.
It would literally have been several hundred this time last year.
Hardly any cars either.

Did a trail race last week in Shropshire and the final downhill mile or two was horrendously busy with even the wide section of road at the end being blocked. Local spots are still very busy too.

Interesting. Thing that particularly struck me today is that I reckon it was quieter than I’d have expected it to be pre Covid given the weather.

I guess maybe people are going further afield now. Rivington is not a national draw but was rammed when people couldn’t go anywhere. Maybe the people who would have been in Rivington today under normal circumstances are in the Lakes etc. making up for last year. My gain whatever the reason.

Start and finish was at Carding Mill Valley which is National Trust so that probably accounts for the crowds.

A very nice part of the world but it is a day trip from the West Midlands. Not many get more than a mile from the car park

ballysmate

School for scoundrels on BBC 2 today.
"Hard cheese!"

Pross

ballysmate said:

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

They're probably trying to escape Brian the Bee Paparazzo

ballysmate

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

They're probably trying to escape Brian the Bee Paparazzo

Had to Google that and I'd escape as well.

By no means the original but here's a bit of King bee

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sEnII8m5A

ballysmate

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

Pross

ballysmate said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

They're probably trying to escape Brian the Bee Paparazzo

Had to Google that and I'd escape as well.

By no means the original but here's a bit of King bee

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sEnII8m5A

I was talking about our man Briantrumpet and the way he sneaks up on them to take extreme closeups!

Pross

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

You should refer to it as a 'wild flower meadow' like all the Councils that have seen a way of passing off penny-pinching on routine maintenance as an ecology project.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

They're probably trying to escape Brian the Bee Paparazzo

Had to Google that and I'd escape as well.

By no means the original but here's a bit of King bee

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sEnII8m5A

I was talking about our man Briantrumpet and the way he sneaks up on them to take extreme closeups!

I got you, anyway!

I'm hoping to get onto butterflies next, though haven't seen that many around yet...

ballysmate

briantrumpet said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

The number of bumble bees in the garden this year.

They're probably trying to escape Brian the Bee Paparazzo

Had to Google that and I'd escape as well.

By no means the original but here's a bit of King bee

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sEnII8m5A

I was talking about our man Briantrumpet and the way he sneaks up on them to take extreme closeups!

I got you, anyway!

I'm hoping to get onto butterflies next, though haven't seen that many around yet...

I didn't get it and Google came up with something that assaulted my ears.

pblakeney

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

Another thing to cheer you up then. Clover doesn’t need as much mowing as grass.
Cheers me up anyway.

surrey_commuter

pblakeney said:

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

Another thing to cheer you up then. Clover doesn’t need as much mowing as grass.
Cheers me up anyway.

And more drought resistant, like moss

pinno

It is. I have a patch of it that s currently green against my going very brown lawns.

elbowloh

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

You should refer to it as a 'wild flower meadow' like all the Councils that have seen a way of passing off penny-pinching on routine maintenance as an ecology project.

I much prefer the grass on roundabouts and verges being kept long with wild flowers.

I've kept an area of my lawn wild and have loads of solitary bees in the garden, also they're nesting on my bug hotel. I think the biggest attraction though is the honeysuckle

rjsterry

elbowloh said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

You should refer to it as a 'wild flower meadow' like all the Councils that have seen a way of passing off penny-pinching on routine maintenance as an ecology project.

I much prefer the grass on roundabouts and verges being kept long with wild flowers.

I've kept an area of my lawn wild and have loads of solitary bees in the garden, also they're nesting on my bug hotel. I think the biggest attraction though is the honeysuckle

Given you're local, shouldn't you have some lavender? We have a big bed of it and there is a near constant hum of bees.

pinno

Look, flowers full stop attract bees.
I have flowering plants most of the summer season and i'm working on the hardy perennials to do just that from early spring to late August/September.

Pross

elbowloh said:

Pross said:

ballysmate said:

Lots of bees on the flowers but quite a few on the clover that forms the biggest part of what we laughingly call lawn.

A pox be on the plastic grass owners!

You should refer to it as a 'wild flower meadow' like all the Councils that have seen a way of passing off penny-pinching on routine maintenance as an ecology project.

I much prefer the grass on roundabouts and verges being kept long with wild flowers.

I've kept an area of my lawn wild and have loads of solitary bees in the garden, also they're nesting on my bug hotel. I think the biggest attraction though is the honeysuckle

Yeah, I don't mind that as long as they maintain the visibility splays. My neighbouring Council last year decided they were only going to do a single cut a year at their parks and also on the grass public areas in housing estates (there's a 1960s 'new town' in their area that has loads of these areas). It really did look horrendous and was just overgrown grass with none of the meadow grasses / wild flowers you getin those areas you mention to offer biodiversity, it was just cost-cutting that they tried to dress up having ecological benefits. They eventually had to change the policy.

The highway verge between my back garden and the back of the footway on the road. My Council has a Contractor come past once a year to cut it but they are only paid to do the 1m at the front. As a result the remaining 1-1.5m is left wild unless I go around there and hack it down and brambles have started to damage my boundary wall.

mrb123

Durham Council must actively plant/seed some of the roundabouts and verges with wild flowers because there are some absolutely beautiful ones around here.

pinno

I have noticed signs here in Northumberlandshire county on my travels - 'Protected verge' signs.

Seems like a good idea.

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5843870

Softer landing if you come off your bike.

briantrumpet

Haha, more bookshelves... I thought this would be easy, batten either end, plank between, just needed to get the angles right. What I'd forgotten to check was that the inside and outside surfaces of the alcove were parallel... they aren't, and neither are the side surfaces actually straight. And then drilling old limestone walls to put in the rawlplugs was slightly more approximate than planned. A few matchsticks sorted that out.

And at least I've got one up, and have a better plan for getting the other two a bit less wonky. It'll do, though, and that cheers me up.

rjsterry

briantrumpet said:

Haha, more bookshelves... I thought this would be easy, batten either end, plank between, just needed to get the angles right. What I'd forgotten to check was that the inside and outside surfaces of the alcove were parallel... they aren't, and neither are the side surfaces actually straight. And then drilling old limestone walls to put in the rawlplugs was slightly more approximate than planned. A few matchsticks sorted that out.

And at least I've got one up, and have a better plan for getting the other two a bit less wonky. It'll do, though, and that cheers me up.

No batten across the back?

briantrumpet

rjsterry said:

briantrumpet said:

Haha, more bookshelves... I thought this would be easy, batten either end, plank between, just needed to get the angles right. What I'd forgotten to check was that the inside and outside surfaces of the alcove were parallel... they aren't, and neither are the side surfaces actually straight. And then drilling old limestone walls to put in the rawlplugs was slightly more approximate than planned. A few matchsticks sorted that out.

And at least I've got one up, and have a better plan for getting the other two a bit less wonky. It'll do, though, and that cheers me up.

No batten across the back?

No, I like living dangerously.

pblakeney

Books will be coming together in the middle sometime fairly soon.

veronese68

rjsterry said:

briantrumpet said:

Haha, more bookshelves... I thought this would be easy, batten either end, plank between, just needed to get the angles right. What I'd forgotten to check was that the inside and outside surfaces of the alcove were parallel... they aren't, and neither are the side surfaces actually straight. And then drilling old limestone walls to put in the rawlplugs was slightly more approximate than planned. A few matchsticks sorted that out.

And at least I've got one up, and have a better plan for getting the other two a bit less wonky. It'll do, though, and that cheers me up.

No batten across the back?

I used 1/4" bead for the battens and routed out a channel in 1" MDF to make our shelves, invisible supports. But as with Brian the alcoves not being square is a complete pain in the aris'.