What have you done today thread?

[MingtheMerciless]

12 Hr day shift and cooked a roast.

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[636mick]

Drove hire van to London.
Loaded contents of the flat in to hire van.
Drove back from London.
Emptied van into garage.
Now knackered but having chippy tea!!
Just like to say to most drivers using the M1 today………..please go and learn to drive, lane discipline, maintaining a speed, not being on the phone!!
Mick

[Docca]

The Harley developed an annoying ‘side stand’ down fault: the stand would be up, but reckoned it was down. Causing it to, amongst other things, cut out at lights.

I superglued a euro (nod to the EU still being helpful ) to the bit that goes near the sensor. Works like a treat.

Will now paint it black to stop pikeys trying to pull it off.

[Mr. Dazzle]

That's a spectacularly and pleasingly empty garage.

[Skub]

That's a spectacularly and pleasingly empty garage.

Having no tools in Docca's garage is a very good thing indeed.

[Sunny]

Watched various impressive aircraft doing their thing from the other side of 'our' woods, including the Red Arrows

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[Sunny]

Also, booked a weekend in Gibraltar in December. Never been, recommendations welcome

[Taipan]

Been invited to dinner on Wednesday night. Its at a Japanese restaurant! I bet they don't have a free salad bar! WTF is a bento box anyway?

[Mussels]

Also, booked a weekend in Gibraltar in December. Never been, recommendations welcome

Go up the rock to see the apes and into the rock to see the caverns, should be enough to keep you busy for a couple of days.
It can get pretty cold, I've seen snow there in winter.

[Docca]

After 4 months of waiting for Mercedes to get their act together and deliver my new car, I was told it's now delayed until November. So I cancelled


I have almost immediately ordered a BMW. I've never owned one before and looking forward to it

[Count Steer]

Been invited to dinner on Wednesday night. Its at a Japanese restaurant! I bet they don't have a free salad bar! WTF is a bento box anyway?

Bento box? Packed lunch.

[KungFooBob]

Also, booked a weekend in Gibraltar in December. Never been, recommendations welcome

I got married in the Botanical Gardens.

Are you staying in The Rock Hotel, it's where all the celebs (and me) stay?

[cheb]

Also, booked a weekend in Gibraltar in December. Never been, recommendations welcome

Says a friend who used to live there: If you go into the tunnels and decide you want a core sample as a momento don't pick one up at the start, there's always more that people have got bored carrying part way through and put down.

[Count Steer]

Today I have been pond-wrangling. Water level keeps dropping rather more than evaporation would account for.* Decided the problem was in the (fake) water course down to the pond. It's a series of rock pools and waterfalls fed by a biggish submersible pump in the pond. I could just switch the pump off but it aerates the water + the sound is nice, particularly when lying in bed.

Lifted the bridge over the bottom pool and added a few bits of liner to redirect flow in a couple of places then piled some Tweed cobbles on to hide the liner. Looks OK. Might add a load more cobbles and ditch the bridge, but it's v useful. Disturbed a baby toad but made it a snug little hidey-hole in the pool with the cobbles and it seems v happy with the new accommodation.

Now just got to wait and see if I've solved the problem.

* I've been topping up with rainwater 100l at a time!

[ZRX61]

Off to the local cardiologist office to see the pump mechanic & FINALLY get results of tests from 4 fucking months ago.

[Rockburner]

Also, booked a weekend in Gibraltar in December. Never been, recommendations welcome

If you decide to go into Spain - factor in an hour or so for the customs queues - especially going into Spain (coming into Gib wasn't so bad when I visited).

Get up to the high points and observe the constant shipping traffic in and out, and the African coastline from afar, while taking note that the very large gun behind you could hit that coastline.....

[Rockburner]

Today I have been pond-wrangling. Water level keeps dropping rather more than evaporation would account for.* Decided the problem was in the (fake) water course down to the pond. It's a series of rock pools and waterfalls fed by a biggish submersible pump in the pond. I could just switch the pump off but it aerates the water + the sound is nice, particularly when lying in bed.

Lifted the bridge over the bottom pool and added a few bits of liner to redirect flow in a couple of places then piled some Tweed cobbles on to hide the liner. Looks OK. Might add a load more cobbles and ditch the bridge, but it's v useful. Disturbed a baby toad but made it a snug little hidey-hole in the pool with the cobbles and it seems v happy with the new accommodation.

Now just got to wait and see if I've solved the problem.

* I've been topping up with rainwater 100l at a time!

Our pond has developed a couple of leaks.

So far the "extra special, safe for fish, works underwater, wonder-mastic" has utterly failed to stick to the liner for both patches, so the water level is back where it was a week ago. Obviously attempting to pull the patches off is more likely to cause even more damage to the liner than originally there, (because some of the mastic DID stick well) so currently pondering if a super-large over-size single patch might be the way to go - after draining off a shit load more water so the glue can actually adhere to the liner. (the 2 leaks are in close proximity)

[Count Steer]

Our pond has developed a couple of leaks.

So far the "extra special, safe for fish, works underwater, wonder-mastic" has utterly failed to stick to the liner for both patches, so the water level is back where it was a week ago. Obviously attempting to pull the patches off is more likely to cause even more damage to the liner than originally there, (because some of the mastic DID stick well) so currently pondering if a super-large over-size single patch might be the way to go - after draining off a shit load more water so the glue can actually adhere to the liner. (the 2 leaks are in close proximity)

Interesting. A neighbour has a large but shallow pond (it's full of marginals and it makes a nice feature) and I spotted a couple of patches, each about 1ft square, on the liner near the edge. Probably wildlife related. She was very impressed with the patch material. I can't remember what it was* but got the impression you could apply it to wet surfaces. I can ask if you like.

One of the good things they did when they revamped our pond was put the liner in then a sort of protective felt over that. Protects from sharp claws etc but also from UV in the shallow bits.

* 'Gorilla' springs to mind but the only stuff of theirs I can find is the usual 'apply to clean, dry surfaces'

[Yambo]

It's a series of rock pools and waterfalls fed by a biggish submersible pump in the pond. I could just switch the pump off but it aerates the water + the sound is nice, particularly when lying in bed.

Probably the best way to aerate the water is to have plenty of plant growth. It won't provide the pleasing sound but will provide plenty of cover for residents.

*Caveat*
I've never had a pond. I kept tropical fish for more than half my life though. Good plant growth in an aquarium (admittedly a far smaller ecosystem) is both an excellent oxygenator and filter. I also used to add carbon dioxide to my water to make it more acidic and to feed the plants. Oxygen bubbles escaping from leaves indicated an oxygen saturated tank.

[Count Steer]

It's a series of rock pools and waterfalls fed by a biggish submersible pump in the pond. I could just switch the pump off but it aerates the water + the sound is nice, particularly when lying in bed.

Probably the best way to aerate the water is to have plenty of plant growth. It won't provide the pleasing sound but will provide plenty of cover for residents.

*Caveat*
I've never had a pond. I kept tropical fish for more than half my life though. Good plant growth in an aquarium (admittedly a far smaller ecosystem) is both an excellent oxygenator and filter. I also used to add carbon dioxide to my water to make it more acidic and to feed the plants. Oxygen bubbles escaping from leaves indicated an oxygen saturated tank.

I'm trying to get lots of oxygenators established but I was too slow dealing with the dreaded, threadlike, green stuff which did the level best to smother everything. Should not have relaxed when winter 'killed' it all off and treated the water in March. I did do it eventually but now have lots of dead dreaded, threadlike stuff making the pond look a mess. The newts don't seem to mind it and some of the oxygenators are getting a bit too big. So, the plan is, once the wildlife has done its thing...probably October...hoick out the plants that have suffered, put in some I have in the 'nursery' (big tubs full of rainwater) and swap the poorly ones into the nursery/take cuttings. Basically do a spring clean in Autumn.

Then I'll treat the water in March and do more planting in early Spring.

I think part of the problem is, because of the water loss, I was forced to top up with treated tap water last summer. I guess the treatment takes out some stuff but not all. I've beefed up my rainwater harvesting this year too.