Commissioning the Shed

 I commissioned the filtration shed this week - well, at least the UV part.

Electricity to hand with inlet and outlet pipes to the UV unit put though holes I bored through the walls. I kept the electricity and inlet pipe to the left of the shed as that's where there's a verandah, which protects any holes. I didn't have enough outlet pipe to put that through the same wall, but I can easily seal the pipe in place with silicone.

One major benefit of having the UV system indoors is that I can easily tell whether it's working, as I can see the glow from the end caps. The glow is impossible to see in daylight.

I've moved the make-shift physical and biological filtration setup to the rear of the shed, allowing the outlet pipe to play over an area of gravel that's within the perimeter of the pool liner, to which I've transplanted the watercress.

Whether I will use the large filtration vat remains to be seen once I've had a go at making a hydroponics unit.

I've given No.2 Son the job of finding a way to support one of the large vats. Let's see what hecomes up with.

I've added something to my bucket list - visiting the filtration room for the moat at the Bishop of Bath & Wells' palace at Wells.

Tax Cuts or Increased Public Service Pay

The Tory press is getting its knickers in a twist about Starmer listening to public sector pay review boards about pay.

The Conservative solution to everything appears to be tax cuts; the argument runs that they stimulate the economy by pumping more money into it; however, let's analyse the strategy versus increasing public sector pay.

Tax cuts can stimulate the economy by increasing disposable income, leading to higher consumer spending and investment. However, when tax cuts disproportionately benefit the wealthy, who tend to save rather than spend, the immediate stimulative effect is reduced. Tax cuts targeted at lower and middle-income earners tend to have a more immediate and direct impact on economic growth because these groups are more likely to spend the additional income. While tax cuts might eventually increase tax revenue if they spur significant economic growth, this outcome is uncertain and may not fully offset the initial reduction in government revenue. The immediate effect is to reduce tax revenue and public services are the casualty if the stimulus doesn't work. 

Wage increases, particularly for lower and middle-income earners, are more likely to stimulate the economy through increased consumption, as these groups tend to spend a larger portion of their income on the tings that actually drive the economy. This leads to higher demand for goods and services, boosting economic activity - and tax revenue. When wage increases are targeted at public sector workers, the benefits may be more regionally focused but still provide a significant economic stimulus, leading to higher tax receipts through both income and consumption-related taxes.

Given the options, increasing public sector pay is undoubtedly the less risky option with the additional benefit that tax receipts are immediately increased, with knock-on benefits to public services themselves, as well as the wider economy.

When one considers that tax cuts benefit the wealthy more than the poor, it's not surprising that the Conservatives continually argue the tax cut strategy - they're the party of the wealthy and consider the poor as a necessary pool of cheap labour. It's quite simple when you actually think about it.

Using the inflation argument to counter wage increases is futile - tax cuts also stimulate disposable income and thus pose as great a risk. Wage increases do not always stimulate inflation because they can be offset by productivity gains (you can't link tax cuts to productivity), absorbed by businesses through lower profit margins, constrained by global competition, or neutralised by weak consumer demand. Additionally, central banks can use monetary policy to prevent wage increases from leading to inflation, ensuring that higher wages don't automatically translate into higher prices.

A 1% increase in pay is immediately felt, whereas a 1% reduction in tax is hardly noticeable. There's a psychological difference, despite the pay increase likely being less than the tax cut when it comes to take-home pay.

Drone Upgrade

When we were away in Pembrokeshire, there was an other bloke doing some dronage with a drone that had collision avoidance. We exchanged a few words on drones and it transpired he had a DJI Phantom 4 Pro - or so he said.

Anyway, when we got home I thought I'd have a look on e-Bay to see what they sold for, and it was anywhere from £800 upwards, which was way out of my league, especially as I have a history of losing them. You can get them cheaper occasionally, but not by much.

I did, however, spot one on an auction that had reached the grand sum of £160 with another day to go. Thinking I'd place a punt on it, but never win it, I lodged a £265 snipe - and won, much to my surprise.

I'm not sure the bloke I spoke with in Pembrokeshire gave me the correct information, as the device I received a few days later in the post was huge - much larger than the one he had, which was only marginally larger than my (or No.1 Son's) Mini 2. I suspect he actually had a Mini 4 Pro.

The carry-box alone is almost the size of an aircraft carry-on case. It is almost brand new, having done, according to the info on the DJI site, which tracks usage, only 6 previous flights.

It's pretty complex but, being complex, you can control so many more features. Because it's above 250gms you should strictly apply for a CAA licence, which I have applied for. You also have to do a theory test, which I'm studying. Once qualified you're a licenced drone pilot - watch out Putin!

The downside is that you're much more restricted on where you can fly it, be it where people are gathered, residential, or commercial areas. Also it's too large to casually put into a rucksack - the box is the size of a rucksack itself, leaving no room for clothing or food when on yomps.

However, a nice piece of kit with an alleged 7km range and a 30 minute flying time. When I think my first ever drone had a range of only 300m, which got me to the end of our field, it's a world apart. At top speed it can do 45 MPH, but to get to that speed it has to tilt forward a bit, which can bring the spinning rotors into view, but Sport mode is only for quickly getting to places you want to video.

It's noisy as hell and so I've ordered some low-noise rotors, which will probably affect the range, but will help in reducing the din in makes. 

The collision avoidance feature is handy - for me, anyway - but only functions in the slower speed mode. If you put into Sport Mode, the drone would hit an object before the collision avoidance system registered any obstruction in its path. I've already clipped a tree in the garden in Sport mode and broken off the end of one rotor. They're cheap enough though at £9.14 on Amazon for 2 sets of 4, delivered, on Prime.

Another handy feature is being able to point the drone at an area on the nav screen and it will automatically head for that position.

For ad-hoc droning while away on long weekends, however, I think I'll stick to the Mini 2, purely because it's easier to carry in a rucksack and you are not so restricted by CAA regulations.

Roadkill for Jesus

Hay insisted we went on a bike ride on Sunday. I must admit I didn't do it because I like bike rides, but because Hay wanted me to join her. I'm nice like that.

Within half a mile of our house I was immediately regretting it - the bike I had to use had misaligned handlebars and a seat that split my difference. It was agony and I must have walked at least a quarter of the 10 miles we covered.

On returning home I immediately sorted out the handlebars and installed the big bum seat from another bike that's no longer serviceable. Comfort!

Unfortunately we spotted this chap at the roadside:

A fine, fat badger which had been hit by a car. Sad. We watched Brian May's documentary on the badger cull the other day and came away convinced that badgers aren't to blame for Bovine TB. I recommend watching the documentary on BBC iPlayer - it's utterly convincing, based on science and trials.

The documentary sheds light on the inefficacy of the bTB skin test, which is widely used to detect the disease in cattle. The documentary reveals significant flaws in this testing method, showing that it often fails to identify infected cattle. As a result, animals that are carriers of the disease remain in the herd, leading to the continued spread of bTB.

The film suggests that the persistence of the disease in cattle populations is, in part, due to the reliance on this outdated and unreliable testing method. By highlighting cases where the skin test has failed to detect bTB, the documentary calls into question the effectiveness of current disease control measures, which have primarily focused on badger culling as a means of preventing transmission to cattle.

The documentary further advocates for more accurate and modern testing methods that could better identify infected cattle, thereby reducing the spread of bTB within herds. Brian May and other contributors argue that this approach, along with vaccination, would be a more effective and humane way to control the disease, ultimately reducing the need for controversial badger culls.

While cycling we called in at a church for a thermos of tea and a bite to eat and I was intrigued by a stained glass window:

A highly improbable, blonde Jesus and a cripple with a telescopic crutch....

Winter Preparation

That's us sorted for winter:

Admittedly the rightymost pile is for Hay's dad who only uses his wood burner in the evenings, whereas ours will run7 x 24, if we decide to use it this winter. 

That is two truckloads, each truckload carrying 3 kiln-dried 'loads' at £105 for each 'load', or £630 for the lot, delivered.

Winter Fuel Payment

Here's an idea - to get our Winter Fuel Payment back, we pensioners should take a leaf from ASLEF's book and go on strike. Oh, hang on - we're already on permanent strike, and getting paid for it.....

How about putting an additional tax on the energy producers, equating the the cost of the pensioners' Winter Fuel Payment, thus maintaining the Winter Fuel Payment for all pensioners.

It would be bad publicity for the energy producers to kick back against this, so I can't really see them complaining directly. They would probably make their displeasure known through a opaquely funded Tufton Street think tank.

Wealthy people getting the WFP is just wrong - it should be directed to those most in need; however, using pension credits as the cut-off risks leaving many of those in need without much in the way of support. Fully means testing it will be expensive and will probably wipe out a good percentage of the government saving, so pushing it on to the energy producers seems fair to me. 

Hydroponics & Mating

I've moved the watercress we brought back from Pembrokeshire out of the bottom filter box as it was too constrained and moved it to a proof -of-concept hydroponics setup I cobbled together from a piece of guttering I got from B&Q for £8.

I placed the filter box outlet over one end of the guttering and put an end-stop on the other end. Without the end-stop there's a danger of everything being washed out of the guttering. A couple of small drill holes at the far end allows a continuous flow of water along the channel with most of it overflowing over the top of the guttering. The watercress sits in the Alfagrog I had in the bottom box. Naturally, the gutter had to be slanted in the right direction to prevent the water backing up, but not too much that it creates a kayaking slalom course.

In the photo below you can see the white guttering running from the filter box along the top of the gabion baskets. The pool liner runs behind the gabions so any overflow runs back into the pond.

The Alfagrog is all bunched up at one end, as I didn't have enough to fill the entire channel, but I can easily add more, or use gravel.

Rather leaky and make-shift, but it works. What I really need is to place the filter box at a height and have a cascade system in which I can place the growing media, which could be traditional hydroponics beads, or the Alfagrog I'm currently using. Both are extremely porous and will house colonies of beneficial bacteria to help clarify the pond.

Here's a video of a simple cascade system:

I've ordered 3 x 20ltr buckets with lids from a seller on e-Bay, along with 40 litres of clay pebbles. Should arrive some time this week. 

Each thing I do in the direction of clarifying the pond leads to another idea. Perhaps I should consider incorporating a kayaking slalom course and delay completion even further.....

The sheep's wool filter box is working better than expected and has a large algae capacity compared to the sponge filters, meaning the wool doesn't need to be wrung out anywhere near as often. The fine sponge filter needs wringing out some 2 or 3 times a day, whereas the wool needs changing no more than once a week.

Given how efficient my Heath Robinson affair is (I can see the bottom of the pond in the 2m deep end), I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about using the huge filtration vats I inherited - they're overkill and more suited to a pond one may wish to keep crystal clear, which I don't.

The other day I spotted a couple of the kio engaging in mating behaviour and took a short video:

There is one large koi - the original, two slightly smaller ones which were added from my father-in-law's pond when he tired of looking after then, two even smaller ones which were probably hatched last year, 25-30 even smaller ones (including fully 5 black ones) hatched this spring and at least one really teeny one which must have hatched in the last month.

One has a deformity of some description, as it's continually swimming upwards and the second it stops it drops to the bottom like a stone. Can't see that lasting much longer.

The video shows one of the two additions being chased by the one from last year - probably its own progeny (koi don't recognised familial relationships, which can cause inbreeding). The chasing and rubbing alongside is typical mating behaviour, triggered by pheromones, and continues until the female spawns. The male then fertilizes the eggs with his milt. The two other long-time residents don't seem at all interested. The eggs and newly hatched fry are very susceptible to being eaten by other koi, including their own parents.

He lost his prospective mate for a while and he reacted by momentarily chasing every fish in sight for a before finding her again and sticking to her.

With over 30 unsexed koi now resident, we're going to have to take more than half out and given them away. Here they are shoaling.

Unfortunately I found a minced fish in the filter two days in succession last week. I'm going to have to put some kind of cage over the inlet pipe to prevent that happening again. 

Fly-Tipping

I was returning home from work early last Sunday (8am), when I happened upon a couple of pieces of useful wood that someone had dumped alongside the highway. 

One of the pieces was attached to a pole and stuck vertically in the grass verge. The other was leant against an existing road sign.

Not being a fan of fly-tipping, which is a problem round here, and never passing up the opportunity of getting some free wood, I removed them from the verge and took them home to reuse on a project. They'd be great to use for a birdhouse; however, I'd have to paint over the child's writing.

It's Over

The crocosmia are already over. 

A brief, glorious display lasting only a few weeks - but what colour!

Ode to the Crocosmia

In summer’s light, you boldly rise, Crocosmia, flame of scarlet skies. Your fiery blooms in garden's grace, A vivid torch, in nature’s space.

Through drought and cold, your roots remain, To light the earth with life again. Majestic flower, fierce and bright, You burn through summer’s fading light.

A warrior’s plume, a beacon’s flare, In you, the summer’s tale we share.

More on Tattoos

I went to our local pond aquatics emporium last week to try and get some daphnea for the pond, wanting to set up a colony that the koi can feed on. Our local aquatics place sells koi and are expert in their management.

I was intrigued by the tattoo the young chap helping me had - it is of a koi:

He said it's not finished yet, but what I liked about it is that it's something related to his passion and not an appropriation of some Maori tribal thing he has no connection with whatsoever.

Talking of koi, I noticed yet another tiddler in the pond yesterday - must have only recently hatched. We're going to overrun by koi at this rate.

Plums on the Vine

We have a young plum tree, which I was convinced was a greengage when I planted it. This year it fruited and I've never seen so many plums on such a small tree.

It was so heavily laden that a branch broke off.

Could be the start of a new trend - plums on the vine......

Yet Another Reclamation

Hay was given a couple of garden seats which were about to be junked at the local tip, but I thought them eminently suitable for renovation.

The rocker was in a particularly bad state, having holes in some of the struts, but both of the seats took well to a rotary wire brush, a bit of sandblasting, Jenolite, primer and left over spray paint I inherited. Good enough for another couple of years at least.

I'm currently working on an old, folding, teak picnic table. Didn't take a before picture, so not worth reporting on. There again, I didn't take a before image of the garden furniture above.

A Filter in Sheep's Clothing

A while back I bought two large bags of sheep's wool for £1 each from a farm just outside of Bath, intending to try using them as filtration media for the pond. I finally got round to using some of one bag.

The problem with raw sheep's wool is that it's a) full of lanolin, which is a form of grease that I don't want sitting on top of the pond, and b) it's contaminated with the odd bit of sheep poo, which I also don't want contaminating the pond. The fleeces don't fetch much on the open market these days, so that's why they're so cheap.

Not having an industrial washing machine, I looked up how poor, Scottish crofters used to clean their wool before it was sent to market. Apparently they trod it like grapes in either huge vats or running water in a stream. Had I been downstream of the locations these were washed, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to use the resulting water for domestic purposes.

Anyway, I put a bag of wool in a large tank I have, applied a bit of washing up liquid and then trod it for a while, with the garden hose playing over it.

It came out fairly clean, although I smelled a bit sheepish myself. Adding more washing up liquid and treading for longer would have resulted in the wool felting, where the fibres interlock, which is not necessarily a bad idea, as it would form a natural mat.

I transferred the reasonably cleaned wool to the top box of my test filter and then put the pump outlet hose into it. Being finer than the plastic filter I originally had in the box, the water started to back up and threaten to overflow; however, the level of filtration was excellent.

The overflow problem was solved by simply making the holes in the bottom of the top box larger and adding a few more. Wringing out the wool will be a bit more difficult than wringing out a plastic mat, but as I said, if I felted the wool it would be much easier to wring out.

There again, wool is biodegradable, so I could merely put the algae soaked wool in the compost after having used it for a week or two.

I also managed to get on the large filter tubs into the filtration shed, but God alone knows how I'm going to support it.

The pipework at the very bottom has to be clear of the floor so that the effluent can be decanted every week or two, and the only way I can think of doing it (bearing in mind the tub will be full of water) would be to use breeze blocks. I will probably also need to slide some bearers under the shed in way of the tub. If necessary, I can remove a section of the floor to have the breeze blocks on the concrete pad.

The really difficult operation will be marrying up the pipes from the large pump I have to the inlet on the tub. The outlet won't be too much of a problem, as I'll merely use the same sized pipe as the outlet - which is at the top, which will be gravity fed back to the pond.

To prevent any chance of overflow, I will insert the UV-C system lower down than the outlet (its capacity is lower than the capacity of the pump), so the majority returns to the pond via the UV-C system and the tub outlet will take the rest. The combined exit capacity to the UV-C and the top exit will be greater than the input, preventing any overflow.

Of course, the entire system will have to be drained down over the winter to prevent freezing, but the algae production over winter is zero anyway due to the short daylight hours and the cold.

Watch this space.

Allergy

Yet another child has died after a severe allergic reaction to a Costa drink made with cow's milk that the parent thought was lactose-free.

It is nothing short of reckless for parents to place their trust in commercial outlets when it comes to feeding their allergenic children. The assumption that a business, driven by profit margins and often staffed by individuals with minimal understanding of food allergies, can guarantee a product is allergen-free is sheer folly. 

These are not minor dietary preferences but potentially life-threatening conditions. Yet, some parents casually place their children’s lives in the hands of a system that is inherently flawed. Cross-contamination is rife in commercial kitchens, and even with the best intentions, mistakes happen. A misplaced crumb, a misread label, or a rushed preparation can turn a seemingly harmless snack into a deadly threat. Trusting in vague assurances or assuming that "gluten-free" or "nut-free" labels are infallible is naïve at best and catastrophic at worst. The stakes are too high for blind faith in commercial promises. 

Parents must take full responsibility, scrutinising every ingredient and preparing food themselves, if necessary, rather than relying on the uncertain standards of strangers. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for misplaced trust.

Outlets should say enough is enough and that they can't guarantee anything where allergies are concerned. Caveat emptor!

We'll Send You An E-Mail with a Code

I'm getting heartily fed up with companies who don't test the systems they develop for getting people to sign up for things. You receive an e-mail with a web link, which leads you to a page where you set up an account; however, before you can set the account into motion, they send you a code to your e-mail address.

This is fine if you're doing it on a laptop, where your email system and browser are likely to be stand-alone programmes, but if you're on your phone you can't go back to inspecting an e-mail without stepping backwards and leaving the bloody web page you're meant to enter the code into in order to get back to your e-mail. 

This is because email apps on Android typically use an in-app browser to open links. This means that when you click on a link, the email app stays open in the background, and the link opens in a browser window within the email app. 

Send the code by text and there's no problem. 

Finished Filtration Shed

Colin finished off the shed while we were away in Pembrokeshire last weekend, and a very fine job he did too. The lean-to now houses the Mobylette and the tandem. Another couple of coats of wood preserver is scheduled and several splits and holes made by knots falling out have to be plugged.

Now to plan the piping for the physical, biological and UV-C pond filtration system, but first I need to organise a proper electricity supply.

Earlier this week my small bilge pump that feeds the make-shift, physical filter decided to pack up and go home - it was never rated for continuous operation, so I got more than I expected from it. I removed the fine filter matting from the boxes, to prevent backup due to the greater water flow, and diverted the UV-C outlet into the box. There should be no live algae in the UV-C outlet, but it aids filtration by collecting the dead waste which will still decompose at the bottom of the pond if left in.

I also discovered that the UV-C hasn't been working since I stripped it down over a week ago, the reason being I had inadvertently reversed the polarity on one of the UV tubes, which is very easy to do. I corrected this and it's fully operational again. I also ordered 3 missing retaining clips that help keep the end connectors fixed in place - only a fiver.

While in Pembrokeshire, Hay found some watercress growing in a stream leading to the beach and she brought some home, hoping to grow it in the pond margins. Now watercress needs cold, running water, so I placed it in the lower make-shift filtration box among the Alfagrog. Whether this water is cold enough is debatable, but it will certainly have some nutrient in it to feed the watercress, although too much will kill it. It seems to be doing OK thus far.

Riots

Let's analyse the recent riots again, but this time include the government response, and take some time to avoid a knee-jerk reaction and emotion.

The level of concern about immigration—whether legal (based on visas), irregular (asylum seekers), or illegal (those who disappear into the hidden employment market)—varies among the constituent parts of the United Kingdom.

This concern is generally lower in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, likely due to different immigration patterns and social dynamics in these regions. According to polls, the levels of concern are approximately:

• England: 60%-70% concerned Northern Ireland: 30%-40% concerned 
• Scotland: 40%-50% concerned 
• Wales: 50%-60% concerned 

It’s important to note that this is ‘concern,’ not necessarily the top priority for most people.

When it comes to immigration being the top priority, the numbers fall:

• England: 20%-30% 
• Northern Ireland: 10%-15% 
• Scotland: 10%-20% 
• Wales: 15%-25%

These figures suggest that immigration is primarily, although not exclusively, a significant issue in England. It’s worth noting that extreme nationalism takes different forms across the UK. In Scotland and Wales, nationalist sentiments are often directed at the English, usually within a democratic context. In England, nationalism can sometimes manifest in opposition to those from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. However, this doesn’t imply that English nationalists were entirely welcoming of European immigrants before Brexit; the level of hostility was generally lower because these immigrants were perceived as culturally similar.

There’s a tendency to frame current issues around skin colour, but it may be more accurate to view them as concerns about differing cultures. Many people who protest against irregular immigration have no problem with figures like Sunak, Patel, or Braverman, despite their ethnic backgrounds. However, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, faces criticism largely because of his Muslim identity, compounded by his political stance on the left.

Whether rooted in genuine fears or exacerbated by populist rhetoric, immigration remains an important issue for a significant portion of the population. The last Conservative government can be accused of leveraging public disquiet over immigration to justify austerity measures. In contrast, parties like Reform Ltd. appear to be inflaming these concerns purely for political gain.

The reasons for concern about immigration are varied. While there is a minority of outright racists or xenophobes, many people who feel marginalised can be persuaded that irregular immigrants are being prioritised over their needs. This segment of the population, likely larger than the inherently racist group, has been left behind by successive governments and is understandably frustrated, though perhaps for misguided reasons.

Even among those who have taken to the streets to defend their communities during unrest, there will be a proportion who are concerned about immigration but are not willing to see their towns damaged or burned by rioters.

Starmer has been commended for his swift action in addressing recent unrest, but there’s a risk he may become complacent, believing he has established a new consensus. However, the underlying issues may not be fully resolved, and the potential for further unrest remains. So long as it does, the far right will capitalise on it.

Have the jail sentences made those who received them changed their minds on racism? Probably not, but a few may be remorseful, especially after having acted on the basis of false information and having seen the public response. Would no jail sentences have changed their minds? Certainly not.

To effectively address concerns about immigration, Starmer needs to consider several strategies:

Resolving the Issue of Irregular Immigration:

The most visible and contentious aspect is the arrival of asylum seekers by boat. Starmer could consider reopening processing centres in other countries, setting a reasonable cap on asylum seekers, and ensuring that those still arriving by boat are classified as economic migrants and deported accordingly. It is crucial that the UK continues to meet its obligations under the Refugee Convention, providing protection to those genuinely fleeing persecution. Additionally, he might declare an amnesty for those already in the UK awaiting decisions, allowing them to work and reducing the financial burden on the state. 

Why he hasn't already done this most obvious action is incomprehensible. Perhaps he's getting the difficult stuff out of the way first and leaving the vote-winning stuff till when it's needed. Strategically valid, but not in the least ethical. He scores nul points from me on this.

Addressing Economic Inequality:

Tackling the root causes of marginalisation requires more than just rhetoric about "levelling up." It demands targeted investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in deprived areas. Economic policies should aim to create good jobs, support small businesses, and ensure that economic growth benefits everyone. While challenging during times of economic hardship, addressing these issues early in his term would be prudent. 

Promoting Community Cohesion:

To counter divisive narratives around immigration, it’s essential to foster integration and mutual understanding. Supporting community projects that bring together people from different backgrounds and promoting a national conversation about the contributions of immigrants to British society would be key steps in this direction. On social media, particularly on platforms like Facebook, there’s a trend of people defending rioters and taking offence at them being labelled as thugs. This mirrors a broader societal debate where criticism is often met with accusations of intolerance.

Regarding Twitter and Elon Musk's inflammatory comments; some defend Musk's utterances as a defence of free speech. However, it's important to consider that Twitter was purchased when it was not profitable, and Musk’s controversial statements to his vast follower base likely generate attention and revenue. Nevertheless, he's walking a fine line between profitability and losing advertisers due to the platform's increasingly toxic environment.

As for claims by figures like Farage about "Two-Tier Policing," the notion can be dispelled with three words: Stop and Search. The 2023 Casey Report on institutional police racism further highlights the complexity of this issue.

Box of Interesting Things

Hay has this box which she calls her 'Box of Interesting Things'. It's comprised of small items than look useful, but may never be used.

In a way, it's a microcosm of my garage and workshop, which are filled to the brim with much larger interesting things which may, or may not, ever be used.

One thing she does keep in there is fuses. Now if I were to have a box of fuses in my workshop, it would take a month to find it amongst all the other boxes, so Hay's box is indeed useful.

The answer, you may say, is for me to also have a box of interesting things, but I would have to keep it in the workshop, which means it would get lost among the other boxes of interesting things..

No.2 Son's Graduation

Bruno, No.2 Son, received his degree in the post yesterday - Upper 2nd Class in Liberal Arts.

He's not a fan of the bollocks surrounding graduation ceremonies, nor the cost, so we had it at home.

Gore Vidal's book, Lincoln, served as a mortarboard and I impersonated the impersonator Hugh Dennis, who is the chancellor of the University of Winchester.

Yes, No.2 Son is really that tall, as is No.1 Son.

Tent on a Roof Rack

 When staying in the Freshwater East campsite I spotted this unusual sleeping arrangement:

It's a roof rack sleeping capsule that collapses down to only a few inches thick. It's accessed on the other side via a short, extending ladder.

It's called a TentBox and would be brilliant for the Peugeot Partner, but costs over £2k.

You can get cheaper versions from other manufacturers, but they're still £1.75k, which is rather a rip-off. However, it's relatively new and therefore they're cashing in on the novelty factor early on. Doubtless prices will fall over time.

I wonder if I could make something similar as a project? What do you reckon - some plywood, a bit of canvas, some pop-up gazebo framing and some Superglue?

Thinking about it, you could adapt one of those Thule roof boxes. You can get them in various sizes, although not necessarily made by Thule.

The ones above are made in China and the 900L one is only $79. That's a base and a top for starters.

I also saw this VW van at the campsite.

It was of interest to me because I'd never seen a VW van in that colour. It was of interest to Hay because the owner had a Cinch Hub tent, which Hay also has.

We went for a meal in Lamphey and, bugger me, I saw what I though was exactly the same van, as there couldn't be too many light blue VW vans within a 5 mile radius. As it transpired it was indeed a different van, as it had, on closer inspection, rear windows.

The next day I queried the owner about the provenance of the van and she told me there are plenty of these light blue jobs around as they're retired British Gas vans; however, I've never seen them before.

Men and the BBQ

We've been staying in a motorhome and caravan site in Freshwater East, Pembrokeshire, since Thursday. The place has been deserted, despite decent weather and a gorgeous beach.

It never ceases to amaze me when men, who would never be seen in the kitchen at home, suddenly become all domesticated when it comes to the BBQ, which many see as a male preserve. This is despite them not being capable of cooking anything more complex than a couple of sausages and a handful of burgers.

I always step aside when it comes to the BBQ. While I'm a decent enough cook, I leave all the BBQ stuff to Hay, as she far surpasses me in cooking - and what we end up with is far better than the traditional BBQ fare.

Here's some drone footage I took while here:

Peugeot Project

Stage 1 of the Peugeot Partner stealth camper conversion was to remove part of the cargo cage, lift the plywood flooring and then sand the flooring smooth and getting the hideous red stain off.

Given the flooring is going to be covered in vinyl, it's not really worth painting it in polyurethane varnish, although it would look good and so I did it. The ply is rather thin - 9mm or so - I may change it out completely for something a bit more chunky, 12mm perhaps. Should I consider burr walnut veneer?

The cargo area has 6 lashing points, 3 each side, which I'm thinking of using to attach the shelving and bed carcasses to, so they can be easily removed if the van needs to be used for transporting anything bulky.

With the cargo cage removed and the passenger seats folded flat, I can fit two kayaks inside the van. I'm loath to remove the cargo cage behind the driver, as it has the top anchorage for the middle seat belt incorporated into it. There again, the times I'll have two passengers will be very rare.

I also want a 3 way mini-fridge that works on 240V, 12V and LPG. They're quite expensive new, but you can find 2nd hand ones on e-Bay and Facebook Market for between £100 and £150. It would primarily be used on 12V while driving and gas when camped.

Along with that, I'll need at least one leisure battery, a make-shift water tank and a fold-flat gas hob. A sink isn't necessary, as a collapsible washing up bowl will suffice.

A 240V hook-up inlet socket? Maybe, but it's not really needed on a stealth camper. More of a nice-to-have than a necessity.

Cheating Waze

The traffic on the M5 the other day was hideous. I was on the way from Bristol to Bridgewater to collect an auction car. Waze was trying to make me behave like a twot.

It was advising me to divert off the motorway and jump a couple of places at the roundabout and immediately rejoin. Apparently it would have saved me 3 minutes.

Never seen that before.

Living Aquarium

Went to a local Audi specialist repair shop recently where they had an aquarium in the waiting area. It is one of those wall-type jobs, which I really like.

Here's a short video I shot of the tank:

Now the surprising thing about it is that it has some living decoration in the shape of anemones. It's beautiful. I've no idea how it's kept so clean, but there must be some sophisticated filtration and feeding.

New T-Shirt

The new T-Shirt I ordered a few weeks ago has arrived.

Here's a closeup of the design:

Just in case the front confuses you, the back leaves you in little doubt.

Personally I think it would have been better without the writing on the back - more subtle and understated.