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Earth's Living Forests

Environmental Land Formation
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Feeding the Family

Well until now I have been silent on the matter, but with the addition of rabbit I feel I must speak.

The current members that dine on my work are, Mouse, Rat, Mole, Deer, Rabbit, Pheasant, Blackbird, Thrush, Wasp and various colour (White, Grey, Green, Black) of Fly, Butterfly (White …. )

  • September 1st, 2010
  • Category
    Growing Food
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Himalayan Balsam 2010

Site 1

Himalayan Balsam - Site 1 - Elf Trust
Aerial Photo(2005) of Site 1

The above photo is aligned, North to the top of page. The red outline is the approx boundary of work. The eastern limit follows the drainage ditch of the lower field.

Detail of Site 1

The letters are in the order that the site is being cleared.

The red line is the track between the upper field and the lower fen meadow.

The double ‘yellow and green’ lines are the western and eastern boundaries, respectively, of the drainage ditch separating the upper field and the fen meadow.

Himalayan Balsam - Site 1 detail - Elf Trust


Sites 3 to 6

Himalayan Balsam - Sites 3 to 6 - Elf Trust
Map of Sites 3 to 6(2008)

Himalayan Balsam - Site 3 to 6 - Elf Trust
Aerial Photo(2005) of Sites 3 to 6(2010)

Site 3 is extended a)to include the track leading north b) to cover the land between the bund and the drainage ditch, and c) to includes land belonging to Trekensa Gardens where it adjoins a) on it’s western boundary and the SSSI on it’s southern boundary

Site 4 is extended to about 30m to the west of the north-south bund.


September:

  • 2nd Sep: Went over all areas of Site 1. Found a few more stragglers on the top level again, one some half way up the field, on the southern part. Cleared area C

Pages are {Sep,Aug,Jul,Jun}

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4

  • June 24th, 2010
  • Category
    Invasive Plants
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  Tags: himalayan balsam, invasive

Arsenic

Just a starter.

After reading about arsenic poisoning from ground water, I’m expanding info on contamination and possible uptake in foods.

  • June 19th, 2010
  • Category
    Water, Growing Food
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Dear Oh! Deer

Just to say the deer are marauding. The day I went to town last week I returned to find they had eaten the hearts out of 7 fully grown lettuce and eaten the fruit and leaves of some 20 strawberry plants.

As if I didn’t get the message on Sat 12th I went to the village to help with some computer issues, which I failed to resolve, only to find on my return that 12 perfectly good lettuce had been yomped again.

EDIT
Well twice more, today 19th being the latest.

I am not keen on fencing and will have to make my presence noted some other way.

The proper action is to just be here, but 24/7/52 is not going to happen.

So the alternatives are:

  • Pee on trees to leave a ‘mark’
  • Hang a few shiny items from the trees, like old CDs to annoy they
  • Place a few twigs in stategic places to make things a bit difficult in places
  • Install some infra-red sensor to enable a sound and/or visual disturbance

Well some day, anyway. :roll:

  • June 14th, 2010
  • Category
    Discoveries
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Mains Water Usage

A Log of recent water usage. (m3)


The unaccounted flow is reducing slowly. However the figures are same as for April and May ~ See page 3

5th Aug: 4m10 per litre or 345.6 litre a day
6th Aug: 4m30 per litre or 320.0 litre a day
6th Aug: 5m03 per litre or 285.1 litre a day
OK not better on 8th
7th Aug: 4m48 per litre or 300.0 litre a day

8th Aug 2010
Read meter at 20:06 > 2.1464

7th Aug 2010
Went back to the mains as intended at 00:57 and the meter star was still spinning. The reading is 1.9713 so 31.3 lt used in 163 min. (5m12s per lt).

I cracked open the mains and slowly let water through a litre or two.
carried out further measurements {5:14, 4:53, 4:43, 5:24, 4:56, 5:06} that’s an average of 5m3s/lt. Stopped at 1.989.

Cracked open(not fully open) the mains again and will see what usage has occurred later this morning.

Arrived at mains tap at 12:18. The meter star is still spinning.
Reading is 2.1009 > Open tap fully. Meter goes to 2.1012. Wait till meter reaches 2.1020 and record time of 1lt flow. {4:40, 5:03, 4:46, 4:25, 5:05}. That’s 4m48 per lt. Turn tap off at 12:48. Meter reading is 2.1070. Star still spinning and record 1lt by 12:53 i.e. 5min per litre.

Back at mains at 20:27. reading 2.1135. Flow stopped. Open tap Reading went to 2.1447. So from 12:48 to 20:27 is 7h39 and 2.1070 to 2.1135 is 6.5 or less than 1lt per hour when off this time, but used another 41.2lt on opening. Turned tap off. That’s an average of 9m44 per litre

6th Aug 2010
Ok twice more I timed the flow when the mains is off. Once more on the way to the village yesterday evening at 18:46, when the flow was from 4m09s/lt. {3:51, 3.47, 4.53, 3.46, 4.34, 4.03} and at about 06:00 this morning 4m34s{4.27, 4.22, 4.53, 4.40, 4.19}

21:52 Meter reads 1.8953, which means that 35.3 lt have gone somewhere since this morning. Turned mains on and got a rush to 1.9366, some 41.3lt.

Then measured litre rates {4.00; 4:09, 4:04} clearly a bit worse from the previous 4m30 average, so I turned the mains off at 22:14. reading now 1.9400 noticing the meter star still rotated.

Returned at 01:00 on the 7th ~ See 7th Aug above

DateStartStopUsedNotes
20 Jun 09329.5947333.16103.5663Lost 2.5
28 Jun 09333.1621334.15410.9920.45 in pipe
3 Aug000.1400001.12670.9833Before John arrived
3 Aug001.1800After John arrived
5 Aug001.3000001.77160.4716Trying to expell air
5 Aug001.7716001.80540.0338@ 18:16
5 Aug001.8121001.81760.0055Off for one hour{66m}
6 Aug001.8176001.86000.0434Fast and then slow. See below
6 Aug001.8953001.93660.041321:52
7 Aug001.8953001.93660.041321:52 to 22:14

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3

  • June 28th, 2009
  • Category
    Water
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  Tags: water

Beava Bova

Well not much bova and no sight of a beaver. But I noticed some chippings off a willow tree by the river and looking at the teeth marks, thought it could only be a beaver.

March 26th


beaver bite marks  march 26

April 11th


beaver bite marks april 11



Hugh Tyler from Natural England and my Friend Rowena have informed me that a beaver was caught in Gunnislake around Christmas 2008. Rowena said the beaver may have been from a transition site in north Devon, acclimatising before transfer to Scotland. Maybe another escapee or the same one. Poor soul is alone and trying to damn the River Tamar on a tidal stretch.
More Images

  • March 26th, 2009
  • Category
    Water, Discoveries
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  • Latest Sixteen Posts

    • Feeding the Family
    • Himalayan Balsam 2010
    • Arsenic
    • Dear Oh! Deer
    • Mains Water Usage
    • Beava Bova
    • The Winter Planning Bug
    • Mice Office
    • Towsend's Tif & Water Leakage
    • Harry the Hedgehog
    • Black Sheep
    • Riverside Errosion
    • Himalayan Balsam 2009
    • Greenfly Genocide
    • Giant Hogweed 2008
    • The Townsend Tango
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