On Me Bike is busy...

Lots of good things happening this Autumn - lots of interesting work in Loughborough and Nottingham, a new allotment and other things (...) keeping me busy. So blogging has been very neglected. On Me Bike is going to take a break, but I'm hoping to use my gardening blog to support my freelance work as well as keep in contact with people. You can also keep up with me on Flickr or even on Facebook if you're a chum.
Cheerio!

Somerset Cycle Tour 2

One of the pleasures in cycle touring is coming across village churches, and stopping to have a look. For an atheist I've visited a huge number of churches - I love the history, the architecture, and even the feeling that people have worshipped and met here for possibly hundreds of years. I'm not completely soulless!

So here are just a few of the churches I visited back in July.

St. Hugh's Charterhouse, high up on the Mendips. Very distinctive, I haven't seen a church like this before.

St. Mary the Virgin, Cannington, north-west of Bridgewater. This 15th Century church has some powerful carvings on the outside. Is the face below depicting leprosy?

A similar church, Halberton St Andrew, but way over the Quantocks, near Tiverton.

Lovely carvings!

St Mary's Ilminster, a fine church in a delightful town, not only because there were four cafes to choose from!

Finally, Wedmore church, back on the Levels, and another dedication to St. Mary. This was propbably the most interesting on the whole trip, with many carved bosses and corbels. Most of these were inside and the photos aren't good enough for publication (!) but the external carving of a little devil below rather took my fancy, he's a bit like the Lincoln Imp.

I also looked at and photographed churches at Stogursey, Stringston, Bicknoller, Bishop's Hull, Hillfarrance, Brushfield, Kingsbury Episcopi and Compton Bishop.

My new best friend!

After hankering after one for years, I've finally got a Brompton! With my new job it's going to be really useful as I'll be able to pop it onto the X9 after cycling into the city, then I'll be able to bike round Loughborough to meetings, etc. And if the weather is as lovely as it was last Friday night, I can just think "I'll cycle home!" and off we go.

It's a second-hand bike, and it was a sheer fluke I got it as they are like hens teeth - or nicked. I just happened to pop into the Framework Bike Club on the right day and got chatting about Bromptons within earshot of the right person...

Somerset Cycle Tour 1

At last some photos from my cycle trip in July! I had a super time visiting friends and relations (you know who you are - thanks for everything!) and I also had time to look at flowers, butterflies and the wonderful views.

The bike (Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative Revolution Trailfinder) on the train to Birmingham. One of the huge varieties of cycle accomodation I encountered this summer... though I've a suspicion that this may actually be designed for wheelchairs.

The view from the road above Wookey Hole, where there is a lovely campsite.

This road takes you up onto the Mendips, where I had a great time identifying flowers and galls, and met this character, a Marbled White:

Later on, in Ebbor Gorge, I was excited to see two Silver-washed Fritillaries dancing about above the brambles. This is one of them.

I also came across this!

More animals which aren't what they seem at RSPB Westhay on the Somerset Levels - it's an otter carved out of a log.

Over on the Blackdown Hills (and actually in Devon) is Culmstock Beacon, with great views over to Exmoor across the Vale of Taunton Dean.

I came across this odd creature - it's a female Scorpion Fly.

And this is just one of many Gatekeeper butterflies which were fluttering about the gorse and hedgerows.

Similar but definitely different, a Speckled Wood.

Back on the Mendips, this is the viw from Crook Peak.

This was a great place for wildlife, with limestone flora including some real rarities (which I was unlikely to find on a short walk onto one of the most well-used areas). However it was nice to get this shot of a Common Blue.

And this of a Common Hawker dragonfly. Coming down the hill later, I saw a group of 10 or so dragonflies, all hawking together. What a wonderful sight.

That was just a few of the sights which made this such an interesting trip. Next post will have some photos of churches and the wildlife they harbour!

On Me Bike has been on her bike...

...which is why I've not been posting. First 10 days in Somerset and Devon visiting friends and relations (super to see you all!) and then 10 days doing my version of the Cumbria Cycleway. I'll post some photos and comments at the weekend.
First though I'll be starting my new job!

Getting on me bike again...

It's been too long! A busy few weeks is all it takes to completely get out of this blogging habit.

It seems like a good time to take stock. 'On Me Bike' has been going for over a year and a half now, and while I've done some super cycle tours, and put lots of stuff about gardening in, I've not gone into much depth about the jobs side of the theme. Since the election it seems less amusing to recollect Tebbit's phrase. However, work-wise I've been on my bike all over Nottingham - Bulwell, Hucknall, Snape Wood, Aspley, and the Meadows, teaching gardening. Now I'm going 'on my bike' to Loughborough - mainly involving the train too as it's 20 miles! I'm starting a job-share in mid-August as an Access to Nature Officer with Charnwood Borough Council. It'll be good to be doing more nature conservation, and I'll be able to do gardening education the rest of the week.

Before though, I'm back off to the South West with my bike and tent again...

Sunny Staffordshire

The first cycle trip away this year! A little too early for camping, and also the long-running saga of my bikes' hub cones and bearings mean that neither are quite up to carrying a full load. Quite possibly my knees would agree. So, another go at Youth Hostelling, and hit lucky with Sheen Bunkhouse, just north of the Manifold Valley in Staffordshire. It turns out to not actually be a youth hostel, though it's on their website. It's a farm diversification venture, but I hope they normally do better than this week - I was the only visitor! A very comfy place, a cross between a country cottage and an old-style hostel, but without the warden.

Sheen is a small agricultural hamlet, with just a pub. There's a Victorian church with some much older gargoyles outside, howling at the moon. (Or sun, in this case).

Just down the road a small field has some strange weights and pulleys attached to the trees and a hefty post. Took me a while to deduce that it was a tug-of-war practicing field, and later I saw the girls from the Young Farmers practicing, very seriously.

Opposite the hostel is what appears to be a tin tabernacle.

So, a pleasant few days photographing specialist lead- and copper-mine-spoil-loving plants, enjoying the scenery and the cafes, and discovering some very nice tracks.

New Blog

The original theme for 'On Me Bike' was, unsurprisingly but contrastingly, my cycle trips and efforts to find a job. One has proved to be more blog-worthy than the other... However I've also found myself reporting rather more often on my gardening. So, as part of my push for more freelance work, and to collect all my gardening posts in one place, I've started http://itsthegardeninglady.blogspot.com/.

Do pop over there and have a look. Now to write a post about cycling!

This year's experiments

Last year I did a couple of 'experiments', testing out differences between different sorts of compost. Useful but rather frustrating as the peat-free compost I use, which is reckoned to be the best, still didn't perform as well as the old peat-based compost found down the allotments. Having said that, in the long run it didn't seem to make that much difference as all the plants were then potted on or planted out into peat-free or soil and did OK.

So I'm doing some more 'experiments' this year, with similar themes.

Experiment 1: Arthur C. Bowers New Horizon VS innominate peat-based.
From left: Pak Choi, Lettuce May Queen, Lettuce Lobjoits Green Cos, Lettuce Little Gem, all in peat-based.
From right: ditto, all in New Horizon.
Both with inclusion of Vermiculite.


4 April 2010.

17 April 2010.

25 April 2010.

1 May 2010.

Speed of germination, success of germination, size of seedlings: all seem much better on the left, i.e., peat-based. I did turn them round, but maybe the peat-based have been favoured by being on the sunny side of the mini-greenhouse.

Experiment 2: Depth of sowing.
In my teaching posts, I'm always stressing sowing seeds at the right depth. but how much does it really matter?
I sowed 7 seeds per pot of Lettuce May Queen at depths of 0.5cm (the recommended depth), 1.5cm and 2.5cm. I also sowed some at 0.5cm with a covering of vermiculite rather than compost.

4 April 2010.

25 April 2010.

1 May 2010.
It's not got enough samples to be scientifically valid, but i think it shows that seed depth doesn't necessarily have as big a role to play with this seed. Obviously still best to follow the seed packet or the rule of thumb: sow at twice the depth that the seed is wide.
Again, maybe I didn't turn often enough for all the pots to get the same distribution of sun.

Experiment 3: Coir Compost vs. New Horizon.
From left: Broccoli 'Raab'; Rocket; Spicy Greens; Pak Choi, all in coir compost.
From right: ditto, in New Horizon (no vermiculite).
The coir compost was one of those bricks from Oxfam.

1 May 2010.
Initial results looking more favourable for the coir compost. This was what Monty Don used to recommend, but I've never found it very easy to source, and some I used last year was hopeless. Mind you, it was from a pound shop.

Losing my bearings...

In 2008 I did a cycle tour down the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coasts to Norfolk. By the final stint of this trip, it was pretty clear that my nice old tourer wasn't very well in the rear bearings department. Horrid clunks and even bangs emerged, though the wheels kept on going round apparently happily.

When I got home I tried to sort out the bearings, but realised I couldn't get into the ones on the side where the block (gears) are. I used to be pretty good at cleaning my bearings out, I thought, but I don't remember having to take the freewheel off. There ensued a long saga which I really cannot be bothered to repeat, of posts on forums, trips to bike shops, efforts by well-meaning friends, all to find out what sort of freewheel remover I needed and how to actually use it to get the block off.

Finally I decided to swallow my pride and take it to one of the few bike shops that had been able to sell me the right freewheel remover for service. At lunchtime I got a phone call "It's going to cost £200 upwards to repair it, it's not worth it. Do you want us to go ahead or get rid of it?" Shock horror! Get rid of my old friend! Back at the bike shop they showed me the rear bearings. They were not round anymore. One was actually more pyramid-shaped. Pretty embarrassing. I was the one responsible for the state my pal was in. More to the point the hubs had been damaged by this, and the drivetrain was completely worn out. I pointed out that the bike had cost me £350 in 1989 so how much would I have to spend to get one that good nowadays? "You can spend a less and get one much better these days." The guy spent a good hour showing me bikes in the basement, but totally failed to convince me that any were the right size, and to show me any tourers.

Another saga, one of trying to find a decent replacement tourer, but apparently short women don't need nice bikes. Again, too boring to recount, but this one involves the CTC magazine letters page too, not just the forum! Meanwhile I'd bumped into a guy who looked at my bike and said the parts were worn, but didn't look that bad. And then I had some work cancelled, and went down to the Framework bike club. Again "Well, it's pretty worn but you've got maybe 1000 miles more wear if you're lucky". So I popped in some new bearings and the bike is back on the road. Total cost? £1.50. (Except I'm buying another bike off them too!)

Next stage: sourcing the parts that I really will need at some point to get the bike touring again.

Rather abused cones.

Hub not looking that bad.

PS. It takes about 5 minutes to get a freewheel off - if you've got the right remover, a workbench and a vice!

The Garden in March and April

After the winter we've had this year, it's taken a while to get back into the garden. I've been doing some work for the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, and getting stuck into Neighbourhood Nature, the OPAL Lichen survey and iSpot, which has all been fascinating. In March I remembered there was a garden out there!

Mid-March: new Garlic planted out. Red Mustard and Leeks weathered the snow, but don't look very big...

Late March: currant cuttings from winter 2008/9 lined out at the back of the plot. The Sorrel (centre) noticeably larger.

Early April: signs of life from the herbs, Marjoram at the front, mints near the back. Over-wintered Lamb's Lettuce and Mizuna planted out under fleece.


Mid-April: Leeks going well, it was worth leaving them. Now to eat them! Red Mustard and Sorrel growing too fast to keep up!


And finally, late April. What a month it has been, what a spring!

Friday night

Get home about 6:30 after volunteering at Hyson Green Homework club.
Green ginger wine and tortilla chips (fusion food?), listening to the News quiz, if I'm lucky.
Juice (Podcast receiver) to download this week's Costing the Earth, One Planet, Science in Action, etc.
Friday's job searching: Derby and Derbyshire councils, then the Boroughs in Derbyshire. The DirectGov website, JobsGoPublic, Guardian jobs, Charity Jobs though they are all pretty pointless these days but you never know...
Nice evening, might go for a stroll. Count the cats, look at the front gardens. Count my blessings - I don't live and work on a rubbish dump in Lagos (though it did have a surprisingly good side) - what were you watching last night?

January Garden

Rather different from earlier posts!
Under the fleece are plants like American Land Cress, Pak Choi, and Cornsalad. They look OK and I expect them to grow away well once things warm up a bit.

Things may not be so successful in the veg plot. The leeks - just visible on the left - are still pretty skinny but should survive the snow and ice. Others may be less fortunate - the Sorrel and Red Mustard already looked a bit sorry for themselves after the earlier frost before Christmas. I'll be interested to see how the Green in Snow gets on! I probably should have fleeced the lot in mid-December, but then no-one expected the winter to turn out how it did.

The main part of the garden, not looking like winter gardens do in magazines. They always take photos when there's been a hard frost - not something which happens that often, but beautiful whaen it does. All we're doing in the garden at the moment is feeding the birds.

Once bittern twice shy...

Like an ice-rink underfoot, but bright blue above, so on the bus to Beeston, for a short walk to the Marina. Chips and a warm welcome from Tony at the Boat House Cafe, then on to Attenborough Nature Reserve for some birding! Having got into lichens this winter, I'm a bit late getting started this year.

Plenty to see - the 'usual suspects' such as mallard, tufted ducks (which are super), great crested grebes, etc., and watched a flock of greylag and canada geese. Spotted a teal, which I don't remember seeing last year, followed by a goosander, a shovellerand a pair of wigeon, which I do remember.

Then went to visit the new hide, the Tower Hide, which has a great view over Clifton Pond. The photo below is taken from the hide. A few minutes after taking this photo, one of the other birdwatchers said 'Bittern! On the ice!' And there it was, standing rather knock-kneed with its beak in the air, looking as if it didn't really know why it was there. Then another bittern appeared, standing on a post at the edge of the reedbed. We had a couple of minutes to watch both before they disappeared back into the reeds. This is a really unusual occurrence: bitterns are rarely seen during the day, even less on a sunny Sunday afternoon when everybody is about. I may never see another one!


Attenborough is a pretty special place and is part of a unique landscape: below is the distinctive steam plume from the rather notorious Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, site of at least one climate change protest recently.