I’m running out of room to put these things! I’ve made seven in total but this and the last are my favourites. View attachment 23191 View attachment 23192
I’ve been watching a lot of these things being created on YT recently - it’s just about one of the most soothing things ever. It turns out creating one yourself isn’t quite as soothing. I’m pretty happy with the results, however. I now just have to hope the moss like its new home and takes. View attachment 23083
Back in January of last year I moved out of my old flat. During the clear out I forced myself to be utterly ruthless in regards to what went to the refuge tip. I must have filled 8-9 rubble sacks with the books I’d collected over the years (most of them unread). Now, when I look back, I’m dumbfounded as to why I included certain titles. These were books I’d hunted down and paid over the odds for. Books I loved dearly. Books that are probably now out of print and going for upwards of £50 on amazon and such. Books I’d happily re-read... Why did I do that??
My time here is about to be severely curtailed. The rent at my new place is just over double what I'm currently paying, which while it sounds like a huge jump on paper, I have to keep telling myself it's only that way because I'm paying an absolute pittance on my current flat. Nevertheless it means something has to go, and at around £70 a month that thing is my broadband and phone line. I still have a good deal on my mobile, as far as data goes, so I'll post occasionally, but mobile internetting has always been a last resort for me so I'll be posting far less of my drivel from the 20th.
I've wanted a water snail in my jarrarium ever since building the thing over a month ago. I'd given up all hope and seriously considered buying a couple online. Then lo and behold I glance at my set-up one morning and see this slithering across the glass. Not sure of the exact species, but it's about 1.5cm in size so where it's been hiding all this time I can't imagine. If it's grown from a baby then these things grow far quicker than I imagined. View attachment 23062
I collected some pond plants today and picked up at least one hitch-hiker. After adding the plants I spotted a polycelis felina shortly afterwards (a type of flatworm). Too small to photograph, really, and I disturbed the sediment during planting so it's all looking very brown at the moment anyway. View attachment 23052
Day 6 and now looking quite clear. There's been no sighting of the leech I discovered last Monday, which means he either fled the tank (and is now dead and shrivelled somewhere unknown) or he's lying dormant somewhere within. I strongly suspect the former. Daphnia are still present, but their numbers are much reduced. This specimen is not teeming with life as I hoped, and I suspect its survival is hanging by a fine thread. This is the gamble you take with these things. View attachment 23050
Life! Quite obvious what the main beastie is, but not sure about the little aphids skittering about near the surface. Leeches eat aquatic snails, so if I spot any [snails] Bob here will have to go, as snails help keep the eco system clean. ETA: Seems the little critter things are some form of daphnia.
Finally finished my first paludarium. It became one of those projects that reached the stage where I just wanted to see the back of it - not because I'd lost interest, but because I felt it was important to get my first out of the way so I could learn for the next. Right now the water's very cloudy and I want to wait for it to clear before I turn on the pump to see if my waterfall gives the desired effect. The water will hopefully trickle from beneath the large rock at the top, along the slate outcrop and over the edge into the body of water below. Only time will tell how long the moss lives. View attachment 23046 View attachment 23047 View attachment 23048
Without wanting to blow my own trumpet I've always felt I could turn my hand to most things, not necessarily in a 'naturally gifted' manner, but in a way that means I can pick things up over a relatively short period and become half-decent at it... whatever 'it' might be. But I've watched other people try to do certain things, like dance, or kick a football, and see that something fundamental is missing which prevents them from being able to perform the task. Something in their genes, maybe. And I watch these people and feel kind of sorry for them. Usually God is merciful under such circumstances and it is those very things that a person has no natural ability for, that they have absolutely no interest in doing anyway. Nonetheless I observe and quickly reach the conclusion that no amount of practice or tutoring is going to help them improve. When I practice on my guitar I see one of these people. I thought I had good rhythm, natural time-keeping, relatively dextrous hands and fingers, but it seems I have none of these things, at least not when it comes to strumming or switching between chords. My body aches, I can't hold the pick consistently, my hips hurt, as do my fretting arm and elbow, and there's never been a point during my practice when I've felt even remotely comfortable in what I'm doing. #whinersarewieners
I think I need to bite the bullet and find somewhere that can set my acoustic up properly. The buzz is stopping me from wanting to practice. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. Far more likely it’s just good old fashioned procrastination.
I forget the term now and realise it’s a commonly used technique, but I find it very off-putting the way I’m constantly getting unwanted sound from a string as I lift off my finger to move to another string. I’ve been practicing simple riffs to try and get the hang of plucking different strings (as opposed to chord strumming) so I’ve never really noticed it before. I don’t know if it’s bad technique or just part and parcel of an acoustic’s sound (like the squeak when you slide between the frets).
I decided to put some decent strings on my new electro-acoustic, which may have been a mistake. They’re Martins but despite them being labelled ‘custom lights’ they feel much heavier than the factory defaults. There’s also now a fair amount of buzz if I don’t fret right behind the wire. I’ve ordered some 9s to see if that helps things.
