Vermilion Sands
An occasional journal
Digging for Victory: Week 9
May 23rd 2020
Everything is still growing, though today was too windy for gardening.
Admin1 is reading The Zig-Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths.
We are watching Better Call Saul Season 4.
And we scored 10 on the GWQ.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
May 16th 2020
Gratitude is everywhere.
Admin1 is reading Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds and Admin2 is reading The System of the World by Neal Stephenson, a long-haul flight of fantasy.
We scored 11.5 on the GWQ.
A Visit from the Zoom Squad
May 12th 2020
They are all wearing masks to prevent identification.
Admin1 is reading Gallowstree Lane by Kate London, which was outstandingly good.
Halo, Is It Me You’re Looking For?
May 8th 2020
Another bright sunshiny day.
Admin2 is reading The Secret Life of Flies by Erica McAlister, which was eye-opening. Next time a swarm of tsetse flies comes at us like a hail of bullets, leaving us covered in blood, we will contemplate the fact that they are basically mammals, suckling their larvae within and giving birth to grubs as large as themselves. Thanks Ceri!
Supermoon
May 7th 2020
This is actually a lovely big golden moon with a corona (erk) but photographs never do her justice. Today was the warmest day this year so far: 26.2 °C.
And here is the moon from a couple of days ago; on a stick:
Critter of the Night: Hedgehog
May 6th 2020
We set up the motion-triggered night-vision camera yesterday, and last night we caught a rat, various cats, and this cute fella. Apologies for the quality.
Admin1 is reading The Last Protector by Andrew Taylor.
Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries
May 5th 2020
Admin1 made this delicious cherry and almond cake. Thank you.
Admin2 is reading Gallowstree Lane by Kate London; compelling. All KL’s books have been good; too bad she’s only written three.
Hearts of Darkness
May 2nd 2020
The bleeding hearts deep in a thicket of other colourful plants.
We scored, um, 8 on the GWQ.
The Garden After the Sunniest April Ever
May 1st 2020
Kind of blue. Compare all previous May Days.
Those bluebells will be replaced by cabbages once the seedlings are big enough.
April Shower
Apr 29th 2020
At last a rainy day, and a faint pastel rainbow. So April is no longer our driest month ever, prevously tied with April 2015, but it is our sunniest April ever (not just us either), beating April 2015. Digging for victory week 5: carrots, onions and radishes all growing, beans and courgettes ready to plant out. Neighbours say 2 foxes and 4 hedgehogs spend nights in our gardens. Hope they eat snails.
Admin1 is reading Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds.
[update] Next day: another April shower and a more impressive rainbow.
Moon of Ramadan
Apr 26th 2020
Last night’s tiny thin pink crescent moon half hidden by cloud and below the much brighter Venus, marks the start of the month of fasts and feasts in isolation.
Admin2 is reading The Confusion by Neal Stephenson.
We scored 10.5 on the GWQ.
Critter of the Day: Hedge Sparrow
Apr 24th 2020
A dunnock preening itself on our rubbish pile on another abnormally sunny day, well over 11kWh. Maybe the lack of contrails makes a difference.
Admin1 has been watching Doctor Who for weeks. Admin2 is reading Nothing to Hide by James Oswald, a pretty rubbishy book featuring a ‘posh cop’ on the trail of a ‘muti’ killer.
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Apr 22nd 2020
A blank Pieris rapae waiting to be coloured in on another >10kWh day. In the past week we have had 5 of the top 6 sunniest April days of all time.
Sprinkles
Apr 20th 2020
Sunshine sparkling on the spray from the sprinkler on our sunniest April day ever: 11.82kWh, the fourth >10kWh day this week with more to come if the forecast is right. From further away the physics of light on water makes a rainbow, symbol of these days.
Admin1 is reading Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds.
Critter of the Day: Speckled Wood
Apr 16th 2020
Orange tips, cabbage whites and small blues are also flying around, on another >10kWh day.
Sunset
Apr 14th 2020
Our sunniest day this year so far: 10.4kWh, our third sunniest April day and the earliest day in the year that we have done over 10kWh.
Admin1 is reading Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds.
Digging for Victory: Week 3
Apr 12th 2020
Not much new in our raised beds but green shoots in the pots which we have taken indoors after we discovered that birds had eaten all the seeds we had planted in pots outdoors. Hello broccoli. cabbages and peas!
We scored 20 out of thirty in the bumper Easter quiz.