Walters Amazing Casting DSCN0060

The Geology between Alora and Campillos including Parque Ardales

Note timescales and rock ages are according to modern Geological thinking and not necessity the true ages and timescales.

To the south west of Alora runs the lower Guadalhorce valley. This valley floor is comprised of Quaternary rock ( sedimentary rock 2.5 million years ago till present ).
To the south and south east of Alora is Eocene rock ( up to 60 million years old) To the center of this outcrop almost directly south of Alora is younger Miocene rock ( up to about 25 million years old).

To the west north and north eat of Alora is a large band of Oligocene rock up to around 30 million years old.

Directly east of Alora is a large area of Silurian rock ( up to Approx. 350 million years old) which continues past and through the Montes De Malaga all the way to Sierras Tejeda and western foothills of Sierra Nevada.

If we now travel in a straight line from Alora north-westish to Campillos we pad through the following rock types ....
- Oligocene ( up to approx
 30 million years old).
- Next we come to a area of metamorphic rock with some outcrop outcrops of Silurian to the east , north and west ( up to Approx. 350 million years old).

The Junction ... Living on a on a motorway roundabout in the UK

Due to part of my Zander Camp being discovered and having half my fishing stuff and machete being stolen I decided it was time to make a new camp somewhere away from the Joe public. Zander camp was on the edge of a park where many people Walked their dogs and the youth of today mountain biked in the woods near my camp.

Above: Short video of original Zander fishing camp deep in thicket of  Elm suckers.

I looked for suitable areas of woodland on Google maps where the public wouldn't visit much and decided the best woods might be near a junctions of the M* motorway not far from ******* where I fished and ******** where I went to  ***** church on Sundays and some evenings.

The site of my first camp was in the woods amongst two fallen trunks covered in ivy. I erected a very small cheap tent between the two fallen trees and put a camo tarpaulin over the tent. I soon decided that I didn't like this camp it was too shady and dark. However i  used this camp as a base from which to find a more suitable area.

Across the road was a larger area of woodland approx 2 acres . I worked out that the trees averaged 48 years old as they would have been planted the around the same time as that section of motorway was opened ,1971. I found this info online. Also this is the same age as me so it's interesting seeing how big trees get over the span of my own life. They're certainly a lot bigger than me and already looking mature.
The mix of trees are Ash, Oaks,  Scots pine, field maple . There's also a shrubby understory of hawthorn , some black thorn
and some small Elm any larger elms have succumbed to Dutch elm disease and there are a few skeletons of larger elm here and there.

I set about finding a good spot to erect my cheap fishing bivvy shelter. I bought this from sports direct for about £14 and by itself it's fine for light rain. I tended to use in conjunction with a 2m x3m camo tarp of polythene which is completely water proof.

I settled on a spot amongst some Scots pine trees as the ground was slightly raised and drier here. It was right in the centre of the woodland area. A slip road completely encircles this wood but the tent cannot be seen from any direction here being near the centre. At night I have to be a bit more careful as a torch light can be spotted through the trees but most people in cars are driving quite fast and probably wouldn't pay much attention to lights.. it could be a house light or motorway light for all they know.

The Camp which I have named Rondoval camp has developed over the several years since I started it.
Using the fishing bivvy as a frame the first thing I did was use two camo tarps .One tarp over the bivvy making it more waterproof and one overlapping tarp coming from above the entrance of the bivvy at a diagonal down like a long sloping porch that eventually meets the ground. I then slept under this porch on my camp bed with the bivvy acting more for storage. I keep candles,books  mainly on nature and some clothes in waterproof plastic storage boxes .

The next major project was to completely surround my extended bivvy with a series of  lean to debris shelters in a circle. This almost has a mini fortress like effect. it's main function being to protect from wind and make the whole place more camouflage. Also can use a torch etc within the circular debris walls and it is less easy to see the light from the road.

Above: early days at the Rondoval about 2016 when I had just finished surrounding the bivvy with a lean to ready to add leaf debris.

Above: digging a Dacota fire Pit and a quick tour of the Rondaval camp in 

its early days .  

Next I set about creating a lounge area where I could stand up and walk around under cover if it was raining. I could also build a Dakota fire pit to cook on . There is no shortage of fire wood covering the floor of these woods as the trees are constantly shedding lower branches especially the large Ash trees.

The lounge was made by creating a square framework of straight Ash poles . These were mainly made from the many ash saplings that grow in the glades of the wood. Mature Ash trees let in a lot of light compared to other trees and under them many ashy saplings grow, seedlings of the parent trees.

Once the large square framework was built I installed a slightly higher long horizontal pole as the main roof beam or midrib. A large tarpaulin was draped over the beam and had a shallow slope down in both directions from the beam. I was able to stand up under this and walk around a little. 

Using a garden trowel I next dug a Dacota 🔥 fire pit in the lounge area. This , as you will see in the video above, comprises of two holes dug into the ground next to each other with a connecting tunnel under ground. The connecting tunnel is the hardest part to do. The fire is created in one of the holes and draws air from the other hole using the connecting tunnel. The Dacota fire pit is useful in several ways ... It attracts less attention at night as some of the flame is hidden underground or depending on the depth of the pit or size of the fire you may not see any flame. Also it keeps out the wind when starting the fire and also it's very easy to balance saucepans over the flame you can rest it over the four sides of the hole and is especially easy in conjunction with some kind of metal grid .

Creating the Debris Lean-to's mentioned before. 

As previously mentioned i completely encircled the sleeping quarters of the Woodland camp with several joined up lean tos. I used the existing trees as the uprights  these were Scots pines and field maples about six or seven trees that immediatly surrounded the sleeping quarters . 

I attached several horizontals about three feet high  from tree to tree . These were held in place by forked upright posts wedging the horizontals againist the trees . No nails or ropes were used thus keepin the trees healthy and unrestricted. I will need to do a diagram explaining the technique i used .  

Next i leant diagonally against the horizontals many ash poles averaging the thickness of two fingers. These were lined up like diagonal bars the entire length of each horizontal and some were secured to the horizontal by cable ties or cordage. 

Next I put green tarps over the diagonals to make lean to  space undewaterproof and the space under each lean-to dry . I now mainly store firewood under these lean-tos. Also a wren has made its nest under one for the last two years. Over the tarp I piled up debris ... autumn leaves, pine needles, pine cones , wood mulch, humus and sticks. This helps camouflage the whole camp and keeps wind out. 

Zander Camp and my Zander fishing at Tewkesbury.

Section 1 - Introduction 

The summer of 2016 I had been on a fishing expedition to catch my first Zander on either the river Severn or Avon in Tewkesbury Gloucestershire . I had been trying to catch these elusive zander for nearly two years but had failed to catch any , due to many other distractions such as catching bream, improving my bushcraft skills and exploring the nearby forest of dean.

My zandering expeditions involved leaving my little cottage in cornwall and travelling overnight by megabus up to bristol.i would then often sleep for a few hours at bristol university in the student cafe which stays open all night. next morning i would then transfer to another bus to gloucester. then yet another bus took me up to Tewkesbury. My trips up to tewkesbury would be every other week ... one week in cornwall followed by one week in Tewkesbury followed by one week in cornwall and so on.

My accomodation in Tewkesbury was initially a fishing bivvy combined with a Camo Tarpaulin. This was quickly erected in the grounds of Tewkesbury Abbey underneath a big old cedar of Lebanon. later i moved to the  back of the abbey garden, behind a yew hedge near the compost heap. My friend from Cornwall richard who was also living "up-country" sometimes camped with me . I would get to the abbey late at night maybe 11 o clock, climb the locked gate and set up camp. I would try and be up  to dismantle my tent before 8 am when the gates were unlocked however sometimes i would oversleep and be disturbed by early morning dog walkers in the abbey gardens. they never said anything to me upon seeing me and my bivvy but i felt uneasy about the situation and after a few months i decided to find alternative camping.

I moved locations to the woods near the famous Tewkesbury battlefield i think its called the blood field. This is where one of the important battles took place during the wars of the roses and its where prince edward is said to have been slain.
Going through the middle of these woods is a power line and consequently every few years the saplings growing beneath the powerlines have to be cut back to the ground.. coppiced if you like.
This area is ecologically interesting as these saplings are actually elm suckers that have sprouted from the nearby mature elms .most of the mature elms have now died succumbing to dutch elm disease (which is a fungus ...Ophiostoma ulmi or O. novo-ulmi). However despite the large trees dying their suckers live on, the reason being is because they are being coppiced .. cut to the ground . Dutch elm beetles , the carriers or vectors of the disease, only attack mature elms that have reached a height of 4 to 5 metres.
I decided to enter and explore the dense area of elm suckers which were about two metres high at the time. Because of the density of the vegetation i could see that perhaps this was an ideal place to make a camp.

I started by cutting a narrow tunnel through the suckers using secateurs and hand saw. this tunnel continued for approx 15 metres into the elm and other undergrowth . the tunnel changed direction a couple of times so it didnt look so obvious as a tunnel. ps. i have made a similar camp to this in cornwall, tunneling through dense stands of young blackthorn at the bottom of a disused field.

Section 2 creating the Elm- bender at Camp Dead-Elm 

Creating the bender.Eventually i came to an area where i decided to set up camp . i created an open area 8ft x 8ft in the elms suckers cutting them down close to the ground . i decided to call my camp Dead Elm as the clearing i had created was in the shadow of a dead elm tree approx 4 metres high and pecked on by woodpeckers.

My next job was to select and cut six long straight elm suckers each approx 6ft in length. once cut they were trimmed of all side shoots and stuck into the ground in a perimeter circle at even distance from each other. see diagram. they were then bent over so that their ends joined in the middle and tied together with the cheap plastic rope you can buy from the poundshop. I try to use natural coloured rope ... green, brown or grey.i added more lengths of sapling horizontally around the framework to create extra strength and rigidity to the bender. The bender frame was now ready for covering.

 I used a 3m x 2m camoflage woodland tarpaulin which covered most of the bender framework and tied it onto the base of the framework using the gromit holes on the edges of the tarp.

Section 3 Zandering Lower Lode (River Avon) 

As mentioned at the beginning of the book my original reason for coming up to Tewkesbury was to catch Zander
( although there was another reason a woman involved which isnt really part of this story) .

Tewkesbury is unique for fishing as it is the joining point of
two important UK rivers , The Warwickshire Avon Joins the mighty River Severn here. Zander a species from Europe,
 have been introduced into the river severn for a couple of decades now and they soon spread from the severn
into the Avon.

Basically i hadnt much of a clue how to set about catching my first zander. now three years later
after much trial and error i have caught quite a few zander.
now i know the techniques and locations its not that difficult..

My first attempt at zander is actually on a you tube video unfortunately it has more dislikes than likes possibly due to my naff filming skills and waffling on so much!! . It was on the Avon just above the lower mill (there are two mills in tewkesbury). I first had to catch my bait ...  roach (as deadbaits)..using a swimfeeder and maggots. it was freezing conditions but I caught a couple of roach casting alongside a barge on the opoosite bank. the first roach was too big for catching the average zander so i released it. the second roach was smaller and so i humanely dispatched it. I mounted it on a simple ledger rig onto a treble hook and used a trace ( in case i hooked a pike whos teeth can easily cut through nylon) . The treble hook i used was probably a bit too large for average size zander and i wasnt totally happy with the size of the roach still a bit on the large size. I thought to myself im more likely to catch a pike with this size bait and hooks ... and sure enough near the end of the session i caught a pike of about six pounds. My first ever zandering session ended with no zander but i was happy i caught the pike .. my first in ages. Ill go back to the zander story later in the book.

Zander Camp

I named the Bender i discussed earlier my zander camp as it was from here I did my zandering expeditions . I made an additional lean too near the camp in the woods the roof was made of a nettle thatch where using cloves and a machete I collected bundle of mature nettles and tied then in big bunches. These were layed over a lean to framework of elm branches as elm suckers were in great abundance here under the electricity pylons.  The nettles too were in massive abundance along the banks of the Mill Avon and it was now mid summer when they has reached their maximum size and before they started to die down in autumn.

Gardens I have Created over the Years

List of the Commonest Mosses of UK.

Common Mosses of UK.     14th March 2019 . Prof Z. Wilde , Annaseeba University.

Polytrichum commune - Common Haircap

Dicranella heteromalla - Silky Forklet Moss

Mnium hornum - Swans Neck Thyme Moss

Thuidium Tamariskinum - Common Tamarisk Moss

Hylocomium splendens - Glittering Wood Moss

Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus - Springy Turf Moss

Leaves curl back on themselves.

Sphagnum Moss species 

About 30 Sphagnums in the UK.

Common Mosses of Alaskan Taiga.

Hylocomium splendens - Glittering Wood Moss

Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus

Grows in mature White Spruce forest along with Hylocomium splendens.Leaves curl outwards.

Pleurozium schreberi

Grows with Hylocomium splendens in moist conditions in mature Black Spruce forest along with Sphagnum , Labrador Tea and Blueberry. 

My Tin-Mine Ecology Garden - it's Rise, Fall then Resurrection

Wheal Busy Ecology Garden

Back in 2003 my  wife (ex) and I moved to Wheal Busy  , a small hamlet between Truro and Redruth in Cornwall. I'm thinking that many of you readers will be international and might not know where Cornwall is! ..Well Cornwall is a county/region at the end of a peninsular in the far south -west of  the UK . The county, 80ish miles long , is surrounded on three sides by the sea , with stunning beaches and cliff scenary . 

Above: The Ecology garden looking at its best , maybe around 2006.

It  also boasts the highest average temperatures in mainland Britain , but along with that a higher amount of precipitation. These higher temperatures and rainfall are due partly to being slightly closer to the equator but also thanks to the gulf stream bringing warm water all the way from the gulf of Mexico.

I had already heard of Wheal Busy after going to watch the late Sir Patrick Moore talking about astronomy at the Hall for Cornwall ( an observatory was being proposed at Wheal Busy).

The cottage we moved into was situated next to an abandoned  tin mine with a large engine house , constructed from huge blocks of granite . Also alongside the engine house was a 100 ft long boiler house and opposite our cottage was the foundry associated with the mine.   The mine was last worked in the early  20th century . After that the boiler house continued to have other functions including being a coal yard for some time . The boilers , beam and roof of the engine house were dismantelled and removed after mining operations ceased . But the boiler house roof remained.

I had a small landscaping business when we moved into the cottage. Before our moving my landlord had promised me the use of his garage to store my equipment but realised he was unable to keep his promise . I wasnt too happy about this as i might have not moved had i known i wouldn't have use of the garage for storage. However after contacting the owners of the next door tin mine ( Tregothnan Estate) i was able to rent the delapidated boiler house and compound for a small price.

The building was in a bad state of disrepair,  parts of the corrugated tin roof were missing other sections were rusting and two of the enormous pitch pine roof-beams were rotting after half a century of rain permeating them .The Pitch pine was probably imported from scandinavia . It was used for its rot resistance but eventually these beams were succumbing due to the leaky roof.

Ivy had climbed all the way to the top of the engine house and covered a large area of the walls of the boiler house. It had also completely covered the seperate chimney stack . The tops of the walls of the engine house were crumbling away due to the lack of a roof . Some of the brick-arch-lintels of the windows and doorways were starting to disintegrate with bricks falling out,   and the whole structure of the  engine house was in danger of eventual collapse.

I stored my landscaping equipment in the boiler house . Unfortunately i hadnt secured the building properly and had my strimmer and pressure washer stolen , but theiving stopped after improving the security ( reattaching the enormous  doors and putting locks on! ).   

During the first two years of living at Wheal Busy my marriage collapsed and the wife moved out . I was unable to continue living at the cottage due to the cost of the rent and partly due to the depression associated with divorce. I had allowed  the place to get messy ( im a bit of a messy person anyway ) . My landlord was not impressed that i had allowed the sewage tank to overflow on the front lawn. Instead of contacting the relevant people to empty it i had, being a horticulturalist and botanist,  decided to plant some bog plants next to the tank , these included flag irises and giant Gunnera manicata. A rat had also made itself at home in the cottage and i was subletting to a single mother and baby and my mate shane. My landlord was also not impressed that a colony of cats were also living in my kitchen ( a stray cat turned up and decided to have kittens) . There were many reasons in fact that my landlord was not impressed which can be summed up in these words ... sometimes i do stupid things or allow stupid things to happen! Needless to say i was given notice.

At this point I decided to simply move myself and all my stuff into the tin mine next door (I had two caravans stored there ) . And this was the beginnings of my idea for an ecology garden at Wheal Busy.

My garden behind the cottage was filled with many types of  plants, most of them in pots and large tubs . I had collected the plants over many years , some were advertised for sale in the local paper and some I used in gardening jobs, and I always kept a certain percentage of the plants back for propagation , root division and  for taking cuttings . These all had to be moved across into the tin mine . I suddenly had an idea why not create a garden at the tin mine . One that would attract wildlife and also be designed to look like a natural habitat but also using 50 percent exotic species as well as  British species. I am a believer that the greater the variety of plants the more variety of wildlife  will be attracted. I dont know if this is scientifically proven but , right or wrong,  thats my way of thinking !!!

EXCERPTS FROM MY DIARY AT WHEALBUSY ECOLOGY GARDEN 2007-2008

Teusday 09 12 08

Potted up into 2 litre pots about 8 Leucanthemum (Shasta daisy) plants taken from the adventitious roots growing on plants in zone a and b. Split up a pot containing about 6 spotted laurels Aucuba japonica which Ive put into separate 3 litre pots. I am using a compost mix of the well rotted bark mulch - now compost in its own right and have improved the water-holding-capacity by adding a small amount of Irish Moss Peat purchased from Monros as a 200 litre bale. Some people may complain about me using peat but I believe it is ok to use peat in small amounts - it is a natural resource provided by God -as long as it is not over exploited.  Also planted a Ceanothus at the front of the bamboo bed next to army caravan.

Discovered on the internet at last (after several failed previous attempts )the name of the weird round-leaved shrub/tree up near the top of Mt. Kinabalu (Sabah-Borneo) with white flowers that start out as spherical round buds.

It stuck in my mind when I ascended the summit on April 3rd and 4th 2005. The plant is the Leptospermum recurvum or ,in Malay, Sayat Sayat or Tea Tree.

Also - as well as many other plants - I remember seeing some climbing bamboos in the forest - these are 'Miss Gibbs Bamboo' - Bambusa gibbsiae.

I have been on the butterfly garden website http://www.butterflygarden.co.uk and decided to try and plant the following recommended butterfly-attracting plants:

Allium schoenoprasum - Chives

Aster novae-belgii - Michaelmas daisies

Aubrieta deltoidea - Aubrieta

Buddleia

Calendula - Pot Marigold

Ceanothus - Californian Lilac

Ceratostigma willmottianum

Choisya ternata - Mexican Orange Blossom

Cimicifuga simplex - Bugbane

Cirsium rivulare

- Thistle

Clethra alnifolia - Sweet pepper bush

Cotoneaster lacteus

Dianthus barbatus - Sweet William

Echinacea purpurea - Coneflower

Escallonia

Eupatorium cannabinum - Hemp Agrimony

Hebe

Hedera helix - Ivy

Helenium - Sneezeweed

Helichrysum bracteatum - Strawflower

Heliotropium arborescens - Heliotrope

Hesperis matronalis - Sweet Rocket

Hydrangea macrophylla - Lacecap Hydrangea

Hyssopus officianalis - Hyssop

Iberis amara - Candytuft

Kentranthus ruber - Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian

Knautia arvensis - Field Scabious

Lavandula - Lavender

Linaria - Toadflax

Lobelia erinus - Lobelia

Lunaria annua - Honesty

Malcomia maritima - Virginian Stock

Mentha - Mint

Muscari - Grape Hyacinth

Myosotis - Forget-me-not

Origanum vulgare - Marjoram

Pelargonium- Geranium

Rubus idaeus - Raspberries

Sedum spectabile - Ice Plant

Solidago - Golden Rod

Tagetes patula - French Marigolds

Taraxacum officinale - Dandelion

Thymus - Thyme

Verbena bonariensis

Zinnia

Monday 8th December

Sorry Diary I have not written anything in you for nearly a month. To be honest I have not carried out a great deal of work in the garden since my last entry - Ive put in various cuttings into the large tyres including Olearia traversii (daisy bushes) more Brachyglottis greyii , some green leaved Heuchera ( probably Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham blaze')

Today I split up a load of Watsonia (pillansii?) and repotted them into 3 litre pots. They came from two clumps which I dug up from zone b on the tin mine. I did twelve plants in all  - in the boiler house and put two larger clumps into bigger pots which i can continue to use for stock plants. Also took some cuttings of Osteospermum - the white flowered cultivar which grows in abundance in Falmouth by Gyllingvase beach. Also some Oleria cuttings from Gyllingvase. 

MONDAY 17th November

Have continued gradually emptying the mine of accumulated junk which I had been storing there prior to moving house last year - I moved a lot of my stuff straight from the cottage next door into the boiler house as I was of no fixed abode for a while!

- Getting lots of rabbit bedding waste from my friends in the rabbit hotel and pet shop industry.

- Landscaper neighbour of mine has dropped off a transit load of garden waste for my compost.

- On friday I aquired some lovely 5-6ft tall dark green phormiums from friend Christines garden . I have planted  two of these on the long bank in front of the garden and another in the Helichrysum bed.

- Should be getting a lot of crocosmia bulbs next friday when I continue clearing friend Tonys beds in Redruth. This may include some red ones (Emily Mckensy I think) as well as usual orange ones.

Note: Although its mid November there is an ordinary orange crocosmia (Crocosmia x crocosmiflora) in FULL FLOWER at the moment just behind the snakeskin caravan. Also there is a Leucanthemum   (Shasta daisy) in full flower on the bamboo bed in front of the  army caravan. I think the reason they are both in flower is that they were slow to get established when I planted them sometime in summer  and it has been mild and wet so far with no real frosts yet.  

- Ron has been busy building a natural fence of pittosporum and shrub-honeysuckle branches to help screen the army caravan  - although the caravans are painted in a camoflage design they still  look a bit ugly and detract from the gardens natural beauty I also have a Polygonum baldschium (Russian Vine/Mile-a- minute plant )reserved for me at the Garden centre. It is a very fast growing climber which will quickly screen the caravan further, it also has . I plan to put a trellis or some kind of support in fron of the caravan for the Russian Vine  to scramble across - and hopefully it will cover the roof of the caravan also.  Other climbers I have planned for around the garden include some Clematis montana which I have grown from cuttings last winter. This reminds me I must do some more cuttings of them soon now that the stems are hardening up a bit. Clematis montana is also very vigerous and has masses of pink fragrant flowers for a relatively short time in early summer. It originates from the Himalayas.

-

PERSONAL NOTE I NEED TO DELETE ARIEL IMAGES AND REPLACE WITH SAME IMAGES BUT SMALLER FILES . NOW DONE.

Monday 2nd November

Had a productive day today - first went to rubbish dump with another load of rubbish from the mine.

- Allotment Carharrack - Met Donna a pleasant girl from Portreath who has allotment opposite mine. She even lent me her spade so I could do some planting as I had left mine at the Mine.

- Planted four raspberry plants (Autumn Bliss) which I purchased from Chacewater GC. The extra cane had no roots on it so I'll see if I can get a replacement. AUtumn bliss is one of the easiest raspberries to grow as it needs no specilist pruning and training - just chop em back every winter and they will happily regrow vigerously the next spring. 

- Did quite a considerable amount of weeding - Im getting on top of the weeding and long grass at the  allotment now.

- Lay two big bits of carpet I recently aquired - one over the pile of weeds at the front (North)  of the allotment (the original bit of carpet was too small) and another at the south end of the allotment over bare ground I have just sheared last week.

- Finished the second half of the big square that has polytyhene liner and bark chipppings over it. I have planted various ornamentals herbaceous in the first half of the square.

- Planted a Blackcurrant bush which I grew from a cutting at Wheal Busy yonks ago.

- Went home (had a quick vegetable, egg  and sardine Madras) took Zulu to tin mine.

- Fed cats and birds with SJ waste collected last night.

- Myself and Ron got one of the Whealy Roly bins and made it 'reach-bin-bag friendly' by putting a pallet inside it raised up on yellow tubs so we can reach the bin bags easily. We have put the Whealy Bin in a more accessible place  so I can drop  bags of SJ waste in quickly ready for processing later and also leaving the bin bags filled with the left over non-organic waste in there ready for taking to the dump. By using a whealy bin the cats and birds cannot reach the bags and tear em open.

Went off finally and spent an hour and a half at Woodside Warren before dark.

Saturday 31st Oct

Ronaldo and myself managed to turn the large digger bucket up the right way and have started filling it with compost ready for planting. Also have started filling the two huge tyres by the caravan with waste compost from Chacewater GC.

Monday 27th Oct

Cleared some more rubbish with Ron and fed the cats with a load of meat collected from SJs on Sunday.

 

Sat 25th Oct 08

Actually got round to doing a job i wanted to do for ages - sheared all the long grass and weeds

on the bank opposite where i store Duncans waste compost. Cleared out bits of rubbish, moved a

half plastic barrels and a bamboo in a tub to more suitable accomadation at the back of the

mine. Also planted a shrub or climbing rose which I rescued from Dave Savages (next to Geoffs)

garden. Ronaldo helped me by forking and raking all the waste grass and weeds to the compost heap.

Had a general tidy up - gradually getting on top of things. Have told Ronaldo not to leave his rubbish

scattered around but keep it in one place - in a big bag prefereably. Now that I am getting tidyer and

organised he needs to also!! Ha Ha thats rich coming from me one of the messyest people ever.

Above: Sumac (Rhus typhina) in splendid Autunmnal Colours  taken 24-oct-08.

Sumac is indiginous to North America - I remember seeing a lot of it along the 

motorway verges in West Virginea.

We have also filled the old rusty metal skip with old bark compost which is now well rotted. This

skip is watertight so i think i will use it for a great big gunnera until it can no longer hold water then i

(God willing) will use it for normal plants. Some very great news re compost I have two new sources

of very rich compost - one is bunny and bird waste from a well known local petshop chain who are

friends of mine. It consists of sawdust, hay, left over bird seed, left over furry-animal food and

hamster/rabbit/guineapig/bird dung. It is being delivered by my friends directly to the Tin mine gates

every week. Fantastic. Christine is also more than happy to give me all her similar waste from her

small animal hotel - i can collect it when i am there gardening - which i was this morning. I also

came back from hers this morning with a van full of shrub honeysuckle - long twiny branches of

it which i am creating a screen with to help give more privacy to the Ecology Garden Office.

Any of the small pets waste that contains bird seed I am spreading across the side of the turning

circle/ picnic area to the east of the EGarden so that wild birds can pick up the seed. At the same

time it will start rotting down to compost ready for me to start planting out the nettle bed i have planned

for there. I am also putting a few bag fulls at a time in the engine house pit (where there is already a

lot of dead  buddleja  which I cut back last year). This will combine with the woody waste to

eventually make lovely compost - I would like to then plant the inside of the engine house one day with as tall 

bamboos as possible tropical even if i can create enough heat. It is also possible we can create a

lot of heat in this pit which can be channeled and used to heat a glasshouse or something.

Went to smokey joes with Ron this evening and had my first decent chat with Scilla or Cilla

(now I know her name) its karenzas sister they both been waitressin  there for ages.Scilla was having a night off

and sitting down for a meal near me and Ron. Her sister Karenza is the first cornish person i ever talked

 to for advice about living in Cornwall before My ex and I decided to move here.The first place I lived in Kernow

nine years ago was Jack Harveys Security Cottage - Jack happens to be Karenzas Uncle!

 Karenza knows my friend Zena. Sofia knows Scilla . Everyone knows each other in Kernow!

Fri 24th Oct

Saw something i've never seen before - lots of Green Shield Bugs Palomena prasina and Speckled Bush Crickets 

Leptophyes punctatissima soaking up the last of the autumn sun on the buddleja near the kenyan hut - which catches

the full sun and is quite sheltered. Took some very good close up photos.The shield bugs were almost all in pairs -

it almost looks like they mate for life!!

(Further Note:) looked up Green Shield Bugs on Google apparently the

nymphs become adults in September. They hibernate in grassy tussocks and leaf litter.

Females lay clusters of barrel shaped eggs on underside of leaves. Adults and

wingless nymphs feed on sap of many plants - Hazel is a favourite. Often seen basking in autumn.

Sometimes called stink bugs as they can emit a strong scent when threatened.

 

Above: Two of the numerous Green Shield bugs Palomena prasina

that were on the buddleja taking in the last of the autumnal sun

before the winter sets in and they hibernate.

 

Above: Speckled Bush Cricket Leptophyes punctatissima - this is a

female (note the ovipositor on the end of  the abdomen.)

 

 

Spread out a load of rabbit hutch and aviary waste on the turning circle - will talk

about it more tomorrow. Found a cats skull in the engine house pit - i was in there salvaging some old

tyres - and a mast which i am going to use as a flag pole.

20th Oct 08

Ron has done a great job of improving the army caravan/office/security hut by adjoining my garden shed to the side. Instead of the old very heavy timber/felt roof he has replaced it with some polycarbonate sheets. This allows the suns' warmth into the shed which he is in the process of insulating . The cats can now stay in the shed rather than the caravan which will become much less smelly. Also we can do some propagation in the shed as there is plenty of light coming in. When we walk into the shed we can take our muddy boots off before entering the caravan. He has also put two pallets down as a kind of decking before you enter the shed. I am now thinking of incorporating a heat sink which will absorb any heat coming through the polycarbonate roof during the day and release it over time during the night and bring the ambient temperature up. This could be done using a tank of water with a pump that circulates water along a long zig-zagging clear hose which will quickly absorbe heat. Though there are many other ways i am looking into. The heat coming into the shed also helps to raise the temperature of the adjoining caravan which ron is also insulating. However I can imagine it is going to be very hot in the summer.

10 Oct 08

Yesterday the tipper truck was taken away at last. This has opened up the garden considerably around the army caravan. I have moved two of the huge tyres over to the space where the tipper was and they will be filled with earth and probably used for rooting cuttings. Because Cornwall has such a wet climate I feel we as horticulturalists dont take advantage of the humid atmosphere enough when it comes to growing cuttings etc. Holland is far more efficient in producing cuttings in mist houses under glass etc. Their actual climate is dryer overall than here in cornwall as they are more continental - we are very maritime. Us cornish plant groweres need to take advantage of our favourable climatic conditions. This summer has been the wettest on record!!

Erected the three piece ladder against the engine house and climbed up to the top to get some arial video footage and photographs. Carn Marth looked quite good in the bright weather - especially with all the mine chimneys in the foreground.

Above : Far South-East corner with the high Granite

hill of Carn-Marth in far distance behind chimney stacks.

 Above: South East Corner

 Above: North West Corner

 Above: South West Corner

Above:North East Corner

Ron has got some footage of a type of wood wasp in the caravan - kind of orangy in colour with a long abdomen and long dangly rear legs.

06-Oct 08

Started cutting back the rough grass and pulling up unwanted weeds on the bank at front of Ecology garden. Used some cheap shears purchased from Do It All(?) for about £3 and was surprised at how good they were at cutting through wet grass. Planted a Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus)on the near right corner of the old boiler house and guarded it with canes. This plant came from Woolworths for abou £1.50 - I had to grow it on on my kitchen windowsill as the slugs were getting at the young shoots in early summer!! Ron was helping me do all this. Ron has taken some great photos with his camera some of which I have put below...

Above: A nice slightly overgrown view of the ecology garden.

Above: pheasant Berry (Leycesteria).

Above: Rudbeckia and Ndebele Tribal patterns.

Above: Schizostylis covered in dew.

28th Sept 2008

Spent day between Bodmin and Wadebridge at Geoffs garden and then at David next doors. Came back with several bags of soil and some bags of weeds. The soil came from outside the cornish hedge at Geoffs where I was scraping soil turf off road. When I got back to the Ecology Garden I filled one of the huge quarry truck tyres recently given me with the soil. I also mixed with compost from the garden centre. I may use these unusual raised beds for growing cuttings. I have two more tyres to fill yet.

MATERIAL PROSPERITY
His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night And he shall like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall PROSPER #Ps 1: 2-3; Trust in the living God, who giveth us richly ALL THINGS to enjoy #1 Ti 6:17; I wish above all things that thou mayest PROSPER and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth #3 John 2 See Luke 6:38; 2 Cor 9:6-10

25th Sept 2008

Asters are now fully in flower.

The prairie effect is in full force now with lots of the later composite flowers in full flower as well as the pampas.

Perennial sunflowers are at their best- see below.

I've done a bit of research on growing nettles for Red Admiral butterflies etc. The caterpillars often roll up the nettle leaves in silk and live inside them for protection. It is best to grow the nettles in full sun as the caterpillars and adults like warmth. Also it is a good idea to cut some of the nettles back every now and then as this stimulates tender new growth on the plants which the caterpillars enjoy. Nettles thrive on organic humus rich soil. Nettles are the food plant for numerous  butterfy larvae including Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Painted Lady and Red Admiral.

Above view of Pampas in early morning with huge new tractor tyres in foreground.

Jerusalem artichokes are doing really well in tractor tyre and are about to come into flower - similar to perennial sunflowers but smaller flowers and less of them - the energy is put into the root tubers!

The Schizostylis lillies are in full flower in various parts of garden and look stunning see below:

 

BODILY HEALTH
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling #Ps 91:10; Fear the Lord, and depart from evil It shall be HEALTH to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones #Pr 3:7-8; Attend to my words keep them in the midst of thine heart They are life to all that find them and HEALTH to all their flesh #Pr 4:20-22; The tongue of the wise is HEALTH He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life A wholesome tongue is a tree of life Pleasant words are HEALTH to the bones Death and life are in the power of the tongue #Pr 12:18; 13:3; 15:4; 16:24; 18:21; He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile #1 Pet 3:10-12

23 Sept 2008

A lady brought into the garden centre a piece of acacia with lots of minute green insects - possibly mites all over the leaves. We think they are a type of spider mite but i'll have to do an i d on them see below:

The inula hookerii are in full flower still have been planted in several areas of the garden including on the new beds on the left as you come in.

 BODILY HEALING
I am the Lord that HEALETH THEE #Ex 15:26; WHO HEALETH ALL THY DISEASES #Ps 103:3; Himself took our infirmities and BARE OUR SICKNESSES #Matt 8:17; By His stripes YE WERE HEALED #1 Pet 2:24; Isa 53:4-5; The prayer of faith SHALL SAVE THE SICK, and the Lord SHALL RAISE HIM UP #Jas 5:14-16 See Ps 91; Isa 58

19th Sept 2008

Several interesting things to report

- Type of Hawkmoth caterpillar on some willowherb by pond - huge- about 5cm long with eye markings on its front few segments and a kind of hook at the end of its abdomen possibly feeding on willowherb or the greater celandine nearby. Later note: probably the larvae of elephant hawkmoth as these feed on willowherbs and have eyespots on segments.

Ron took the following photos for me:

Above. Close up of head of Elephant hawkmoth at Wheal Busy by Ron Strode.

Above: Whole body of elephant hawkmoth larvae , Wheal Busy, Ron Strode.

Above: Note the hook on the back of the abdomen, Photo Ron Strode,

Wheal Busy Ecology GArden.

- The Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)  is now in flower and seeding with its trigger like firing mechanism for dispersing seeds see fig below.

 

- My first yellow brimstone butterfly at Wheal Busy spotted last week flying around
buddleja bush at back of garden. Also plenty of Cabbage white butterflies, and a few Peacock butterfies and Red Admirals. I want to increase the numbers of all these. There are thousands of cabbage white caterpillars all over the numerous nasturtiums growing around the garden this year.

After all the soil movement in march where new beds were created nasturtiums have germinated in the disturbed soil. Golden Rods have also grown from broken bits of roots in the soil. The Golden Rod in zone b near the pampas (Solidago canadensis) is still looking great but just going over now see below:

I wish to somehow increase the number of red admirals and peacocks by creating a large nettle bed outside the mine in full sun for the caterpillars. I will need to bring a lot of organic material for my proposed nettle bed
as they love rich fertile soil. I may harvest nettle tea also!!

- Micclechester has brought over three massive tractor tyres or maybe tyres off those large dumper
trucks seen in quarries. These will make more fantastic raised beds once I can get hold of more soil.

- Ron has house trained and domesticated my two youngest kittens and is working on the wild cats

- Have been collecting a great deal of old compost from Chacewater Garden Centre due to me doing a
lot of top dressing and repotting there recently.

- Imminent plans to create a marsh garden for Gunnera etc. at the Ecology Garden using waste
polythene from the garden centre.

- Have been given the go ahead for another six months rent at the mine.

 

ANSWERS TO PRAYER
He shall call upon me, and I WILL ANSWER HIM #Ps 91:15; Ask, and IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU; seek, and YE SHALL FIND; knock, and IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU #Matt 7:7-11; All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, YE SHALL RECEIVE #Matt 21:22; Whatsoever we ask, WE RECEIVE OF HIM whatsoever we ask, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS that we desired of him #1 John 3:20-22; 5:14-15

 

Diary 08-Sept 2008

My first entry for about two months. I thought the garden had already gone past its peak in terms of flowering and colour but the autumn flowering plants are now starting to come up - especially the numerous Pampas grass  planted throughout the garden. My aim was to create a South American Pampas Prairie at this time of year and the effect has seemed to have worked - they are all sending up masses of plumes in this their second autumn. Asters are also about to come into flower they have really multiplied over the summer and have formed really large clumps. The perennial sunflowers are also in flower now - looking really good and have spread into about twenty tall stems (from just three stems last year).Rudbeckias also looking good in flower.

Insect life - thousands of cabbage white caterpillars on the nasturtiums which have seeded all over the garden.  Also a large hawkmoth caterpillar on the greater celandine by the pond with four eyespots on the first two segments.

 

POWER OVER SATAN
Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world #1 John 4:4; He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not #1 John 5:18; Resist the devil, and HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU #Jas 4:7; I GIVE YOU POWER OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY: and nothing shall by any means hurt you #Luke 10:19

 

Sunday 6th July

After heavy rain all night the tank is now over half full. I also added an extra tank on the other side of mine next to oldest tank and joined it by a siphon . 

 

SIGNS
These SIGNS shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover #Mark 16:15-20; Mt 28:20; John 14:12

5th July 08

Managed to erect the first long section of gutter this afternoon on the western wall of the boiler house and have connected it to the tank (which is on  about six pallets) using an upside down traffic cone, a length of pipe and lots of rope!! Has been raining on and off all day. Venus Williams won the Wimbledon ladies final against her sister which was very entertaining to watch at Carharrack before starting work on gutter (not raining in London!)

Poked my head round the corner to watch owls. The two adults were sleeping in the same cavity that I filmed them in last week. And were too drowsy to notice me. Have I mentioned that I have previously also seen one of the chicks which is now almost fully grown.

SPIRIT BAPTISM
He shall BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST #Mt 3:11; Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost For the Promise is UNTO YOU, and TO YOUR CHILDREN, and TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF, EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL #Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; John 7:37-39
 

 

4th July 08

Continued in the morning clearing ivy for the gutter and started constructing the gutter holders out of wood - a similar design to the eastern wall.

Plants coming into full flower at the moment:

Watsonias - Pinky-orange flowers below:

Leucanthemums (just starting)

Red Crocosmia 'redemption blood' (just starting)

Nasturtiums

Lupins (Rons) - see below

Fennel

Pilosella aurantica (fox and cubs) - see below

Self-heal: see below

Hedge woundwort see below:

Geranium pratensis - blue meadow cranesbill see below (with yellow loosestrife in background)

Senecia cinerea

There is an unusual plant coming into flower by the entrance that looks a bit like a Verbena bonariensis - not sure what it is. (added on 25th sept 08 - it is a type of Vebena the wildflower known as Vervain

Plants that have been in flower for quite a while but still looking good:

Ox Eye Daisys see below

- Caravans

- Veg oil