Dash Cam up to Dartmoor

A foggy grey day was left behind today as we head for the moors and a meal out. Testing the dash-cam fitted to the Morgan here showing parts of the preferred scenic sections. 

The film begins at the foot of Telegraph hill with a romp to the top where we pass the Haldon race course on the left. Descending into the Bovey Basin some misty veils linger about as we pass the exit to Chudley and the filling station. I cut the film forward to The Dart Bridge and a twisty section – The Dart Bridge is under repair, having been hit too many times by traffic squeezing between its parapets.

 We pass some pony riders at the foot of the next steep climb which the Morgan gallops up at full throttle, until a sharp right hand bend is upon us. Into Poundsgate at a snail's pace creeping through the sleepy hamlet, past the old red pillar box, over a bridge and into the next hill section. This is a lovely sharp right hand climbing bend, and a squirt up and away until a thatched cottage on the left is passed.  It is owned by English heritage and under renovation, soon to be made viewable to the public. Now rising into much clearer air the sky is an inviting quite intense blue. Halting at a roadside pull-in we pause for a walk up to a large gorse bush where this delicious bright orange Chicken Fungus is found. Said to taste of chicken, once lightly fried and brushed in oil.

Sharp Tor

Returning onto the homeward run we loop towards the village of Holn, passing across Vennford Reservoir dam.

The Dart is seen to be very low and passing us heading off the Moor are a number of disappointed canoeists, having given up any idea of a paddle down the rapids.

We reached the Fox Tor Café by midday and by 1pm the place had filled with diners. The log fire throws out plenty of warmth.
Homebound with a brief shop at Trago Mills superstore, then back to Kenton, which was still cloaked in fog.

Gorse Bush hosting a bracket fungus

Bracket Fungus

Princetown on the far left horizon

Cathedral top bar Bee Hive - Enjoying some milder weather.

Unusually warm weather (15degC) has allowed my bees to get about this past couple of days and some pollen is being brought to the hive. The National hive next door seems even more active today.  Possibly due to my hive being better insulated and a lighter colour, therefore slower to warm up after the cold spell. 

Notice the Pollen

Through the Side Window

Propolis streak inside the viewing window

Honey stored on outer combes. During cold weather these are vacated - bees migrate to the left into the brood nest.

Darkest older comb is now about 5 months old.

Brood comb tightly packed. A digital thermometer reveals the two combs at the middle of  the colony to be the ones here on far left of the image.

I found myself a usefull little sugar sprinkler last week in readiness to dust them off with icing sugar and get a regular treatment going against the Verroa mite.

Autumn colours on Dartmoor

Helen and me enjoy a Sunday jaunt across the moor to see the kaleidoscope of tints along our favourite woodland trail and an all day breakfast at the Fox Tor Cafe. Its busy feeding dozens of lycra clad cyclists, racing about the moor from Plymouth. It's halloween and many are wearing fancy fascinators of the devilish kind. The run alongside the Dart from Ashburton to Poundsgate is not to be missed at this time, and in the Morgan 4/4 the canopy of russets and gold leaf a real joy.

Shame on Westminster

As a parent and grandparent the realisation that Britain is plagued by a minority of  predatory deviants who target children horrifies me. 

When those in power promise to act, but fail to put their words into action, the conclusion must be that the powerful are choosing to leave an open door for themselves and their fellow abusers to continue as before.  Two years ago some important amendments to Section 67 of the 2015 Serious Crime Act were promised. A simple modification to a straightforward existing act and doable at the stroke of a pen.  Prompted by the N.S.P.C.C. David Cameron promised to do just that.  Nineteen months later no amendment has occurred.

Government ministers have it in their power to act, but now are seen to be dragging their feet. Their members having closed ranks in desperate efforts to preserve their reputation. So desperate, that whatever historic cases remain undisclosed, these must be of such proportions that UK governance would be exposed as nothing more than a disgraced club of ill repute.

Read the Independant Newspaper to follow this ongoing issue here. 

67

    Sexual communication with a child

After section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 insert—

“15ASexual communication with a child

(1)A person aged 18 or over (A) commits an offence if—

(a)for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, A intentionally communicates with another person (B),

(b)the communication is sexual or is intended to encourage B to make (whether to A or to another) a communication that is sexual, and

(c)B is under 16 and A does not reasonably believe that B is 16 or over.

(2)For the purposes of this section, a communication is sexual if—

(a)any part of it relates to sexual activity, or

(b)a reasonable person would, in all the circumstances but regardless of any person's purpose, consider any part of the communication to be sexual;

and in paragraph (a) “sexual activity” means an activity that a reasonable person would, in 
all the circumstances but regardless of any person's purpose, consider to be sexual.

(3)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both;

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.”

Letting off Steam - All's well that ends well.

What better place to vent some heat exchange than a scenic train ride alongside the Dart Estuary. A gentle ride to the marina and ferry trip to Dartmouth- walking stick in hand, back pain and all.
Soup and crusty bread is all I can manage this Saturday morning. The Doctor in the Accident and Emergency department did say to try and keep mobile. Take five deep breaths every half hour or so, to clear the lungs, and don't be afraid to take paracetamol, ibuprofen or your preferred pain killer.
Thanks, but no thanks!  I prefer to listen to the messages my body returns to my stubborn head. Harbouring self doubt and fear that someone or something is about to stray into my path and cause another visit to A&E.
Hercules is the name of the engine, just shy of 100 years old, still hauling this lovely cream painted coach built train. Now full of the expectant and the excited and chuffing along the green valleys to Kingswear from Paignton and back, several time a day.

Live steam.

A few days later and I am happy once more: One replacement Volvo V70 bought and paid for with insurance money from the Allianz Plc. Insurers of first choice. The dear lady with whom I found myself in potentially mortal A379 road combat, survives the ordeal and is as sorry as me, that we found ourselves on a collision course.  Eleven days of sore ribs but now able to laugh once more.

     

Reversing to re-attach to the train for the return journey.  The bruised octogenarian lady is recovering from her bruises and able to walk to the village post office as well as I can.  Her transport out of the village by free bus pass. I still have the choice if the need should arise.

Volvo V70 Estate write off.

At 5.20 pm. yesterday, (Tuesday) at the wheel of my lovely Volvo, travelling into Exeter, I had the misfortune to collide with a local Citroen being driven by an elderly lady, without due care and attention. Heading for me on her wrong side and with both vehicles travelling at about 30 mph my avoiding action included steering into the hedge to my left which canted the Volvo up on that side to about 30 deg.
Conscious  throughout, I was subjected to some instant traumatic noisy impact as the air bags deployed. The smoky mist of venting refrigerant from the air conditioning immediately began to fill the cab. All windows were closed. My reaction was to open the driver's door which proved difficult. It required my swivelling through 90 deg so that I could put my full force with both legs against the door after releasing the seat belt.
Both myself and the lady were wearing belts and the airbag deployed in the Citroen as well the Volvo.
Both vehicles sustained extensive damage due to the frontal impact. Mine lost a wheel plus a large sector of its offside suspension; I shall be seeking a replacement with a similar specification and less than the 150,000 mileage.
After being taken to the RD&E  hospital for a check over, my injury includes bruised  or cracked ribs and a sore neck.  Mobility has been seriously slowed up but recovery should occur in about a week or two. I was advised by the medics that adrenalin in my  blood would be subduing the pain and that pain would increase during the following weeks before subsiding. 

The waiting areas of our crowded emergency department are constantly busy here as they are in most places and the medics are the very best.

One  conversation overheard in the corridor: a man sat beside his wife, phoning  a friend about a dog incident during which his hand was bitten. Apologising for the dogs behaviour as was the other dog owner in responce. It would seem that one dog's ear was bitten off, because he said to the friend: "Be sure not to get the ear sewn on back to front".

Remember:  Wear a seat belt - Think about what to do in scenario before it happens. In the seconds before impact - take all avoiding action possible. Don't freeze up in panic. 

Be aware the roads are used by the elderly, the inexperienced, the intoxicated, the aggressive, even the suicidal.  In the wrong place at the wrong time you too may be faced with such a choice.  Even if you have driven many hundreds of thousands of miles - be safe and keep others safe. 

Newlyn and Moushole for cream tea

Two cream teas in one day and two steak pasties apiece to keep our energetic walking schedule fuelled. Botallack tin mine seen on a dull day.  Newlyn without the crush of visitors, gift shops and studios unlike St Ives but nonetheless interesting. The round trip back to Sennen and the B&B via the Merry Maidens stone circle beside the B3315.

Newlyn  has such unspoilt cottages as these with their cobbled lanes and granite pathways. Many well fed cats keep watch - spot the tabby here.

Mousehole

St Ives and Sennen for soggy chips

The A30 was clear of hold ups and good progress was made to St Ives for a Beef Pasty and coffee. As we chose to park up on the harbour wall, an all day ticket was required and our stay extended for Helen to browse the Barbara Hepworth Museum, while I wandered to the lifeboat station and snapped photos of  boats at low tide.  Signs into the town indicate access only to permitted vehicles (through these narrow cobbled streets);  such permission was granted by myself on the premise of the indicators being too vague.
From St Ives the favourite drive (without crossing the channel) is this one along the coast to Sennen, via Zennor and St Just.
Once in Sennen our B&B is checked out OK but the fish and chips for tea beside the harbour only rated a six out of ten (on the Great British Bake-off scale  -  four). However the sunset from our window is dramatic and compensation enough.

On the harbour wall

Low tide St Ives

Cobbled street

A stiff easterly breeze blows onshore

Gig high and dry - Of the moulded polyester and glass variety.

The Dolphin Inn, Dartmouth

Dartmouth on Tuesday (Market Day) and lunch at the Dolphin enjoyed by Helen, me and our little and not so little offspring. One teething grandson put up a valiant struggle until his little belly was full once more and the pub quickly emptied as ears were shattered. The food is good and the welcome very warm.
Crossing by the lower ferry we find this blue Audi R8 beside the Morgan and both of us disembarked without bottoming out. What a blast from the windowed V10 on startup !
The ferryman said a previous Morgan had just crossed earlier and by chance we parked up beside the Racing green Le Mans 62 at the car park. A lovely +8 from Somerset.

In good company heading towards Dartmouth on the lower ferry

My humble 4/4 beside the +8 

External hood linkage

Morgan 4/4 river crossing

Sunday afternoon under a blue sky and a taste of black cherry ice cream at Sidmouth - as busy a day as we saw all summer.  The lanes of deepest Devon taken through Yettington and Pinn.  The Tamarisk and Cyclamen in bloom and a pair of parapenters floating high above the cliffs
On the way home a detour to deliver a card at Longdown saw us in previously unexplored territory.  The ford at Ide is a narrow stream bed pictured here. 

Low tide at Sidmouth

Tamarisk

Parapenters

Cyclamen

The ford at Ide

Driving along the stream bed

Turn left here into deep water under the bridge--Not recommended

Cathedral Top Bar Bee Hive

Winter stores are building up with eight combs showing promise of a healthy colony. The Veroa mite has, so far, not been detected which suggests that the original swarm collected on 17th July from a garden in Kingsteignton is not yet harbouring the parasite.   The bees were dusted in icing sugar in August and a tray of Apiguard (Thymol) given mid September.
To improve heat retention within the hive a small carpet square has been draped over the unoccupied bars and the follower boards faced in insulating layers of Balsa wood. The entrance is restricted down to about 1 3/4" and sugar syrup fed.  Pollen continues to be brought in.

5th of October update on a sunny afternoon at 19 deg C.   Pollen  incoming and bees flying strongly. Syrup feeder jars replenished and plenty of honey now being sealed.

Two additional Cathedral horizontal top bar hives almost completed now ready for next year.  A queen excluder and several bars with foundation wax inserted into saw cuts recesses and window follower boards have also been prepared shown below.

Bars with foundation wax in place, Queen excluder and a window follower board

Oklahoma - A great Musical - A sick Murder

At least 15 killed since August. No not wasps, not vermin, not even a convicted murderer.

But a submissive, innocent coloured gentleman of 40 years with a twin sister who remains distraught at his loss.

Out of america comes many things - the good, the bad, and the ugly. But this Oklahoma murder must be the last in a line of evil murders by a police force on the rampage.

The pack of cop-dogs fearlessly surround their victim like animals, unafraid because they see the black as unarmed easy prey. One female shooter has since been charged but her uniformed helpers, equally guilty of murder, run free.

Read the Huffington Post report here if you can stomach it:  America

How to make a Barn style beehive

The bees-knees in design -  I favour this one - "The Barn" or "Cathedral" top Bar Hive.

Top bars rest on side rails (not yet fitted here)

 It does take some time and patience to make.   Here are notes for those inclined to try this productive hive. (Sketches follow later and earlier posts show bees enjoying my efforts to house them.

Using untreated wood, the roof and upper half overlap the lower half, so that water is shed and the inside remains dry.  The process of putting the 60 degree angle onto the boards is best achieved by clamping three boards together, stepped so that all three together form the angle as measured by a bevel, set at 60deg.
The square edges are then planed and shaved down by electric planer, hand plane and draw knife. The hand plane alone is sufficient but labour intensive.
Edges and ends may be screwed and glued, or pegged with wooden dowels.  The roof is longer by about 70 mm, so that a drip channel can be routed into the underside of each end.  The long edges of the roof should overlap the underside by about 15mm .  Western Red Cedar is the ideal weight and naturally weather resistant, but almost any type of wood may be substituted.
The top bars are fiddly to make, each having two mitred 60deg. corners and a strengthening tongue inset at each of those corners. Alternatively the corners may be simply screwed together after first gluing and setting up in a jig to the correct angle.
The bars have a 3mm side slot cut to allow air to vent upwards between bars and into the roof void. The slot should be approximately 60mm long, on one side only. The router makes the job easier but a spokeshave would achieve the same result.  Bees adapt easily to most situations and will fill much of the slotted cut with propolis until their desired temperature balance is achieved.
A brushing of the underside of the bars with melted beeswax is my method of encouraging bees to build their comb straight, but firstly the bars should be scorched with a blow lamp to render them sterile. The entire hive may be scorched before being painted or rubbed down on the inside with a mix of beeswax and an edible oil such as flax oil. This may be made by melting the wax into heated oil in the proportion of approximately 1 : 4,  taking care not to overheat. The resultant wood finish is quite harmless and can serve to attract bees into the empty hive. Waterproofing is achieved by a plastic or thin metal top sheet or paint, whichever you prefer, so long as the final coat is reflective and light in colour, against the summer sun. The lower half may be left natural wood finish, given a couple of coats of varnish . 

The design described has been chosen because it enables all management procedures to be achieved with the minimum of disturbance to the bees, and reduces lifting effort required by the beekeeper. The cross holes in each bar allows bee traffic between the combs via the uppermost and warmest route. This feature benefits overwintering by enabling bees to transit each comb without venturing downwards into the cooler levels of the hive.

A Varroa trap floor may be fabricated in the form of a shallow drawer inserted through a slot cut in one end of the hive. By smearing a coat of Vaseline onto its surface mites get stuck there. Above the drawer a metal mesh floor is stapled in place to prevent bees getting onto this lower level.

There are many designs of bee hive and the fact of the matter is that our creativity can run riot. One may adapt an old chest or toy box,  a wardrobe, even a dressing table, but my choice is governed here by the work others have put into this particular design. It gives a head start to your beekeeping and comes with no unpleasant surprises. You may prefer to use a traditional straw domed hive or one of the many other traditional and well documented standard types of hive - "whatever turns your crank" - as my dear auntie Betty would say.

Lid showing inset end and drip channel

The six boards showing beveled edges

  For Higher resolution images Click this Link

Top bars here have been scorched (only another twenty to make)

Window may be cut later into each side and exit/entry holes drilled out 

Scorched wood with shellac interior finish and window follower boards at each end

Top is varnished and awaiting acrylic roof  insulation

Top Bar Jig 

Sketch 

A stand is required to raise the hive off the ground

The full size working drawing showing the window opening (lower left)