Saturday 8 August 2009

A Round Tuit

Yesterday morning I noticed that the greenhouse door was shut. It was warm enough so that was a puzzle. Quite a while ago I think I mentioned that I had made the door so it would open automatically with the use of an electric car aerial, some relays, magnetically operated switches, a solar charged leisure battery and an old room thermostat. Checking the battery I found the voltage was very low and all the cells needed topping up. I hoped that was the fault but no, the door still refused to open. Next job was to dismantle things and check each item. In the end I found it was the motor in the aerial had had enough and stopped working. Must get a replacement.

That took far longer than expected. Doesn't it always?
On to the next job on my Round Tuit list. What is a Round Tuit?
See my own private one below....

The surround was made by a very good friend who then presented me with my very own Round Tuit:

Round Tuit

The next task was to take down some of the Amateur Radio aerials I haven't used for a while. As a result of the previous night's rain the lawn was saturated and by the time I had finished removing things from the tilt over mast my feet were soaked and I had had enough for one day.

Back on the Nature front the Hoverflies continue making the most of the little time left with the lily flowers. Some have already lost their petals.

Hoverflies on Lily

I am delighted to see the juvenile Blue Tit has become a regular visitor.

Juvenile Blue Tit

I think our crafty bird visitors are indulging in a spot of 'grow your own'. Where Sunflower seeds have been dropped from the seed feeders several are now growing.

elf Sown Sunflower

I am pleased about this as over the past few years I have grown Sunflowers in the hope of being able to photograph which birds collect the seeds from them. So far I have always missed those actual moments. One day there have been full heads of seeds and the next they have been almost empty. This time I am in with a chance as they are next to the feeders where I can see them easily every time I go in the kitchen.

Both the adult Hedgehogs were in the garden at bedtime last night. One scoffing dried mealworms and the other investigating the path at the back of the building where there are usually slugs about at night.

14 comments:

  1. I love the 'Around Tuit', I was completely mystified by that at first! What a clever and amusing idea and very nicely made as well. Your automatic greenhouse door opening thingy is so clever, I love hearing about these gadgets you come up with. I just mentioned it to HLH and he thinks you could go on Dragons Den with that! Lovely photo of the Blue Tit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jan. I used to tell Mick (my friend) about ideas I had and a few weeks later he would ask me how I was getting on. My answer was usually that I hadn't got round to it. Hence the plaque which he bought and then turned the lovely wood surround on his lathe. I have it hung on the wall near the computer but it hasn't made me work any faster. In fact my Round Tuit piles get higher by the week :)

    As an ardent admirer of Heath Robinson I don't think my greenhouse door opener thingy would qualify!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha....a Round Tuit! I hope your little Hope does well. She looks so cute in the previous post. Hopefully she's not too sick and can get rid of the lung worms. It's so nice you have someone who can care for her!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kelly. The Round Tuit is a real hoot and I was so very pleased to receive it.

    At least Hope had a fine appetite which should be a good sign. Two days away now and I've heard nothing so I take that as a good sign also. Elaine, like many like her, looks after sick animals out of the goodness of her heart and relies entirely on donations to cover food, vet, medication, etc. expenses.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brilliant...I could really do with an automatic greenhouse door opener because by the time I get a 'round tuit' my tomatoes are all wilting and sometimes I 'fog it' altogether:-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Amazing number of hoverflies on that lily John. It must be the colour that attracts them to it.
    And what a pristine looking young Blue Tit.

    ReplyDelete
  7. LOL John... brilliant! I can also see quite easily that just because you have a round tuit it doesn't make the tuit's happen any faster ;-)

    Great idea with the greenhouse door! I have one of these automated roof windows but at this time of year I generally just leave my door open a little... enough for a hog to get out (if it wanders in during the night) and small enough that a cat doesn't go in!

    Now John, you have me wondering... I suspect you've a few more 'heath robinson's' around your garden? Am I right? Care to share more? I am certain we would all love to hear about them :-D

    Great to hear Hope got checked out. As you know I called a carer for our young daytime hog and someone came to me. I did tend to agree with him about the eyes being clear, it knowing its way about the garden etc although I did worry about it for the rest of that day as in my case the hog was left in the garden.

    Sounds like Elaine is doing a great job and I do hope she gets enough donations. Look forward to hearing Hope return to your garden and feeding station sometime soon :-D

    Wishing you a relaxing Sunday... I guess at 8:30am as I type this you'll be out or heading out for a walk with Bobby :-D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Hlen. That used to be my problem - forgetting to open the greenhouse door. Also the Sun is up so early in the Summer the greenhouse gets too hot before I get up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Keith. That lily has a prominent sweet scent. The hoverflies spend all day 'sucking' the surface of the petals so I guess there must be a lot of sweet nectar about.

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a coincidence! I got a round tuit yesterday. The first day we had sunshine and I had a day off for ages. All the things that I meant to do for weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Shirl. Walkies is about 7 a.m. It used to be 6 in previous summers but I feel lazy this year :) At the moment the greenhouse door is now open all the time - until I get 'round tuit'.

    Hope was definitely in need of some expert help and as all is quiet on the telephone front I have high hopes she is building up her weight and strength ready for the long winter sleep.

    Most of my 'Heath Robinsons' have been to do with amateur radio Shirl.

    As I managed to cut all the grass (clover mainly) yesterday I may well get a relaxing day today.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well done Matron. Without the prompting of a plaque on the wall as well :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great idea!! And what a kind gesture from your friend.

    I do think though, that I'd need several of the at the moment. But one thing I've got round to is visiting a few blogs. I changed from BT to Virgin today (Broadband et al) and it works!! Phew

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Tricia. Glad your Virgin broadband is working OK. Mick, the friend who gave me my Round Tuit, has recently gone with them. He had initial problems caused by a useless engineer but otherwise seems happy. No cable here in the sticks. :(

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

Related Posts with Thumbnails