Picture(s) of the day....

[mickthemaverick]

I know nothing about Growlux Peter but it sounds like Steve does so maybe he can enlighten us? From the mauve colour you describe that sounds like the UV tubes my father used to use over his dahlia tubers once they had begun to sprout. My mother was forever complaining about the eerie light leeking out of his shed, I don't think he was growing anything he shouldn't!!

[mickthemaverick]

Here is a rather faded picture of my Father tending some of his UV accelerated Chrysanths being adequately supervised by my Mother:

Own work

[myglaren]

I only have a passing acquaintance with them. The aquaria were my dad's and I took them over when he died and did the necessary investigation into the lighting - I actually bought them for him, stocked them and maintained them as he wasn't up to it but liked watching the fish.

Same with reptiles. Bought a corn snake and vivarium for my youngest for her ninth birthday and ended up at one point with a dozen snakes, countless lizards and a Chilli Rose spider.

Only one snake left, a Great Plains Rat snake that is 27 years old. Lives with me as daughter has no room for the rather large vivarium.

Tube has to be replaced yearly as although the light output remains constant the spectrum changes and doesn't produce the wavelengths needed to provide vitamin D. Needs UVA, UVB abd UVC.

I buy Arcadia tubes from Pets AT Home - only a mile away, always have them and they are cheaper than anywhere else but still >£35 each.
I am wondering it they could be replaced by the LED units. Will have to look in to the possibilities. The fluorescent tubes do help with heating too of course.

Similar with Grolux - as with your dad's horticulture it is the UV component that is needed to keep the plants healthy.

[Peter.N.]

Many years ago when we lived in Kent I had three tanks on the go and used to breed a few live bearers and do a deal with the tropical fish shop with them, after I had the Growlux lighting the plants grew so fast that you couldn't see the fish so I started selling them, got more for them than for the fish.

When we moved here in 1970 I set up a tank but with nothing like the success that we had in Kent, couldn't get the plants to grow as quickly as the fish were eating them, tried rain water, tap water, pond water and probably river water but nothing would make them grow so I eventually gave up. I still would like to keep some but everything comes down to 'do I want the extra responsibility now' and the answer is usually No.

Peter

[mickthemaverick]

Spectacular blooming of our windowsill plant today:

Own work

[white exec]

Does anyone remember Pete & Dud's wonderful sketch from the zoo?
"Topical Fish, Pete!"
"What on earth are topical fish??"
"Well, it should read Tropical Fish, but the keeper explained that in the winter his R's often blew off . . ."

Back to the blossoms.

[myglaren]

A peripheral thing but have just watched a couple of Big Clive videos including these two.

[Peter.N.]

Went up to take some blubell pictures today but they are not fully out yet - so here's one I prepared earlier.

[Gibbo2286]

My pal planted a few bluebells in his garden then spent the next ten years trying to get rid of them, he's been dead for about nine years and they still pop up every springtime.

[CitroJim]

Our town clock very early this morning... Sadly it's not currently working It was always a poor timekeeper. This one and the church clock never agreed. Of the two the church clock generally keeps good time. I understand a new mechanism is on order... Hopefully then it'll be better and the two clocks will start to agree

Against that, it's always bang-on time twice a day

[NewcastleFalcon]

Our town clock very early this morning... Sadly it's not currently working It was always a poor timekeeper. This one and the church clock never agreed. Of the two the church clock generally keeps good time. I understand a new mechanism is on order... Hopefully then it'll be better and the two clocks will start to agree

Against that, it's always bang-on time twice a day

If you look at the "replies" total on this thread, mine here will be reply number 7,000, so that gives your post Jim the honour of being the 6,999th reply but post number 7,000 on the thread.

The thread has many more viewers than regular posters.
121,000 views to date, so while the content is always eclectic the more regular posters the better.

So viewers, accept the open invitation come on in and become regular posters.

I'll edit in a picture of a monkey puzzle tree in a moment or two for this the 7,000th reply

Reply number 7000. A Monkey Puzzle Tree

Regards Neil

[myglaren]

The clock in our village center is always GMT. They haven't reset it for BST for about ten years now.

[mickthemaverick]

The clock in our village center is always GMT. They haven't reset it for BST for about ten years now.

Do you get BST up there Steve?

[myglaren]

Only Leap Years now. Too expensive to have all the time.

[mickthemaverick]

I've managed to meander my way through another 99 posts since my last celebratory car and its time for another one. It is getting harder to keep up my run of engine sizes and I fear it may not go on much longer, however I have picked out the Bond car which he only drove in the books, a 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Sports Coupe, the car of which I had my first Corgi model with jewelled headlights (Identical to the one posted by Neil below) !! Equipped with the 6.2 litre V8 it fits the bill nicely

BFTW