tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12043787592965731502024-03-13T18:17:00.592+00:00where eagles fear to perchmusings on simple living, gardening, personal finance plus my projects and experiments...where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-19293514046135140142022-04-06T11:57:00.002+01:002022-04-06T17:08:59.105+01:00Investment Review - March 2022<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get around to posting the end-of-year results at the time, but
on 31-Dec-21 the combined portfolio stood at an all-time high and the 2021 full-year
return was +8.2%. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y1KaZwWcr8B9m2_loBPvEtPO_YTbYn6X3d8z-H2x3VBpVvzh1ZyrK6BQliEGT3yaWMxD0-xryrPL8AE1OQulEL8ouSGJV4wjh5sSME96N55NZXsDzHw7MxkdHvTwO_nf4004_i68gysszPzZMcYGubmy2x57y5W4P7h43qAEMZki5YPLTIe8O7--xw/s821/REVIEW%20END%20MAR%202022%20C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="685" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y1KaZwWcr8B9m2_loBPvEtPO_YTbYn6X3d8z-H2x3VBpVvzh1ZyrK6BQliEGT3yaWMxD0-xryrPL8AE1OQulEL8ouSGJV4wjh5sSME96N55NZXsDzHw7MxkdHvTwO_nf4004_i68gysszPzZMcYGubmy2x57y5W4P7h43qAEMZki5YPLTIe8O7--xw/w167-h200/REVIEW%20END%20MAR%202022%20C.jpg" width="167"></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">On the face of it, not a bad result for the year but with UK RPI inflation this month also running at
8.2%, then it seems as if that'll be the minimum level of annual growth required for the next few years just to keep pace ...</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the plus side, I didn't suffer at all from the panic seen over the last six months by holders of the likes of Fundsmith and SMT etc, because
I've never been over-exposed to the Nasdaq and its so-called 'tech' stocks.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the combined portfolio position on 31-Mar-22 :-</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9NSc9VZM4ZSyyuKu3MVrTAZhVFcYePh8wEbwD1-DOvlSuAZqicm8K7ELrm5D0z-dVK8xiItU7AueUoTP17kltLNyCfvwM52yDtMD4Vul0lHq65ZeiQM-RLmqm24syM30CYeEmyK0hMhzqv-zrGMgzhqzhLCRhIdaW55dGT2TUu4-yLBTJrocBt2bug/s2096/REVIEW%20END%20MAR%202022%20A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2096" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9NSc9VZM4ZSyyuKu3MVrTAZhVFcYePh8wEbwD1-DOvlSuAZqicm8K7ELrm5D0z-dVK8xiItU7AueUoTP17kltLNyCfvwM52yDtMD4Vul0lHq65ZeiQM-RLmqm24syM30CYeEmyK0hMhzqv-zrGMgzhqzhLCRhIdaW55dGT2TUu4-yLBTJrocBt2bug/w366-h400/REVIEW%20END%20MAR%202022%20A.jpg" width="366"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2022/04/investment-review-march-2022.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-12788481763921896682022-04-05T17:48:00.005+01:002022-04-05T19:53:27.996+01:00Financial Planning - 2022 Annual Review<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a long while since my last post, what with spending a few months in Europe in the van during the winter, including being away over the Christmas period.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, we're now 9 full years into the grand plan - see posts passim - and here are the usual two graphs of progress against the 2013 targets.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMjlDjuzzd_POGaV6vSNeHViT8RnCHdx18kUJNSGXsRb_AAJRSkjCAIkEmRj3b2yv04sk15VdyIYwrEspD5MNbWl9TUUNP3iwxpRFlDYOR-VuLw-zRNhgwzxsRqRBv_s2YKjNgQgLbvgIl5c8lDVhV95JGYqW5hKf4-Br1g_is8Vtlsv_C8_3nDYSEw/s734/SAVINGS%20POT%20MAR-22.jpg1024_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="734" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMjlDjuzzd_POGaV6vSNeHViT8RnCHdx18kUJNSGXsRb_AAJRSkjCAIkEmRj3b2yv04sk15VdyIYwrEspD5MNbWl9TUUNP3iwxpRFlDYOR-VuLw-zRNhgwzxsRqRBv_s2YKjNgQgLbvgIl5c8lDVhV95JGYqW5hKf4-Br1g_is8Vtlsv_C8_3nDYSEw/w400-h303/SAVINGS%20POT%20MAR-22.jpg1024_1.jpg" width="400"></a></div><span></span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2022/04/financial-planning-2022-annual-review.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-91350538246879769002021-10-05T17:36:00.000+01:002021-10-05T17:36:46.443+01:00Investment Review - September 2021<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Here's the combined portfolio summary as at 30 September :-</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWFowxUhnwWpG5fM__NmLmi9sOlv14m6-A98sipi_NMyYHtU3Qg1hzzg6tUdBh8oRB4rd_YrfhhGTysMNiluvNK5Y3dzTc17HBeCpPCxB0OtN2qNNYU4yK6tXXBaIbs2H-M4tZ5lboBu1/s1604/REVIEW+END+SEP+2021+A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1604" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWFowxUhnwWpG5fM__NmLmi9sOlv14m6-A98sipi_NMyYHtU3Qg1hzzg6tUdBh8oRB4rd_YrfhhGTysMNiluvNK5Y3dzTc17HBeCpPCxB0OtN2qNNYU4yK6tXXBaIbs2H-M4tZ5lboBu1/w400-h366/REVIEW+END+SEP+2021+A.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><span></span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/10/investment-review-september-2021.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-32128513017943121522021-07-23T20:31:00.000+01:002021-07-23T20:31:03.786+01:00Investment Review - June 2021<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm posting this brief review several weeks later than usual - I've been very busy on many fronts - but here's the Combined Portfolio spreadsheet summary at close of business on 30 June 2021 :-</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlo69ApNf6ywjvdWdntPlPZ-Yfqt6A9R8EtidXI1a1KzhGX89usPWECtrGnsh_3U-BnFTBKntyIiJ9AN6-3QzAB4Qs2owrDhjFvJq1sodklqY-fdWZundMjLYIP67bQ5qR9odrcCl5mPi/s1635/REVIEW+END+JUN+2021+A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="1635" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlo69ApNf6ywjvdWdntPlPZ-Yfqt6A9R8EtidXI1a1KzhGX89usPWECtrGnsh_3U-BnFTBKntyIiJ9AN6-3QzAB4Qs2owrDhjFvJq1sodklqY-fdWZundMjLYIP67bQ5qR9odrcCl5mPi/w400-h340/REVIEW+END+JUN+2021+A.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>click on the graphic for a larger image ...</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br></i></span></p><span></span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/07/investment-review-june-2021.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-33870192395364635072021-07-15T15:57:00.002+01:002021-07-15T19:02:42.112+01:00Campervan Conversion - Part 7 - Van Tour<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a very long time since my last update on the campervan, but I've continued to work on it and things started to come together quite quickly towards the end, if there ever is an end to converting a van, which I doubt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't suppose this project will ever be completely finished, there'll always be things to repair, modify or add, but </span><span style="font-family: arial;">most of what was originally intended has now been done, along with several examples of 'scope creep' in the form of stuff I just kept adding to the workload as I went along.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We've already been away on two separate week-long trips in the van, and after each we made a few modifications to the vehicle, just to make life easier and more convenient.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So this post is by way of being a Van Tour. T</span><span style="font-family: arial;">wenty weeks since I bought the van, the post shows what it looks like now.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6uneK2q7jCmH05QHQwZL0OTae0xJGfB4EsgTc0OILYGcGEoG5z1_-nxJv1_X5ZiGx-zNEeCpT2aZ1NlQ9nqQtbbPfP2sESkVcf5emFWjxDh_Z1oGdWLJXt28Im8lMPKOB27sY-M7YZSi/s2048/IMG_20210704_191839+crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="2048" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6uneK2q7jCmH05QHQwZL0OTae0xJGfB4EsgTc0OILYGcGEoG5z1_-nxJv1_X5ZiGx-zNEeCpT2aZ1NlQ9nqQtbbPfP2sESkVcf5emFWjxDh_Z1oGdWLJXt28Im8lMPKOB27sY-M7YZSi/w400-h245/IMG_20210704_191839+crop.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">on a campsite at Aldbrough in Yorkshire ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/07/campervan-conversion-part-7-van-tour.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-30403172757086373142021-04-22T23:26:00.001+01:002021-04-22T23:31:42.202+01:00Campervan Conversion - Part 6 - Progress on Several Fronts<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Following on from <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-5-solar.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 5</span></b></a>, I've been continuing with the project across several fronts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One thing about this conversion is that it's very difficult to actually finish anything, because to complete X means that Y needs to be done beforehand and suitable provision made for Z to follow etc.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For example, it's been over a month now since we made our cabinet carcasses for the RH wall and we've now also built a similar unit to fit over the kitchen area on the LH side, but we couldn't install them permanently until we'd run all the necessary cables behind. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We're still adding equipment to the design but I've now bought and installed all the cables I'll think we'll need, and I've also run a few extra lengths here & there for any additions we might want in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So the RH wall cabinets are now fitted. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I've also been working on the control panel in the lower half of the rearmost cabinet. It has two fascia sections, one side fixed and the other hinged for access to fuses and to be able to complete all the wiring etc.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNaFwxyNqjm229MgMwqEQw4zJcKmbjq6153eFZSeTvRE233bKvdK695G20XtDes5ZSJbT-zcsj3p2VQhlCBkwyCThqS78vXcc_y7ojBHHlgwfyi9-qV_2Pf4SPxKd45EP8dfQywWaupsp/s2048/IMG_20210422_153250.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNaFwxyNqjm229MgMwqEQw4zJcKmbjq6153eFZSeTvRE233bKvdK695G20XtDes5ZSJbT-zcsj3p2VQhlCBkwyCThqS78vXcc_y7ojBHHlgwfyi9-qV_2Pf4SPxKd45EP8dfQywWaupsp/w400-h225/IMG_20210422_153250.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">RH wall cabinets with the control panel in blue ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And we're making progress elsewhere, too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/04/campervan-conversion-part-6-progress-on.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-39887565872225620972021-04-06T13:44:00.000+01:002021-04-06T13:44:05.398+01:00Financial Planning - 2021 Annual Review<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The end of March represented the 8-year point in our 10-year term 'Grand Plan'. Here are the usual two graph plots:-</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD5Kj1SCf_gHcmQ0haaM92CcocYYXqN-vi5r2BzITKXvqcP0S7W0kpp6NryoSkS0J-a42Hq_32H2_ci_Im6TnejPFBZ0d2oijY9Ja9ru1uK5ETFu2swT1aUxI4Bl78dI4iI2tzI9OwTBE/s1673/31-Mar-21+SAVNGS+POT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1673" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD5Kj1SCf_gHcmQ0haaM92CcocYYXqN-vi5r2BzITKXvqcP0S7W0kpp6NryoSkS0J-a42Hq_32H2_ci_Im6TnejPFBZ0d2oijY9Ja9ru1uK5ETFu2swT1aUxI4Bl78dI4iI2tzI9OwTBE/w400-h304/31-Mar-21+SAVNGS+POT.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Savings Pot to Mar-21</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMGJRELqR9s01_pk6ZDtn0JRFLcCVAztCRLI9TkYR-Kq3qQWrDJHI0ZApnXZnFCn6rJG-FPpETHGFRdEg32iVB9fU7QE4ihMwR-fkHUwM_sE-Y91sTWFrr0STNUmmA1Fguz3R3xIEkhXl/s1722/31-Mar-21+SIPP+POT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1722" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMGJRELqR9s01_pk6ZDtn0JRFLcCVAztCRLI9TkYR-Kq3qQWrDJHI0ZApnXZnFCn6rJG-FPpETHGFRdEg32iVB9fU7QE4ihMwR-fkHUwM_sE-Y91sTWFrr0STNUmmA1Fguz3R3xIEkhXl/w400-h295/31-Mar-21+SIPP+POT.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>SIPP Pot to Mar-21</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There's been a good recovery from this time last year ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/04/financial-planning-2021-annual-review.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-5669588408151505332021-04-01T21:18:00.000+01:002021-04-01T21:18:05.494+01:00Investment Review - March 2021<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Here's the usual spreadsheet updated after the market close on 31 March :-</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yq6zC81GRLngPlOJIWaa-3Kcx5fZbWf7YwCIKp0Ng1KvuXUvnjBhQhQZz6PcZGSn9Np6Tl72INbVilpdTcav3OQORVgjYoOAZLLF-49JMoYUaYV5CoMmg-g7Ufn4_BM52CtM6XfOmGaY/s1624/REVIEW+END+MAR+2021+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1393" data-original-width="1624" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yq6zC81GRLngPlOJIWaa-3Kcx5fZbWf7YwCIKp0Ng1KvuXUvnjBhQhQZz6PcZGSn9Np6Tl72INbVilpdTcav3OQORVgjYoOAZLLF-49JMoYUaYV5CoMmg-g7Ufn4_BM52CtM6XfOmGaY/w400-h343/REVIEW+END+MAR+2021+A.jpg" width="400"></a></div><br><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been busy on many fronts during this first quarter of the year, so I've only looked at the portfolio on the last day of each month and on those specific dates between when dividend payments arrived.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span></span></b></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/04/investment-review-march-2021.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-19397471932501694192021-03-29T21:58:00.002+01:002021-04-22T23:27:07.924+01:00Campervan Conversion - Part 5 - The Solar Panels & Major Electrical Items<p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is number five in the series of posts about our campervan conversion, following on from <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-4-water-tanks.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Part 4</b></span></a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The solar panels arrived last weekend so it was time to fit them on the van roof.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've bought 3-off identical 100W panels from <i>Renogy</i>. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Using </span><span style="font-family: arial;">monocrystalline cells, t</span><span style="font-family: arial;">hese are quite compact panels measuring just 1,074 x 498 mm. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This particular panel design is narrow enough to fit between our rooflights, and it also has a low open-circuit voltage which can be important when choosing controllers. I'd considered 2-off at 150W or even a single 300W panel, but these layouts didn't fit properly on the roof space available and they also tend to operate at a higher voltage. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6K8_UxOoqeoSZG4rd7k7G7TUBmRD3LPFRx3njCCHv3DAr25aGTw6cBONF4_pPbpgUV_c1cZ3nJdwxFES-ten1VququDTUePwz2lrPOIz9pcyjL_26mbXDgy13QtJK53tzMqaJtvTiVTJ/s2048/IMG_20210320_080750.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6K8_UxOoqeoSZG4rd7k7G7TUBmRD3LPFRx3njCCHv3DAr25aGTw6cBONF4_pPbpgUV_c1cZ3nJdwxFES-ten1VququDTUePwz2lrPOIz9pcyjL_26mbXDgy13QtJK53tzMqaJtvTiVTJ/w225-h400/IMG_20210320_080750.jpg" width="225"></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the panels ...</span><br><br></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5T6wdlb5Qe097bONl4FU9pB17HZyY-786rH6RnD2hgSz9sYnSn-kbUq-LZlZ40R8Uz4DqHBm3Cm7DKE9qSzrabvbWnGm5AQdDmj5TRLYpA_vq8ZiCL2DXqnD_hik7yxeYepLEuK9lOO/s2048/IMG_20210320_081011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1644" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5T6wdlb5Qe097bONl4FU9pB17HZyY-786rH6RnD2hgSz9sYnSn-kbUq-LZlZ40R8Uz4DqHBm3Cm7DKE9qSzrabvbWnGm5AQdDmj5TRLYpA_vq8ZiCL2DXqnD_hik7yxeYepLEuK9lOO/w321-h400/IMG_20210320_081011.jpg" width="321"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">panel nameplate data ...</td></tr></tbody></table></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So we've nominally 300 W of solar power available under bright sunlight conditions, although during standard rating test conditions the light source is positioned perpendicular to the panel surface, whereas on the van roof the panels will always be horizontal and therefore the actual available power is likely reduced by around a quarter, so let's say it's a maximum 225 W installation.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-5-solar.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-64969607382858583392021-03-20T19:39:00.000+00:002021-03-20T19:39:16.430+00:00Campervan Conversion - Part 4 - Water Tanks & Shower Room Framing<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In this post, we're initially looking at the water requirements for the van build.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We've bought a 75 litre tank for fresh water and a 85 litre tank for waste water, both of which will be installed inside the van. Many people fit at least the waste tank under the vehicle, i.e. underslung from the floor beams and effectively located outside, but I wanted everything to be mounted inside the van and easily accessible for installation, piping & maintenance etc.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbhNOwVF6Jk6X71c6h4Z-QFQ5kRrHKXba118k73x9yA8ETXKJN1w2ZMFujWTLH0admoWjZM8V6fbhPUT_AwbQhndKXKGlIhoKEttzvCpy4B7qvDuthcAWEgvw0viH7QVlG0WGJqFn9vGi/s2048/IMG_20210320_153509.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbhNOwVF6Jk6X71c6h4Z-QFQ5kRrHKXba118k73x9yA8ETXKJN1w2ZMFujWTLH0admoWjZM8V6fbhPUT_AwbQhndKXKGlIhoKEttzvCpy4B7qvDuthcAWEgvw0viH7QVlG0WGJqFn9vGi/w400-h225/IMG_20210320_153509.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">upright 85 litre and flat 75 litre tanks ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There will also be a small hot water tank to design, build and install at some time in the future but that's not an urgent requirement - I can come back to it later when I've eventually figured out exactly how to provide a hot water system. For now, we'll just concentrate on the main tanks, and I'm including the shower tray here because it's a deep unit and can hold more than 40 litres (see <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-3-sound.html#more" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Post 3</span></b></a> in the series). </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The sink and shower greywater will collect in the 85 litre upright tank which sits on the floor up against the LH rear wheelarch. The flat 75 litre fresh water tank is mounted directly above it. This configuration minimises the amount of space required for the tank cabinet. The top of the waste tank is low enough that the kitchen sink waste will flow to it under gravity, although water from the shower tray at floor level will be pumped into it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-4-water-tanks.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-1201091219014755792021-03-18T21:14:00.000+00:002021-03-18T21:14:38.898+00:00Fruits in the Garden - Part 2<p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a while, but as we mentioned in <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/01/fruits-in-garden-part-1.html#more" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 1</span></b></a> we decided to add to the collection of edible bushes & trees in the garden. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This post has been delayed because we were waiting for three more bare-root fruit trees to be delivered, but after two months the nursery simply refunded the money and cancelled the order. Not a word about this cancellation to me of course, either before or after the event - I only spotted it from the credit card statement. They've shown themselves to be complete amateurs and so I'll be avoiding <i>Chris Bowers & Sons</i> in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, this year so far, we've bought the following new plants :-</span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Supplied in larger pots :-</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Macadamia Nut </b>(exact cultivar unknown</span><span style="font-family: arial;">) -</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> Macadamia integrifolia </i><span style="font-family: arial;">(</span><span style="font-family: arial;">UK hardiness H3</span><span style="font-family: arial;">)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This evergreen tree was already quite large when delivered. It has been grafted, and the variety above the graft has very different leaves from the rootstock. The grafted cultivar leaves are of a lighter green colour than the rootstock, with fewer very sharp spines along the leaf edges and a longer petiole. The graft has been made quite high up on the trunk of the rootstock, around 600 mm from soil level. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Macadamias can grow very large if not controlled, and so I'd have preferred the graft to be nearer the soil and for the cultivar branching to start much lower down, to make a more compact tree better suited to containerisation. Macadamias are only half-hardy and the pot will need to be brought into the conservatory for the winter.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5oQsdkEyz31ClUM_S2pcRHwwp9DrhDP_sBuWqQwR7XOqhn7qvXc4cAS3fcyw-Vj12G8E538Rx6B-FFjYMw_9U18k1VwCJyfiNqGOdLCD_6SuJoB1GWVqsd5fWv6jQJpUCWYhl0dWXjWk/s1337/macadamia+2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1337" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5oQsdkEyz31ClUM_S2pcRHwwp9DrhDP_sBuWqQwR7XOqhn7qvXc4cAS3fcyw-Vj12G8E538Rx6B-FFjYMw_9U18k1VwCJyfiNqGOdLCD_6SuJoB1GWVqsd5fWv6jQJpUCWYhl0dWXjWk/w400-h263/macadamia+2021.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">However, it's not a bad looking tree and is growing away strongly, so I cut off all the branches below the graft to stop the rootstock growth sapping the strength from the cultivar.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the photo pairs, the image on the left is 'as received' from the supplier, and on the right is after my initial training cuts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/fruits-in-garden-part-2.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-81515443118998346042021-03-13T21:26:00.000+00:002021-03-13T21:26:28.008+00:00Campervan Conversion - Part 3 - Sound Insulation & Shower Tray Installation<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Following on from <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-2-stripping.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 2</span></b></a>, the next step was to install some acoustic insulation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I applied proprietary butyl rubber sound-deadening panels of 2.5 mm thickness, although self-adhesive butyl roofing tape is basically the same thing and might work out much cheaper if you're on a strict budget.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The van body panels were locally cleaned using methylated spirits, and the acoustic insulation was cut to basic shapes as required and then simply pressed onto the painted surfaces, using a cloth and a small paint roller to smooth them out and ensure a good contact.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These butyl sheets are quite heavy and add mass to the thin body panels to act as vibration dampers. Each insulation piece is fitted in the centre of every 'sub-panel', as are naturally formed between panel stiffeners and / or folds & creases in the metal. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">You don't need anywhere near 100% coverage to kill noise due to panel resonance - even a relatively small piece in the correct location will be effective. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJsKBlnKk7MtXd2Ds_nOGnwIJkS3iqEqmtslYbCwO1lI23pdBc3B9l7FgflcKF9m0Zc0Wh8Fa8J6WGZSJtYp50LpBLEAJq6FEHTxSBDPWpnvOAAjBnfXHs_UCRf1lUL-fi7iWXOODf74-/s2048/IMG_20210313_102002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJsKBlnKk7MtXd2Ds_nOGnwIJkS3iqEqmtslYbCwO1lI23pdBc3B9l7FgflcKF9m0Zc0Wh8Fa8J6WGZSJtYp50LpBLEAJq6FEHTxSBDPWpnvOAAjBnfXHs_UCRf1lUL-fi7iWXOODf74-/w400-h225/IMG_20210313_102002.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">acoustic insulation panels ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p>It was quite cold on the day I added the sound insulation, so I borrowed the oil-filled radiator from our conservatory and used it to pre-heat the van before fitting the butyl panels, to ensure good adhesion. After I'd fixed the insulation, I also left the radiator switched on during the following night.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-3-sound.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-48550160500757835762021-03-06T17:26:00.001+00:002021-03-06T19:48:10.338+00:00Campervan Conversion - Part 2 - Stripping out, Rooflights and Partial Framing<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Since the first post, I've been clearing out the van load space. I'd originally thought of keeping some of the previous panelling but after I'd seen how the battens were fixed I decided to change the whole framing arrangement to provide additional support in some areas to suit my design.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was quite a task and took several days to demolish the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">existing</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">panelling and fitments to bring the vehicle load space almost back to the condition it was in when it left the factory. Many of the panel and flooring screw heads snapped off when I tried to remove them so there was a lot of cursing and a fair amount of drilling & grinding required.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't remove the floor panels at the front of the load space - there is a solid aluminium plate over this location covered with a rubber matting. At the rear however, there was a thick plywood base which I stripped out to expose the steel floor of the van body. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs_IQGyW8t0Qe2YBV1ANGZIjPk3WawlTulLwWA3QP8GC2C0gNY8-wVp-MTOoys6Z-FulSeW8s92aZkDu8wjK6pFqdAFYeHzSvaycdcW35wLFRBHMD6dsYH_Bl8zpGHgiJ4QxjRNZWob8q/s2048/IMG_20210228_120905.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs_IQGyW8t0Qe2YBV1ANGZIjPk3WawlTulLwWA3QP8GC2C0gNY8-wVp-MTOoys6Z-FulSeW8s92aZkDu8wjK6pFqdAFYeHzSvaycdcW35wLFRBHMD6dsYH_Bl8zpGHgiJ4QxjRNZWob8q/w400-h225/IMG_20210228_120905.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">steel floor exposed at the rear</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/03/campervan-conversion-part-2-stripping.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-48203803480311409142021-02-27T20:21:00.001+00:002021-03-06T19:47:55.536+00:00Campervan Conversion - Part 1 - The Original Vehicle<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We've decided to build ourselves a camper van, or rather to buy a van we could then fit-out as a camper. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The initial idea is to retain much of the very useful functionality of a large van and so any major camper items in the load space (e.g. the bed) can be removed if required.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple of weeks ago, I looked at a few vans to get an idea of what we wanted for a base vehicle - one of our neighbours has a relatively new Transit but it's of standard height so immediately we climbed in the back we knew we needed a high-roof version.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the end we bought a 2007 Ford Transit Mk 7 350 medium wheelbase (MWB) high-roof model, or the L3H3 version (length code = 3 and height code = 3) - many van configurations from other manufacturers are also described in this same way. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That's what we think is our van specification - there are many references online for transit van layouts, but having measured ours we still can't quite reconcile the actual dimensions with the information we found. In particular, the length of the load floor is around 3,200 mm but in the references this should be matched to a shorter wheelbase than the 3,750 mm we also measured. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, we've now just about surveyed the vehicle to find out exactly what we have to work with ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So this is 'definitely' the medium wheelbase version, although at just under 6.0 m only the jumbo vans are longer. It's rear wheel drive and fitted with a 2.4 litre turbo diesel engine.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2yujxXkqYAeefHk2Q4DPXRIOEbpN6XJKqkpvssFsVHnjXc1F5juIRp4ZhuUIMdFR95yYlp4r8bD0GboBwmTY-WJJ5ycCeB7V2HlkBOQ5i46XrWTYNghDOlzN2PVoxcWTN4ZClx805b60/s1024/3500a12c805147ec9c57800202f60b5c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2yujxXkqYAeefHk2Q4DPXRIOEbpN6XJKqkpvssFsVHnjXc1F5juIRp4ZhuUIMdFR95yYlp4r8bD0GboBwmTY-WJJ5ycCeB7V2HlkBOQ5i46XrWTYNghDOlzN2PVoxcWTN4ZClx805b60/w400-h225/3500a12c805147ec9c57800202f60b5c.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/02/campervan-conversion-part-1-original.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-71222665141378583562021-02-13T16:37:00.000+00:002021-02-13T16:37:01.719+00:00Garden Casualties ....<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the early hours of last Friday morning, just before I was off to bed, I noticed our cheap-and-cheerful 4-channel digital thermometer was reading -12.2 degrees C from the outdoor sensor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's hardly a precision instrument, more of an ornament than anything else, but its greenhouse sensor was also reading below -10 degrees and so it was worthy of further investigation. I dug out a torch and went outside to the bottom of the garden, where I've a 'proper' mercury max-min thermometer mounted on the shed wall.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sure enough, it was cold, -10 degrees at that time and when I checked again during the day it had been down to -11 degrees C, a record low in the ten years since we've lived here, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and </span><span style="font-family: arial;">by quite some margin</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CTqyiuivSzvT-VhUGHTscJDwSJI-FlATLIbP8LMW246j2J2xKzSZSGIVnfXarHeMdJR1GVUIYasL89ChLQ4kep2K1Y9oUbxHWE8K_4_8cUuL_mB7n2bfe5PxviXdxlT74FevMFe3kGq7/s2048/IMG_20210213_150314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CTqyiuivSzvT-VhUGHTscJDwSJI-FlATLIbP8LMW246j2J2xKzSZSGIVnfXarHeMdJR1GVUIYasL89ChLQ4kep2K1Y9oUbxHWE8K_4_8cUuL_mB7n2bfe5PxviXdxlT74FevMFe3kGq7/w225-h400/IMG_20210213_150314.jpg" width="225"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">coldest temperature recorded here in 10 years ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/02/garden-casualties.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-44342199557939905862021-01-24T17:21:00.001+00:002021-02-14T11:37:09.637+00:00Local Conditions - Weather & Climate etc ...<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I put this post together because I was beginning to describe
the local weather conditions etc within another post I'm preparing about the new
fruit trees we've just bought, but such information is also very relevant to
growing anything at all here and so I've made it a standalone reference.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuNgxqsmdKr0xCDBl6Xo8p6mB41h3vWDPrphHVySGb_ZM1o1dPfyF4_gUtq3axoFtFt_-ciGdKych3scAHleCduD5w5iCaZikQkG4cZ68-XTg60iWAGwIxSemL5r3s3g8rOpY_FCWZpcy/s2048/PC250014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuNgxqsmdKr0xCDBl6Xo8p6mB41h3vWDPrphHVySGb_ZM1o1dPfyF4_gUtq3axoFtFt_-ciGdKych3scAHleCduD5w5iCaZikQkG4cZ68-XTg60iWAGwIxSemL5r3s3g8rOpY_FCWZpcy/w400-h300/PC250014.JPG" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: arial;">Location</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our home is located in </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: arial;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: arial;"> at around latitude 55N longitude 2W, to the nearest whole numbers only.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This is vague enough to cover a huge area of the north-east ...</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As best as I can determine from online resources, our property
elevation is 111 metres (365 feet) above sea level, which is somewhat higher
than I'd previously thought.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The nearest comprehensive weather station to our home that
has data stretching back several years, is located around 11 miles to the south
of us and some 61 m below our elevation.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial;">It's also more urban than where we are, so perhaps not an ideal basis
for direct comparison but unfortunately it's the best data we have.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></b></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/01/local-conditions-weather-climate-etc.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-88945212406647665732021-01-16T15:03:00.001+00:002021-01-16T15:10:41.355+00:00Fruits in the Garden - Part 1<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We're intending to significantly increase the quantity and variety of the edible perennials in the garden, mainly in the form of additional fruit bushes and trees, but all the new plants we've bought recently will be described in Part 2.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In this Part 1, we're summarising the edible perennials we already have growing in the garden.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Growing in the ground</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Rhubarb </b></span><span style="font-family: arial;">(unknown variety) - we've three crowns planted next to the raised bed area, and these produce a lot of stems throughout the year. Very undemanding to grow, it needs next to no attention at all.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOHrZ9wf5t9aXRo0DNYpClSsp8RoLqCCYCzygSa30VVnqV-ZGqW3Je6OlO6iEeZJ9sMr4HE7L8G-cb-dzHDfNMKTy1YjTOm3XaeIHK_OE5vWtw5NHKI71h4Woj9oY6I8xNTPrZRKDT0bV/s1984/P5090258+B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1984" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOHrZ9wf5t9aXRo0DNYpClSsp8RoLqCCYCzygSa30VVnqV-ZGqW3Je6OlO6iEeZJ9sMr4HE7L8G-cb-dzHDfNMKTy1YjTOm3XaeIHK_OE5vWtw5NHKI71h4Woj9oY6I8xNTPrZRKDT0bV/w400-h300/P5090258+B.jpg" width="400"></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><b style="font-weight: bold;">Chives</b> - not a fruit of course, but then strictly speaking neither is rhubarb ... There's a patch of chives in the raised bed area. Being an allium, it's evergreen, can look a little straggly in winter, but it comes back strongly again every spring. If left to flower it becomes a magnet for the bees. With nothing to do except harvest the leaves as required, it's the very easiest edible perennial you can grow.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span></span></b></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/01/fruits-in-garden-part-1.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-24274055917783145962021-01-03T02:02:00.001+00:002021-01-03T02:02:42.759+00:00Investment Review - December 2020<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another year over, and here's the final quarterly investment review of 2020. Let's start with the combined portfolio summary sheet, updated at the early market close on 31 December :-</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS9fxzZMAIOxhUsErLF2B0fqdMop_Dh0n3CRO8z6YcX9VNKTB0pvrjPbS-lVdboGrs1sIjZ1VQ-4XE8gmtmIgUJ8KgPrBOfNlT_FdRiBsZ2g2yjKP2FITiIOuN3AFxqX1TPmAwCh1XpYv/s1653/REVIEW+END+DEC+2020+S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="1653" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS9fxzZMAIOxhUsErLF2B0fqdMop_Dh0n3CRO8z6YcX9VNKTB0pvrjPbS-lVdboGrs1sIjZ1VQ-4XE8gmtmIgUJ8KgPrBOfNlT_FdRiBsZ2g2yjKP2FITiIOuN3AFxqX1TPmAwCh1XpYv/w400-h345/REVIEW+END+DEC+2020+S.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span><br></span></b></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2021/01/investment-review-december-2020.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-17562733268517804702020-12-27T22:03:00.001+00:002020-12-27T22:05:23.735+00:00Annual Spending Review - 2020<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, 2020 is almost over. Here's where all the money went, in what turned out to be a very unusual year for our spending patterns :-</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpcmMcffAQRw6TryYkbKdp3c8_ggMimI4Oluc_-yJpDBR6t23d7LxNBvpOW06vVfGoMfWjcA5UD4ZhM1U6dc4JAQQCZOCXYtyx-KHqXEXx0A_lUhSxkpocF7dSY1scyE-yjVtM8QsoFFQ/s943/2020+SPENDING+REVIEW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="943" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpcmMcffAQRw6TryYkbKdp3c8_ggMimI4Oluc_-yJpDBR6t23d7LxNBvpOW06vVfGoMfWjcA5UD4ZhM1U6dc4JAQQCZOCXYtyx-KHqXEXx0A_lUhSxkpocF7dSY1scyE-yjVtM8QsoFFQ/w400-h288/2020+SPENDING+REVIEW.jpg" width="400"></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>click on the graphic for a larger image</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">See previous reviews for the 'Rules', e.g. </span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2019/12/annual-spending-review-2019.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">the 2019 review</span></b></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> ...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As usual, the graphic shows the highest spending categories for 2020 in descending order from the left, with the equivalent 2019 and 2018 percentages alongside.</span></p><p></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/12/annual-spending-review-2020.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-858492386292899072020-10-28T12:29:00.000+00:002020-10-28T12:29:00.767+00:00Conservatory Design & Build - Part 4 - Finishing Works & Fit-out<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With the building structurally complete and weathertight, finishing works could continue inside the conservatory at our leisure, and any remaining exterior jobs can be done as and when the weather permits.</div></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Continuing with the diary from <a href="http://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/09/conservatory-design-build-part-3.html#more" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 3</span></b></a> ...</span> </span><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlJhsZFgKA9NVWxIxuIEyZtBUCNBbrc-6oFMpzg91I6TYAIUW-3o2c1nPk9lcJ9ALnVWAw_iQX9MABG8u6s9UkKzXMtvGPjApB0tS6cGj6NVlCLR-qDs1jlPbosxhTq0Cfy_28ZOTedt4/s2048/IMG_20200930_104109.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlJhsZFgKA9NVWxIxuIEyZtBUCNBbrc-6oFMpzg91I6TYAIUW-3o2c1nPk9lcJ9ALnVWAw_iQX9MABG8u6s9UkKzXMtvGPjApB0tS6cGj6NVlCLR-qDs1jlPbosxhTq0Cfy_28ZOTedt4/w400-h225/IMG_20200930_104109.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">laying carpet tiles on top of XPS insulation boards. In this <br>picture, all the easy ones are down - the rest needed cutting to fit</td></tr></tbody></table><span></span></span></div><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/09/conservatory-design-build-part-4.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-42752310635463012712020-10-08T12:43:00.029+01:002020-10-08T13:04:16.560+01:00Conservatory Design & Build - Part 3 - The Building Structure<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The long-awaited doors and windows duly arrived, and on the scheduled date too, so it was time to assemble and erect the building. </span><br>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The delivery coincided with a short spell of fine weather, with no rain forecast for at least three days, so the intention was to complete the basic build and make the conservatory weathertight within this timescale.</span><br>
<br>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The photo diary continues from <a href="http://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/09/conservatory-design-build-part-2.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 2</span></b></a> ...</span><br>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Nm-S5i_2-a5Bbdq4bQOnl_vCffkdOmWp5z0kc0HJVJ6rDIprclz3JpTaaD0mQE8G0NbwUngeAZUXK7vNpyLwVeWC8fDwHrggN1mh7obs1qP3LC2zYfGPDjWgpvtInhBQECiXaM5XpOLB/s2048/P9180546.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Nm-S5i_2-a5Bbdq4bQOnl_vCffkdOmWp5z0kc0HJVJ6rDIprclz3JpTaaD0mQE8G0NbwUngeAZUXK7vNpyLwVeWC8fDwHrggN1mh7obs1qP3LC2zYfGPDjWgpvtInhBQECiXaM5XpOLB/w400-h300/P9180546.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the windows and door on the north face were pre-assembled <br>and in position within a few hours after delivery !<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></p><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/09/conservatory-design-build-part-3.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-51288367594932747192020-10-02T16:42:00.000+01:002020-10-02T16:42:00.934+01:00Investment Review - September 2020<span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the regular quarterly update with valuations on 30 September :-<br><br><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="1570" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxqlavGYWxLb5W1-h0PdFOsEZR87fpdq2UglCf-8gGVlXHeGEo0iUPEiKXdggdraywfbMN2ppcCeKAYXeWP-C8ODViS9Zcm7aZUokEgyMLo3TmiVEPjAnjgBjQ1bVSNveWUNl8LrWq0g6/w400-h358/REVIEW+END+SEP+2020+A.jpg" width="400"></div>
<br><i>click on the graphic for a larger image ...</i><br>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span></span></b></span></span><a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/08/investment-review-september-2020.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-84713664714602468662020-09-04T13:29:00.001+01:002020-09-04T13:30:04.073+01:00Conservatory Design & Build - Part 2 - Enabling Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following on directly from our <a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/08/conservatory-design-build-part-1_17.html#more" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Part 1</span></b></a> post, we've been continuing with the enabling works for the new conservatory.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The photo diary continues ...</span><br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsqGGWKjuiEcgj1aHTLuvpFE1Qei_o2-OAsC6uGAXpDGN2qrX9_iSyLxqEs6yMuWBBHsAV-z8CDenmSqEVfvosNgg5bgFdckdH9rAGaS8lXFfVijSUG65TN_RtsC99_WIx3xyYlPi3YKE/s1600/P8040511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsqGGWKjuiEcgj1aHTLuvpFE1Qei_o2-OAsC6uGAXpDGN2qrX9_iSyLxqEs6yMuWBBHsAV-z8CDenmSqEVfvosNgg5bgFdckdH9rAGaS8lXFfVijSUG65TN_RtsC99_WIx3xyYlPi3YKE/s400/P8040511.JPG" width="300"></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">the old guttering arrangement above my office door, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">also fed with a downpipe from the main roof</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnAVgGET_jW0PUC0q0CK9G3gm5mmP-_WMSL1Vzk9ITpfLeAZYp4RsD9xkfCaevBiBO92xoOdgp12A1hyphenhyphenZx_9YTLzd8YTzAG17InTyf_9pkjnLgdWImouLAhEyWjuegJ_CXlbn4SxplSlO/s1600/P8080534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnAVgGET_jW0PUC0q0CK9G3gm5mmP-_WMSL1Vzk9ITpfLeAZYp4RsD9xkfCaevBiBO92xoOdgp12A1hyphenhyphenZx_9YTLzd8YTzAG17InTyf_9pkjnLgdWImouLAhEyWjuegJ_CXlbn4SxplSlO/s400/P8080534.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">the new arrangement - a galvanised C-section purlin now carries the </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">water to </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">a tundish at the RH end. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">A second length of purlin below </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">makes a face</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"> between them to add a board.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">This board and the timber </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">post structure on </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">the right will provide a flat interface for the end of the conservatory to butt up against.</span></div>
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<a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/09/conservatory-design-build-part-2.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-23745068810489155952020-08-17T14:27:00.000+01:002020-08-17T14:27:01.338+01:00Conservatory Design & Build - Part 1 - Enabling Works<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We'd previously </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">thought</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">about erecting a conservatory, but the difficulties to be overcome at our location seemed too complex to address without a lot of time to spare.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But we're currently spending much more time at home - I'm not sure if our usual autumn holiday will even be possible this year - and of course we also haven't been spending money on travelling, so now seems as good a time as any to look at a conservatory.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We began exploring options a month or so ago. A DIY conservatory kit was first considered, but the companies I approached were not very responsive to non-standard layout queries and technical requirements. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I very soon lost patience with them.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Design and Project Management is actually my business, so I decided that by designing and sourcing everything myself, we would get exactly what we wanted and it would likely be much less costly too, without a middleman taking a cut.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, finalising the required layout and design was the first objective. We looked at several possibilities from a double-ended lean-to layout of just 3.5 metres length, then a similar arrangement at 5.0 metres, before finally electing to bring the new building right up against the face of the existing extension, making it single-ended and 7.4 metres long in total. There are a few challenges in connecting the buildings together, as will be seen in the photo diary commencing below.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the basic conservatory layout, we considered either dwarf walls or full height glass all around, but in the end I designed a hybrid version with a dwarf wall on the northern aspect that's visible to passers-by, and using full height glass for the long western elevation which can't be seen from anyone outside the garden, so privacy is not an issue here.</span><br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmfSynS8QCUi6IPJ4qEUNxY9oSQhgN4pcQwvnHnp_otq25JiH42BqXXK7DE4WLja1VGleIxkrVOcaY3fXtUzKJC4c08dAAjzDIZxBPsqmXvz6iATbe2HJNuIJ3iyP2UISIYqjsNHC70K8/s1600/Conservatory+Jul-20+Rev+P3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmfSynS8QCUi6IPJ4qEUNxY9oSQhgN4pcQwvnHnp_otq25JiH42BqXXK7DE4WLja1VGleIxkrVOcaY3fXtUzKJC4c08dAAjzDIZxBPsqmXvz6iATbe2HJNuIJ3iyP2UISIYqjsNHC70K8/s400/Conservatory+Jul-20+Rev+P3.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">basic drawing of the design ...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We looked into the planning requirements and concluded that this design met all the criteria to be considered 'permitted development', e.g. additional side width not greater than half the width of the original house, nothing protruding forward of the principal elevation fronting the road, single-storey conservatory with total height < 4 metres, total built area less than 50% of the total curtilage, etc.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unlike house extensions for which planning permission is required, conservatories are a special case and are exempt from having to use materials of a similar type, style and colour as the original house, although we'll try to make the front elevation blend in as sympathetically as possibe. Additionally, Building Regulations are not applicable to conservatories provided a few very simple rules are followed.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But if you're looking to build something similar, then you'll need to do your own research on planning requirements and regulations depending on the design, location and size of the conservatory.</span><br>
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<a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/08/conservatory-design-build-part-1_17.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1204378759296573150.post-7710904495393854062020-07-18T17:39:00.001+01:002020-07-18T19:57:04.425+01:00Garden update - Summer 2020 - Six on Saturday<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Garden Tools</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We bought a cordless lawnmower in June, £100 from Lidl without any batteries or charger. But I bought this model because I've ten (!) other cordless power tools in the same range and which all use the same batteries, so I've already four 4Ah & five 2Ah batteries, plus several chargers.</span><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HoYQ14VIh2obdc_FVQ4vvCULneFfUzVbC6T3uxsRV_GUDxb7gVkVv_A2C1WXg2-mUPTlA4dL08fRP23pUzrWOstqyCkEwVLr_m9O9HjSmm0I4gtkKjHs_xqvDWZoabUpCvboQIj6GQdh/s1600/P7100450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HoYQ14VIh2obdc_FVQ4vvCULneFfUzVbC6T3uxsRV_GUDxb7gVkVv_A2C1WXg2-mUPTlA4dL08fRP23pUzrWOstqyCkEwVLr_m9O9HjSmm0I4gtkKjHs_xqvDWZoabUpCvboQIj6GQdh/s400/P7100450.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm impressed with this mower so far. It's lightweight and very easy to handle, and can cut all our three lawn areas twice on a single charge using the 4Ah batteries. It operates at twice the voltage of the other power tools in the range, and so takes two batteries to power it.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, the petrol mower is still in the shed for now. Keeping the lawns tidy every week in the summer is a world away from hacking down long wet grass during the winter and early spring, and I don't yet know how the cordless mower will perform then.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other garden tools I have in the same cordless range are a chainsaw, a standard hedge trimmer, a long extendable hedge trimmer and a pressure washer.</span><br>
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<a href="https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/07/garden-update-summer-2020-six-on.html#more"></a>where eagles fear to perchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764927121970691170noreply@blogger.com4