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Peter Warrender »
How many parts does a greenhouse have?
Posted on 8:51pm Wednesday 19th May 2010
I have just acquired a second hand greenhouse. I am not ready for one yet, but had to take it while it was being offered. I collected it last Tuesday and assisted in the dismantling of it. It is only a small 8x6 greenhouse but it took around 2 hours to take it to bits and put it in the van. I had no idea the number of parts in a small greenhouse. It is a 3D jigsaw I will have to rebuild. I now have had to spend time making a space in the back of our small garden. I spent today up a ladder removing overhanging branches from a 25 foot tree, then loading all the said branches into the van and taking them down to the tip 7 miles away. As I drove through the tip gates my van registration number flashed up on a screen, welcoming me and logging my visit to the tip. How much must this number plate recognition technology have cost the rate payers of Pembrokeshire. Of course you need a concrete base to secure the greenhouse to, so into Haverfordwest to buy concrete and fixings, replacement bolts, for all the rusty ones that snapped in the dismantling. This small greenhouse is turning into an epic pyramidal building project. If it is sunny tomorrow I will start the construction. I will not be letting Charlie the pug assist in the build, he is rubbish at building greenhouses and gardening.
Peter Warrender »
The Celtic Blue Rock Festival
Posted on 12:48am Wednesday 19th May 2010
I have attended the Celtic Blue Rock a couple of times. All attendees enjoyed themselves. I did not witness any kind of trouble what so ever, it was a peaceful few days where everyone could let their hair down to some great local bands. When the festival started the entrance fee was £10 per car it has increased considerably, this is down to the organisers having to comply with all kinds of health and safety rules and extra security etc. Pembrokeshire does not have many true raw music festival events, that all the family can safely enjoy. Health and safety is quite rightly necessary, but can soon turn into a empty headed monster. This festival is held in a great tranquil part of county, compare it to the local bloodbath most weekends on Castle square and Quay st area, of Haverfordwest. I know where most people would prefer to be.
Peter Warrender »
Mongolian throat singing and Epsom salts
Posted on 4:29pm Wednesday 12th May 2010
Last night I had a go at Mongolian throat singing. I first heard this strange sound on “Mongol” the film a few years ago. I then found videos on YouTube teaching you how to do it. It sounds great when done properly, by the professionals. I wondered what our neighbours made of my ethereal warbling. My son did a duet with me; we laughed in between our attempts saying we should go on the bridge in Haverfordwest and do a bit of busking one Saturday. I think we may need to practice a couple of more times, before we hit the busking circuits. We may even contact S4C television channel, to put together an hour concert of Mongolian throat singing
Peter Warrender »
Alternative medicine under threat again
Posted on 12:24am Thursday 6th May 2010
Dr Sarah MyhilI who has a practice in Powys, is under threat to be struck off by the GMC. They say she is putting her patient’s health at risk, which is absolute rubbish, in fact it is the complete opposite.
Peter Warrender »
Pugs are rubbish at gardening!
Posted on 3:19pm Tuesday 4th May 2010
The second week in April I built my raised beds out of 8” x 2” untreated timber, then filled them with around three tons 0f top soil, re-mineralised the soil with volcanic rock dust (Granite dust) After raking and levelling the beds I then covered it all with a mulch of 2 year old compost, mostly organic waste out of the kitchen.
Peter Warrender »
Who are we going to vote for?
Posted on 10:50am Wednesday 7th April 2010
Who are we going to vote for? Labour and Conservative parties are getting more like clones by the day. Liberals have some good ideas, but lack aggression. Plaid should be the party for Wales. I do not think it matters a jot which of the mainstream parties get elected, none have any say in how our country (UK) is governed. We are completely controlled by central banks. Our politicians are just puppets under the control of the “City of London.” Did you know that the City of London, is not part of the UK, but is an independent state with its own laws and police force! The Queen has to asked permission to enter the City. Financial decisions that are made in this square mile control the globe. This global recession, like the ones throughout history, have been orchestrated from within the city. How is it possible for most countries in the world, suddenly find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy? Why are so many countries so deeply in debt? Who do these countries owe this debt to? I will tell you, it is to the massive central banks like the World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. They have lent out trillions of electronic money, which does not really exist, and applied interest on this phoney money. In return for this the banks have taken real collateral, in the form of gold, property, land, government bonds etc. All of us have been fiscally shafted! The only way out of this serfdom, and world financial chaos, is to dispose of the central banks along with their Usury of us all. All banks must be nationalised and all debt cancelled allowing world economies, to start with a clean slate.
Peter Warrender »
Plan Bee in the World's decline of Bees
Posted on 11:44am Tuesday 30th March 2010
Last night Monday 30th of March I attended a meeting in Haverfordwest County Hall, to discuss the plight of our Bees in Pembrokeshire. I was glad that someone was making an effort to bring to the public attention, how our Bees are disappearing at a frighteningly fast rate. Einstein stated that, “if ever our Bee population died, it would only be about four years before we followed them”.
Peter Warrender »
I love nice Fish and Chips
Posted on 6:45pm Friday 26th March 2010
Today I made Fish and Chips for the first time in about thirty years. We had a Chip shop in the early eighties so I have had plenty of experience to carry out the task. I bought fresh Cod, Maris Piper Potatoes, Mushy Peas and a bottle of Organic Sunflower Oil. The batter was simple to make made of self raising flower seasoned with pepper and mustard. I knew using a small pan would not retain the heat so I used a WOK to get the oil a bit deeper to see if I would hold the heat. It was successful with the battered fish. I made the chips in two portions again to keep the heat. The chips were OK but they browned and Maris Pipers should not go Brown. In the Chip Shop my chips were crisp golden and fluffy in the middle. We bought the spuds Maris Pipers from Lincolnshire, which were much superior, to the ones I have just cooked. I used to buy frozen at sea German Cod this again was a much better flavour than my latest effort.
Peter Warrender »
We need to resurrect our engineering and manufacturing industries
Posted on 11:25am Wednesday 24th March 2010
The UK turned into a service economy, years ago. When most of our manufacturing industry was packed up and moved abroad, exploiting the cheap labour of the Asian markets. This did not happen overnight. I can go back to the sixties as an apprentice engineer. Our company was manufacturing large marine diesel engines, for ocean going vessels. One day a delegation from Japan was being shown around the factory, there was great interest shown in the massive lathes, which were used to make the crankshafts for the engines. A couple of months down the line. The Lathes were being dismantled and shipped off to Japan. Who as history knows, began the manufacture of Oil tankers and ships engines. Over the coming years more machinery disappeared out of the factory. Production suffered as the sell off continued, job losses and factory closure soon followed. Private companies from all over the UK shifted production to Asia. The only jobs were turning out to be Part time jobs in supermarkets, call centre work, (even call centres moved to Asia) for some reason it seemed ok to import cheap goods, then pay millions in unemployment benefits., rather than provide jobs. Our utilities and transport system were sold off to private enterprise. So we have know ended up, with a major unemployment problem, hardly any manufacturing industry to speak of, a very poor excuse for a transport system, plus massive problems with our banking and National Health Service. Surely it is time for a radical system change. We should start by nationalising all of the banks, and not as proposed, sell off the ones we have financial interests in. ( There are already people drooling in the wings, waiting ) Gas, Oil Electricity, Water, Health, Telephone and Mail services, in fact all utilities, must remain, or be taken back into public hands. They are all, a public service profits should not be the objective. An over manned loss making sector is preferable, to a bunch of privately owned monopolies paying shareholders, at the expense of us, the people. Even the National Lottery is in private hands. This should have been run by the government and all profits returned to our social system. Capitalism, along with consumerism has failed! We need a much greener, caring system to be put in place, now. Modern thinking, learning from the mistakes made in the past. I do not believe Labour or the Conservatives can deliver the required measures for success. The Liberals seem to be pressing all the right buttons at the moment, maybe we should let them have a chance.
Peter Warrender »
We need more pavements and an increase in the amount of subsidised public transport
Posted on 7:04pm Tuesday 23rd March 2010
We need more pavements/cycle tracks around Pembrokeshire. The health benefits gained from walking and cycling far out ways the cost incurred in building them. It is virtually impossible to walk between any major towns without putting your life at risk from cars travelling past you at 60 miles an hour. At this moment in time anyone 60 and over, can have a free pass to travel on local bus services around Wales. This applies if you are a Prince or a Pauper as long as you are 60 or over. This benefit should be changed making it income based, so that people on minimum wage or the unemployed, would qualify for free bus travel. People on a good salary or large private pensions do not need to be subsidised with free bus travel.
Peter Warrender »
Irradiated food
Posted on 12:27pm Tuesday 23rd March 2010
I have just been reading an article on food irradiation. It seems the process of food irradiation is no good for us. The main reason food is irradiated is to give it a longer shelf life by delaying ripening and sprouting. This is an advantage for supermarkets by making produce look fresher and healthier than it actually is. Irradiation kills bacteria, but also destroys the enzymes and antioxidants, that we all need for healthy lives. Food irradiation is illegal in the UK, but we import food from other countries where irradiation is legal. Irradiated food should be labelled to warn purchasers, that it has been irradiated. Unfortunately if irradiated food is used in a product like cakes, biscuits, pies etc, labelling is not required.
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Peter Warrender's interests are varied and include music, archaeology, ecology, astrology, world and local politics and alternative therapies. He will be blogging on a variety of subjects, from local politics, eco living, farming, weather, health, the UK financial situation, and general goings on effecting Pembrokeshire living.
