Dodging showers - NOT amateur radio

In between showers, I cut the front lawn this morning. 

The grass was very wet! If I had waited any longer, I would have had to wait a long time.

First cut - NOT amateur radio

The lawns were cut yesterday for the first time this year. I need some weed killer and lawn feed!

Soon be winter, brrrr - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago, I cut our front lawn. The nights are already getting darker sooner. 

We have already switched to "winter mode". 

Grass - NOT amateur radio

Like many, I love the fresh growth of spring with the blossom and fresh green leaves. 

The downside is grass grows! The photo shows me cutting the grass yesterday. 

King's College lawns - NOT amateur radio

The lawns at King's College, Cambridge are immaculate. They have plenty of money and plenty of groundsmen.  Probably they spend thousands on their lawns every year.

By comparison, mine look dreadful! Mind you, I spend perhaps £25 a year and there is only one part-time groundsman - me! If the weather is decent, I might cut the lawns here next week as I think it unlikely I can expect the King's College groundsmen to venture out here!

Grass cut - NOT amateur radio

Although still dull, it was dryish, so I cut the lawns.

The garden is starting to look quite autumnal with several trees losing leaves.

The photo shows the back lawn earlier.

Recovering lawn - NOT amateur radio

Today it is a wet miserable autumn day. In summer 2018 a lot of our grass died in the heat. I reseeded the bare patches and the lawn has largely recovered. This summer was nothing like as hot and dry as 2018. Any remaining bits will be reseeded.

The light strip is because I put down too much feed. Hopefully this will recover over the winter.

Front lawn - NOT amateur radio

In the heatwave last summer, part of our front lawn died and never recovered.

The rear lawn went brown, but fully recovered. It has, arguably, a bit more shade.

In the last few weeks I de-thatched the front lawn and reseeded it. Much to my surprise the seeds germinated (some in just 6 days) and the lawn already looks much better. Give it a few weeks and a grass cut and it should look quite good again.

The photo shows as it was and as it is now.

Grass - NOT amateur radio

Only on Monday I cut the rear lawn but it already needs cutting again! At this time of year grass grows and I guess the combination of dampness and warmth create ideal growing conditions.

UPDATE 1138z:  Grass cut, but I feel knackered!

Lawns - NOT amateur radio

At least 3 people were cutting their grass today, even though  it was Dec 29th!  We have had the mildest December I can ever recall.  OK, things could change to heavy snow very quickly, but if things do continue as they are, I shall be cutting our lawns all winter, which would be so different from normal.

Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio

We are now clearly in autumn and the leaves are starting to fall. Today, I cut our front lawn (rear later all being well) but the intervals between cuts is lengthening as the grass is growing less. One, maybe two, more cuts and that should be it until the spring arrives. I usually give it a small tidy-up if needed on a dry winter day. The first cut of spring is usually March.

As Melanie Reid said in The Times on Saturday (she is tetraplegic since a riding accident in April 2010) there are those that live and those that live in fear. We are not in control, despite our best efforts, so let us all try to be with those who live and embrace all life.

Lawns - NOT amateur radio

Usually our lawns look pretty good and weed free. They ought to as we pay Green Thumb a decent amount each month to treat, scarify and tine.  The last time they treated the lawn they scarified and removed a fair bit of moss. I have removed the dead moss and reseeded in places, but there is a lot of course grass and there are brownish patches.

Reseeded patches

My wife is very cross and wants them back to fix the lawn, which looked far better last year. They are coming again on Friday and have promised to put things right. We shall see. If not, they will lose our business and I am pretty sure my XYL will "go viral" with her displeasure. They ought to have done a better job as lots of people have looked over the wall and asked, "what happened to your lovely lawn?". The front lawn is right next to the local windmill and should be a showcase for Green Thumb.

Lawn cut - totally exhausted!

Just cut the rear lawn, well 90% of it, and I am totally exhausted. This is a result of my brain bleed. I still get very exhausted doing any physical activity. A year ago it was all so different.

Please may I get back to health again soon. Amateur radio building/field work is all but impossible at the moment as I am still so clumsy with my hands. I hate depending on others as much as I do.

10m WSPR this morning - good Es

Whilst cutting the rear lawn today, I have been on 10m WSPR. There is still plenty of Es around on 10m.

10m WSPR this morning

Cutting the grass is still challenging: I still get very giddy when on my feet, but stamina is slowly improving. It may be a while before doing the lawns becomes "easy" again.  Still, the fact I can do it at all is something that might not have been possible: the worst outcomes of my brain bleed would have been horrendous, possibly leaving me paralysed, deaf or blind. Overall. I was lucky.

Rear lawn

Sunspot count today is 102 (good) but with blackouts and 20-30MHz forecast is "good", so surprised not to have seen any F2 propagation (yet) on 10m. Es so far is all from N.Europe including Scandinavia.  Nothing yet seen here from S.Europe.

UPDATE 1600z:  The Es opening today seems to have favoured N.Europe and Scandinavia with no S.Europeans seen here all day.. The 20-30MHz propagation forecast is now only "fair". As yet, no F2 openings seen here today on 10m. In past years I have noticed more Es to Scandinavia and N. Europe in the later part of the season. There must be some good reason for this, but I don't know why this is.