Comparison of Swarovski and Zeiss Compact Binoculars for Birdwatching

Whether you enjoy the great outdoors or just want a closer look at the visitors to your bird-table, a good comfortable pair of binoculars makes for a more pleasurable experience.Photo 1: Great Tit Landing on Nut feederMary is the more avid birder (and much better at identifying our feathered friends)...

Britain's Best Wild Daffodil Display - The Golden Triangle

 Photo 1: Panoramic shot of wild daffodils (Betty Daw's Wood)Most people associate wild daffodils with Wordsworth and the Lake District:I wandered lonely as a cloud (Daffodils)BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTHI wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a...

First Cutting of the Greensward in 2023

Many years ago we decided to dispense with our lawn (possibly better described as a patch of weedy clumps) and go with raised flower beds instead. Whilst grass cuttings are a very useful green feedstock for my hot composters, I don't think we have ever regretted getting rid of the lawn. Nevertheless,...

A Conversation with Bard - Urea versus Manure as a Fertilizer

Photo 1: HOTBIN Lid Thermometer & Vent (23/3/23)In an earlier post on winterizing your hot compost bin, I discussed using supplements, such as urea and animal manure, to boost nitrogen levels in the hot compost bin when 'green' waste was in short supply during the winter months. I also mentioned...

Some Benefits of Home Composting according to Google's AI Chatbot (Bard)

Bard is Google's AI Chatbot meant to rival ChatGPT and its clones. It is currently undergoing beta testing: you have to sign up to go on the waiting list but this only delays trying it out by a couple of days. I asked Bard to write a blog on the benefits of Home Composting. Here are a few of its responses:Home Composting: The Benefits (First Attempt)Composting is a great way to reduce your environmental...

An Ode to the House Sparrow written by ChatGPT

 ChatGPT is a chatbox powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). I downloaded this version (Photo 1) of ChatGPT from Google Play:Photo 1: ChatGPT version usedThen asked the app to write a poem about house sparrows ...Photo 2: Part of our House Sparrow Colony... and it produced this in about 30 seconds:The...

Hot Composting #5 (Winterizing your HOTBIN)

In case it wasn't obvious, I am rather keen on composting. I have written some general composting blogs (here and here) as well as some niche ones (here and here). Furthermore, in previous blogs (here, here, here, here, and here), I have extolled the virtues of hot composting (as opposed to the...