Yes, Plymouth has seen about 24 hours of sun, uninterrupted by rain. This is a complete departure from recent weeks and months, and triggered a specific reaction seen within a proportion of the population…gardening.

This year I’m behind (am I behind if I’m behind every year?) in the garden department. I’ve cleared out one raised bed and, as of today, started planting. Onions and spinach are first and I’m using a square-foot approach for simplicity. The onions are going in (white snowball and yellow varieties) at a density of 16 per foot, and spinach at a density of 9 plants per foot. I still haven’t planned the rest of the space, but likely it will involve carrots, beetroot, peas, possibly beans, and more!

Getting out in the garden has inspired me to restart work on my shishi-odoshi project (Japanese deer scarer). The water source is a half barrel in the corner of the garden, and the first pump I purchased was a mains model. The amount of work involved in putting in a outside power supply put me off that plan so I returned to an earlier idea: a solar water fountain. Models I looked at online were variably reviewed, but the one I settled for was from Lidl. Having a solar-powered pump simplifies things without requiring a mains hook-up, and the cable length is quite impressive. We have a south facing wall which the panel can be mounted to. Now that I have all the parts it’s time to figure out how to put it together.

As part of a charity shop trawl a few years ago I found an ornament made of three thick bamboo pieces which I pulled apart. Last time I looked for it I couldn’t easily get hold of the thicker bamboo cane online, so this is the compromise I settled on. The current plan involves attaching a pivot piece via a rod to a vertical piece of bamboo, and separate vertical bamboo piece will be used to conceal water tubing leading from the submerged pump. The simplest approach would be to place the pivot between two vertical pieces, but I can only work with what I have access to.

I have the POWER!

In preparation for an electrified life, we’ve hit the next logical step. I opted for the Ohme Home Pro EV charger because of its ability to work with smart tariffs from Octopus Energy. I also wanted a tethered charger to make the process of charging a bit easier. Having to faff around plugging in a separate cable is an unnecessary hassle on a cold or rainy day. The charger itself is quite a neat piece of kit and is relatively inconspicuous. The amount of control available through the app is quite impressive. The charger can be locked requiring approval for each connection (preventing would be charge thieves), and it can be set up to work in conjunction with solar systems for maximum efficiency. But what good is a car charger without a car? Well…

After a protracted battle with a leasing company, and through no fault of Polestar themselves, I have finally got a delivery date. The car is in the country and being delivered for handover next week. I have been trying to get hold of one since mid February but thanks to some ridiculously arcane and obscure bureacracy, it has taken all this time to organise. And that’s for a specific car that I put my name down for a couple of months ago. It taken almost as long as it took for us to buy our house. Wasted time aside, now the excitement can begin!