This year I end up doing so much outside that I barely leave myself any time to write about it. I’m going to cover everything from the great outdoors to the confines of a headset…

Gardening

One job that has been on the cards since shed clearing last year was manhole cover replacement. The old covers were decaying reinforced concrete and an awkward size that was going to be expensive to replace. Thankfully a little work with a chisel accommodated some standard manhole covers. I opted for a recessed tray so that they can eventually be paved to match the new patio (once we decide on that option).

One of the other jobs was making the new acer feel more at home. It has settled well despite a slightly traumatic removal from a sloped garden, and is producing amazing foliage. That portion of the garden is shaded most of the day so I picked a few plants happier in the shade including two hostas, a fern, and some chamomile. The back still needs filled in but it is getting there.

The vegetable garden has progressed too. Using a square foot gardening approach has allowed me to plant it out fairly quickly, although I did break slightly with that convention for the pea plants. I put together a basic obelisk to give the pea plants support as they love to climb. I tend to take photos as I go as a way of documenting what has been planted where. It can become difficult to keep track what has been planted where across the two beds.

The bokashi fermented pre-compost is going to be used on the second bed which will hopefully assist plant growth. I haven’t planned it out completely, but I will plant some onion sets in the second bed when I can get my hands on them.

The other garden job is the lawn. I have been in two minds about how to manage the lawn. Intensively try to regrow the sad parts of it and focus on grass, or leave it to the wilds and see what happens. It’s a mixture of grass, moss, and weeds, so not quite golf course standard. This year I’m trying out the Lawn Pack to see if the results are too good to be true. I mean, they might be if the process was just sprinkling seeds and waiting. I’d hope it would be pretty good considering it involves spraying iron sulphate, raking out the moss, aerating the lawn, spreading top dressing, sprinkling grass seed (which has been mixed with the root enhanced), fertilising, and watering. And watering again. And some more. If it isn’t perfect after that, I’d be sorely disappointed.

PS VR2

I have managed to stay relatively clear of virtual reality in recent years. I have had a couple of short experiences with Oculus but the PlayStation incarnation is new to me. A friend lent me the PS VR2 headset which was an eye-opening experience.

I knew nothing about the process and was instantly wowed with how well the room view worked. The ability to see your surroundings with the aid of front mounted cameras worked really well. It was a little bit like being RoboCop. The Sense controllers are pretty comfortable, though I find the grab button on the left one a tad difficult to press down for a long period of time.

My first experience of virtual reality was a horrifying one. Intentionally so. Resident Evil Village (RE8) is a game we’ve already played but the idea of doing so in VR filled me with more than a little trepidation. It’s a game that can be pretty intense (perhaps not as much as Resident Evil 7). Combine that with the inability to get away from the zombies right in your face and you’re on to….a winner? A heart attack?

The game plays the same as in the original but instead of using the D-pad to select your weapons, you reach to where you’re carrying them. Reach down, un-holster the pistol, and point and shoot. To reload it’s a matter of grabbing a clip from your pouch, sticking it in the gun, and cocking the slide. It sounds simple, but in the heat of the moment when you’re being surrounded by monsters, it’s easy to get flustered. It is very satisfying when you get it right, though. And you always have the option of pulling out your knife or just swinging a fist at the hordes.

Your viewpoint shows a pair of disembodied arms which can make for some hilarious moments (see above). Being able to physically interact with objects, including pulling open drawers and dragging bookshelves across doors to barricade entrances, adds to the immersion.

I have started to get the hang of the basics, so once I’ve played a bit more I’ll be back with an update.