tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54588687672968014632025-08-24T04:10:34.543+01:00On allotments and other earthy matters, in and around Stoke-on-Trent.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger508125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-77448474695912402023-03-03T15:06:00.001+00:002023-03-03T15:07:27.259+00:00

A new 'dangerous dogs warning' for the green bit of Festival Park. Watch out!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com02RH3+XH Stoke-on-Trent, UK53.0299572 -2.196024253.02479553174355 -2.2046072688476563 53.035118868256447 -2.1874411311523438tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-71819870950969052312023-03-01T15:26:00.006+00:002023-03-03T15:28:23.241+00:00

From The Sentinel, "Meet the man who's tended a North Staffordshire allotment for 60 years". Also in the paper recently, "It's happening! Work set to begin to relaunch City Farm in 2023".... "City Farm at Bucknall Park, which once welcomed about 90,000 visitors a year, is set to reopen 12 years after it was closed as part of council cuts. .... a new community trust has taken on the site"

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-10235992435440190372022-05-11T13:06:00.008+01:002022-05-12T04:24:04.802+01:00

A small sampling of local election reports, locally: Tories hold Newcastle-under-Lyme with seats boost. Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour group leader steps down. Kidgrove turns Tory for first time in history. The Conservatives hold council in Tamworth. The Conservatives remain firmly in control of Cannock Chase. Labour lose control of High Peak council. Dudley election: Conservatives retain

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-61025975491391984322022-04-23T19:17:00.005+01:002022-04-23T19:17:30.014+01:00

Richmond Street Allotments Open Day on 30th April 2022. On the hill above Stoke town.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-3331298824098415172022-03-29T10:11:00.005+01:002022-03-29T10:13:05.084+01:00

The Potteries Post is a new hyperlocal, now rolling.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-26328670864301614292022-02-20T17:26:00.007+00:002022-02-20T17:32:04.451+00:00

Another Richmond Street Allotment Blog, for Plot 33. With super pictures. There's a picture above, but sadly Google doesn't want to show it. The crazy-long picture code for Google now looks like this, and results in nothing visible to me: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-76899837619799416262021-12-30T10:54:00.003+00:002021-12-30T10:54:35.868+00:00

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-33396839653474934622021-12-29T05:55:00.010+00:002022-02-20T06:53:31.770+00:00

Some advice on operating this type of Horstmann Electronic 7 thermostat. These control the heating of domestic hot water tanks and are very common in the UK and probably elsewhere. Thanks to MyBuilder for the picture of my type. There are apparently two heaters in the water tank this controls, bottom and top. The idea of the Electronic 7 is to work both heaters safely, and not allow them both

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-32993065073582679052021-11-26T11:05:00.006+00:002021-11-26T11:06:15.341+00:00

Politics.co.uk reports today: "In Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, the Conservative vote shared soared by 25.8% points. Labour came in second with 48.9% of the vote share. The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Brian Johnson."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-34695260542141686592021-11-02T15:36:00.006+00:002021-11-02T15:36:58.338+00:00

Good news. Newcastle-under-Lyme has turned blue, and not because of the pong from the Silverdale tip. The Sentinel reports today that: "Four independent councillors on Newcastle Borough Council have joined the Conservatives – giving the Tories an overall majority on the authority" Hopefully this might cause a re-think on their 'build on green spaces' stance.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-67087952172908999362021-10-22T14:29:00.005+01:002021-11-11T00:37:18.978+00:00

It's now been four months here, with open windows and I'd not had a whiff of the Silverdale tip 'pong'. This, as many local will recall, was the 'bad eggs' pong was drifting down into the valley and across Stoke, causing so much concern a year ago. Can we hope that it's finally gone, at least for those not living on the rim of the tip?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-2928024208670546622021-08-19T16:08:00.002+01:002021-08-19T16:08:41.128+01:00

It's been two months now, since Stoke had a whiff of the local landfill that so blighted the springtime and early summer with its 'bad eggs' smell. At least, that's been the case down here in the valley, and for someone with windows open. Mostly likely it's still not too pleasant for those living around the edges of the site.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-31329339410029976772021-08-14T10:35:00.004+01:002021-08-14T10:35:35.395+01:00

Great news, Stoke's pigeon cull has begun. Sadly it's unofficial. What we really need is a big official cull, right across the city. There are far too many of them, and they're becoming a pest species.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-53366901972582652762021-07-20T14:56:00.013+01:002021-07-31T14:20:18.009+01:00

What is the Met Office doing issuing an "Extreme Heat" warning today? North Staffordshire was max. 80 degrees today. That's just a normal summer, or it is in those happy years when England actually gets a summer. We don't need yet another dribble of daily alarmism. Thanks goodness I grew up at a time when we lived without constant nannying and scolding and 'soft' hysteria. My advice is to get

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-45287331618185009502021-07-19T12:29:00.006+01:002021-07-19T12:33:21.532+01:00

Don't blame me if I jinx it with this post, and flood Stoke with pong tonight. But I'll point out that the last time 'the stink' from the Silverdale tip was wafting over Stoke was in the night of 18th/19th June 2021. This means we've now gone a whole month without having a whiff of 'bad eggs' wafting down here. Which, in this nice bit of summer, is very welcome. Meanwhile, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-43973407994391242432021-07-02T02:30:00.005+01:002021-07-02T02:30:49.304+01:00

Good news, the Conservatives have just taken Penkhull & Stoke in a local councillor by-election. Together with a few defections of councillors to the Conservative group in recent weeks, it looks like the Party is now bedding into Stoke quite nicely.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-91790508073241253442021-06-12T21:34:00.001+01:002021-06-12T21:34:07.622+01:00

We may have nude sunbathing in Hanley, but where's this blistering heatwave that was promised? It's been very nice the last twelve days, but nowhere near a heatwave. Today was supposed to be the big shocker, but no. Just pleasantly warm. I don't even need a fan on, let alone an air-conditioner. Same for tomorrow, with the run of warm weather breaking next Thursday. The real problem currently is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-11361334441140785722021-05-21T14:08:00.028+01:002021-05-21T23:08:17.106+01:00

Sad to hear that the Hanley Marks & Spencers is closing soon. Seemingly another casuality of the lockdown, along with the other big Hanley department store Debenhams. Personally I won't miss either. But Debenhams and M&S closing will no doubt be a huge blow to the centre. Especially in terms of attracting "Mrs. Spends £100 per-week on clothes and cakes" and her kids, with the kids being dropped

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-77406340811749874752021-05-19T09:24:00.003+01:002021-05-19T09:24:21.432+01:00

There were definite slight traces of the bad-eggs "pong", down in the Stoke valley, during yesterday afternoon, then fading. Then it became quite noticable at about 8pm-9pm yesterday, before fading away again. The wind is in the right direction this morning, but brisk and no smell here.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-5295793426822076652021-05-14T12:00:00.005+01:002021-05-14T12:00:45.676+01:00

Touch-wood... the "bad eggs smell" has not returned to the Stoke valley in the last ten days, even after all the heavy rains of the last week and now lighter winds. Has the ongoing 'capping' of part of the waste-tipping site, reported in the papers, cured the problem? Let's hope so.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-19461527351554765082021-05-08T07:37:00.018+01:002021-05-10T04:44:05.971+01:00

Well, that's that, all bar the shouting and some predicatable Staffordshire county results. It was a great set of election results for the Conservatives, bar the likely result in London. Taking it on a timeline: First up was Labour being crushed in the big Hartlepool by-election, as we all now know. The Conservatives reportedly won the seat by a landslide 7,000 majority. Then on Friday came

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-46133516841179577782021-05-05T01:16:00.003+01:002021-05-05T01:16:24.469+01:00

I spoke to soon, on 'the pong'. It's back in central Stoke tonight, and it's 'a super-strong pong' now the high wind has moderated. A low NW wind is dragging it down the valley. It used to be a bit sickly, but now it's very slightly acrid. There's obviously some connection with heavy rains.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-35061515600370864912021-04-24T15:20:00.007+01:002021-04-24T15:24:22.333+01:00

The "great pong" seems to be gone, or at least gone from Stoke-on-Trent. For those who have not experienced it, a 'bad eggs' smell has been periodically wafting down into and through the Stoke valley since about the end of last summer. It was very bad by the end of January, and returned briefly and in a much lesser form at the start of March. Perhaps it's the general lack of rain that's caused

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-31602834348544066162021-04-01T05:45:00.004+01:002021-04-01T13:11:35.286+01:00

Here's the official 'death by the virus' map, showing the total from March 2020 onward. The wide view. Size of the green dots indicate total number of deaths. Leek appears to have been badly hit in the end, re: its population size, although it initially had low numbers. The Stoke-on-Trent map, here with the actual numbers added to the circles. Central Stoke-on-Trent seems to have been

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458868767296801463.post-48775000869725488472021-03-24T20:42:00.006+00:002021-04-06T13:01:49.159+01:00

Where did all the flocks of small birds go in the 1990s and 2000s, that had been so abundant in the 1970s? Well, it might have been the legacy of 1980s pesticides and the diminution of hedge and meadow habitats. But it may also have been partly that we were no longer giving millions of them a rich milky breakfast each morning, after they had pecked their way through the foil tops on doorstep

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0