The Coronavirus Quarantine Picture Show

Will this do....a scene I witnessed on a daily stroll.....?

 

I like Amsterdam ... a lot

There's always been a lot more to it than coffee shops and red lights
Lat time I went we had to cut across the red light district to get between museums () and it was absolutely rammed and had lost any real character
When I first went in the 70s it was relatively quiet, but never the best place to go for anything, except maybe the obvious

Now, when we go there are brown cafes, museums, both large and small, parks, restaurants, a friendly and diverse population
In the 90s I loved the late night cafes and bars and met a real diverse bunch of people, I can't say we spoke any sense to each other, but we laughed and connected and they all spoke great English ... which is useful as I can get by in a few languages, but not dutch

Love a Risttafel and Humphrey's Restaurants are our guilty secret. There's one near Spuistraat which is our favourite area to stay in as its near everything yet off the beaten track a bit if you're away from the Spui. Proper bar adopted as our 'local' nearby, Cafe de Barones

 

Spent the afternoon at the pool yesterday

 

Ambling around the Jordaan district many years we found Cafe Brandon walked in wobbled out great place well worth a visit, gets rammed so outside peak hours suits us best.
https://www.timeout.com/amsterdam/bars-and-pubs/cafe-brandon

 

I love the caterpillars of these .

 

They're spectacular aren't they, especially the really green ones. This is just a stock photo, not one of mine.

 

Mrs No7 been busy getting the garden nice

 

What time is the barbecue? Shall I bring a bottle

 

Get it lit, I'll bring a Pimms kit' Mrs Jab marinading stuff in Indonesian spices.

 

Well it is outside so we can do it. If you get stopped on your way just say you are checking your eyesight.

See you in an hour

 

snap!

 

The girls want to join us

 

I won’t post hot tub pics as that would just be showing off lol

 

Spoiler: Swear word

 

Update on my hydroponics experiments.
Have completely changed the design, although the nutrient delivery method stays the same.


Some of the pipes will be like the first picture with 11 tiny net pots for lettuce and some will have fewer, bigger pots for things like chilli plants and strawberries.
The nutrient gets pumped into the top of the nearly vertical pipes and it runs down over the roots of the plants to the bottom of the drainpipe where it re-enters the nutrient tank where the pump is, etc etc.
25 quid for all the drainpipe and smaller pipe that I made the plant sockets with.
Net pots were £5 for 40 with a piece of special foam in each (this is what holds the plants in place and acts as the media to germinate the seed in)
Pump was £15
Nutrient tank was £5
Little greenhouse that it will all sit in was £30

I still need to spend probably another 10 or 15 on more net pots of various sizes, but it's all reusable again, even the foam inserts.
I already have nutrients, but they would normally cost about a tenner, which would last at least a year.
The whole thing should hold between 80 and 100 plants depending on size.

 

Hornets building a nest in an old birdbox. I like seeing the big old monsters flying around and they are very beneficial garden dwellers too. This one was about 25mm long

 

There seems to be a lot around this year, probably due to the warm weather. As you say they are voracious pest control. What I really want to know how you measured it?!

 

I was about a foot away with my phone, but I also measured the hole in the birdbox with my thumb as a comparison (it was a bit smaller than the hole)
They're not usually aggressive, and the only time I've been stung was when I layed down on a towel and didn't notice that a hornet had landed on it. Got stung on the ribcage, which smarted somewhat

 

Broad Bodied Chaser
Presumably attracted to the garden by the Pond