Wulf's Webden

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27 April 2026
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Depth Effect

I recently decided to get a new iPad. My previous one was an iPad Pro, purchased at the start of 2017 (see blog post) and still working pretty well. However I’ve recently spotted that it sometimes gets to a moderately low battery level (around 30%) and seems to turn off. Since I rely on it for a lot of musical situations, that makes me a bit nervous. Additionally, although the hardware is still pretty good, I am aware that it is not getting all the updates and some apps are either not working or nagging me about upgrading to new versions. Again, that could include ones I rely on for music so that is why the old iPad needed a newer sibling.

Swapping from one device to another has become pretty painless. I’ve had to sign back into a few services but everything I need is there, including my extensive ForScore library of music for different projects. Meanwhile, everything is pretty similar on the surface to what I’ve been used to.

One thing that is new, to me at least, is the depth effect on photos. I’m using a photo I took in Wales in October 2023 (again, automagically transferred) of a rugged hill viewed across a lake. What I’ve spotted is that, when I have the iPad in landscape mode and it is on the lock screen, the clock text is partially hidden behind the hill. It’s a rather neat effect and it turns out that it is automatically working out the depth of various objects in the photo and exploiting that to create an illusion of depth for interface elements. I have to admit that my mind is a little bit blown by some of the clever things modern machines take for granted that would once have seemed impossible or computationally too expensive.

26 April 2026
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A wash and a brush up

Today we’ve done some overdue polytunnel maintenance and given the outside of the polytunnel a clean. We just used a hose to spray some water on and a soft bristled brush (original function for washing cars) to apply a bit of movement to the surface. It wasn’t a perfect wash but, looking down from upstairs now, it is definitely an improvement and should be giving a worthwhile increase in light to the plants inside.

25 April 2026
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Connecting Hoses

I couldn’t find an overflow pipe lying round at the end of the garden (see yesterday’s post) but it did get me thinking that maybe the best solution would be to join the slightly-too-short pipe I did have to another one. Ideal for that would be a couple of large jubilee clips, which I didn’t have. Again, I began thinking about 3D printing solutions but then I remembered that I’ve got some clamps that came with the polytunnel. Since some of our side benches are just rested on the supports rather than clamped in, it means I’ve got spares.

It turned out they were just the right size and gave a solid connection. I’ve gone from tubing portions that were a little too short to a joined one that is almost twice as long as it needs to be but that means it can do the job while not being under undue stress. Now I’m keenly waiting for some rain so I can see how it works in practice.

24 April 2026
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Butting Up

I’ve started connecting up the water butt I moved earlier this month. The tap that was trying to send water between the two butts via a hose has been repurposed as the low tap on the new one for filling watering cans. I’ve also been able to connect what was the overflow pipe from the house-side butt to instead feed the moved one.

What I’m missing though is an overflow pipe that is long enough to safely put excess from the moved butt into the long drainpipe that runs the length of the garden to reliably remove the excess. I’m currently working on some quick 3D printed prototypes as I try to design something that will enable the longest large bore hose section I have to make a good interface with that drainpipe. However, while I’ve been working on it, it strikes me that I think I did have a decent length tube running out of the butt when it was at the far end of the garden so, before I expend too much time and plastic, I’ll have to go and see if I’ve left something like that down there!

At least, unlike earlier in the year, it should be a few days before we get enough rain to even start trickling into the moved butt so I’m probably safe from needing to take emergency measures!

23 April 2026
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Taking Apart Fencing

Having replaced our old fences about a week and a half ago, we’ve still got to deconstruct and reuse or dispose of them. Given how worn some of them were getting, I’m surprised how much effort it takes to pry them apart! About five down so far and the same to go with at least some salvageable material as well as a pile that is pure tip-fodder.

22 April 2026
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Spring Blossom Bottled

My Spring Blossom brew is now bottled. It had dropped from 1.034 to 1.005 gravity so bang on the target ABV of 3.7% and I actually managed to get 16 bottles (8l beer) out of it which is a slightly above average yield for my brewing. I wonder if that was helped by only boiling the wort for 30 minutes? The original recipe called for a 90 minute boil but I’ve been gradually reducing the length on all my beers in recent years. Since the results seem just as good and it saves both time and energy, I think I’ll stick with it.

It is too early to say exactly how it will turn out after bottle conditioning but the little bits of leftover you get to sample during the bottling process seem promising. What had sat in the sample tube for a few days (I actually did my sample reading last Saturday and it would have been ready then) had dropped very clear so it all bodes well for a few weeks time when I can crack the first one open with the hope that it has finished conditioning. Meanwhile, time to think about what to brew next and to make sure I have the necessary supplies in.

21 April 2026
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Jupiter

I think Jupiter was one of the planets that was visible in the clear mid-evening sky when I was gigging with the Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra on Saturday evening. It is on my mind though because Jupiter, by Gustav Holst and arranged by William Owens, is also one of the pieces the Charnwood Concert Band is preparing for our concert in East Leake on 16 May.

Some of it is slow, beautiful and, certainly from the bass perspective, pretty easy. Other parts are in fast, syncopated 2/2 time and, it would be fair to say, challenging. We rehearsed it tonight and I’ve now got a couple of extra bits to write into my copy at the conductor’s request, supporting the trombones and other low brass… and to practise so the hard parts don’t feel too much more difficult than the ones I presently find easy.

20 April 2026
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Potting Up Tomatoes

Over the past few days (and for a few more to come), I’ve been potting up tomatoes. The ones showing at least a reasonable amount of their first true leaves are going into pots that should be large enough to see them through to the point they get planted out in the polytunnel next month. The exception will be ones that put on particularly big growth before I’m ready to plant them – I don’t want healthy plants being checked because their roots are getting congested.

The BBQ we had yesterday was fortuitous because several of the items we had to cook came in plastic trays just at the point when I was wondering how to accommodate more pots on the end of the dining room table (our best light source – my grow lights – is kept for the younger seedlings).

The other advantage of potting up, apart from not impeding plant growth, is that it has freed up space for some more plants to get a start. I got some squash and courgette seeds going yesterday in my heated propagation space and some kale today, which should be ready for harvests in the summer, autumn and beyond.

19 April 2026
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First BBQ of the Season

Today’s lunch was accomplished by means of our first BBQ of the season. It is quite early in the year but means we’ll have made at least one use of the grill by the time we get to the end of 2026!

18 April 2026
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Sing Around Songs – 18 April 2026

We were round at Mo’s this afternoon and I had to leave early, so opted for ukulele rather than double bass! I led two songs – You Got To Move and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, both pretty simple songs that suit the bluesy end of my voice and are easy for others to join in on. Early departure was because I’ve got a gig with CSWO this evening so I had to get away in order to finish my preparations for that.