BK - This and That
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BK - This and That
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| This site contains articles on various subjects that I am interested in. They include: growing on allotments; histories of allotments and of cultivation; the summer festivals in Edinburgh (which I typically call the August Feast); and computer performance (used to be my day job). The articles in the early versions of the site have been mostly written by me. However, you will invariably find many links to other people's articles, as I am a firm believer in the original ethos of the Internet, which is to share information. |
| Allotments & Growing - Cultivation I have been interested in growing, mainly vegetables and fruit, since I was a teenager and I have had an allotment for close on 30 years. New to an Allotment? is I hope a useful introduction to the subject for "newbies". Cultivation Approaches is also aimed at "newbies". It is based on the experiences of myself and a number of fellow plot holders. Garden Recipes provides information on DIY sprays for tackling pests and diseases. It may be of interest to individuals who are loath to use chemicals. The first year experiences of Harriet Roach, a young mother and plot holder on our site, is a popular read (written by Harriet). And finally, there is a page with lots of links to other useful articles and material that I have found elsewhere on the web. |
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Allotments & Growing - History I have over the years become greatly interested in both the history of allotments and the history of growing. I have penned the following pieces which I hope provide useful and readable introductions to the subjects. Both pieces include details of further reading material for anybody who wishes to delve deeper into the topics: A Brief History of Allotments A Brief History of Cultivation prior to Allotments. I am also particularly interested in the histories of individual allotment sites: History of Sunningdale Allotments (my own site in Berks) Links to the histories of other allotment sites. A reasonable amount of interest has been generated by this scanned copy of an advisory handbook for running allotments which was produced by the National Association of Parish Councils in 1951 to help councils manage allotment sites. |
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Recent UK Allotment News May 28th, 2010 - Survey of allotment waiting lists. Transition Town West Kirby, in association with NSALG, have repeated their 2009 survey of waiting lists. The latest 2010 version can be downloaded from the NSALG website. The headline - a 20% increase in the last year - does not square with the experiences in our neck of the woods. Worth a read though. March 3rd, 2010 - Witney spat. An allotment campaigner in Witney (Oxfordshire) is encouraging people to join the waiting list to drive the figure, currently 200, up to 500. This would make Witney look like one of the worst allotment providers in the country. The Town Council's response is to threaten to charge £15-20 just to get on the waiting list, saying that this will be necessary to cover the additional admin costs. February 22nd, 2010 - Yet more expensive plots. Another example of people trying to make money out of the demand for allotments. This venture is in Solihull and the min. cost is £250 pa for 90 sq. metres (3.8 poles). |
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 | Witterings I will add miscellaneous pieces here periodically. I have decided, against my better judgement, to produce a blog of our efforts during the 2010 growing season. The world probably does not need yet another blog on this subject ... but here goes. An unsatisfactory piece on allotments in Gardeners' Question Time reminded me of the lack of a balanced coherent debate on this subject, particularly in the media, and it prompted me to pen a piece on my views on allotments and their future: "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" in the World of Allotments. |
Edinburgh Festival I am keen on the arts, particularly drama, dance and the visual arts. My wife and I got fed up with beach holidays and rolled up to the Edinburgh Festival one year. We were immediately smitten, not only by the festivals (there is more than one), but also by the beauty of the city itself and we have been regular visitors ever since. I have a website dedicated to the subject, An Edinburgh Festival Punter. It started out as a vehicle for a possible book The August Feast: A Punter's Perspective on Edinburgh and its Festivals. It now includes news, links to previews and reviews, lots of links, et cetera. By far the most popular item on the website is A History of The Festivals. Also, non-festival tourists - Edinburgh is a popular destination all the year round - find A Potted History of Auld Reekie a useful read. |
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IT - Computer Performance Assurance Until I recently retired the field of computing had provided me with a day job for 40+ years. I shall not bore you with the complete range of areas that I worked in. Suffice it to say that in the last 25 years I worked principally in technical architectures, specialising in computer performance. Eventually I wrote a book, Performance Assurance for IT Systems, which was published in August 2004. Some background to the book plus additional free material that I penned in the succeeding years can be found on my performance web pages. |
Other Web-based Activities I also currently act as a voluntary webmaster for the following organisations:
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Site last updated on July 11th, 2010. |
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