19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 3
June 12th, 1808. I take up my pen again in London, where Jem and I have arrived after our hasty departure from Cambridge. It is quite understandable that Jem, unpaid by his lordship for more [more…]
Animals
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 2
March 6th, 1807. George is off to Italy, where I am sure he will have a capital time ogling churches and whores, and buying paintings that might be by Salvator Rosa but are probably not. [more…]
19th Century
A Bear’s Diary – Part 1
Cambridge, Novr. 6th, 1805. I did not dance well at the Bonfire Night show on Midsummer Common. Afterwards, Fred said to me, ‘Daisy, me ole dear. Yer knows and I knows yer gettin’ a bit [more…]
Animals
Fish and their Chips
You’ve seen the creation of the Aquarium, introduction of the fish and corals and watched it settle in. The set up took around three months from initial purchase, fit out, water conditioning and maturing to [more…]
Animals
Aquarium – Corals
With all the fish in place, the next step up is coral. There are two types generally stocked, soft Corals and Hard Corals – the soft ones are easier to look after, needing less light, [more…]
Animals
The Inhabitants Arrive
The tank is in place, the systems all built, the water and rock conditioned – the impurities are down to 2 or 3 parts per MILLION (nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and phosphate). Things were starting to [more…]
Animals
For Dog’s Sake
Early shift Postaliers may have noticed that lately I have joined their ranks in contributing to the comments that no-one reads. Following the death of my beloved Schnauzer, Hattie, I have, quite unexpectedly, been granted [more…]
Animals
For Dog’s Sake
Before she was mine, she belonged to my dearest friend, my sister. Just before she died, she asked if I would take her in, and I told her that I would (I’d already decided [more…]
Animals
Aquarium building 4
With the sump and the closed loop all in place and tested the aquarium was ready to go. Placing it was ok – the floor had been strengthened, the helpers careful not to drop anything, [more…]