Website of the Month - Doodle

I've recently discovered Doodle - www.doodle.com.
This is a useful tool for scheduling meetings and the basic version is free. You create a poll with a number of possible dates and times for the meeting and send a link to the attendees. Everyone then 'votes' for the dates and times that suit them. It can also connect to a Google or Outlook calendar and there's an iPhone app too, if you're that way inclined.
As this is a poll, it is very flexible, so you could use it to decide on a venue for a meeting or day out as well.
The website isn't pretty but Doodle is a useful and free tool, which is why it's October's website of the month.

Ely Apple Day

Yesterday we went to Ely Apple Day.
This is held every October in front of the cathedral, and features lots of stalls, many apple-related. There were apples for sale, an East of England Apples and Orchards Project (EEAOP) apple identification stall, apple cakes, sausages and pork and apple burgers to eat, cider, apple juice and crafts. Musicians and morris dancers provided entertainment, as did some very friendly alpacas from Norfolk's Alpaca Trekking.
We also visited the wonderful Topping and Company bookshop on Ely High Street, where - appropriately - I treated myself to a book on apple identification.
A great day out, with plenty of sunshine as well as some showers.

Building a garden from scratch - Grapes Hill Community Garden

One of my jobs is as webmaster for the Grapes Hill Community Garden Group. Based in Norwich, Norfolk, we're hoping to transform an area of tarmac into a lovely community garden. We have received funding from various sources and the hard landscaping work finally started in mid September this year.
I've been visiting the garden most days since then and I've added photos of the construction work to the website in a garden construction gallery.
In the last few days it has become really interesting, as deep beds and paving are put in place and the overall structure of the garden takes shape.

Website of the Month - River Cottage Community

I'm a big fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the River Cottage programmes and books. Only yesterday a friend and I were out foraging for fungi, using the excellent River Cottage Mushroom Handbook, which identifies both edible and poisonous species. Not that much help was needed with this Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria):

Fly Agaric

The River Cottage Community website is an excellent resource for lovers of food, whether grown, caught or foraged - see http://community.rivercottage.net/.

Vanna Art Exhibition - "Nature's Bounty"

Yesterday was the first day of my wife Vanna's "Nature's Bounty" exhibition in the Noverre Gallery at Norwich Assembly House. We spent Wednesday morning hanging the pictures.
The exhibition features over forty of Vanna's paintings including acrylics, watercolours and linoprints and continues daily until Thursday 23rd September 2010. The Assembly House is in Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RQ.

Website of the Month - Moneymadeclear

This month's website provides help with personal finances, including budgeting, savings and guides to everyday financial issues.
With Britain's financial future looking ever bleaker in the face of ConDem cutbacks, this site could be very useful.
See http://www.moneymadeclear.org.uk/.

PV Panels - Update

Well, it's nearly two months since our six PV panels were installed. In that time we've generated 247 units (kWh) of electricity. This is about twice to three times the amount of electricity that we've used.
At the moment we're generating about 3 - 4 units per day. In early July, when it was very sunny and days were long, we were generating up to 6 units per day. However, on a few dull and rainy days we only managed to generate 1 unit.