Monday Mystery

Last Monday I showed



Congratulations to Ragged Robin and Kris who correctly identified it as part of



an orchid flower. In this case it was a phalaenopsis orchid.
My thanks to all who made a guess.

I wonder if anyone will be able to identify this week's mystery object



Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

Airborne

I was so pleased with the ease with which I could control the simple drone I've already invested in a slightly more sophisticated model. The LE-IDEA IDEA10 WiFi FPV Drone uses GPS to maintain its position in the air and has a built in wide angle view camera for photos and video.



As the arms and propellers fold up it fits very neatly in the carry case provided



Today I had my first test flight with it.

short video


still photo


The controller has the facility to hold a mobile phone which can be used to see what the camera sees and to control the flight. Something to try another time when I have had more practice. The drone has three flight speeds. Its slow speed is somewhat faster that that of the simple drone I bought.

There is a pre flight routine which has to be gone through to check and align the gyro and gps which takes a minute or two.

Spilt Patterns

Colourful patterns shown in spilt oil or petrol on the wet road surface:











The only colourful part of a really dreary day weather-wise.
It was raining when we woke up and it is still raining as I write this.
Not heavy downpours. Just fine drizzle which is just as effective at soaking the unwary walker.

Monday Mystery

Only two guesses for last week's mystery photo, thanks for trying.



Ragged Robin got it right again as it showed



me with my feet up, wearing slippers.

Maybe this week's cropped photo will be easier to identify

 

If you would like to make a guess as to what it is a close view of please leave it in the comments.
Comments, and the answer, will be revealed next Monday.

Droning On

One of the things I have hankered for over the past few years is a drone. One with a camera as I fancy taking some aerial photography for a change. It would show a different aspect of the village and local farming. First things first though. Would my remaining 'little grey cell' be capable of fast enough decision making to control one? A decent drone with HD resolution still and movie taking abilities can be an expensive investment. About a decode ago I bought a model helicopter with the same ideas in mind and found its operation outside my abilities.

A few days ago I spotted a drone on sale on Amazon. It is designed with children in mind and doesn't have a camera but it was an ideal price for trying out and learning to fly one. Even better was the price. With the sale discount plus a discount voucher it cost me less than £19.  It seemed too cheap to be of any real use but having read dozens of really good reviews and watched a user video on YouTube I ordered one.

 

On unpacking the first task was to remove the propellers and add the guards which protect the drone in case of collision and make it safer to use. The controller seems small but I soon got used to operating it.



Here it is, hand held to show the size




Well, I've had a couple of practice sessions with it in the garden and am delighted to find it relatively easy to control. Once it has been paired with the controller a press of the take off button and it rises to about 8 feet in the air and hovers automatically. Only one crash so far and the protectors saved the drone from being damaged. I was going to try videoing it in operation today but it has started to rain and strong winds are forecast . That will have to wait for another day.

Foul Flower

My Stapelia plant was relegated to the greenhouse a few years ago.
In spite of being somewhat neglected it continues to thrive and flower.





The reason for moving it outside?
The flower attempts to imitate rotting flesh both in colouring and scent.

More Hot Lips

Last November my Salvia Hot Lips were just small plug plants



They spent last Winter in the unheated greenhouse and were planted out in the Spring.
Today the three I planted against an East facing fence have grown to be lovely bushy plants



They have flowered continuously for over six months attracting bees and hover flies.
I would love to have photographed one of their visitors . I tried but it wouldn't co-operate.
It was a hovering fly of some sort. A type I had not seen before or since. At first I thought it was a bee fly but the markings were wrong for that. Its rear end had very distinct longitudinal black and white stripes. Not once did it land on anything but hovered all the time while feeding. I spent ages perusing various sites but could not find a photograph of anything which had remotely the same markings.