Tidal Waves and Me

In some of my previous posts, I have made reference to the Tidal Waves and the River.  Let me explain.  The house where we live is nestled into the banks of the River Great Ouse in Norfolk.  The River is tidal and we live about 7 miles from King’s Lynn and 10 from The Wash.  That’s the square shaped estuary on the East Coast that separates Lincolnshire and Norfolk.  There are several rivers that run into The Wash.  The Nene, The Welland, the Haven and the Great Ouse.

The Great Ouse is the UK’s 4^th longest river and over the years has been modified, diverted and extended to allow for the massive Fen drainage projects that allow people to live in an area which would normally be under water.  20 Miles south of us is Ely which used to sit on a small hill surrounded by wet boggy marshes.  Now this is prime agricultural farming land all thanks to the drainage into the Great Ouse and out into the Wash.

The Fens are flat.  They were formed by the giant ice flows from the retreating ice sheets in the last ice age.  Rivers and basins were carved out of the land by the ice and in the last 50 miles of the Great Ouse the river only drops about 20ft!  If the Great Ouse burst its banks in Norfolk, towns as far as Huntingdon could end up under water.  The area is vast and has very big skies.  You can see for miles and the heat in August can be searing as there is no shade from hills or trees.  Nothing but water and fields. 

The House is an old fisherman’s cottage and the original building was no more than two rooms with a thatched loft to sleep in.  It actually forms part of the flood defences and we are lucky to have about 40 meters of river bank as our garden!  Although there is a public right of way along the river bank, it is only populated by dog walkers and the occasional hiking party who are walking the Fen Rivers Way. 

We can come out of the front door and within 15 seconds be sitting on the River Bank and see nothing but water.  A vast expanse of fairly fast moving water.

Like I said, it is an old fisherman’s cottage.  For centuries, the people that have lived here have been fishermen and there is a slip way in the garden.  The fishermen would have fishing boats moored on the bank and bring their catch in via the slipway to the sheds at the bottom of the garden which is where The Solar Shed now is.  The fish and other sea food would be brought to them by the tide.  They would moor a boat in the river and at low tide wade out to the anchored boat.  As the tide changes the water would approach and they would drop their nets and allow Mother Nature to do the work for them.  The fish would be caught, processed and boxed and then walked by cart to Magdalen Road station for the early train to Billingsgate Fish Market in London as well as some for local sale.

The approaching tide is called an Eagre, and Aigre or an Aegre depending on what part of the Country you live.  Here, in the Fens we call it an Eagre. 

An Eagre is the leading edge of the incoming tide and if you catch it right, you can witness one of the Planets finest shows.  Monster Tidal Waves form as the river narrows and meet resistance from the steep banks that keep it in its place.  200 meters wide,  1.5 meters high and rolling in at 8 knotts.  That is a lot of water. 

The tide changes twice a day, every day without fail.  It’s a moon thing.  Some days you can see nothing more than the water stop, pause and then change direction.  Other days you can hear the tide coming in before you can see it and you can it see it approaching almost a mile before it gets here!  I never fail to wonder at its marvel.

My Neighbour, Peter, an elderly gentlemen lived in my house back in the 1940’s and his family stayed here till 1994 so I am fortunate to have someone who has grown up and lived on the River right next door.  We share tales of the size of the wave and every time we meet, the story, like the wave gets bigger and bigger.  It’s a Fen thing!

Peter, has also taught me how to predict the wave height, time and force.  I can now predict waves several months in advance and I advertise them to bring people into the Village so they too can witness this little marvel.  Up until now I have never told anyone the formula as the last thing I want is hundreds of people at the back of my house making noise and dropping litter.  I do ‘manage’ wave watching events and slowly drip feed the times by way of Facebook, twitter, local emails to interested parties and also to the pres the day before they are due.  That way, I can control within reason, how many people come as the last thing we need is hoards of people tramping all over the place and the dangers of serious accidents.

The Waves and tidal patterns run in cycles and last year, 2012, we only had 4 short cycles of spring tides and none were particularly high.  Most fell on a new moon as well so the chance of a decent wave was minimal.  This year however, the Moon is aligned in a way that we will see ten cycles of High Spring Tides, some not seen for 16 yrs or more.  Every month this year will bring decent tides and in turn decent sized tidal waves.  The general rule of thumb, without giving the game away too much as follows.

The tide will change in the Village, one hour before High Tide in King’s Lynn.  If the tide height is 18 ft or more, a Tidal Wave will form.  Now that might seem too simple, and it is.  A tidal wave can be just a few inches high, but being exact in definition, it is a Tidal Wave.  If the tide height is over 21ft and the High Spring Tide is 2 days after a Full Moon, at 5:25 am or pm, to be precise, you can guarantee an absolute monster of a Tidal Wave.

 So based upon that formula, i have listed below the dates for Spring and Early summer ‘Best Chance’ of seeing a tidal wave on the River Great Ouse in Norfolk.  These times are for your best chance to see a wave from the Bridge by the Cock Public House on the River in Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen PE34.

My advice is to get there 30 minutes before advertised time as I have been known to mis-judge these times.  Better to be early than late.

APRIL 2013

25^th     5:15 pm   FULL MOON

26^th     6:05 pm   HIGH SPRING TIDE

27th    6:55 pm   HIGH SPRING TIDE

28th    7:45 pm   HIGH SPRING TIDE

JUNE  2013

23rd  5.50pm  FULL MOON

24^th    5.25pm  HIGH SPRING TIDE

25^th    7:05pm  HIGH SPRING TIDE

26th  8:10pm HIGH SPRING TIDE

As I have said, these times depends on many factors and weather conditions so everything is subject to change.  Once the first wave in a series is sighted, I can predict with great accuracy what the times for the next few days will be so follow me on Twitter @TheSolarShed and I will give more accurate times as and when the first one is sighted.

A Shed is for Life, not just for Christmas

Over the years, for many men, sheds have been an important part of their life. In fact, most wives would probably wish a shed for their shedless men, just to stop them from getting under their feet for a few hours. And what better place to while away the time, pottering, tinkering, thinking, making, inventing, reading, writing.

This list of things to do in a shed is limitless and there is now a full industry alive and kicking based around shed. I have been known to be an admirer of sheds and back in the days on the beat, I could often be found on my beat huddled inside a shed on the allotments drinking mint tea with fellow sheddies. Naturally, when on duty i would be conducting crime prevention surveys and offering advice (if the Sgt caught me) but there is no better place on earth than a shed.

A few yrs ago, I discovered a website called www.readersheds.co.uk A place for fellow shedman to go and discover their true sheddyness (made up word).

The webmaster started what has become a coveted prize in the form of shed of the year. Well, me being me, I have entered the shed of the year and came 3rd in the Unique category a few yrs ago. Then I built the Solar Shed and entered that. Well blow me down, last yr Solar Shed hit the National Press as it won the Eco Shed of the Yr category and shortlisted as a finalist on the overall competition. The following passage is a direct copy of what is written on my shed entry page on readersheds.co.uk website.

I've attached some web links and the bottom to the local newspaper articles from the competition.

Enjoy.

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The Solar Shed came up as an idea from a customer of mine who did not want to place her Solar Panels on the roof of her very old cottage. So we built her a bespoke garden structure for the job. I told the Mrs about this and she suggested we do the same, as our Solar Panels were facing East on my other Shed, Compost Lodge. So over the winter we started and came up with SOLAR SHED. An all in one eco center for a green lifestyle. 8 x 250w solar panels on the roof, correct angle, perfect south(ish)

Underneath and inside we set about designing it to meet our needs. We have a log making area where I can make fuel from recycled paper and wood shavings, a log store for the burners in the house. We have attached several thousand liters worth of water storage and have fitted the butts with pumps so we don't have to carry watering cans around the allotment. It also houses the drainage rods and sand bags that are always at hand for the little emergencies in life. The Solar Shed has been fitted with several PIR activated solar lights so it lights up at night. Solar Shed is adjacent to Compost Lodge, my main shed which now acts as a small renewable energy workshop so my customers can come and try b4 they buy.


Additional Info: The following was written last year and published on Uncle's Readersshed blog. Thought I would copy and paste as it explains everything.


Within minutes of arriving at the house back in 2004, we knew that this was the place for life. Three generations, all under the same roof with enough space to grow our own food and start a new life on the banks of the River Great Ouse in Norfolk.

The River is Tidal with a massive range and the house nestles into the River Bank as it has done for over 500 yrs. It was once home to the village fishing industry and has a slipway in the garden. Lurking at the bottom of the garden is a small collection of ramshackle outbuildings, greenhouses and sheds.

As soon as we were settled I took ownership of the Shed and due to the size and fact there is a massive greenhouse only accessible from the shed, I renamed it Compost Lodge and this particular Shedman came to life.

Up until moving from London, I had been no more than an aspiring Shedman with my unusual assortment of small sheds. One was down the allotment in Sydenham, South London where I lived whilst a serving Police Officer in London and the other was at the house. That was, in its own right, a small shed marvel as it was a roofed space rather than a shed.

My old house was a new-build and it was L shaped as it was built around an electricity sub-station. The shed was L Shaped and about 20ft long and 4 ft wide narrowing to a point where the house and sub- station met! Shed nights in those days consisted of me and couple of mates who would filter in and stand side by side as there was no room to huddle as man in sheds do.


Compost Lodge, however, is an altogether different type of Shed. More a social shed . So when I discovered Readerssheds.co.uk, I was one of the first to put some pics up for others to see and share their dreams of solitary isolation at the bottom of the garden.




I was dumbfounded when back in 2005 I was contacted via email by a bloke who claimed he was making a short Inside-Out regional prog about men in sheds and wanted to come over and film Compost Lodge on a shed night. I thought It was a wind up by a mate from work but went along with his request and that Friday the Fenland Shed Society were joined by the BBC film crew who I am confident have never had such a surreal assignment!

Time has passed, and the shed has evolved and become home to Village events and live music sessions. The term Shedaoke was first coined in Compost Lodge for my 40th Birthday celebrations where we had a Karaoke party in the shed!

Shed nights are good for the soul, and it was about 4 yrs ago during a shed night that i drunkenly suggested i would try and make the shed as self sufficient as possible. So i started by harvesting rainwater and now have over 1000 litres of fresh rainwater for the greenhouses and other water features. Outside the shed is the garden kitchen which comprises of a big barrel BBQ and cooking area.

There is a small solar shower hanging up outside Compost Lodge so we can wash and brush up whilst cooking or to wash hands after getting the coal for the fire! Last year, I had 100 yrds of black hose pipe coiled up, over the roof of the sheds, which was solar pumped with water from the kids pool. This kept the water warm enough to use at our leisure for about 6 months last year. And then, at last in July this year, i finally saved up enough money to purchase 2kw of Solar PV. This is the electricity generating solar rather than the heat generating solar. I already have those panels on the house and they provide all our hot water so when the UK Government introduced the feed in tariffs last year, i just had to get my electric panels up.

The shed roof faces North East and as you are only allowed one feed in tariff per electric metre I opted for the shed as although the house has a perfect south facing roof, i am leaving the domestic electric meter to feed back into the grid any surplice i generate from a tidal barrage i am designing. (I own about 50 metres of tidal River Great Ouse)

So Compost Lodge has become Solar Shed. There it sits generating about 5 kws a day (a decent positioned 2kw system will average 6-7 a day over a whole year) The shed is home to 5 freezers and fridges where we store the food we grow for the winter and spring.

The shed uses more background electricity than the house so we get free electricity during the day. I have the freezers on timers so they go off for a few hours overnight so i don t use any power when I am not generating it!

The money I receive from the Feed in Tariff pays for ALL my electricity in the house so I am in effect without bills for the rest of my life with regards to electricity! As I am in the Solar Trade, i have now set up shop at home so customers can come and visit and see the power of the sun before they actually buy the systems and as the shed is open beamed, they can see the fittings and wiring and all that goes with it. So after only 7 yrs, the Shed has become a focal part of our life. It is a hobby room, an office, a chill-out bolt hole and a place for rather unusual parties. It is also doing more than its fair share for the environment and the community.

To date the shed has been home to about 5-6 charity events where over £3,000:00 has been raised for McMillan, Help for Heroes, The Blue and Gold Trust, The Village Hall and other good causes. It has featured in the local paper, regional TV and is a talking point in the Village.

Last year it also came 3rd the Unique sheds category in Shed of the Year competition. Now that the panels have gone up, Solar Shed will be entered into Eco Shed next year and if there is any justice in the world Sarah Beeny will visit me with the winners award next year!

(update, Solar Shed won Eco Shed of the year 2012)


Some shedpress

Some more shedpress

Solstice thoughts

This was written a few days ago, before Christmas and before i started on the blog. It is a far cry from Policing the inner cities and will give an insight to my new life. Enjoy.

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As it's the winter solstice today, i thought it a good day to reflect on the previous year and how far we have come with the business.

This time last year, the PV panels were on the main shed roof and because it faces East North/East, they were not doing much. More so due to the shade from the telegraph pole! Well, it was over the Christmas period that I had a word with Gordon, the woodman, and he started on the new Solar Shed.

Built to personal spec and at a perfect angle and facing due south, things have certainly improved with regards to how much energy I'm now generating. Having my own system at home, on the sheds, means that customers can now come back to our house and see for themselves how powerful the sun is.

The house has a PV pumped Thermal solar hot water heating system and customers can see for themselves how easy it is rid themselves of fossil fuel for heating water. We have reduced our oil use to next to nothing during March - Oct and very little in the winter on clear days. We only use fossil fuel for water heating when the heating is on, to top up what the sun has given us free of charge.








With regards to the Solar Shed, it is a comfortable environment for people to come and try before they buy. Or even just to pop in for a chat and a cuppa to discuss how to reduce energy use without loosing any comfort.

The Solar Shed has become a business in its own right and its not quite one year old yet so the dream of living the country and working from home is almost complete. I take appointments from a national company and all customers get the opportunity to come back and have a look during the cooling off period which allows them to take a more measured approach to the whole sales process. After all, Solar is not cheap and neither should it be considering what it does.





I've placed some simple signage out the front gate for passers by to see when we're open and had 10,000 leaflets printed and slowly delivering them to neighbouring villages and neighbours of customers when i make a sale. Occasionally I find customers who do not want or can not have panels on their roofs, so bringing Gordon in to design a bespoke shed for them helps. To date we have designed three solar sheds. One for me, one for a very green customer in North Norfolk who has water harvesting features, wood storage and an enclosed area for mowers and the like and the third for a customer with a listed property who wanted a car port for their electric vehicles. So, all in all a good year.




Inside the workshop, we have a few shelving racks and sell solar powered lights. Garden lights, security lights and torches as well as briquette makers for open fires and water harvesting equipment. Water is high on peoples agendas, and by designing personal solutions rather than off the shelf products, we can provide a very good, high end service.



As business has been good, we have also been able to assist others and proud to be sponsors of two football teams. The first is Dulwich Hamlet Supporters FC and the other is Wiggenhall FC who play in the neighbouring village. We also contribute to Solar Aid which is charity that sets up small solar businesses in the emerging world. They show people how to convert kerosene lanterns into solar lights with all the obvious benefits.

The Solar Shed won the Eco Shed category in the Nation Shed of the Year comp' sponsored by Cuprinol and I am delighted to say I have been placed in the Eco Build top 100 influencers for sustainable buildings.

Who knows where next year will take us. First step is to get the web site up and running and hopefully reduce the mileage I do and concentrate on the working from home angle. So, a good year all round. Here's to the next one. You can follow me on twitter @TheSolarShed