Ken Appleby
@kenappleby.bsky.social
Science educated, generalist.
Software engineer. Ex Symbolics Inc. Harlequin Ltd. Emacs user.
Musician: applebystone.com
Producer: pindropevents.co.uk
Lapsed wild camper, hill climber.
Published sci-fi author.
Born 314 ppm CO2.
Software engineer. Ex Symbolics Inc. Harlequin Ltd. Emacs user.
Musician: applebystone.com
Producer: pindropevents.co.uk
Lapsed wild camper, hill climber.
Published sci-fi author.
Born 314 ppm CO2.
Minutes after reading your post I see this on Marcle Ridge!
September 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Minutes after reading your post I see this on Marcle Ridge!
The fermentation seems to be going quite well!
September 8, 2025 at 9:19 AM
The fermentation seems to be going quite well!
I started some wine two days ago from grapes picked from the vine growing against the back of my house in Herefordshire.
After filtering, the specific gravity (OG) is 1086, in the upper range for wine. No added sugar is needed. And the colour is really good. Almost unbelieveable.
#winemaking #ukwine
After filtering, the specific gravity (OG) is 1086, in the upper range for wine. No added sugar is needed. And the colour is really good. Almost unbelieveable.
#winemaking #ukwine
September 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I started some wine two days ago from grapes picked from the vine growing against the back of my house in Herefordshire.
After filtering, the specific gravity (OG) is 1086, in the upper range for wine. No added sugar is needed. And the colour is really good. Almost unbelieveable.
#winemaking #ukwine
After filtering, the specific gravity (OG) is 1086, in the upper range for wine. No added sugar is needed. And the colour is really good. Almost unbelieveable.
#winemaking #ukwine
Silver-washed Fritillary, female, seen today in The Slade, a lovely forest valley descending from Offa's Dyke near Tintern, and the relevant page from my ancient copy of Sandars.
#ukbutterflies #butterflies
#ukbutterflies #butterflies
August 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Silver-washed Fritillary, female, seen today in The Slade, a lovely forest valley descending from Offa's Dyke near Tintern, and the relevant page from my ancient copy of Sandars.
#ukbutterflies #butterflies
#ukbutterflies #butterflies
Today's crop: french beans (climbing), courgette, cherry tomatoes and a couple of pies worth of damsons.
We have a tiny plot at the front of the house, overlooked by wild damsons from an ancient orchard, and we get lots of produce from it.
#veg #ukgardening
We have a tiny plot at the front of the house, overlooked by wild damsons from an ancient orchard, and we get lots of produce from it.
#veg #ukgardening
August 6, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Today's crop: french beans (climbing), courgette, cherry tomatoes and a couple of pies worth of damsons.
We have a tiny plot at the front of the house, overlooked by wild damsons from an ancient orchard, and we get lots of produce from it.
#veg #ukgardening
We have a tiny plot at the front of the house, overlooked by wild damsons from an ancient orchard, and we get lots of produce from it.
#veg #ukgardening
I had some old 2-by-4s and 2-by-3s that had been lying behind the shed for ~20 years, so this year I decided to make a trough with them. It's now bursting with dill, parsely, basil and looks marvellous. It's a real delight to pick some of its produce every day.
#herbs #ukgardening #kitchengarden
#herbs #ukgardening #kitchengarden
July 5, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I had some old 2-by-4s and 2-by-3s that had been lying behind the shed for ~20 years, so this year I decided to make a trough with them. It's now bursting with dill, parsely, basil and looks marvellous. It's a real delight to pick some of its produce every day.
#herbs #ukgardening #kitchengarden
#herbs #ukgardening #kitchengarden
Last night we went to see our daughter Tansy's debut as guitarist in death doom metal band The Drowning. She was magnificent. Powerful lead playing. They were officially "awesome".
#metal #deathmetal #doommetal
#metal #deathmetal #doommetal
June 29, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Last night we went to see our daughter Tansy's debut as guitarist in death doom metal band The Drowning. She was magnificent. Powerful lead playing. They were officially "awesome".
#metal #deathmetal #doommetal
#metal #deathmetal #doommetal
Thyme for a risotto. This time of year is marvellous!
June 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Thyme for a risotto. This time of year is marvellous!
Croft Ambrey today. A handful of swifts skimming the common, but there should have been hundreds. It was good to see them though.
June 17, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Croft Ambrey today. A handful of swifts skimming the common, but there should have been hundreds. It was good to see them though.
They are amazing creatures. We saw this one in Slovenia last year and it made me a bit sad that we don't have them in Britain.
June 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
They are amazing creatures. We saw this one in Slovenia last year and it made me a bit sad that we don't have them in Britain.
When you make ciabattas there should always be a left foot and a right foot.
#ciabattas #homebaking #breadmaking
#ciabattas #homebaking #breadmaking
April 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
When you make ciabattas there should always be a left foot and a right foot.
#ciabattas #homebaking #breadmaking
#ciabattas #homebaking #breadmaking
Sandwood Bay, Easter Saturday morning.
April 25, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Sandwood Bay, Easter Saturday morning.
We've got guests coming for dinner. It's a good thing they like cauliflower.
#dinner #vegan #guests #entertaining
#dinner #vegan #guests #entertaining
April 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
We've got guests coming for dinner. It's a good thing they like cauliflower.
#dinner #vegan #guests #entertaining
#dinner #vegan #guests #entertaining
There's a tree in a local wood doing that rather well. It clearly blew over a long time ago.
April 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM
There's a tree in a local wood doing that rather well. It clearly blew over a long time ago.
Tutsan, hypericum androsaemum, is abundant in local woods. Its new leaves fill the still air with a musky, earthy scent. This morning near Ledbury.
#ukwildflower #woodland
#ukwildflower #woodland
March 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Tutsan, hypericum androsaemum, is abundant in local woods. Its new leaves fill the still air with a musky, earthy scent. This morning near Ledbury.
#ukwildflower #woodland
#ukwildflower #woodland
Many things give me joy these days, from the profound new insights into reality being provided by the very clever people in the world, to the making of your own fishcakes.
#food #fish #seafood #fishcakes #joy
#food #fish #seafood #fishcakes #joy
January 31, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Many things give me joy these days, from the profound new insights into reality being provided by the very clever people in the world, to the making of your own fishcakes.
#food #fish #seafood #fishcakes #joy
#food #fish #seafood #fishcakes #joy
Good luck! I have seen just this one female, in Haugh Wood, Herefordshire, on July 4th 2021. A magical moment.
The wood is predominantly plantation pine but has a decent area of oak near this spot. It was on grass at the edge of the track.
The wood is predominantly plantation pine but has a decent area of oak near this spot. It was on grass at the edge of the track.
January 29, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Good luck! I have seen just this one female, in Haugh Wood, Herefordshire, on July 4th 2021. A magical moment.
The wood is predominantly plantation pine but has a decent area of oak near this spot. It was on grass at the edge of the track.
The wood is predominantly plantation pine but has a decent area of oak near this spot. It was on grass at the edge of the track.
I'm really enjoying this entertainingly written book by @chrislintott.bsky.social. The reminder of the astonishing experience of seeing comet SL9 smash into Jupiter, live through my Celestron C8 in 1994 brings back the thrills so well.
January 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I'm really enjoying this entertainingly written book by @chrislintott.bsky.social. The reminder of the astonishing experience of seeing comet SL9 smash into Jupiter, live through my Celestron C8 in 1994 brings back the thrills so well.
The only patch of bright colour I came across today on a long, very muddy walk through the woods. Scarlet Elf Cap, perhaps. #fungi #ukfungi #fungusfriday
January 17, 2025 at 7:45 PM
The only patch of bright colour I came across today on a long, very muddy walk through the woods. Scarlet Elf Cap, perhaps. #fungi #ukfungi #fungusfriday
A door in Ljubljana market, taken this year.
December 5, 2024 at 4:28 PM
A door in Ljubljana market, taken this year.