True Red Ackies - Varanus acanthurus acanthurus

The term Red Ackie has been inaccurately applied to reddish examples of the common yellow ackie (Varanus acanthurus brachyurus) for a long time. It confuses buyers and is often used as an attempt to boost the price. 

This post is designed to help anyone considering an ackie to distinguish between Varanus acanthurus acanthurus and Varanus acanthurus brachyurus. Perhaps that is the first point for anyone who is unaware - there are three ackie subspecies. One is common, one is rare and one is not available in the UK (or indeed the rest of Europe). V.a.a comes from western Australia and V.a.b is from the north of that country. V.a.insulanicus is a darker subspecies that only inhabits Groote Island and others in the Wessel group. 

Differences between the available subspecies are generally obvious:

• The first thing to look for is price. If someone is advertising red ackies and asking less than £350 each, you know they are not true acanthurus acanthurus. It doesn't matter what they say. Noone in their right mind would sell a true red so cheaply.

• True Red Ackies have a clear contrast between their head/neck markings and body. The facial colouration is darker than V.a.brachyurus and usually the iris is too. This gives the face a sharper, meaner look than V.a.brachyurus. 

Red Ackie male (owned by myself):

Below a yellow Ackie, as found in many pet shops. Note the different facial expressions and contrast.

• The body is, as you might expect, an obvious red colour. And I don't mean a rusty/brown colour or the odd bit of scattered red. There should be an even spread. Now it must be emphasised that adults are redder than juveniles, so this is one monitor which grows more beautiful with age. That is in stark contrast to species like V.dumerili and most others. But even though the red is not necessarily striking on young animals (and especially hatchlings) there is an unmistakeable glow across the whole area from nape of the neck to base of the tail. Also the markings tend to be more ornate. Even where the background colour is not red you will find the ocelli are ringed with red markings and the contrast is higher. 

The pic below is of two 2015 muller line red ackies around three months old. Even at this age, and mid-shed, there is a massive difference vs typical V.a.brachyurus youngsters. 

Below is a picture of a typical Varanus acanthurus brachyurus that will often be misleadingly sold as a red ackie. Does it have a slight rusty brown/red colour? Yes it does, but notice how there is no distinction between head/neck and body colouration. Some sellers will claim they are only branding animals based on general appearance but dealers know that there are two subspecies (or they should!) and although red and yellow are not ideal labels, the industry has come to understand V.a.acanthurus as red and V.a.brachyurus as yellow. So 9/10 times if someone calls the below animal red then they are doing so in an attempt to boost the saleability and price. 

Compare the above animal with the true red further up. There is no comparison, you just could not get them confused. 

• Varanus acanthurus brachyurus (as sold in most UK pet shops for £100 each) tend to have fairly plain, washed out markings and a general brownish colouration to the head, tail and body. There is no clear distinction between head and body colouration. You do get some attractive examples with sharper yellow spots on the back but they lack the other characteristics I have listed.

• True red ackie tails tend to be a bit longer that V.a.brachyurus but this is not always the case. What you will notice, however, is that pure examples have straighter tail spines that are normally yellow tipped - especially on the sides. V.a.brachyurus has spines that curve backwards to a greater degree. 

Compare the tail shot of a typical V.a.brachyurus below:

with the tail of a true V.a.acanthurus:

Here is a picture of a 2015 Muller line red ackie aged around three months of age. I have cut it with a shot of some typical yellow UK 2015 hatchlings, of a similar age, that I found on the web. A picture speaks a thousand words!

So the next time you are looking for an ackie and see someone offering red ackies for £100 - 150, you will know that they are certainly not true V.acanthurus acanthurus.

Hoy Meadowbank 20 bike review - a true rival to Islabikes

Why is it that 99% of kids bikes are hulking great machines that weigh half as much as the poor imps desperately trying to pedal them along? The answer, of course, is cost! 

Bike manufacturers can mass produce lots of steel leviathans at minimal expense. Their profit margins are maximised by charging reasonably low prices, thus increasing market share. That is all fine and we must bear in mind that many children - especially those just getting used to life without stabilisers - will treat their bikes with a fair amount of disrespect. The heavy steel offerings can generally take quite a beating but how much fun are these to ride? 

A trip to Halfords or Argos (in the UK) will reveal a welter of colourful bicycles designed to temp children and break their parents' will. Snazzy stickers, tyres and gears all create a tempting package, but none of these bikes are ideal for young children. This is simply because they are far too heavy. 

If we consider that an average high street store sells bikes for five to nine year olds that weigh an average 12 - 15 kilos, it is not difficult to appreciate why kids rapidly grow tired when sitting in the saddle. The picture above shows a bike sold in Argos that is nearly 15 kilos - we are talking bikes that weigh half as much as the rider. If we assume an average adult male is around 70 kilos, then the picture is clarified. How many adults ride around on bikes that weigh 35 kilos?! Can you imagine what such a bike would look like and how tough it would be to ride. Most Adult bikes are no more than 10 kilos, but we expect our offspring to handle metal lumps a good 30 - 50% heavier than that. 

Islabikes is - to my knowledge - the first UK company to recognise this problem and seek to enhance the cycling experience of our little'uns. Their solution was very simple - build light bikes. The problem, as you would expect, is that they also charge two or three times as much as you would pay for a typical Halfords number. But what price the comfort of our kids. 

Islabikes were for many years the only viable option, if a lightweight kid's bike is your desire. There are other companies building decent products, for example Puky have a good line that includes sealed hub gears, something genuinely unusual in the children's bike market. A sealed hub gear means that the gears are literally within the bike and not exposed to the elements. This has the advantage of reducing or eliminating servicing and also protecting the mechanism from falls. The good old Raleigh Chopper from the 70s/80s had the same design, I believe, but these days manufacturers prefer the cheaper external derailleurs. 

Anyway I digress. The Puky line is unique and has benefits but it is offset by one major problem - you guessed it, they are heavy! The Puky Crusader comes in at nearly 13 kilos. A heavy bike may be made easier to pedal with gears but it will still handle a lot worse than a significantly lighter alternative. 

If Puky had gone the extra mile and created a lighter bike with the same hub gears, then they would probably have stolen a significant portion of the higher end market from Islabike. I dismissed this option, when shopping for my youngest son, because the weight is absurd. Incidentally you can generally expect a higher weight with hub gears vs derailleurs due to the design. It is all swings and roundabouts in life! 

But what if you want a light bike that doesn't have gears? To my mind gears are a complication that many young kids do not need. Hell many adults don't need it and single speed bikes are again starting to become popular across all age ranges.  We want our children safe and focused on the roads and what is going on around them, not desperately trying to engage the right gear to get them over a steep hill. Also let's face it, a lot of kids will fiddle with gears just because they are there. It is something different that can be pressed and produce results. It is also one more thing to break!

Gears also add weight that we could really do without. There was no solution to this problem (if you are shopping in the six to ten range) until Sir Chris Hoy released a new line of kids bikes that included a 20" model called the Meadowbank. The Hoy bikes - marketed exclusively through Evans Cycles and no I do not work for them - are to my mind the first real competitor to Islabikes. They are new to the market, so have not had time to generate the same fan base but info is starting to spread and people are increasingly looking to Hoy as a viable alternative in the ultra light bracket. 

For me there were two options - the Bonaly or Meadowbank. The Bonaly comes with six gears and is more of an all terrain hybrid bike. The Meadowbank has no gears, a racier profile and rides on slimmer, low resistance tyres more designed for roads, trails and park life. The Meadowbank is like a hybrid between track bikes and a BMX. Indeed the blurb tells us that this is exactly what inspired its creation. 

If you look at the profile pics above, we see that the design is very consistent between both options. It is not difficult to spot the Bonaly derailleur, however, and of course this is one more thing to service. 

Most buyers will opt for the Bonaly, simply because of the gears and all terrain marketing, and it may well be the right bike for you. If, like us, you are a fit and active family but not really avid cyclists then you may be better off with the Meadowbank. It is 12.5% lighter than its sibling and is designed for speed and minimal resistance. Also you could take it on the local BMX race track and not be out of place. My oldest son opted for a BMX, which are always single speed, as he loved the style and wants to get into racing. We bought a WeThePeople Curse 20" and he absolutely loves it. It is reasonably light at about 11 kilos and is geared low, so hills are a bit easier. He is two years older than his brother, however, and the extra weight and size make a real difference. 

You can get some very light racing BMX bikes, which are also suitable alternatives to Isalbikes, but they tend to cost around £500 (brands such as Redline), which is a bit prohibitive for many families. To be fair most people will not want to spend the best part of £300 on a Hoy or Islabike but the price isn't completely unrealistic. 

Interestingly I noticed that when the Meadowbank was first released in 2014 it did not have brakes and featured the classic racing drop bars. I imagine this setup generated limited sales and they realised that hybrid bars and standard brakes were required, in order that typical cyclists could benefit from the design advantages. In its current 2015 guise it is a truly useful bit of kit. As a track bike with no brakes, well I am not too sure what they were thinking to be honest. 

So what inspired my careful analysis of the children's bike sector? We had been on a few walks recently where my youngest son began to tire and he had been using his big bro's hand-me-down bicycle for a while. It had lasted four years and was a Decathlon B-Twin Single One. Weighing in at 11 kilos, it was about the lightest steel kid's bike I have ever encountered. That is why we bought it of course :). I think that bike was fantastic value at only £89.99. It was basic but did the job really well. The tyres were a grippy, all-terrain style and I handed it on through Freecycle (with the front brake a bit dodgy but the rest intact) to start a new life elsewhere. The new owner loves it. I don't think they stock this bike any more but if you can find one and are on a budget, then I would definitely recommend it. 

Anyway it was clear my youngest needed an upgrade to really inject some enthusiasm into his cycling. He is confident and was able to ride without stabilisers at less than 4 years old, but I have seen him come off enough to know that gears are a distraction we can do without for another year or two. 

At barely seven kilos with pedals the Meadowbank is lighter than pretty much any kids bike on the market. It is more like an adult trying to move a bike that weighs 14 kilos. I am still left asking why they can't make a four or five kilo bike for kids, but perhaps that will come in the near future - at a price! Cost wise you are looking at £280 for the Bonaly and £270 for the Meadowbank. Considering the lack of gears that should tell you something about the engineering and materials used to make the latter, as it is virtually the same price as its all terrain sibling. 

First impressions:

When I collected the bike it was clear that this really was a lightweight piece of kit. Everything about it is designed to produce a racy, simple to manoeuvre bicycle that really inspires confidence in the rider. They have dropped the frame and modified the handle bars to make turning and braking a breeze. I was able to compare it against the Bonaly, as they had one on display, and the weight difference is obvious. The Bonaly's tyres are massive compared to the Meadowbank and yet the latter's are still sensible and not ridiculously slim. The brakes worked brilliantly and stopped the lightweight frame on a sixpence. I was satisfied that I had made the right choice. 

This was vindicated when my son was presented with the Meadowbank and took it for a test drive. The difference in his cycling was massive. He was zooming around, hills were little trouble - especially compared to his old bike - and he was relying on the brakes much more than his feet. 

One thing that concerned me was the slimmer profile, racing tyres. We all know that kids will end up off road in the leaves and bracken at some point. Whether it is cutting through the park or taking a woodland trail, their bike needs to be able to handle different conditions. 

I need not have worried because although they lack conventional grooves and pits, the tyres were perfectly able to handle grass, woodland trails, loose stones and moderate mud/leaves. We went for a cycle at the country park nearby and the Meadowbank glided out of the woods, up a pebbled trail and back onto the tarmac without any issues. The lightweight frame doubtless helps to prevent it sinking too quickly when the ground becomes softer. Of course it is not a mountain bike, but it won't struggle in most of the conditions a typical family will throw at it. 

It looks fabulous in the deep blue and white colour scheme. The paint looks very high quality and the aluminium frame is moulded together well. It is a head turner. 

This is a very good bike for kids aged six to ten. Finally there is a worthy alternative to the Islabike and I bet these will hold their value every bit as well. The Hoy legend is massive and his bikes align with the quality he delivered on the track. I carried the bike home with one arm and it really wasn't tough. It will be incredibly easy to transport the Meadowbank. 

If you want an ultra light (by typical standards) bike without the complication of gears, then there really is only one option in the six to ten year old bracket. 

The Wasp Spider

The kids and I took a bike ride/dog walk last Sunday (as is typical) and  found a picturesque cut through with beautiful long grass. It was a sunny day and the place looked magical. 

As we explored the long grass, in pursuit of crickets, my eldest son happened across a stunning spider species, which we have never encountered before. A quick google revealed it to be a Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi). This is one of the orb web builders and they have stunning yellow markings. 

The females are huge compared to males. The body length can reach nearly 2cm in the former and only 0.5cm in the latter. The boys are also brown in colour - nowhere near as striking. Mating is a dangerous game for the little fellows and they often hang around the edge of webs waiting for a female to complete their final moult. At this point - and for a very short period - her jaws will be softer and he has an improved chance of survival. Many males still get consumed, however. 

It is believed this species was introduced into the UK from the continent as far back as 1920. They were surviving well in the far south and have steadily spread north , due to warmer winters. They like long grass and that is exactly where we found ours. 

Anyway it is a first for us and proof that many stunning species are waiting to be discovered on our own doorsteps. 

Green Smoothies and Raw Foods - Fact or Fiction

In recent years we have seen a rapid rise in the number of fad diets touted on the Internet. I am referring to things like the paleo diet, raw diet and blood-type diet. Whilst these solutions often contain some sensible advice re what we should consume, they are never based on 100% solid science. 

I have been reading and researching nutrition a great deal over the last few months, ever since I decided to significantly increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in my diet (and indeed the diet of my children). 

We have seen a massive rise in people consuming green smoothies and the like. I count myself among that number, but the liquids I am currently including in my regime are starting to alter somewhat from the recommendations of people like Victoria Boutenko. In her book Green for Life, we read about raw greens being the ideal food for humans - chimps eat like this, so obviously we should also! It contains some useful info but is built on terrible science. For starters we are the only species of animal that has learned to create fire and use it to cook our meals. This we have been doing for a very, very long time. In fact there is decent evidence that the ancestors of Homo sapiens were working with it over 200,000 years ago. 

http://www.ibtimes.com/when-did-man-discover-fire-ancestors-modern-humans-used-fire-350000-years-ago-new-1758607

Where there is fire, there will be cooked food. Heating food items helps to break down tough constituents and render them easier to digest. Cooked food requires less digestive energy to be expended and this was a vital turning point in taking our species forward. To suggest cooked food is not suitable for our species just does not make sense. 

In fact there is solid evidence that cooking actually increases the amount of certain nutrients, which trades off against the reduction of unstable compounds such as vitamin C. Cooking also reduces the volume of food items, so it is possible to consume more. Look at a bag of raw spinach for example - looks like loads when you put it in a blender, but boil it for just a minute and the same bag is reduced to nothing more than a ball in the hand. Obviously you can eat three times the amount and this offsets the reduction of vital compounds and increases the amount of available phyto nutrients. It is true that blending (in a high speed device) also significantly increases the percentage of nutrients available for absorption but it doesn't improve digestion of vegetables in the same way as cooking. I like the best of both worlds - I boil the spinach for a minute to soften the cells walls and reduce oxalates*, then I cool it down and blend as normal. We then have a cool green soupie! Tastes the same but digestibility is maximised. 

*People who drink raw smoothies always cite the risk of oxalates when you consume a lot of spinach. One solution is to boil it and reduce the risk (not that it is a big problem unless you have a history of kidney stones). 

Then we have the Paleo diet, where we are told that grains and legumes are evil anti-nutrients that must be avoided at all costs. Now for some people this may be true - as we all have slightly different genetic codes, which equals variations in the digestive enzymes and nuances in our overall digestive systems - but it is not true for everyone. 

The argument is that paleolithic humans did not have access to grains on a regular basis and had to forage and hunt whatever was available. This is true - ancient humans would not have eaten grains in the vast quantities of modern times, but they would eat them on occasion. Seasonally of course. 

Likewise they say legumes, such as lentils and beans, are negative foods for the same reasons. Never mind that we have solid evidence confirming they have been eaten for thousands of years (and before the agricultural revolution). These are items that have real nutritional benefit. Again the discovery of fire and development of cooking would have made the items more digestible. 

The paleo diet also ignores the fact that most of the modern fruits, vegetables and supermarket meats are a far cry from the ones our ancestors consumed. They have been selectively bred and modified over the centuries to suit modern requirements. 

I do agree that certain food types can have a negative impact in some people. I am not referring just to anaphylactic shock, which is obvious, but less dangerous issues such as the development of IBS, skin problems etc. I myself react when I eat gluten containing grains and other food items, but this is individual. Many other people will utilise them as an excellent source of protein and vitamins. Diets like paleo make too many blanket assumptions. 

Personally I found that too many green smoothies made me feel weak and impacted my digestion negatively. I stuck with it for months but the problems did not abate. I rotated greens, in order to reduce the risk of alkaloid poisoning, but still did not feel quite right. The symptoms disappeared if I stuck to gem and romaine lettuce as the main green. I still drink green smoothies occasionally, which I consider a sensible and healthy addition to a balanced diet, but I am not drinking two or three a day. I found this works best for me. 

They can definitely provide your body with a welter of nutrients and are still a great way to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet of fussier children like my youngest son.  But I do not buy into claims that they alone can fix most health related problems. 

Ikea Reptile Rack!

There are many ways to house a reptile. As long as warmth and food are available then it is possible to maintain a number of small nocturnal species in very basic rack systems. This involves little more than shelves full of sliding plastic boxes that have limited amounts of soul. See the pic below - no James Brown to be found!

Many species, especially snakes, will thrive in these conditions - they feed and breed without issues. As such this system is often preferred by breeders who seek to profit from their animals and maximise production. Problem is that whilst the arrangement may be very functional, it is far from attractive. You can't easily view the animals going about their business because the containers are often not fully transparent and there is no additional illumination, either at day or night. Admittedly many ideal rack species such as royal pythons are far from active and you are not missing much, but what about more active snakes and lizards that like to roam and hunt insects. There is a lot more fun to be had watching these. 

Our breeding projects are more for the experience than anything else. A combined family effort to create life and teach the kids important lessons along the way. We are not in this hobby for profit and like to gaze at attractive, naturalistic environments that could have been sliced from the animals' countries of origin. We like them to be windows to the natural world. 

We had a bit of space under the existing vivarium arrangement and it was currently occupied by a set of Ikea Trofast toy shelves (pic below taken from the Ikea website), long since abandoned as the children have grown. We left a few of their purpose moulded plastic boxes in situ, as they provided useful storage for things like calcium powder, spare bulbs etc.

I glanced at the box dimensions one day and found myself wondering, on a hunch, if our battered old Exo Terra large, flat faunarium would slot into the gap. So I conducted a test and could not believe how well it went in. Nice and snug so that the lid was locked firmly onto the plastic base. There was literally no way it could fall open.

Now up until this point I had planned to introduce some new additions (Nephrurus amyae, the Centralian Knob Tailed gecko) into purpose built vivariums that would slot into the space between the Trofast walls. Problem is they would have been very high and not ideal for a secretive nocturnal species that likes to feel secure. Of course I could have sliced the height in half but now I had an opportunity to save some cash! There was also the problem of getting furnishings through small sliding doors. If I could make the faunariums work somehow then that would not be an issue - the entire unit can slide out and the lid pops off. Alternatively there is a very large plastic window in the lid that is perfect for fitting larger items like hides. Also Nephrurus amyae likes very low humidity and in a damp country like England, it is normally around 45-50% in most rooms by default. A heavily vented faunarium is perfect for reducing the humidity - especially during the day - as warm air rapidly escapes and you can push it down around 30 - 40%. That is not something you can easily achieve in a typical wooden vivarium. 

But what I really did not want, was a hideous standard rack arrangement where the inhabitants sit in soulless plastic containers. We needed to maintain the naturalistic theme of our other vivariums. 

So I created a design that would incorporate standard incandescent bulbs into the limited space of a faunarium. The extra large flat faunarium - of which this is one - are pretty decent sized, but the height is lacking. They are designed for hatchlings and small adult terrestrial species. They are also designed to be used with heat mats, but IMO this is unnatural and not ideal. When we consider the huge amount of ventilation in the lids, then it is easy to install low wattage bulbs without fear of over heating. I wrote an article some time ago that argued a thermostat is not even necessary in vivariums, so long as you size the wattage appropriately and don't live in a hot country! 

So first things first, let's measure up and fit two incandescent bulb holders - one for day (25w bulb) and one for night (15w blue bulb). 

We need to secure the bulb holders with 4mm nuts and bolts. This will lock them tight. 

After that has been done, and all wiring completed, we need to drill holes for the wires. The plastic is tough enough not to break, so long as you are not too aggressive. 

After this we can rack and roll, as it were! But even 15 watt and 25 watt bulbs get hot to touch (more on the sides than bottom), so we need a way of protecting our animals from burns. This is, remember, a low ceiling and even terrestrial animals could get themselves too close to the heat source at times. 

My solution to this problem was to purchase four £1.50 bird seed holders from Homebase and cut them down to size. They fit perfectly around the plastic bulb necks and with the lid installed they are locked into position. 

The lights are then placed on timers (which all indoor reptile vivariums need for proper seasonal control) and hey presto, we have an attractive , illuminated enclosure that slots into an Ikea toy solution and utilises an old Exo Terra faunarium. A rack system, but not as we know it! 

With the sand and hides added it is visually appealing and I will be adding some freehand acrylic desert paint designs to remove any tape and cracks from view. Will post images when it is finished. 

Initial temperature testing shows ideal ranges for the Nephrurus hatchlings that are soon to arrive and this way we can appreciate our additions care of artificial moonlight, rather than an opaque plastic box preventing visual interaction with our pets. 

It was fun as a mini project and things like this keep life interesting. The kids thought it was a brilliant solution and really enjoyed helping me plan the design. It helped them to realise what can be achieved with a bit of imagination. 

With a bit of luck these guys (see below) will soon be enjoying life in the new enclosures. We have installed two faunariums, as they are solitary in the wild. Also it is much easier to monitor feeding when animals are housed individually.

Magimix Blender and the Argos Value Blender

As is clear from my last post, I am becoming ever more interested in nutrition and what our bodies need to function properly. It is especially important, in this world of excess candy, crisps and soda, that our children are educated about food. 

My youngest son is much fussier than his brother and it is tough to get him eating five a day. Truth is we are all better off with ten a day! Fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of our daily nutrition. Many people ingest the right amounts as part of interesting modern diets like paleo and alkaline, but I am  only partially convinced by the principles behind them. Yes a great deal of alkaline foods are some of the best food sources for humans, but that is not to say all acidic foods are bad. To be fair the latter does generally suggest an 80/20 split between alkaline/acidic options and  basically comes down to including a lot more fruit, vegetables and things like almonds.

I certainly don't think western science and medicine are always correct - I must be clear on that - but the methodology insists on careful analysis of hypotheses, often using placebo controlled trials. This does yield a great deal of useful information, but I am not entirely comfortable with the determination to unpick things like spices to isolate active compounds. Yes they want to understand exactly what yields the positive effect, but pharmaceutical companies also want to package or modify this chemical so they can generate profits. That is the primary motivation. 

I recently visited India, as part of my job, and had a very interesting discussion re Ayurveda with my friend Vinay. We talked about how substances like Turmeric are not - by Ayurvedic principles - packages of chemicals that need to be unpicked. There have been recent trials to test curcumin, an important constituent of turmeric, to better understand its anti-inflammatory properties. Such trials have not always yielded the expected positive results. But why would we not assume that all the constituents of turmeric work synergistically to exert their effect. Of course it would be unscientific to just assume  that they would, but there are many examples of people benefiting from the entire spice - especially in countries like India where it is an important part of the daily diet. It would be useful if additional tests could focus on the whole food item and its effect on the body - that sort of trial doesn't benefit pharmaceutical companies, however, so it is unlikely to receive significant backing. 

It is well known that turmeric is fat soluble. That is why people gain the maximum benefit when this bright yellow spice is eaten as part of a balanced meal. 

Fruits and vegetables contain a plethora of vitamins and minerals, as well as water, fibre and often decent amounts of protein. Phytonutrients - plant chemicals - are, however, never cited on the nutritional labels that are required by law. In this modern world we are concerned with macro nutrients - carbs, protein, fats and fibre but we don't specify an RDA for critical antioxidants like beta carotene and lycopene. There is increasing evidence re the importance of these chemicals as part of a balanced diet, yet most people do not even consider their existence. 

Chlorophyll and other pigments provide vital nutrition, which helps stabilise and improve our health. We evolved to eat large amounts of plant foods, but the agricultural revolution has introduced an awful lot of convenience foods and hollow calories. Our bodies want more. 

Having conducted my research and decided to adopt fruit/veggie smoothies as a critical part of my daily routine, it was necessary to purchase a blender and start testing some recipes. At first I did not know if I would continue with this drive long term, so I went for the cheapest blender I could find. Literally a tenner from Argos, this 400 watt device epitomised the word basic, but it performed pretty well. It happily shredded most things I put in, but you did need to chop the food first and whip the greens and water before adding fruit. Yes there were always some chunks left in the mix, but overall the mixture was ok. It smashed open plant cell walls and presented me with a digestible mixture. This little gem also sported a 1.5 litre plastic jug, so there was enough to deliver smoothies to two adults and two kids. 

The biggest negatives were that it looked cheap and plastic - obviously - and was very, very noisy. It sounded like I had a garden vac turned on every morning. Also the harsh motor worked very hard and I have to wonder how long it would have lasted. But for a tenner, who cares! 

It quickly became clear that this was one habit I had no intention of quitting. As such, and with the initial trial a success, there was no escaping a more expensive option. I conducted a great deal of research and the Vitamix always seemed to come out on top. Problem is they sell for about £500 and there was no way I would part with that sort of cash for a blender. 

The Tefal Blendforce and Blendforce Maxi looked like viable options. They use a new Triplax blade system that ensures items are finely milled. It was a 'Which' best budget buy, but reviews on Amazon and other sites were quite mixed. Several people reported breakdowns after only a few days or weeks. Others commented on burning smells from the motor and concern about the jug leaking. One has to wonder just how well Which magazine tested the device and perhaps they should extend their assessment over a longer period. At £50 it was a fairly sensible price, but it only carried a one year warranty and I had seen enough by now to decide it wasn't for me. 

And so it was that I stumbled across a review by www.alkalineanthea.com . Her video consideration of the Magimix convinced me that this was the way to go. The device was backed by incredible reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. One site had hundreds of comments all giving five stars. So I stumped up around £150 for the cream coloured model (bit pricier than the black version but matches the toaster!) at John Lewis and man does it produce a smooth end product. It is a lovely looking device and will automatically deliver a perfect smoothie. Even tough veggie stems are smashed into the tiniest of particles. You are presented with a superbly healthy end product and I must admit it is far smoother than the Argos budget option. Which magazine again fell down, however, because although they cited this as one of their Best Buys, they also comment on the noise level being quiet. It certainly is not. A big improvement on the Argos value blender - you can talk to someone in the same room! - but not what I would call quiet when operating near full speed. The lower settings are much better though.  

The kids were very excited to see the new machine operating and with this finer blend I am sure I can get more veggies into the mix. That can only be a good thing and with a three year parts warranty and twelve years on the motor, this should be a piece of kit that will last. 

The Little Book of Garden Bird Songs

There is a lovely little book shop on Beckenham high street that is independently owned and offers a variety of beautiful and interesting titles. When you step into book shops like this you realise that Kindles can never kill the market for hard copies completely. 

Anyway I was wandering past when I caught sight of a very interesting item. None other that The Little Book of Garden Bird Songs. 

Its aim is to help the reader recognise some of the most common avian visitors to British gardens. As well as beautiful drawings and interesting facts, we also have - at the touch of a button - high quality species specific samples (how is that for a patch of alliteration!). They really are decent quality sounds and I knew the family would love this book. It just looks right, now spring has arrived, perched on the side board and ready to assist any passer by with identification of our feathered friends. 

I would heartily recommend this as a book to help children develop their fascination with the natural world. It merges modern technology with the timeless wonder of beautiful drawings and fascinating facts, which is often a great way to fire interest - especially in the tech heavy biosphere we inhabit. 

Monet the Magician

We took the kids on a National Gallery visit this half term. I haven't been there in years and, whilst I can appreciate the superb skill required to produce fine art, must profess to being quite bored by endless portraits. 

Stepping into the Monet room was a game changer, however, and I was absolutely stunned by his wonderful interpretation of natural images like lily ponds. Monet - a leading figure in the French impressionist movement - saw life in the way I teach our children to see it. He could take a slice of the natural world and inject it with magic. The heartbeat of mother nature can be felt emanating from his incredible images. The children were just as impressed as we were. 

Monet built a new studio in Giverny, so he could work on huge canvasses of his water-lily pond. He was so captivated by the simple beauty that he felt compelled to interpret it again and again. If life has an invisible power, then somehow he was able to let a sliver trickle into his art work. 

Images like this help children to appreciate the wonder in nature. It connects the living and artificial worlds we inhabit and challenges people to look at things differently. I will choose a nice bright spring or summers day to visit one of the large ponds in our area and, as the sunlight strikes the surface and inhabitants go about their business, we will remember how this incredible painter insisted we view it. 

Reptile Thermostats - Do You Really Need One?

Last week we shifted the tank stack around, so the kids could better access their pets. The boys were very helpful but it meant a lot of carrying and re-wiring. The task was simplified, however, by our lack of reliance on electronic thermostats. There is no doubt that setup costs for reptile habitats are expensive. You need a decent vivarium, which must include a head source and probably UV light (depending on the species). Even a new 3ft vivarium can easily cost you £100 - £150. Adding on a T5 high output UV system and thermostat will soon rocket that cost towards £250 - 300, but is all of it really essential? 

Conventional herpetological wisdom tells us that a tank MUST have a thermostat in order to control the environment and protect the inhabitants from overheating. I think there are exceptions to this rule, however, if you a) live in a temperate country b) keep desert species c) keep species that require relatively cool temperatures. If you tick these boxes then a more effective solution is simply to size the wattage of your spotlight appropriately. You cannot get away from the requirement for UV (if you keep diurnal lizards and other sun loving species of reptile) but you can avoid a thermostat. 

Firstly lets look at the types of thermostat on offer: 1) pulse stats - only work properly with ceramic heaters because they would cause conventional bulbs to flash 2) dimming stats - drop the amount of power delivered through the system. This is not a very good solution where standard bulbs are concerned because it can literally drop the visible light to nothing more than a faint elemental glow. Again they are better with ceramic heaters 3) On/off stats - the cheapest variety and it literally switches off the heat source when a defined temperature is reached. This means that the temperature will fluctuate within a wider range but only about 1 - 2 degrees centigrade. 

All of these systems have their limitations, as mentioned above, but the biggest problem is the inevitable cancellation of direct basking spots. Let me be clear at this stage - I do not like ceramic bulbs (see pic below) because they emit heat in all directions. This prevents generation of a hot spot, which would frequently be encountered basking in the sun. It is natural for reptiles to seek a bright, saturated area of sunlight where they can rapidly increase body temperature. A ceramic bulb is very good at warming the entire environment and certainly won't make the animal ill, but it limits natural behaviour and activity in my experience. I switched the ceramic bulb out of our monitor lizards' tank and they immediately headed for the new spot lit area, with activity rapidly increasing over the next few hours. This was not coincidence, it simply offered them a better opportunity to raise their body temperature to optimum levels. 

When you use a stat the ambient room temperature is no longer a factor for your reptiles, The stat will maintain a temperature within the range you set. If the cool area is supposed to be 30 degrees, then that is what it will be. This is sensible if you live in an extremely cold or hot country and don't have central heating or decent ventilation, but if you live in a temperate climate (as we do in the UK) then you can make the ambient temps work to your advantage and completely avoid the need for thermostats. 

It is all about right sizing the spotlight wattage to the size of your enclosure. Now this may mean dropping down to a spotlight no more than 25 watts, but such a bulb can still generate localised basking areas of 40 degrees and will also facilitate an excellent temperature gradient for your animals. As the ambient temperature increases throughout the year, then so too will the temperature of your tank and indeed the basking spot. Mother nature helps to keep your pets in sync with the seasons. For example - we have our pair of cunningham skinks in an enclosure approximately 90cm long x 45cm x 40cm. A 30" UV tube provides a small dose of background heat and of course the all important sun-like UV energy. At the far end is a 25 watt spot light. During winter the ambient room temps can drop as low as 18 degrees at night but at the height of summer you could easily be sitting in 24 degrees during the day.  I know - from trial and experience - that the summer temps will never be too hot without a stat. Likewise in winter they will never be too cold. The bulb is sized so that even the most extreme of heat waves will not put the animals at risk. Yet it can stay on 12 hours a day during summer and provide a localised hot spot that closely mimics wild conditions.

A conventional reflector (see pic below) has the added advantage of creating a wider temperature gradient, something that ceramics struggle to achieve in smaller enclosures. So if you live in a temperate country it is possible to avoid the stat completely. Just make sure you get the bulb wattage correct and always use a spotlight design, so heat is focused downwards. As stated earlier I would recommend this approach more for desert species that are used to a wide range of temperatures or those that, in a temperate climate, will require hardly any background heat at all (think New Caledonian Giant Gecko). 

At this time we do not have any active stats - they have all been turned off. It is worth mentioning that one clear disadvantage of standard spotlights (halogen or otherwise) is the reduced life span vs ceramic bulbs. Nonetheless they are normally cheaper to purchase. I check the bulbs daily and will switch them every four months, whether they are still working or not.  

Our New Caledonian Giant Geckos have only 5 watt bulbs during the day and 7 watt fluorescent night lights. These both push the ambient temperature up about two degrees, which is ideal for increasing their metabolism but - in conjunction with the seasons - maintains a perfect year round temperature range. In winter the daily temp is around 24 - 25 degrees and at night time it varies between 20 - 23 degrees. In summer the daily high is never more than 29 degrees and at night 27 degrees. All this is possible if you size the heat source to the size of enclosure. There is certainly no need for a stat and rather it would be counter productive - preventing the very natural fluctuation that occurs as part of daily changes in external ambient conditions. 

So if you live in a place with generally mild weather - like the UK - you certainly do not need a stat :).