Meades Family Homepage Meades Family
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This site last updated: 22 July 2008.
Welcome to the Meades family homepage. We're Rob, Alice, Hazel (aged 11) and Leo (aged 8). We live in Saffron Walden, which is just south of Cambridge in the UK.  We're interested in reading science fiction, watching films (from Scooby Doo to Pi), keeping marine fish, keeping a bearded lizard, trapping moths, writing stories, playing with toy cars, gardening, model railways and drinking beer. Details of the bits and bobs on this website are given below.  This site can be quite picture-rich and includes streamed videos so those with dial-up links please be aware that it may be slow (sorry).  

Here you will find our marine aquarium tank diary and information on our bearded lizard; during the summer months you can find moth stuff here.  The highlights follow...
Since October 2005 we have been keeping a bearded lizard named Norman.  While the decision to begin lizard keeping was not a particularly straightforward one the exercise has proved immensely satisfying and Norman has rapidly become a member of the family.  He needs a reasonable (but not onerous) amount of care and is now well settled-in both to his vivarium and to sensible eating habits.

We would heartily recommend bearded lizards to anyone who desires an interesting yet non-allergy-generating pet that is suitable for children.  And you simply have to watch the arm-waving and head-bobbing videos on www.beardeddragon.org to appreciate quite how bizarre these pets can get.  Norman has now begun bobbing himself, though we've seen no waves yet.

 Norman the bearded lizard
Moth trap at the bottom of our garden at full moon Rob has wanted to build a moth trap since he was ten and a few years ago took the opportunity to do this before he reached the age of forty. As a small boy interested in entomology this would not be surprising, but as an adult he was amazed at how exciting it turned out to be. You need to build a trap (see link below) and put it out on a nice warm summers evening.

When you get up in the morning in midsummer you will  find up to a few hundred moths sleeping inside it. And not just the little ones you find attacking your lamp shades indoors - you are likely to capture large hawk-moths. If you trap regularly over the period of the summer you will notice the rise and fall of populations of moth species from week to week.  Fascinating.

Poplar Hawk MothPoplar Hawk Moth, face-on close-up  

We've kept a marine fish tank since February 2002 and have designed a new 260 litre tank with sump, pump and skimmer in the built-in garage next door.  More details on the system below.  The current fish population is pictured here (we also have increasing varieties of corals) .
Regal TangCleaner ShrimpLong-nose Hawkfish Virgate RabbitfishMaroon Clownfish (male)

Site Contents

  1. Moth stuff - how to trap moths and the results of our moth trapping, updated 13 July 2008. 
  2. Fish stuff - our marine aquarium and its progress, updated 20 July 2008.
  3. Bearded Dragon stuff - progress on keeping a bearded dragon, updated 12 July 2008.
  4. Locust breeding stuff - progress on our attempt to breed locusts, updated 21 February 2008.
  5. Other photos from our garden - photos of interesting stuff we've come across, updated 22 July 2008.
  6. Hazel's gallery - updated 12 July 2008.
  7. Leo's gallery - updated 15 June 2008. 
  8. N scale railway - updated 7 May 2007.
  9. Formicarium - updated 2 December 2007.
  10. Our life stories in 100 words each - updated 9 July 2008.
  11. Family photos & history - requires login.
  12. Rob's dad's songs - some old recordings of Rob's dad singing some even older songs.
  13. Beer and cider recipes - Rob has lapsed, so this was last updated 3 March 1998.
  14. Drabbles - if you don't know what one is, click to find out.
  15. Piper J3 Cub model plane - Rob only flew the model twice back in 1996, but it was immense fun to build so he's kept the pictures here.

Worthy Links

  1. Saffron Screen - Saffron Walden's cinema.
  2. Mocha Cafe - our local cafe, visited every Saturday for a very good breakfast or lunch.
  3. RA Butler Schools - Hazel's and Leo's school.
  4. Saffron Walden - local council website.
  5. Qasara - Rob's work.
  6. ukmoths.org.uk - loads of pictures of moths at rest, essential resource for identification.
  7. www.birdforum.net - not just birds, but lots of other stuff including forums where you may get help identifying moths.
  8. www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk - what it says it is.
  9. www.ukleps.org - a great place to identify the eggs, larvae and pupae of British butterflies and moths.
  10. British Butterfly Conservation Society - information on butterflies and moths in the UK.
  11. www.mothscount.org - monitoring moths in the UK.
  12. www.beardeddragon.org - the A to Z of bearded dragons, including the famous arm-waving and head-bobbing videos.
  13. Reef Aquarium Guide - useful for the marine aquarium hobbyist.  
  14. WetWebMedia - ditto. 
  15. Totally Tropicals - the website of our local marine aquarium shop.
  16. Antpage - ant stuff from Marcus and Kate Smith.
  17. Mike's Ambient Device - a how to make your own ambient light.

Notify Us

Please take a moment to tell us you've visited by clicking the button below (no troublesome forms to fill out - depending on your browser you may see nothing happen and you will get no confirmation, but we'll get to know your e-mail address).
Mail to: Rob, Alice or all the Meades family in Saffron Walden (Google Earth view here), Essex, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1799 520989

Copyright notice:  the contents of this site are copyright © The Meades Family (Rob, Alice, Hazel and Leo Meades).  If you'd like to use anything here, you must ask us first.  We're not likely to object, but we would like to be asked. Thanks.