Daydream fund challenge part 4

Davesnave · 4 July 2015 at 2:21PM

My cerinthe seed themselves around here, most years. They are very easy to grow.

I buy all my seed on-line now. Always bought by post, but things are much easier and cheaper nowadays.:)

alfie_1 · 4 July 2015 at 3:51PM

hi all....

never a dull moment in these ere parts !
got a call from a chap who wants to sell his inlaws flat where my mum wants to be ! mum had a call yesterday from her estate agent saying she MAY have some news on Monday... meanwhile seller rang me

after getting valuation this morning from same EA.. so I took mum to see it, ideal, perfect, spotless etc so offered the valuation price [very reasonable, ] they accepted and in hands of solicitors

of course EA is gonna be miffed cos they've not been signed up and we buy direct....:o shouldn't have jumped the gun !!
lovely couple doing the selling for elderly parents are delighted and said they expected less £'s but happy mum loves it.
so sorted in 2 hours ! as soon as mums got the paperwork in she can complete etc ... so august is the month... means her buyers can complete sooner [solicitors permitting !] which is what they'de like... SORTED :j

p.s. if this flat had gone on the open market I reckon it would have been a bidding war and another 10k would have been thrown in

choille · 4 July 2015 at 4:19PM

That' excellent news Alfie. You will now have the task of sorting your mum' stuff for moving? Goodness, EA's are like politicians - wouldn't trust a word they say & seem a tad expensive for what they do.

Doing the windows in the baff room & also bedroom. First coat of satin wood & looks like it'll be at least another coat. I've got a fair bit of emulsion on the tiles but I'm sure that'll come off okay.

We had really strong gale today & rain, but it' cleared up, but much colder - which i a relief as it was a bit much for this Northern Lass.

Davesnave · 4 July 2015 at 5:02PM

That's good news all round, alfie. :j

Some EAs are all right, choille. The ones we had here a few years back were OK,. They came to value the property when we'd tamed it, and to offer advice about further development, but really they just wanted all our cake and biscuits.:rotfl: Their 20 minute 'consultation' lasted all afternoon, but they admitted nothing was selling then, so they weren't in a hurry to get back to their offices.

It was them that settled it for us concerning the amount of extension we should do. i.e. very little.....so we looked at ways of tweaking what we had. Seems to be working. :cool:

We have almost all our doors on now, though one or two will have to come off again for plastering. Our builder is making us a new front door, so when that goes in, that'll be every door changed.

With the satinwood finish, I find three coats gets better results than just two, with a rub down between 1/2 and 2/3 using 320 grade paper. (from Wickes)

alfie_1 · 4 July 2015 at 5:47PM

choille.... my mums already sorted ! shes not a hoarder mind ...
but what Is left is what she is taking.. few bits of furniture to the dump but that's it.
she has a lovely sofa that if I can find a home for ...great,if not its the tip !
shes leaving quite a bit for her buyers [saves shifting it] and mums gonna get new curtains etc..

just done the riverside walk with 2 of the mini's.. then put the 4 sheep into the lake paddock for some good grass/weed clearance then hoss's can follow.
poor old granma sheep is on her last legs BUT seems to be enjoying life still... had a fair jaunt on when she saw the gate open to the grass ! will do the right thing when its obvious she is struggling..

I_have_spoken · 4 July 2015 at 5:49PM

Thanks for the links to seed suppliers. I could so with some white foxgloves, I've only got one pure white this year and plenty on the spectrum of cream/pink/mauve so I expect any seeds won't come true.

I've been using the fence-post auger to create a 60m deep soak-away in the front garden, then filled with cheap sub-base aggregate. After 20cm is was pure clay you could throw onto a potters wheel...no wonder the ground is always wet

The auger is surprisingly useful, rather than an awkward stretch using a trowel, a few twists will create a neat circular hole to drop a plant into anywhere in the border.

Just been testing the water in the fish tank, worried the ammonia was too high as the "good" bacteria take a while to get going just like in a septic tank...except the fish are living in it._pale_

choille · 4 July 2015 at 9:34PM

Yes, Dave the paint will need a third coat I think. Yes, some EA are okay.

Spent a fair bit of time today scraping paint off the tiles - thumb nail seems the best tool for the job. Notice that some of the floor tile grout is cracked.

Good that mum is organised Alfie & she has you there for her.

IHS - I have mases of white foxgloves & the pink too. They grow wild. If I can gather you some seeds & post them down to you - let me know.

Davesnave · 4 July 2015 at 9:58PM

my favourite foxglove is D. mertonensis, which does come true from seed:

http://www.seedaholic.com/digitalis-mertonis-summer-king.html

I bought mixed foxglove seed last year, but only a disappointing few came up as perennial species and far too many were like those in the hedges!

That'll teach me to buy individual selections in future.

Today we covered the path through the perennial borders with weed control fabric to stop the annual meadow grass taking over. It's not ideal, but we have no time to build a proper path at present.

My next big job is the base for the new oil tank, which I'm sure I was originally told could be at ground level. Now I'm being told 0.3m above DPC. That's quite a difference. I didn't think my block work was going to be on display! :eek:

Rummer · 4 July 2015 at 10:44PM

Sorry I have been missing for so long

Life has been incredibly busy with many different things however I now have more time to relax and I am looking forward to being back here and keeping up with the news. I hope you are all well and keeping pleasantly busy

As I have been so busy the garden is need of some serious attention so I have blocked out time over the next few weeks to get it back on track. IHS your front garden sounds exactly like mine, any plants you would recommend?
The first thing that I need to tackle is the grass which is extremely lush at the moment

and the front path needs weeded and tidied. Then I am going to pressure wash the back patio and weed the shaded bed.
My alliums have been as wonderful as I hoped they would be and I am hoping to get some more planted for next year and I also want to pop some verbena in the sunny bed too

choille · 4 July 2015 at 10:54PM

Rummer - How weird; I was just wondering if you were okay & now here you are!

Great to hear from you.

Daydream fund challenge part 4

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free