the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Exactly, I wait until I know the cause of death. Being hit by a large vehicle is an acceptable COD

Hope that venison tastes good Feeling a little jealous as we have none in atm, but my shooting pal has started again I think, so might be some soon.

Shame you aren't near, you could have had half. We fairly butchered the butchering, and of course, didn't hang it before freezing, because it just had to be done.

rozeepozee

Hello again guys. It's the fly by night poster, Rozee. I'm so sad I never have time to read everyone's threads properly but I'm putting the twins to be in 5 minutes so snatching a moment to read her and post. Caught up with your latest photos, Dave. I always feel slightly envious... We are still lamenting the loss of the property in Cardigan but I heard a quote this week: a regret is a dream no longer pursued, so our search goes on.

We've "found" another property online, a real project this time, needs total renovation with PP for a 3 bedroom house. Price £200k with 10 acres. Minutes from the beach in one of those lovely estuary villages in Carmarthen. We knew not to get excited: What's the catch we thought?

Well, the land is in the valley and very steep.... Very steep. Apparently, you couldn't put a static on it, couldn't fit a polytunnel, farm it without clearing it. Google earth SA33 5LB. The very sweet seller says it's a two year plus project to even begin terracing and readily offers that the advert which suggests it would make a lovely smallholding is over excited estate agent speak.

"Apart from" this small issue, it sounds perfect! It has the junior school, beach, shops, PO, pubs, Carmarthen nearby. So the question is, what, if anything can you do with overgrown land in a valley? How much would it cost to terrace? What are the pitfalls (apart from the obvious). There are apparently trees/wodded areas and other than that very overgrown - we joked about goat farming!

We're contemplating going for a look over Christmas but dragging the babies to Wales again is a prospect I don't particularly relish in the winter.

RAS

Having looked at googlemaps, is this the holding on the opposite side of the valley to Old School Lane? If so, it is almost east facing and open to the south.

If you are going to graze land, steepness is not an issue.

If you might want to terrace it, google Sepp Holzer and look at what he has done to his mountain fam in Austria.

choille

Well I'm all steep & overgrown. It drains - so if the house is at the top - you shouldn't be bothered with flooding!

lostinrates

It depends what you want to do with it, as others have said. sheep, tiny kids ponies., poultry, goats...they'll be ok. You lose the ability to make your own hay/haylage if its to steep to get a tractor on so that needs to be considered as an extra cost. We had a mildly steep slope once, just ok to get a tractor to most of it, and for me personally, any steeper than that for all but a percentage section of land would be a no go, with my health issues gardening veg etc on a slope, worrying about getting back up might be an issue!

Rummer

I am turning my thoughts to covering my veggie beds so I have less weeding to do in the new year! So far I have one large bed covered in carpet but wondered if old animal shavings/hay (guinea pigs) would be suitable to put over the remaining beds? I was thinking a thick layer of that would break down quite nicely over the winter, it did wonders for our rhubarb last year. What do you think?

Poosmate

Evening all, thought I'd post at a more reasonable time tonight!

Rhiw, thanks for that. I wish I could say I've got things to show for my credit spending but unfortunately I was left in such a mess I was spending for survival. I know I'm not out of the woods yet but at least I know what direction to go in. Barclaycard put mine up to 19.9%, I told them I refused to accept those terms but was too late so I've closed that account. MBNA put their rate up to 24.9% before I knew I could refuse to accept the terms! :-( but that one should be paid off in a few months. I believe the average CC interest rate is now around 18.9%! Shocking!

LIR, have to agree that little Poo eats more meat than me too as well as her Whiskas (the only branded food that comes into this house except my Nescafe coffee) - she probably eats better than me! lol She doesn't do fruit at all though and yes she is the perfect companion.

Maggie, I think you could be right about a dog versus alarm for protection, plus the dog is portable too! Hope your house is coming on well.

Rummer, hi and welcome back. Glad things are starting to look up for you now. I love this thread, it's like a good book you can't put down. I'm sure you'll catch up quickly.

Choille, sorry to hear of your chook troubles, hope things start to get better for you soon.

Hi Stitching Witch, great to hear you getting on with your allotment. Poor chooks do seem to go through a bad time this time of year - do you think they get SAD (Seasonal Adjusment Disorder)?

Trog, you be careful down there now! Have you had your "Confined Spaces" training? Don't forget your breathing apparatus. Oh and I'd leave the manhole cover off for a while to let the remnants of methane gas escape and even then don't strike a match or use a lighter to see what it's like down there!

Hey Rozee, how about when you put the twins to bed you read them a story called "The Daydream Fund Challenge Thread"... It's a wonderful story of hope and inspiration and good people helping each other. I suppose it's like permiculture in real life, like mixing exercise with housework and the like! Remember also the saying, "marry in haste, repent at leisure". I would say, if you are looking for your "forever" home, don't make the dream fit the property, hold out for as close to the dream as you can.

Good points made by Ras, Choille and LIR though.

Sorry Rummer can't really help you there, I really am carp at gardening, I think I'm just here living the dream in my head! lol

Anyway, must fly now, great to hear from you all, have a good day tomorrow.

Poo

choille

Hi Rummer - I've put old hay from the sheep on beds & the weed seeds that come up are incredible. I feed the sheep hay in the byre & what they drop provides nice bedding -sheep won't eat soiled food/hay, but when i clear the byre out I leave it to really rot down & put it in plastic sacks - old feed sacks & then use that. I think any dung should be well rotted down before using.

Cardboard over the weeded beds will keep them clear - I think.

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

Shame you aren't near, you could have had half. We fairly butchered the butchering, and of course, didn't hang it before freezing, because it just had to be done.

Very kind of you, as you say, shame

I think that's very brave of you to butcher it, I always pay a butcher £20 to sort the whole thing out for me, he sorts it into roasts, chops up the steaks and sorts out all the rest into casserole chunks.

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Very kind of you, as you say, shame

I think that's very brave of you to butcher it, I always pay a butcher £20 to sort the whole thing out for me, he sorts it into roasts, chops up the steaks and sorts out all the rest into casserole chunks.

We'd have got better value from the meat from a butcher but it was an issue of timing and tbh I haven't yet found a good butcher locally. My best friend is born and bred in this area and we're hoping to get a date when we are both free over festive time where she can show me around for things like that.


Its the most beautiful morning ever, surely? Crunchy white frosts, bright blue skies, straming sun. And I have to take my mother shopping...boooooo.