the daydream fund challenge thread

Rummer

stitching_witch wrote: »

This month I've cleared the Tax Credit overpayment I've been paying off for 3 years, and also a loan from my DD. I'd love to put the £50 a month into my daydream fund, but I'm going to throw it at the other debts in true MSE fashion!


Everything else is on hold at the moment as FIL died on Friday at the good age of 88. We've been driving up and down to Hastings for a couple of weeks to support MIL and plenty more trips over the next few weeks as the funeral isn't until the New Year. This is when I realise what a tie the chickens are.....:(

So sorry to hear about your FIL x

Glad to hear that you are steadily chipping away at your debts, it is so nice when you start to clear them off

Davesnave

Oops! I have just lost my post, trying to be too clever with an image which I then decided to delete in the interests of public taste and decency....:A

Anyway, hello to Poppy. I really like your web site, especially the shots from Ventnor Botanic Garden, which bring back happy memories. We have a few things growing here that travelled from there as seeds.Wonderful what the wind blows in...:cool:

Alfie, your comment about the Vicar reminded me so much of a rather raucous conversation at the Harvest Home slap-up meal when a gentleman, who seemed well-versed in 'the ways of the world,' joined our table. As I'd not seen him before, I later asked someone who he was, only to be told he was the Archdeacon of *****, one of the special guests! :o

Rummer, it depends what your 'standard hedge' is. If it's privet, 20cm cuttings lined out at this time of year in a sandy or gritty trench will take easily,. If its leylandii or something similar, it will be more difficult.

Davesnave

Sorry to hear of your loss, stitchy. Eighty-eight is a good innings, but it's harder for those left behind at that age.

Chickens are a huge tie, especially at this time of year. We will be whizzing back here when we pick up DD2 from uni, because we don't trust our defences in the dark, even though we've seen no evidence of foxes or badgers in the garden, or the field...yet.

Next week, DW will be visiting DD1, but I'll be here, holding the fort. Besides, I seem to be needed now to put sheep upright. I've done three in as many days.....or it could be the same one!:( I took her number tonight. Should have done so earlier. Doh!:o

Rummer

Davesnave wrote: »

Rummer, it depends what your 'standard hedge' is. If it's privet, 20cm cuttings lined out at this time of year in a sandy or gritty trench will take easily,. If its leylandii or something similar, it will be more difficult.

It is privet, will it not die at this time of the year if I plant it out? We have 10cm of snow at the moment am I better to wait until spring?

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

LIR - The cuckoo maran looks like the Scot's grey - I guess cuckoo is speckeldy?.

Yep,that's right.:) I've got a few cuckoos. I never went for cuckoo marans though,my marans were french wheaten and blue copper. The old cochin is cockoo and I have a coupleof ''selfmixed''hybrids who are cockoo.

lostinrates

stitching witch, do you have a neighbour you can ask. In my last home I occasionally iposed on a neighbour in return for eggs. Here no such luck!

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

It is privet, will it not die at this time of the year if I plant it out? We have 10cm of snow at the moment am I better to wait until spring?

Now, with the ground full of frost isn't any good, but as soon as the soil is workable again I'd go for it. This is because the cuttings should have been done in autumn, but late is better than never!

Here's some advice on it from BBC Lancashire:

Brian Neal asks...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How do I take a cutting from a privet hedge?[/FONT]
Bill replies...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The common Privet (Ligustrum Ovafolium) makes a wonderful hedge and is ideal for industrial areas and it is quite easy to root from cuttings. Hardwood cuttings is the easiest method to use Brian - these can be taken in the Autumn from ripe wood of the current season's growth - the cuttings need to be about 12 inches long and these can be inserted in a slit trench in a sheltered spot in the garden and approximately six inches of the cutting needs to inserted below soil level. If you only require a few cuttings these can be inserted around the side of a six inch pot or small container in a well drained compost and again these can just be watered and left outside. You will need to remove the leaves before inserting the cuttings beneath the soil.[/FONT]

Personally, I'd go for in the soil (with added grit & sand) rather than round a pot.

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

I'm going to buy some wood in January, and I've already decided to buy from the people who sell by cubic metre not the ones who sell by tonne to help guard against that.

i got some by the Q yd and it arrived in big white bag, when i put in woodshed, it was HALF the quantity by the truck load.....same price.....RIP OFF !! so be carefull!!
iv just found a great supplier and im storing it up while hes still got it.!!

Rummer

Davesnave wrote: »

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You will need to remove the leaves before inserting the cuttings beneath the soil.[/FONT]

Personally, I'd go for in the soil (with added grit & sand) rather than round a pot.

Thank you for that! This may be a daft question do I remove all the leaves so it is just a stick? Or just the leaves that would end up under the surface?

choille

LIR - You mentioned about your sewage treatment thing - what is it? A digester?

Stitching Witch sorry to hear of your FIL - it's sad at anytime but nearish Christmas is sad for you all.
Good that you've managed to pay back the TC overpayment - we got caught up in that a few years back - Grrrr - seemed ages to get clear. Thing is we could probably have claimed Tc these past couple of years but we felt sickened with the last carry on we'd had & stayed clear.