the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

rhiwfield wrote: »

Lir, pond creation for wildlife purposes e.g. shallow margins, reed edges, no fish, may attract grants and it may even be that your local volunteer groups could help construct.

POND CONSERVATION

ARG groups

It probably doesnt have to be only for wildlife, just that its also designed to benefit wildlife.

Thank you. I have sent a few emails this morning. we'll see. I' not really hopeful.

Davesnave

I think we'll be doing this place some good when we put in some ponds, but we're not ready yet.

Down at the barn conversions there's a courtyard with several ponds, full of frog spawn right now, but we see too few of the adults. Once we have the ponds, I'm sure we'll have as many resident amphibians as we used to have at the old place. That was so many we always carried a special 'frog box' in the van, in case we arrived at market with a 'passenger.'

Lotus-eater

Davesnave wrote: »

I can manage with a clothes budget of £20 a month, but this month our hedging budget is £350! Mind you, if we can have the hedges, in a few years time our clothing budget could be as small as it is for these guys::rotfl:



http://www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk/events/clothes-optional-days

I've seen these guys on tv a couple of times, I can't understand how anyone can garden in the nudy, even if I have very few bits of flesh on show, I always manage to get them bitten, scratched, stung and generally mangled.
And they're the bits I'm not too worried about!

That swimming pond seems a good idea, I get the idea it may not be as easy to run as is suggested though.

lostinrates

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I've seen these guys on tv a couple of times, I can't understand how anyone can garden in the nudy, even if I have very few bits of flesh on show, I always manage to get them bitten, scratched, stung and generally mangled.
And they're the bits I'm not too worried about!

I spent most of last summer going between a ghastly yellow sundress from the supermarket and some blue jersey shorts with a t shirt. Both of course leave arms and legs bare....yes, I get scratched grazed and damaged, but then, so did I when climbing trees as a kid in similar attire. And...it saves clothes damage!

That swimming pond seems a good idea, I get the idea it may not be as easy to run as is suggested though.

I think they underplay the maintenance a lot. I remember living with swimming pools in hotter climes and the maintaining they took....and besides the chemicals there is stuff to do. we can live with that, if we can get the wretch built. Maintaining will be no harder than fighting to keep the brambles there now at bay.

Silly dh broke his glasses and that's a big chunk of this month's budget gone. Still, those frames have lasted YEARS.

Davesnave

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I've seen these guys on tv a couple of times, I can't understand how anyone can garden in the nudy, even if I have very few bits of flesh on show, I always manage to get them bitten, scratched, stung and generally mangled.
And they're the bits I'm not too worried about!

And there's nowhere to put your dibber......:rotfl:

We've visited, and sold them a few plants. It's an interesting garden, on a great site and not at all gimmicky. I think it's fair to assume that a lot of the hard labour is done by staff.

alfie_1

good evening all....
i am now officially not a fan of my generator at the mo.... i spent sunday,completely servicing it, oil,filters etc.. it kept tripping after, and i knew it wasnt the house cos i have a trip switch where power goes in. swearing my head off [good job no neighbours!!] i couldnt find fault. today it tripped again...i found a broken wire,fixed it. then the submergable pump in the garden packed in...so had to find another and drove miles to get it.....then the universal clip to the hose broke...off i drove again!! found some...fixed it ... went to make a cup of tea and NO TEABAGS :eek:.....and yes ...off i drove again to get some ! needless to say i am waiting for the next "breakdown" whilst trying to scrub oil and mud off myself.... probably be me !!:o

lostinrates

Ok, when I said no thanks, the big pond builder got back in touch and I thought they were prepared to negotiate but they just sent me the same list again...and tbh, the meet in the middle point is way more than we can spend on this now anyway.

One of the big expenses is liner....but we know our pond holds water....so maybe we don't need that? It won't keep dirt out I guess, but....

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

And there's nowhere to put your dibber......:rotfl:

I use a chopstick, the trowel or my finger. I keep the chopstick in my hair!:o And yes, I do get filthy hair.

alfie_1

MY FRIENDS IN SURREY DUG A LAKE!!
He said he was going to dig a big pond and off he went with a jcb. next day same again..on the 3rd day we wandered up to see it and it was HUGE !! it was about 14' deep and well..HUGE ! it had an island in the middle too. he had banked up the sides from what he dug out so it was above ground and sloping away. because it was clay in there he then "paddled" it and packed it smooth all over and then diverted a fast stream [not all but a side pipe] into it [it rained alot too!] in a month or so it had filled and it has never leaked,and has lots of wildlife as he planted it all around....its amazing and he has swum in it, no problem..
mind you, his wife made sure he wasnt let loose with the JCB for a while..

lostinrates

alfie_1 wrote: »

MY FRIENDS IN SURREY DUG A LAKE!!
He said he was going to dig a big pond and off he went with a jcb. next day same again..on the 3rd day we wandered up to see it and it was HUGE !! it was about 14' deep and well..HUGE ! it had an island in the middle too. he had banked up the sides from what he dug out so it was above ground and sloping away. because it was clay in there he then "paddled" it and packed it smooth all over and then diverted a fast stream [not all but a side pipe] into it [it rained alot too!] in a month or so it had filled and it has never leaked,and has lots of wildlife as he planted it all around....its amazing and he has swum in it, no problem..
mind you, his wife made sure he wasnt let loose with the JCB for a while..

Ours will be fed with surface water and the clean water from our sewage treatment centre....it has a pump already. I'm wondering if just by making a wall and crating a filtration zone we can do this..an terracing the steep banks for gardening. Swimming really is something we want....but we're only reasonably fussy.:) I don't think its worth what they want to charge for the self build..even if we had it to spend.

eta: its also an primarily of course, our own reservoir...more and more important. Its next to the veg garden so we can water from there, hopefully eventually setting up a watering system. (the new slurry is nearby for manure and some dirty water to feed with to).