the daydream fund challenge thread

Rummer

I had a very productive day in the garden today

Only popped out to tidy up a bed and ended up doing loads! I got a number of beds dug and raked over and then I started to trim the hedges around my fruit trees and ended up cutting the inside of the hedge by hand :rotfl:

It is looking so much better now and the new beds are starting to take shape. I flatten the area where we are going to have the tyre bed. I have read up on it and there is mixed advice regarding planting in tyres so I am going to give it a go as it worked well last year. That area of the garden is just a swamp in the winter and we can not afford to fix the drainage.

I have piled the hedge cuttings to make a wee animal hideout and will use some of the cuttings to pot on and then fill gaps in the hedge. It is amazing the difference a tidy hedge can make to a garden.

Hoping to get some more fruit bushes from the Lidl offer as they are the bushes we have bought in the past and they always fruit well. We love soft fruit and it is so dear :eek: plus once it is in it is fairly self sufficient!

Going to spend time tomorrow getting the beds properly dug and weeded so that I can get them ready to plant when manic season starts!

rhiwfield

Gardening in the nude isnt all its cracked up to be, especially when you're cleaning out the chicken litter from the wendy house (aka naughty hen isolation ward) in a cold northeasterly. Dibbers tend to get lost very quickly in this weather

Made the base for the second water butt and repointed/buttressed retaining wall as builders are busy rebuilding next door.

And later, like a complete fool, managed to drop two trays of mixed tom seedlings, including the expensive F1 varieties. Idiot! Idiot! Dont know whether I've managed to save some, we'll wait and see. Left them in the greenhouse tonight, straight toss between dehydration indoors and frost there

Rummer, of all the money saving things you can grow, soft fruit bushes when established take the cream. Dessert raspberries, gooseberries, jams with blackcurrants, redcurrants, jostaberries mmmmmm...........

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Thanks everyone for your good lucks:T
I know what you mean LIR, if i dont get it, yes i will be a bit disappointed, i think that would be only natural..but now this has made me look at different ways of having land...

Before i put the offer in, i had a lovely 'few' phone conversations with the highways department...

If anyone is reading this, i totally agree with what people have been saying, contact your local planning/highways regarding planning etc, they are really helpfull ( in the first instance), I learned some valueble information, which have broadened my knowledge for the future...

Rhiwfield, thank you, your offer of help is really appreciated...

On my email offer, i asked if they would email me back to confirm they did recieve it, but when 3.30pm came and no email, i phoned them... he couldnt tell me how my offer went, he just said all offers were now being posted to the vendor, so now all i can do is wait...

Might start looking to see what else is for sale this afternoon:rotfl:

but i think its best if i go to the antique place and take some more stuff down to sell, and do a bit of a tidy up there.....

Has anyone who ordered using their tesco vouchers had their, or heard anything about their seed/plant orders?


edit.....LIR that seems alot of money to dig a big hole...lol...i dont know much about ponds, but i know liners are really expensive, but if you got clay soil, it will form some sort of wall if done right....I am sure a few years ago i seen a programme where someone done a manmade lake/huge pond ...flip cant remember the programme now....

Rummer

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Has anyone who ordered using their tesco vouchers had their, or heard anything about their seed/plant orders?

Part of my order arrived still waiting on my blueberry bushes

rhiwfield

Better day today, went to the tip to get rid of a load of stuff and saw some branches of rosemary. Mine seems to have been killed by the cold this winter so nabbed some and took some cuttings. Who knows, it might even work.

One of the invicta goosegogs self layered, so potted up new plant, and also planted out foxgloves saved from self sown seedlings. Aubretia that I had to move when cemented water butt base has nicely filled a gap in the edging for the rose bed.

And, maybe a tad late, pruned the soft fruit beds without getting scratched.

Followed that by lamb and chicken tikka lunch with DW and DS2.

Pats stomach contentedly

COOLTRIKERCHICK

rhiwfield wrote: »

Better day today, went to the tip to get rid of a load of stuff and saw some branches of rosemary. Mine seems to have been killed by the cold this winter so nabbed some and took some cuttings. Who knows, it might even work.

One of the invicta goosegogs self layered, so potted up new plant, and also planted out foxgloves saved from self sown seedlings. Aubretia that I had to move when cemented water butt base has nicely filled a gap in the edging for the rose bed.

And, maybe a tad late, pruned the soft fruit beds without getting scratched.

Followed that by lamb and chicken tikka lunch with DW and DS2.

Pats stomach contentedly

did you have a little after lunch snooze too;) sounded as though it was lovely..

Hope the rosemary roots..... my M.I.L las loads of it so if you get any problems i'm sure i could get some for you...


Is this right.........

went ot the antique place today just to tidy up and add a few more bits, and we were talking about old houses and land etc, and the owner said if you wanted a cheap old place ( listed) then contacted your local council and ask for a list of listed buildings that the owners want to sell, due to various reasons, but mainly because they have got to stop them form going into dis-repair, and cant afford it etc so want to sell them cheaply..

Just wondering if anyone have heard of this? this is prob totally out of my league... financially and knowledge wise etc... but this ifo might be of interest to peeps and lurkers on here

right off to 'ping' the rest of last nights chinese.... ( the post by rhiwfield has noe made me hungary...lol...)

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

did you have a little after lunch snooze too;) sounded as though it was lovely..

Hope the rosemary roots..... my M.I.L las loads of it so if you get any problems i'm sure i could get some for you...


Is this right.........

went ot the antique place today just to tidy up and add a few more bits, and we were talking about old houses and land etc, and the owner said if you wanted a cheap old place ( listed) then contacted your local council and ask for a list of listed buildings that the owners want to sell, due to various reasons, but mainly because they have got to stop them form going into dis-repair, and cant afford it etc so want to sell them cheaply..

Just wondering if anyone have heard of this? this is prob totally out of my league... financially and knowledge wise etc... but this ifo might be of interest to peeps and lurkers on here

right off to 'ping' the rest of last nights chinese.... ( the post by rhiwfield has noe made me hungary...lol...)

hi all... YES i hav heard of this... apparently also people that have been "ordered" to finish building works within a time of "start" have it taken and auctioned by the councils if they dont comply !!

i am getting one big egg and one bantam egg every OTHER day !!! they are going to have to put thier feathery butts up a gear !!!

RAS

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

and we were talking about old houses and land etc, and the owner said if you wanted a cheap old place ( listed) then contacted your local council and ask for a list of listed buildings that the owners want to sell, due to various reasons, but mainly because they have got to stop them form going into dis-repair, and cant afford it etc so want to sell them cheaply..

There are two things

Every local Council has an Empty Homes Register, that lists properties reported to it that are or appear to be abandoned. In extremis, if they think someone will buy it they can legally compulsory purchase, but are unlikely to do so unless they can sell it on immediately and then not always.

There is also the SPAB list http://www.spab.org.uk/publications/the-property-list/ which covers listed buildings. generally you need a lot of money to do one up.

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

... the owner said if you wanted a cheap old place ( listed) then contacted your local council and ask for a list of listed buildings that the owners want to sell, due to various reasons, but mainly because they have got to stop them form going into dis-repair, and cant afford it etc so want to sell them cheaply..

Just wondering if anyone have heard of this? this is prob totally out of my league... financially and knowledge wise etc... but this ifo might be of interest to peeps and lurkers on here.

That they keep a list of 'endangered buildings' could well be true, but despite encouragement from councils, there is little real enforcement which would make owners keep listed buildings in good repair. In extreme circumstances the council might act to keep the weather out and then send the bill to the owner. They could also serve a repairs notice, and if that doesn't work, they could then compulsorily purchase and sell the building on to someone who will do the work, but in practice most owners act to stop that happening. That doesn't mean they will do any more than the minimum to stop the building falling down etc.

The fact is that councils are much stricter with people who attempt to alter listed buildings without consent, or in unapproved ways, than they are with neglectful owners. This means that it can be horribly expensive to take on a listed property renovation.

Powys County Council sell off property sometimes and advertise it on their site. Doesn't look like there's much in your area ATM though:
http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=4231&L=0


I'd certainly ask about this list, but be aware of the financial pitfalls with anything listed.

And hey, nothing is 'out of your league;' you're a fully qualified property seeker now! :cool:

lostinrates

CTC, old and unlisted is FAR better than old and listed if you can find it. The things we're discussing with listd buildings officer a sane person would go mad with. e.g. we have a corrugated iron building rusted through and not fit for purpose anyway, and of NO architectural or historical merit, that comes under the listing as far as listed building officer is concerned, because it was here when it was listed (probably new that year though!) ATM its where we store the rest of the scrap metal, in the hope it can all be taken at the same time. . Also, the previous owner did very poor repair of the inglenook, using modern brick laying techniches and cement mortar when the flue was lined an the woodburner incorrectly fitted...but the listed building officer didn't recognise the incorrect brick lay pattern till the architect pointed it out as justification for our eventual restoration from 80s/9os/this century botch to a correct restore. They are all coming out here agan next month I think....hopefully to agree listed building oficer would consent if planning passes (in theory both depts are in favour ATM...but he details fromlisted buildings officer are many...and often historically inaccurate!)