the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

Wish I could just lift the phone & order sheds & men to do stuff.

You know, I wish we could in a way too. But I'm hoping the slow way through....and we have had men in for somethings but its still slow!...will make us appreciate it more.

DH almost steered off the road this evening when I suggested we consider moving further over alfie's way in about 10 years if a particular thing happens..he's saying its out of here in a box only: whatever happens!

rhiwfield

Oh what a perfect day........

Well it wasnt bad, anyhow

We visited a car boot at Stormy Down to stock up on pots and planters and in one £1 job lot, there was a nice pot and base hiding, stamped Llangollen, maybe the 60's studio there, in a lovely green outer glaze and lilac inner. Probably not worth more than £5-£10 but we'll keep it anyway, really like the design. Worth the trip on its own.

Alfie, envious of your old farm stuff, but we havent the room even if we could afford them

Davesnave, this is where we could do with your gate sales for plants. No passing traffic here and can't car boot this sunday, so first date is week after and the hot weather has advanced some plants that we need to sell soon. Ah well, always can donate to the local plant charity.

And had the gds here later for Easter Egg hunt, amazed just how many choccy eggs DW and DD1 had stashed

alfie_1

choille wrote: »

LIR - Croft goes down to the Lochside - so private swimming & fishing possible. We have the gorge as well - so skinny dipping showers if midgy free!

Should I attempt a website does anyone know? Sorry for spearing but I have to do something.

when i advertised my 1st holiday cottage, i put add in the Daltons Weekly. it automatically went in thier handbook and on thier website. i advertised for 6 weeks in the paper in feb/march and i can say that 70% of my bookings were through that. id never heard of the paper but a it has evry type of property related info in it...that is assuming its still running, im sure it is !! and its amazing how many people use it... also try getting in touch with some bikers magazines and ask them to do an article about it...free advertising????

choille

Thanks Alfie - I did think the biker thing - as it'll be rougher than a 'normal' campsite & folks will have to walk down a slope.

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

Davesnave, this is where we could do with your gate sales for plants. No passing traffic here and can't car boot this sunday, so first date is week after and the hot weather has advanced some plants that we need to sell soon. Ah well, always can donate to the local plant charity.

The sales aren't going particularly well yet, but that's because we're being deliberately low-key. We'll never be madly busy. No point in making a big fuss and not having enough stock to back it up. We'd rather people find us and pass on the info by word of mouth.

For example, we sold a couple of plants yesterday, which were being given as presents. Because we print professional plastic labels, they'll look the part. However, our prices are pretty much half those of the local garden centres.

TBH, if we were starting again, I'd not bother with the nursery for a few years. There's enough to do without it, but maybe I'll change my tune. OTOH, in a few years, the state will pay me £140 per week (allegedly!) to do nothing! It's all very confusing....:o

stitching_witch

We've been busy at the allotment again over the last couple of weeks. DH has built 11 out of the 15 raised beds and the last four should be finished by the end of the week. He needs to get them done soon as I've got plants ready to go in!

The beds are 3.3m long and so far I've planted 3 rows of white onions, 3 rows of red onions, 2 rows of shallots, 2 rows of garlic, 4 rows of Kestrel potatoes and 6 rows of Vivaldi potatoes (which are my favourite variety). There is also a row of carrots and a row of parsnips already in and loads more seeds and seedlings at home waiting to go down the road.

DGS wants pumpkins on his plot this year and they are looking healthy, but waiting for the bed to be built. We're also trying butternut squash this year. Love to eat them but never tried growing them before.

This morning will be spent sorting out the chicken area (they make so much mess!) and then DH and I will be riding to the New Forest and having a picnic lunch. I just hope my little 125cc bike can keep up with his 800cc monster. It's not far, but I can never remember the way through the back roads.:rotfl:

Have a good Bank Holiday folks, stitchy x

ukmaggie45

Caravan garden a complete mess! Two bunny holes under my "crows nest" platform in the hedge and the little [STRIKE]b*****s[/STRIKE] darlings have dug soil out of my pots on the deck, took OH hours to brush it all up. Not got much in the way of plants left in pots, all been munched. :mad:

But the honeysuckle is going mad (we didn't get time to cut it back last autumn as were too busy to get down here with the house renovation), jasmine has survived the winter, and Rosa The New Dawn has lots of growth - spent some time yesterday tieing it in and thinning it a bit.

Behind the shed the passion flower is dead, but the clematis we planted 2 years ago is going strong and has a number of buds coming. Chopped lots off both buddleias (another thing that didn't get done in the autumn) yesterday. Loads of primroses in the hedge and they are spreading nicely. These are proper wild ones, but bought in from local garden centre grown from seed. Have an outbreak of Spanish Bluebells :eek: that we are trying to root out but I think it will take several years to get them all.

Badly sunburned face yesterday despite wearing a straw hat all day. Consequently felt very ill and emotional yesterday evening, not helped by the poor state of my once lovely patio garden.

But on the bright side, OH washed all the bird feeders yesterday and filled them up. Already we've had goldfinches, bluetits, great tit and sparrows visiting. :j Oh, seen our first swallows of the year too. Buzzard wheeling around over the bay yesterday. Got our fish wind sock flying over the hedge now too - just the small fish, saving the shark for our main holiday later in the year.

DD2 and SiL and twins coming down today, not sure if we'll see them before we set off home or not. Forgot to bring camera battery charger with me (I think it's on the kitchen storage cupboards at new house) so fingers crossed it lasts out till we get home!

Very cold last night, kept waking up with it despite duck down quilt and extra blanket. Forgot to bring my hot water bottles! We got the central heating going first thing this morning, but now the sun's shining van's hot enough without.

Better get up and dressed now as have to sort out putting bedding and towels away ready for our visitors. Hope you all have a super Bank Holiday.

lostinrates

God, we need rain. The ''lawn'' has drought cracks at least 3/4 an inch wide. The ''beds'' we have dug and planted are holding moisture well under their manure mulch. The roses someone donated...saying they'd deinitely kill them but they had a chance here...well...they might have done if they hadn't been delivered as bareroot full of leaf. I planted them and watered them generously last weekend but....I'll be impressed if they do make it.

But we really are struggling over the same patches every day now. Its becoming very frustrating now...we've definitely slowed down. I don't want these weeds on our compost, but the wheely is full, and the ground is just so full of rubble its unbelievable.


Another boon is that we've been loaned some potted iris....things from my mothers garden that she will want when she's sold and bought again, but now were using as part of my..where there is a plant there cannot also be a weed. we're sinking them in pots (not sure what each one is so don't want to plant them, and who knows they might sell and buy again this summer) and hoping that will be ok. My feeling is that sunk pots are better than left pots if the summer goes on like this, and the surrounding soil will help keep roots cool and water there. Is that a sound theory?

cyclura

Hey all,
hasn't it been wonderful, its another glorious sunny Devon day here, gate sales have been up and running over a week now and I have to say for a new house where no one knew we were here we are doing very well.

Its mainly maintainingnow for us so I am concentrating on pulling up the weeds and making our front garden look pretty.

How is everyone else?

Lotus-eater

lostinrates wrote: »

I don't want these weeds on our compost, but the wheely is full, and the ground is just so full of rubble its unbelievable.

Just make sure you dry them properly (which is easy atm) and they should be fine.