the daydream fund challenge thread

Winged_one

Mind yourselves all, and sorry to hear about having to cancel Dave.

We are still suffering with a lack of wet stuff, although it was much cooler yesterday. I don't think we'll get a lot from the plot this year, except the currants. The leeks are already bolting (and I still have about 60 to use).

And I finally found the "lost orcahrd" in the art college near us too. No one uses the fruit from there (well, a few neighbours use a few bits but nowhere near the whole crop), so I will get a few things there this autumn.

And I've paid off the last of the things that were outstanding, so back into savings mode again.

alfie_1

hi all,
glad you are feeling a tad better davesnave and davesnavellets....
we have had a bit of rain at night but nothing to write home about !!, iv just watered the garden as my hollyhocks are my barometer ! if they start to lean over, i water.....
my clematis over my gate way is just opening, my roses are starting too... i just luuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvvv it when the garden gets lots of color...
iv had a bonfire so i best go bath as i smell like an old pubs snug full of pipe smokers!!!

choille

Well Alfie my clematis opened today - Alba, of course.

Beautiful sunset at 9.30 - blood red sky & the cameras flat. Really hot again today. Went for a run this evening & saw the burnt hill side - the cliff face which is rock stopped it. At Torridon the fire spread 10miles by 1 mile wide - deveastating for the ecology - wildlife, tree regen - which was coming on wonderfully when we were up last week. It is such a shame. It is more of a hazard that there is not the natural grazing & muirburn that managed the hills, kept the heather down to allow fresh green shoots for the cattle - dry old heather burns like paper - and so it did.

Rummer

CTC pop over to the sewing thread on the old style board and they will point you in the direction of patterns for the ideas we have been suggesting.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Rummer wrote: »

CTC pop over to the sewing thread on the old style board and they will point you in the direction of patterns for the ideas we have been suggesting.

thanks... done...

Flip we have a few days of warm weather, and they are saying we might have hose pipe bans before long...

We were talking about this in work yesturday.. and one of the boys was saying, alot of the dams/lakes were made pre- 1960's, but there have been loads of new houses/factories etc built since then, plus our population has grown, but yet no more lakes/dams have been built to supply them, so this also adds to our lakes getting empty quicker...

now if a couple of 'normal' people can see this, why cant the water authorites and the government see it, or maybe htey dont becuase it will cost too much;), but then they are getting all the water rates revenue from all those new houses that have been built since the 60's

choille

It is a complex issue with semi private companies chasing shareholders profits. People use (waste) so much water than they ever did - dish washers, multi washes & baths - flushing of toilets.

We have our own supply & it is very low coz it aint rained, but we just get buckets out of the burn that is to hand - we are lucky but it makes for more tasks. We don't flush for 'wees'!

lostinrates

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Hi All,

sorry i havent posted, its been totally manic with work with these 2 double bank holiday weekends..

Last weekend i managed to make a few bits for the smallholders show in 3 weeks:eek:, I got nothing ready, so i really will need to get things organised for that...this year we decided to have a stall in the eco horizons part of the show, promoting the business, and selling some bits and pieces..

here is my first attempt of making a handbag and make-up bags out of old welsh blankets, i used and old crepe skirt fabric for the lining, and a boys old belt for the strap



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QUOTE]


CTC, that bag is very nearly my ideal shape of travelling bag (but mine is bigger) I have a very old bag, with a now broken and poorly repared strap. I wish I could show it to you. The strap is just long enough to go around the body for long queues with weight distrubution, and the soft fabric bag curls round the hip/waist comfortably but takes a surprising amount. Enough for light packed weekend, but then empty out to be not ridiculous for a wallet, camera small bottle of water and an apple. The other could thing of this sort of bag is with a cardi/jumper in them they make a decent pillow on an airport bench/floor.

I need to show you my old one.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

So maddening about the oil and equipment alfie, but good that you have decent cover. It sounds as if there are some dodgy folk doing the rounds just now.



Thanks choille, but we aren't mended yet, and in fact I cancelled our place at the plant sale today, so the organisers will have a chance to give someone else a go. I'll tell lostinrates, as I was hoping to see her there, though she's 'on leave' just now.

I'm afraid we just did the minimum today to keep the pots watered and the place ticking along. I managed to hoe through our new beech hedge as well, but had to sit down afterwards!

I know exactly what you mean about being behind, though in our case it's more a case of not attending to paperwork and things like that. For example, stupidly, we haven't joined a few organisations that would give us access to selling venues here. I'm now seeing events almost on the doorstep that we can't take part in. :mad: It's partially down to the fact that we weren't ready last year, and also thinking we'd been wiped-out by the weather, but my forward planning should have been better.

As you say though, we'll muddle along....:)

Oh . Its more important that you are well. You two have achieved SO MUCH that perhaps you simply need to pace your selves, now that everythng growing is busy too.

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

It is a complex issue with semi private companies chasing shareholders profits. People use (waste) so much water than they ever did - dish washers, multi washes & baths - flushing of toilets.

We have our own supply & it is very low coz it aint rained, but we just get buckets out of the burn that is to hand - we are lucky but it makes for more tasks. We don't flush for 'wees'!

If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down.

we flush for guests though.

Now we have our own ''resevoir'' its helping me ''see'' the water wastage and use. The water we use through the sewage treatment plant we then capture. This summer its going back into the ''pond'' but next year I hope to have something rigged up ...one of those special leaky hoses....so that when the treated water leaves the sewage treatment centre it goes through the hose on to the garden when the hose is attached. I'll attach the hose in spring, and hopefully have a run round the back, and a run round the front, so just swap hoses every couple of days. Veg garden will come straight from the pond though the pump, just turned on for a few mins in the evening off a third hose, I hope. Also, have the ''dirty'' water from the muck heap and a smaller pond pump. Finding a way to filter for this pump is an ongoing battle...but water and feed in one go, direct from source when that is sorted out!

lostinrates

I'm thinking about planning a trip to the fruit tree nursery on the Isle of wight. Anyone been? I'm hoping to get advice there, in person, and bring my trees back with me...as our car comes tonight!. Getting pears to pleach is now priority but need advice on root stock for height (I'd like a height of 8-10 feet) and number of trees for the run maybe twelve-fifteen metres?, but the trees will be only 6 metres or so from the house......and variety. Pears are special girl's favourite treat. The men in the family like them too. I'm less fussed. I like them poached in red wine and with goats cheese in a salad.