the daydream fund challenge thread

bottleblonde

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Not eating tomatoes, that's for sure

We are eating the Oregon sugar pod and the golden sweet mangetout. The GS is a bit of an odd MT, it doesn't matter how big the pods are, they start to swell when they are ready, so it's difficult to pick and the majority of them need stringing. I like the taste and the fact you can see them easily, but I'm not sure about the rest.

Also eating potatoes, courgettes and lettuce, but that's about it. Everything seemed to be doing really well at the start of June, but here we are half way through it already and not much seems to have changed.

My garden seems to have gone on strike atm. The mange tout I planted out a while back have just stopped - still green and healthy, but not going any where. So I've planted some back up ones in the g/h and put some seeds straight in the ground. Thinking about it, they were old seeds (1 or 2 yrs, I can't remember) so maybe that's why. In the past, they've always been the easiest to grow. Toms in the g/h doing 'okay' (though I realised I hadn't grown any plum toms so cheated and bought a couple from the garden centre). The cucumbers are looking decidedly sulky tho. I finally managed to get a couple of tomatillo seeds to germinate (3rd year of trying) and they are gradually being hardened off to go outside. I do feel I need to put little scarves round their stems though with all this wind and sudden hard rain. Have got some greens growing in old wine crates (what a snob!) and have been picking those tho.

I guess when the summer finally comes, things will even out

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

In our place in London we had a sort of brick shed. tht all our ''wheelie style'' rubbish went in to (in bins). It looked like an intriguing edwardian garden folly. Perhaps you could offer to provide atractive suitable housing for wheelies.....the road side of which could have an arrow and a sign

''Davesnave's and wife's amazing plant and laughter stand, with eggs.''

An attractive structure could add visual interest. Your own ''folly'' and not losing your own space for it

We can afford to lose the space and would willingly let them store a couple of giant bins here, so long as they were empty & just wheeled out at the appointed hour. We could hedge them in and make them almost invisible.

But it probably won't happen, because we are not part of 'them,' and I bet they won't want their stuff stored on our land on our terms, 'cos people are funny like that. Few see the bigger picture.

Happy to be proved totally wrong though!

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

fwiw I love the forest of dean....so much nicer than twee cotswolds. tbh.

Yes, we only 'found' it in the later years. Of course there's the payment for the bridge, but it was under an hour from our old place, so not much juice compared with a run to the south or west.

Go anytime that isn't a school holiday/summer weekend and it's pretty empty too.

RAS

choille wrote: »

No purse, so I think someone's off with it.

I do hope it turns up choille, although the longer it is away, the less likely. Have you cancelled everythign?

Just hoping the weather stays good for this Saturday as we are getting the boys back if it isn't tipping down.

OoH. How far on are you now?

Weather here was supposed to be rain all day and we had one shower.

RAS

Davesnave wrote: »

Where's everyone else, I wonder?

Been away.

Partly a "holiday", partly nosing round thinking about places for the future.

Work-wise things might change so need to have a bit more idea where I might want to go.

Well, it help clarify the sort of place I would like to be near, although I would not be looking for a small holding; more a house close to the edge of town with scope to get some land nearby, or some land near the town where I might be able to get a house later.

I doubt anyway is "perfect" but I have discovered that my idea of too small a community is bigger than I thought. And have identified some places to go and have another look at.

The other thing keeping me off-line is bees; far from having to buy them, we have been acquiring swarms faster than we can acquire hives for them.

Need to try and get the base and lid on the last one this evening if possible (two hander and no-one to help when they were delivered earlier). They are currently accomodated but with a temporary rooof. Just about weatherproof.

choille

Yes, RAS been a good day here too,
Nice you went walkabout - anywhere nice?

Good luck with the bees and the arm getting a chance to rest & get better.

weather so unsettled - don't know what to exect tomorrow - fingers crossed.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Yes, RAS been a good day here too

Obviously your long overdue turn for some sun, choille.

Down here, visibility at present is half a mile and it's peeing down. This will really mess up the haymaking if it continues, as seems likely in the forecasts.

But the worst bit about today was the cold; it was 12c at lunchtime. Don't laugh, but I've had my long johns on all afternoon! :eek:

kazschow

Rain of biblical proportions here today, to the extent it was too wet for the brickies to work on our founds!

alfie_1

bottleblonde wrote: »

I'm here

Had a real week or two of never-ending problems with the kids, so much so I am now wondering if France might be too far if they need me 'on hand' in years to come. So have been having a browse of properties for sale over to the west of me - Devon, Cornwall et al. Maybe up in to Wales? Talk about putting a spanner in the works! What I feel like right now is going completely 'off the grid' but that's another story!

Would welcome any advice on half decent sites to have a look at...

hiya
whats your ceiling amount? do you want land? nice cottage going down this way but big garden rather than "land". sweet place, cheap for this area...may not be far enough away for you tho

alfie_1

Davesnave wrote: »

In the Westcountry, youll find just about everyone is on Rightmove, so you can locate the most prolific agents for smallholdings via that site.

In West Wales it's much the same, but The Smallholding Centre is outside Rightmove, as is Phillip Ling, though he usually doesn't have much of interest:

http://thesmallholdingcentre.co.uk/

http://www.philipling.co.uk/

Rural Scene is everywhere:

http://www.ruralscene.co.uk/look/frame.asp

In West Wales, I'd look at the sites of the following first:

http://www.profilehomes.com/

http://www.jjmorris.com/

http://www.bjpco.com/

http://www.johnfrancis.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.evansbros.co.uk/search.asp

http://www.morgananddavies.co.uk/

http://www.ctf-uk.com/

http://www.terrythomas.co.uk/

In the Devon & Cornwall, Stags Webbers, Kivells, Seddons, Phillips Smith & Dunn are a few to look out for, but there are many more.


HTH.

:rotfl::T:rotfl::T wise owl does it again !!

you ought to set up a business finding places for people to view...have a check list then cross reference and hey ho:)