the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

so tonight i am making a chicken an veg curry...using up the left over veg, will be having htis with boiled rice and fried new potatoes

Sounds yummy! I love curries. It's a fairly standard pasta here, but pudding is set to be nice, roasted surplus strawberries with vanilla and for dh some cream. Tomorrow (DH is home tomorrow) it has to be gooseberries, they are sumptiously ready, and a new young bush, so while covered with gogs they won't go far enough for one of the best jams ever. Tomorrow is going to be doubly decadent because I have some peaches left over and a little over tipe which I plan to have for breakfast with....a sparkling wine. Somewhere I better sort out something a little healthier and savoury somewhere in the day tomorrow!

lostinrates

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

that sounds a lovely colour LIR

I painted my shed a bright pastal blue:D

also. shed's you don't want to ''lose'' but rather tunr into a little bastian of beauty and charm. I won't be painting any sheds we erect in the wild thyme. Probably the lighter deliecious green versions of your blue.

ukmaggie45

Rummer wrote: »

.
Do you know if there is time to plant any other veg now or have all the planting dates past? Time seems to have passed at a scary rate this year and I was so disheartened after the storms that I didn't replant anything else. Now that I have a bit of time off I thought I might be able to pop in a couple of things?

I planted kale seeds a couple of weeks ago, and rainbow chard. I think they're both hardy? The chard I'm not so sure about, but will just have to see how it goes! And lots of the oriental stuff can be planted now I think. Took the book by Joy Larkcom about it to the house yesterday so can't look it up for you. Mizuma springs to mind, but google it to check!

Think there's quite a lot of stuff can still go in, beans if it don't get as cold so soon as last year. Maybe worth a punt? Good luck!

Rummer

I really like the wild thyme that could work perfectly on our fence, not I wonder what colours would go with that as the shed is right next to the fence.

Rummer

Oh I will have a look at what I have left and see if I have fast growing things, never thought of that! Kale is thriving here so I will plant some more and try some chard and lettuce too.

Winged_one

Rummer, I put another lot of peas in only last week, hoping for a catch crop in late aug/sept time, and a load of dwarf french beans too (which are already flying). Salad things, beetroot, turnips, swedes all went in too as they had July sowing info on the packs. And I am going to pull the current peas from the garden this week (all but finished), and resow there too as I can water those and nurture them for another batch before the cold weather hits (and protect with fleece if that's early).

Had a decent harvest today, potatoes for 2 meals, cabbage, 1 meal each of peas and broad beans and spinach, and a LARGE tub of raspberries. We had chicken poached in HM stock (from freezer) and thickened with cornflour, dash white wine and cream, broad beans (boiled and de-shelled) and spinach freshly harvested from the plot, and served with new potatoes from the same place. Followed up with a zesty lemon cake I bought locally yesterday and our own raspberries and the couple of black and red currants that we found.

OH was querying my withdrawal from savings though - which is my general annual money management system for dealing with summer sales and holidays but my usual savings are currently blocked so I needed it from a different account. But it meant I could buy a load of fabrics in the sales, which I have lots of plans for the Christmas crafts fairs to replenish the account!! Sometimes, he can't quite see the bigger picture!!

Rummer

That is great news! I will get the tubs de - weeded and plant a few things up. Once lettuce has flowered it is for the compost heap isn't it? Or am I as well trying to harvest seeds?

rhiwfield

We put wood shavings in our nest boxes and sprinkle some diatomaceous earth on as well.

Busy weekend and weather held good for car boot. Did pretty well and if weather is ok in future will do the Sunday boot for the rest of the summer. With the car booting and stuff on Ebay, I registered for the taxman a couple of months back. At the same time DW deregistered as the knitting was too much effort for too little reward. Will try to convert her website into one for me.

We have a very old climbing rose that flowers well and is normally black spot resistant but is covered this year. The main rose bed normally has to be sprayed regularly to keep the blackspot under control but taking Bob Flowerdew's advice we planted chives in between the roses and the bed is almost clear of spot and no sprays needed.

Surreal sight the other day, the leaves of the easter rose were covered with whitefly, then went out in the morning and there were three hoverfly larvae busily groping their way around munching any whitefly they found

Need to spend some time in the garden but its very light duties still. So the winter brassica bed still isnt planted, the grass is growing long and the weeds are winning. Oh well, there's always tomorrow

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

I registered for the taxman a couple of months back. At the same time DW deregistered as the knitting was too much effort for too little reward. Will try to convert her website into one for me.

This is how we feel about the plants; if it's not paying, ditch & switch.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but DW has found some P/T work, which is earning more than the nursery would, fully functioning. As she enjoys the job, it makes sense to continue this way. OK she's off site a couple of days a week ATM, but I can cope with that.

For us, running a big van has been essential, but when the land at the old house has gone, that will change. By the time depreciation, tax, insurance, repairs and diesel are considered, we'd have to do a lot of outside events to make keeping it it worthwhile. It isn't going to happen.

The weather in the past 8 months or so was probably the last straw. Having days of battering wind & no rain isn't much fun when looking after stock in pots. I'm not saying we won't do farm gate sales again, because we probably will, but that will be when everything else is sorted-out.

Hope the back soon recovers. My knees are already thanking me for digging no more 70cm deep holes!

choille

You do have to adapt & adjust or else it's wasted effort.
I've stopped trailing potted upplants & shrubs, trees etc up to the gate as it was a complete waste of time & also have given away a load of potted stuff as it was a chore keeping them watered during that dry early spell.
I do hope that some chickens sell however.