the daydream fund challenge thread

John_Pierpoint

kazschow wrote: »

My modeo estate with snow chains got me through any snowy roads we came across, we were passing all kinds of 4x4's that were stuck.

Snap! [How old is yours? Mine is a diesel and coming up for its 10th legal B'day next Feb - 166K on the clock]

As the last few 100 yards to me are just track with grass growing in the middle. Once I get to the "farm" access there is enough traffic, mainly horsey people, to create an "ice road"]
The grass hump in the middle reduces the clearnce and traps the snow. If I am not careful a pad of snow-compressing-to-ice builds up under the engine and eventually lifts the front wheels off the ground.

Then there really is a choice between the devil the the deep blue sea:
Lying in the snow trying to hack away the pad and not smash the engine shield/brake pipes etc. OR wait for the thaw. [In '62/63 that might have been months].

PiggyBankShaker wrote: »

CTC I found a 'house' I thought you might like... http://browse.deviantart.com/photography/nature/landscapes/?qh=&section=&q=wales#/d38583t

I know of a "ruined" estate in Dorset that eventually came onto the open market following the death of its octogenarian ++ owner.
It included several ruined buildings and great debate about the definition of "abandoned". At least that Welsh one still has a roof.
At the last count all the "properties" have been rebuilt except the one that was just a pile of stone rubble covered with lots of brambles. Unfortunately the new owners of the posher properties, would rather not have the Google publicity, but here is an example of one of the "renovations".

lostinrates

Does anyone know what rules exist about sub divinding fields? The ''problem'' is we'd like to plant hedges.....or at least one new hedge. RPA might object because of ''available land decrease'' as a result.

John_Pierpoint

Are you getting "single farm payment" on this land?
You might be able to qualify for extra for these environmental improvements.;)

kazschow

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Snap! [How old is yours? Mine is a diesel and coming up for its 10th legal B'day next Feb - 166K on the clock]

Mine's a 7 yr old 2 litre deisel, I got it for moving the dogs about because of the massive boot space, so it's commonly known as the kennel, by all who know me. It's a complete tip, but it's a great workhorse, with good fuel economy for it's size, I'd buy another anyday (140k on the clock on this one)

lostinrates

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Are you getting "single farm payment" on this land?
You might be able to qualify for extra for these environmental improvements.;)

We will get SFP (one day, there was a c. up on transferral from last owner so haven't seen any yet, but claiming for current year) ELS you mean..for the improvements? HLS is what normally pays for those I think, and we won't be eligable for that. We're also pretty certain we will be going organic through the soil association, the only thing delaying us is indecision caused by thistles!

The thing is hedge takes from the grass area, so might impact negatively on SFP?? I was ''reminded'' of the need to keep my hedges back this year.....which is rich as I was the first person to cut them back for a while and the previous owner was getting SFP for doing nowt and wasn't ticked off! Mine have just responded vigourously to being cut back. I'd expect that for a couple of years...and, its a good thing!

John_Pierpoint

What makes me think that your Rural Payment Agency experience could be the start of a little saga?
Bring back the June return, on which you listed your agricultural enterprise stock?

It is said that the RPA's sat nav type technology can argue about something like an overhang the size of a sheet of A3. [I think it is a bit more than an urban myth].

If I remember correctly, when the area payments started, the undertaking for getting extra payments was 15 years?
Probably more than the murderers in the riots will get in reality.

Ah I think I'm getting up to date since the 1987 (blimey) auction; as well as the desirable locations/wrecks and acres of neglected pasture land, there were the remains of buildings down by the chalk (?) stream. Possibly a former mill site? This lot was bought (as I remember) by a youngish couple [Day time dreamers, I thought to myself - perhaps I should have thought "long term visionaries"; but it would be interesting to crawl through the accounts for nearly a quarter of a century and see how much has been financed by the public purse.]

Any way I think this is what we now have:
http://v6.cache6.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/19256127.jpg?redirect_counter=1

[Is that a nice crop of Himalayan Balsam - or is it Dog Rose? I'm not very good at identifying things you cannot eat !]
https://www.kingcombe.org/about_kingcombe/history.aspx
https://www.kingcombe.org/about_kingcombe/kingcombe_panorama.aspx


[IMG]http:////www.panoramio.com/photo/19256127[/IMG]

Davesnave

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

[Is that a nice crop of Himalayan Balsam - or is it Dog Rose? I'm not very good at identifying things you cannot eat !]

It's Rosa rugosa. You can eat the hips!

John_Pierpoint

As long as you get the seeds out?

Davesnave

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

As long as you get the seeds out?

Yes, and then put them down the back of a swot's neck when you get to school!

lostinrates

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

What makes me think that your Rural Payment Agency experience could be the start of a little saga?
Bring back the June return, on which you listed your agricultural enterprise stock?

It is said that the RPA's sat nav type technology can argue about something like an overhang the size of a sheet of A3. [I think it is a bit more than an urban myth].

I hope it doesn't!

The RPA guy id'd a corner I presumed was LA verge but it ours. Its an awkward tight corner, but a great place to clear up a bit for a couple of trees.

There is now some debate over whether ''our'' boundary is a fence or a hedge behind the fence though. TBH, doesn't matter, nothing was claimed on it or will be.