the daydream fund challenge thread

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

Just got back, stayed in Sticklepath where the oak tree in the park is not looking its best after losing several branches, prob a mix of lightning strike and the gales. Days at £1.80 a pint in the Taw River Inn, maybe not greenfingered MSE but at least £1 a pint cheaper than round here!

Yes, our tulip tree is looking worse for wear too & will have to come down. The daft former residents had no concept of what a good tree would be for our location, so planted what they liked, rather than what might survive. All our oaks seem OK, but part of the lean-to utility area roof went and I'm still picking bits up. The ferrets' cage ended-up at 45 degrees too, but they didn't care; everything's a huge joke to them!

Glad you liked the beer prices here, which must be better than the house prices! We are a bit further down the Taw, close to where the Little Dart joins it. You will have noticed that everything here is Tarka this and Tarka that, (as if Williamson only wrote one book) but the Tarka railway line from Barnstaple to Exeter is well worth a trip out of peak times. It can be busy early and late afternoon with school kids and commuters. My DD2 uses it every day and still loves wildlife spotting on the morning trip, though the return is in the dark now.

JayneC

Hi all,

Bonsibabe - congrats on your new job, hope all goes well.

Meanmarie - that's pants hope it's all sorted soon.

I might have an allotment:j. Am just a little bit overexcited!
I heard about somebody who has an allotment and is looking for someone to share with, so have put my name forward. Hopefully will get the go ahead to share. I'm thinking sharing will probably be better for me at the mo anyway as I work full time as well as still having 3 kids at home plus grandson (who also lives with us) so a bit more manageable than a full allotment. Especially as not sure I'll get much help from OH tho might be able to rope some of the kids in!! Will keep you updated!

I've just planted some onion sets in a trough on windowsill in kitchen to see what happens! They are left over from early this year and some were sprouting! Not sure they would last til planting out time so just thought I'd have a go!

Am now reconsidering whether to get chickens as I'd planned because I'm hoping to get a woodburner and will need somewhere to store the wood. Really not sure I have room for a chickem shed and a wood shed! I'll have to have a think about it.

Be back soon.

Jayne x

Davesnave

That sounds like a great introduction into allotmenteering Jayne, so long as you draw up some ground rules about what gets shared!

You will need quite a lot of space for a woodburner's logs, especially if you are seasoning them. I find we go through a barrow load in an evening, but our fire is quite big and the stuff I'm burning isn't great quality at the moment. Never mind, it is getting the place cleaned-up and everything burned so far has been free.

As an update on the railway I mentioned last time, DD2 told me that the 'wildlife' got a bit close on her journey back tonight: the driver did an emergency stop, but whatever they hit went 'bump' bump' bump' down the underside of the train. As he then carried on, we can safely assume it wasn't human, nor was it a cow, because the last time that happened the train was too damaged to continue.

Just a thought rhiwfield, when a Welshman walks into a pub around here, do all the locals stop speaking English and lapse into Devonian?:rotfl:

bonsibabe

Good evening/morning all!

Had our swine flu jabs last night and to top that off managed to lose my footing at the surgery and went down through a bramble bush! So my wrist is all cut and my arm where i got the injection is agony! But apart from that ... all is well!

JayneC - many thanks. The job is going great so far thanks. Choille - you are right ... the boss is a really great guy and I'm really enjoying working for him. It certainly is interesting and although I'm technically still finding my feet ... I have a feeling I am going learn a lot And I think he is happy with my work so far so all is good!

Hope everyone is well ... I have a school reunion at the weekend so that should be fun lol.

Take care everyone and will post more soon! xx

rhiwfield

Davesnave wrote: »

Just a thought rhiwfield, when a Welshman walks into a pub around here, do all the locals stop speaking English and lapse into Devonian?:rotfl:

I'd guess that a first language Welshman might understand Devonian better than me, hailing from a council house in Hertfordshire! When we moved to Wales, albeit to an area not known for Welsh language radicalism, we received a very friendly reception and only once, on a drive in the Valleys, did we encounter people speaking English and then reverting to Welsh as we approached. Not perhaps a subject for an MSE forum, but I've some sympathy for those people who resent the change to their communities caused by second home owners and those who refuse to learn the language in a Welsh speaking area (reflective smiley!)

Seems the bad weather is going to continue but hope to get newspaper and weed fabric on 2 of the new beds. Will wait for a dry weather period before trying to finish the area. Will also thin out the strawberry plants today and use rooted runners to form a new bed. With the broad beans and garlic in, and a comfrey root as well, no more sowing until Feb. Some of the transplanted rhubarb is sprouting but some cold weather will soon stop that.

stitching_witch

I'm really excited now - my chicken house has arrived!!:j

As we have decided we'll probably never get chance to move from here, and therefore we will make this garden and the allotment fulfill our self-sufficient dreams, the money in my Daydream Fund is to pay for chickens (for me) and possibly bees (for DH).

I have reduced my fund total by the amount I have spent so I don't end up digging into other money. It will be interesting to see how far it goes to paying for my dreams!!

Four out of five Christmas quilts finished and the last one almost there. I've had to put it down to alter a wedding dress - real work with real money in payment.

rhiwfield

Well done Stitching Witch! Whether you move in future or not you're making your dream happen which is the most important thing.

Total self sufficiency is very rarely achievable, but we can all go part of the way.

JayneC

Hi all,

Got to agree with you rhiwfield.

I think I've now decided to 'settle' here. It's not ideal for self sufficiency being a terraced house with a tiny back yard, but hopefully will get the allotment and will do what I can at home.

I'm kinda already living some of my daydream, in that I moved here from other side of the country 6 years ago to live by the sea, which is what I'd dreamed of for a long time. Ideally would like more land but I think we have to live with what we have in the meantime.

I've been dithering for ages about whether to look at moving or not and it's meant I've not really invested in the house I've got. Now I've made a decision (although am open to change, lol) I'm thinking about what I can do here. I'm hoping to get a wood/multi fuel stove with a back boiler to run at least part of the central heating and hot water, but sooo expensive I wouldn't do it if I was planning on moving! had also hoped one day for a wind turbine and water wheel but maybe I'll go for solar`panels instead!

Think I'm going to make buying a stove the focus of my fund now (although technically I don't really have a fund as I'm trying to pay off debts first, think I may have to reconsider that one tho as my current boiler is terminally ill and I'm going to have to do something soon)

Anyway good to hear from you all,

Jayne

choille

Hi Jayne,

If your boiler is jiggered it's probably a good time to reconsider your whole central heating thing.

I have a wood burner in the caravan & wouldn't be with out it, but I do have access to free wood. Have had a Rayburn in the past that heated water & some radiators & of course I could cook on it. It was an old one. Once the house is finished I plan to get something equivilent.
I hope the allotment wishes come true & good that you've decided to settle - you can now go forward with plans you may have had on hold - just the money thing - I know.
All the best.

rhiwfield

JayneC wrote: »

I've been dithering for ages about whether to look at moving or not and it's meant I've not really invested in the house I've got. Now I've made a decision (although am open to change, lol) I'm thinking about what I can do here.

Jayne, that was where we found ourselves a few years back. But once we made the decision to stay put, instead of scanning the property pages, we were able to put our efforts (and money!) into getting the house and garden just as we wanted. OH tells me its now our home, not just our house, and the woodburner turned our underused lounge into the most welcoming room in the house. Its taken time to achieve but we dont regret the decision to stay.