the daydream fund challenge thread

RAS

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Hubby thinks there is going to be alot of germs and diseases around this year, due to the fact its been soooooooooooooooooooooooo mild...

do you think this will have an affect on the fruit and veg growing this year?

Yes. The lack of vernalisation could affect a lot of things. The last two very cold winters (minus 19 here some nights and days at minus 11) led to a massive increase in the amount of blossom on anything and everything the following spring and subsequent very heavy crops.

I think it also led to a massive reduction the snail population which had burgeoned in previous years. Whether that was directly as a result of the cold weather or as a result of birds and rats being hungrier, I do not know.

The rhubarb triangle are already reporting problems forcing roots that have not been cold long enough and I expect flowering levels to be much reduced this year unless we get som serious frost.

So I think fruit production will be hit in 2012. I may be able to compensate by reducing the thinning of some crops but not all.

And like Dave I worry about sappy growth (I have a nascent globe artichoke as the mo - last two years they struggled to push up shoots in April) which then gets hit by late frost.

Itismehonest

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

We were rather surprised this morning to see two ring necked parakeets on our bird feeder! :j They're perched in a sunny spot on the silver birch in next door but one's garden. I did think I saw a green parrot last year, but nobody believed me of course! I know they're naturalized down South, but never thought to see them here in Liverpool. I wonder if they've escaped from someone's aviary.

I think there are parakeets wild all over the place now, maggie, so I wouldn't be surprised if they'd made it to Liverpool.

lucielle

lostinrates wrote: »

My neighbours have offered me use of theirs, I just wish I could take advantage of such a great offer. He is not my sort of horse at all, but he is a game and cheerful chap.

Not at all bovvered, nope not one bit and not even the teeniest, tiniest bit jealous *stomps off*
L

lostinrates

lucielle wrote: »

Not at all bovvered, nope not one bit and not even the teeniest, tiniest bit jealous *stomps off*
L

Well, it might be worth a dose of envy if I were able to ride ATM. .

Lotus-eater

RAS wrote: »

The rhubarb triange are already reporting problems forcing roots that have not been cold long enough and I expect flowering levels to be much reduced this year unless we get som serious frost.

I've heard that from friends from York, it seems they are seriously worried about it.

We got a hard frost last night, which took us a bit unexpectedly. And it's forecasted to be cold at least till Tuesday.
So I would say that winter, at last, for us has arrived.

lucielle

Awww sorry to hear you can't ride, didn't mean to offend.
L

rozeepozee

Itismehonest wrote: »

Are you knocking the whole building down, rozee? I got the impression you were extending & adding bits but maybe I got it wrong?

On the PP side. Unless there's been a recent change in the rules, yes you need PP for a static. I've never had to use one but friends have. Often PP for the static goes through together with the PP for the property.

No, IMH, we're going to put in dormers front and back in the roof (pretty big job), gut the interior and remodel the rooms; one side of the property is the garage and there's a block built off shot been built to the rear, so we're hoping to demolish the offshot, integrate a bigger extension into the rest of the property/garage and use this whole area as a granny annexe.

We've thought about living in the place for a year before we build... I think we'll probably not. Between us, we've lived in over 30 properties in our lives :eek: so we've a fair idea of what we want and how it will work. I'm sure we won't get it right, but apart from the kitchen/dining/lounge area which we want to be open plan, the other rooms will be multi-purpose, I suspect, so adaptable.

We reckon we're only going to have enough in the initial budget to do the shell of the property and hopefully the annexe.That should take us towards the end of the Summer and we might have to be living in it by then if we run out of funds for a while!

I hope I'm making sense. I have a head full of this nonsense atm - trouble sleeping at night thinking about it!

The bottom line is, we've decided not to rush into a decision, accept it's totally unreasonable to expect much to have been done by May, sort out the plans hopefully be the middle of next month, submit our application for everything, sort out a static (I keep getting different advice on this so will email the planning team at some point soon), hope we can get a good amount of the work done by September-ish. Have a staged plan for the building. Then probably move in and sort out fine details before starting again when we can afford it. We're both campers and although it's harder with the children, "camping out", it's not undoable - and anyway, we've no option :rotfl:

Having said that, we may completely change our minds once the plans are sorted and live in it for a year and save, save, save if it's clear we need more cash.

lostinrates

lucielle wrote: »

Awww sorry to hear you can't ride, didn't mean to offend.
L

Lucielle, please don't think I am offended and I certainly didn 't want you to feel sorry, just not to feel too hard done by by my neighbours nice offer

Itismehonest

rozeepozee wrote: »

No, IMH, we're going to put in dormers front and back in the roof (pretty big job), gut the interior and remodel the rooms; one side of the property is the garage and there's a block built off shot been built to the rear, so we're hoping to demolish the offshot, integrate a bigger extension into the rest of the property/garage and use this whole area as a granny annexe.

We've thought about living in the place for a year before we build... I think we'll probably not. Between us, we've lived in over 30 properties in our lives :eek: so we've a fair idea of what we want and how it will work. I'm sure we won't get it right, but apart from the kitchen/dining/lounge area which we want to be open plan, the other rooms will be multi-purpose, I suspect, so adaptable.

We reckon we're only going to have enough in the initial budget to do the shell of the property and hopefully the annexe.That should take us towards the end of the Summer and we might have to be living in it by then if we run out of funds for a while!

I hope I'm making sense. I have a head full of this nonsense atm - trouble sleeping at night thinking about it!

The bottom line is, we've decided not to rush into a decision, accept it's totally unreasonable to expect much to have been done by May, sort out the plans hopefully be the middle of next month, submit our application for everything, sort out a static (I keep getting different advice on this so will email the planning team at some point soon), hope we can get a good amount of the work done by September-ish. Have a staged plan for the building. Then probably move in and sort out fine details before starting again when we can afford it. We're both campers and although it's harder with the children, "camping out", it's not undoable - and anyway, we've no option :rotfl:

Having said that, we may completely change our minds once the plans are sorted and live in it for a year and save, save, save if it's clear we need more cash.

I understand.
I was asking because I wondered if it wouldn't be possible to live in at least part of the property while tackling another part.

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

I understand.
I was asking because I wondered if it wouldn't be possible to live in at least part of the property while tackling another part.

The builders we have spoken to think this could add 30k onto our plans ultimately. But tough, I'm here, and I don't see how it can if it's a staged build not a all in one job tbh. I think it's easier for them, but not 30 k financially cheaper.