Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

Davesnave

michaels wrote: »

I agree but not what this thread is for discussing!

What should I plant in my pots for the winter?

Sorry, forgot where I was...:o

Yeah, I'd go with winter pansies or polyanthus. My DW uses those and underplants with bulbs, put in three deep, so that they come through at different times.

Me, I'm not bothered. Winter is a time to have a rest from that stuff, or at the end of it, to start propagating inside a nice warm conservatory or polytunnel, with Radio 4 on and a nice cup of tea.:)

ATM I'm digging the foundations for my new tunnel: 16 holes large enough to stand in, 70 cm deep, some of them going into bed rock. Luckily, it's shale.

I'm on number 9.........:(

vivatifosi

I've been looking out for winter flowering pansies Davesnave. Any idea when they hit the stores? Haven't seen any yet.

Davesnave

vivatifosi wrote: »

I've been looking out for winter flowering pansies Davesnave. Any idea when they hit the stores? Haven't seen any yet.

I'm told they are there now, but I wouldn't know, as it's over a week since I've been further than the local village. I am a man on a mission ATM!

On number 11 now.....;)

PasturesNew

Davesnave wrote: »

... holes large enough to stand in, 70 cm deep

I can stand in one 4" deep... you should do it my way, much easier

70cm is bigger than me! I don't know how big that is though to be honest. I should go convert it ... brb AAAAAHHHH 27" ... I thought it was well over 6'

Now I have to remove the sentence I'd already typed next: "Do you have to safely shore up the edges? So it doesn't fall in on you when you're digging?" ... looks daft for 27", but was valid for well over 6'.

Davesnave

PasturesNew wrote: »

70cm is bigger than me! I don't know how big that is though to be honest. I should go convert it ... brb AAAAAHHHH 27" ... I thought it was well over 6'

Now I have to remove the sentence I'd already typed next: "Do you have to safely shore up the edges? So it doesn't fall in on you when you're digging?" ... looks daft for 27", but was valid for well over 6'.

I think if they were 6', I'd have severe difficulty climbing out again. As it is, I'm worried that I may trap unwary hedgehogs.:(

They seem extravagant, especially when each foundation will have at least 0.25 tonnes of ballast weighing it down, and much more at the corners, but when the winter gales are blowing, I'll be glad I did this. I have a cyber-friend in the Highlands who saw hers take off one night, like a UFO, and she never found the cover! :eek:

After the painful tedium of today, it was cheering to hear tonight that half a pig is heading for our freezer. Gloucester Old Spot is a local currency and someone owes me!

GDB2222

Davesnave wrote: »

ATM I'm digging the foundations for my new tunnel: 16 holes large enough to stand in, 70 cm deep, some of them going into bed rock. Luckily, it's shale.

I'm on number 9.........:(

If you get one of those nice digger machines, I'll pay you £10 an hour to dig your holes for you. (With the machine, silly!) Okay, £20. I might have to drive across your veg patch to get there though. If you're drilling into shale, can't you get one of those brr-pa-ta brr-pa-ta heads for the digger to do that?

SingleSue

Eldest went into school today for the official welcome to 6th form thing....good news for him is there were no changes to his timetable or courses unlike some others and he is on for doing the 4 A levels he chose.

He is like a different child (I can't call him that much longer!), he is very enthusiastic about it all and is even completing work at home without being nagged about it....all very strange. Last week, he even purchased (with a small contribution from me plus my tesco vouchers) a wireless printer, in readyness for his course work...although he then left it to me to set up when he couldn't get it working and was mightily miffed when I did it with no trouble at all.

He saw a teacher he had at primary school today (one of the few who was supportive of him while he was there) and she was over the moon at his results and genuinely pleased for him...she also asked him to come in to talk to some of the other teachers, so that they can also share his joy. Mind you, she also said that eldest makes her feel old as she can remember his very first day of school at the age of 5, a little squirt and now here he is, almost 6ft tall and about to enter 6th form.

I can't believe how much he has grown up, even in just the school holidays!

Davesnave

GDB2222 wrote: »

If you get one of those nice digger machines, I'll pay you £10 an hour to dig your holes for you. (With the machine, silly!) Okay, £20. I might have to drive across your veg patch to get there though. If you're drilling into shale, can't you get one of those brr-pa-ta brr-pa-ta heads for the digger to do that?

Yes, in an ideal world, my friend with his digger would come along and do the basics, but he is busy elsewhere for a few weeks and the digger is miles away. When we came here, I toyed with the idea of buying a digger and dumper, but when I found I could get both, and a skilled operator, for £15/hr, the idea lost some appeal.

When you have a smallholding, the mentality of coping with things soon develops. It's not something I can't do, just a nasty job I have to work through, if I want it finished soon.

Suddenly, it seems, we have gone past the lazy days of summer, and the race is on to sort everything before winter arrives. I'm not sure if we'll get the polytunnel done - I'd rather we did the fences -but at every stage, the weather is key. It's been too dry to put posts in, but it's great that I'm not sliding about, knee-deep in mud.....yet!

Good news for your eldest, Sue. It's great when they become young adults!

carolt

Erghhh, am now back with t'internet/phone again (plus TV, though that doesn't really bother me either way), after several days of traumatic absence.

This is due to the fact we have now moved house, just in time for the start of the school year - biggest two started back at school yesterday and we managed to send them in fully equipped bar one missing PE bag, which given the current state of the house, is no mean feat!

I am now the proud possessor of my very own study - or will be, once I have moved the shoulder-high wall of boxes/bags surrounding my desk, Sleeping Beauty style, fortified with sticking-out coat-hangers making it dangerous for all but the very brave to approach. :eek:

So am typing on the laptop instead - don't like it at all, and it has none of my bookmarks and I hate not having a proper mouse; but soooo exciting after a few days of zero online access.

Funny how hard it is to do without something one survived perfectly well without barely more than a decade ago...

Now have several weeks of trying to restore order to chaos, and having some quality time with ds before he starts Reception and goes full-time (soon) - he wants to do a large jigsaw right now, but I doubt we have a patch of clear floor big enough to do it anywhere in the house, currently...

What to do?


PS Should add: I hate moving house. And deep-down all-house cleaning is definitely neither my forte nor my idea of a good way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend. But needs must.

silvercar

Well done, carolt. Sounds like perfect timing to be in before the school year starts. What's the journey to school like?