Daydream thread continues.....

alfie_1

ive had a mass puppy watching day... the 2 boys have been "de throned" so they are walking slower..
little peggy is adorable and is so good, she tumbles round with my three as if shes as big as them...:rotfl:
i did my HW exercises with ruby and im getting good...:)
fed and checked all the chooks there.
may clean em all out tomorow.. need to spray the houses as spotted a tiny cluster of red mite..:eek: ive dusted em for now but need to spray everywhere.
just watered my garden and now i have to go to the shop.

my new doves i released are SOOOO tame they come when i call them for thier breakfast/dinner

Davesnave

Cardboard is reasonably priced, Rummer, and it makes a great, if temporary, weed suppressant.

When we were after cardboard boxes in the city, we went around just before recycling time for the larger shops, which was about 5.30pm in our town. Nobody minded us helping ourselves, and if we did a sort-through in the back of the car, we could even return the useless bits, provided we were quick!

alfie_1

Rummer wrote: »

It never fails to impress me how much you all get done! I have almost given up on the garden this year and my thoughts are now turning to next year

So far I have cleaned the patio and have the pressure washer ready to get the rest of the paths clear. All the wood work (apart from the fence which I can't get to due to plants, ok weeds ) and metal work has been painted. The tubs have been weeded and topped up but are in the main sitting empty

Now I am thinking about the best thing to do to prepare for next year and I know you will all point me in the right direction. We have a number of beds that are all smothered in weeds. To get them ready for next year am I as well ripping out the biggest weeds and covering them and later in the year smothering them in compost and covering again?

Also what is the best covering to use? We have previously used carpet but have none left to use and we are skint so it would need to be reasonably priced.

Thank you!

to be honest if you JUST have weeds and nothing else i would weedkiller the beds, then start fresh next year. if its a major task for you to be constantly weeding then get rid now in one hit. when all dead,pull/remove what you can then cover with anything from thick newspapers to cardboard and put some old planks to weight it down...lift early spring and sow away

Davesnave

We had the estate agent I trust (!!!!:rotfl:) around this pm to give the ranch a quick going-over and to discuss likely problems and benefits if we go ahead with the build that's planned. I picked someone whose firm appears to price sensibly, because I didn't want a load of BS.

The good news is that we've probably made up for the paper losses we incurred, property-wise, in the Crash. I sort-of knew that, but it was nice to hear it from him.

The bad news is that property here is still headed slowly south, so even if smallholdings are holding up fairly well, the moderately ambitious extension we have in mind might not make economic sense in the short to medium term.:( This is particularly true of ag-tied places.:(:(

In short, he wasn't optimistic about the economic road ahead.

.....Looking at the plans, he also doubted that we could get what we've designed within the budget we've allowed. Sadly, he seemed to be pretty knowledgeable, having 'done up' a few himself.

So, definitely no BS there!:rotfl:Lots to think through.:think:

alfie_1

Davesnave wrote: »

We had the estate agent I trust (!!!!:rotfl:) around this pm to give the ranch a quick going-over and to discuss likely problems and benefits if we go ahead with the build that's planned. I picked someone whose firm appears to price sensibly, because I didn't want a load of BS.

The good news is that we've probably made up for the paper losses we incurred, property-wise, in the Crash. I sort-of knew that, but it was nice to hear it from him.

The bad news is that property here is still headed slowly south, so even if smallholdings are holding up fairly well, the moderately ambitious extension we have in mind might not make economic sense in the short to medium term.:( This is particularly true of ag-tied places.:(:(

In short, he wasn't optimistic about the economic road ahead.

.....Looking at the plans, he also doubted that we could get what we've designed within the budget we've allowed. Sadly, he seemed to be pretty knowledgeable, having 'done up' a few himself.

So, definitely no BS there!:rotfl:Lots to think through.:think:

B*MMER Im not sure what its like in your neck of the woods but here, the minute a property becomes "horsey" it is of interest to buyers.UPS THE VALUE/PRICE not sure how the agri tye fits in with this tho? do you HAVE to produce an agri product ? MANURE ??:o

Still i suppose better to know now before you have spent dosh and lets you have a rational think of next step....

rhiwfield

Sounds like a glass half full, half empty kind of day. With property heading south generally, it would be hard for you to buck the trend.

The bummer is that the improvements you want dont come within budget, which leaves you with a self-build to contain cost or a change in plans. Which I suspect doesnt come as a surprise.

The other aspect is the strategic decision to live where you are, in the light of recession/slow growth. From previous posts that still seems a sound move.

Davesnave

alfie_1 wrote: »

Still i suppose better to know now before you have spent dosh and lets you have a rational think of next step....

I think I already knew, but I wanted a second opinion, and not from one of the "Things will soon pick up" brigade.

I've been watching similar property here for 3 years now, and I've noticed that above a particular figure ag-tied places tend to stick, sometimes for years. We would be above that figure if we went ahead and then needed to sell.

It's not surprising. Go a just little higher and period farmhouses with more kerb appeal (and woodworm!:p) become possible.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Its not all negative Davesanve, as IF you wanted to sell, then the plans have been approved, so this might be the selling point of the property becuase of the potential and PP...

Alfie, sadly the bin idea is out of the question, as it is against the law to feed any 'scraps' or any non- meat products to pigs, chickens etc basically anything that has been in a kitchen, resturant etc or an area that 'might' have been in contact with any meat product ( or a remote possibility of it)

so this is why we are looking for a free or cheap caravan to use as food storage for the pigs, so if i managed to get some cheap/free fruit veg from shops can be stored in the caravan, not in my kitchen..

alfie_1

ooo things have changed ! my grandad was a pig farmer/butcher and when i was younger i remember him boiling up what looked like a better "stew" than my school one for his pigs.. and thats where thiers originated from..:rotfl:
i used to pretend the pigs were ponies and try and ride them..:rotfl::rotfl: be terrified to let kids anywhere near pigs today [talking mabels here ]

so........i withdraw my last bright spark idea....:D

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

The other aspect is the strategic decision to live where you are, in the light of recession/slow growth. From previous posts that still seems a sound move.

Yes, there were many worse places to choose, but it was partially luck of the draw and other non-economic considerations which brought us here. 'Strategic' seems too organised for our decision-making! :rotfl:

To be honest, I'm happy enough if we have to go with with a more modest Plan B. Yes, I'd love the view we'd get with an upstairs, but there are other, cheaper things we might do which would give equal pleasure, and those might well be lost to fund the grander plan. Energy saving or generating, for example.

Oh....and a really nice shed!