Daydream thread continues.....

lostinrates

Rozee, we have a small walnut, but only because it was free. We had a half dozen or so somewhere I used to live, and what the squirrels did not eat unrepentant the rats did.

rozeepozee

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Rozee they insured me,I told them we were doing work to the house etc.

But we aren't and we are planning to ask our builder to charge VAT on the works at 5% not 20% on the basis that the house is empty and no work will commence before it's been empty two years. That's not 'til March... Basically, we are in an insurance black hole

COOLTRIKERCHICK

rozeepozee wrote: »

But we aren't and we are planning to ask our builder to charge VAT on the works at 5% not 20% on the basis that the house is empty and no work will commence before it's been empty two years. That's not 'til March... Basically, we are in an insurance black hole

by the time we get builders in etc, our house would have been empty for 2 years, how do you prove to the builders its been empty, so you only get charged 5% vat?

rozeepozee

lostinrates wrote: »

Rozee, we have a small walnut, but only because it was free. We had a half dozen or so somewhere I used to live, and what the squirrels did not eat unrepentant the rats did.

Hmm, the squirrels are laying very low since OH got his super powerful air rifle and dispatched a couple....

rozeepozee

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

by the time we get builders in etc, our house would have been empty for 2 years, how do you prove to the builders its been empty, so you only get charged 5% vat?

You can find info on the HMRC website. Or speak to the VAT Helpline (the word help is a little misleading!) Search under terms like "reduced rating revovation". Your builder has to be VAT registered and he can only reduce-rate the renovation if int he two years immediately before renovation works starts, the premises hasn't been lived in. There's lots of stuff on the website https://www.customs.hmrc.gov.uk. The bits that were relevant to us where around regulations 8. Regs 8.3.2 talks about getting evidence from the Electoral Roll or Council Tax records. Or a certificate from the council's Empty Property Officer, if your borough has one. The work that qualifies for reduced-ratinghas to be completed within I year of it starting I believe - Also, I remember something about if the property's been empty for 10 years, there's no VAT on it...? HTH

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

What about fruit bushes? Can I buy some of those and put them in before spring? I fancy planting them between the apple trees in the "orchard". Does anyone have a walnut tree? I really fancy one....

You can plant fruit bushes in winter, but they might not do so well if competing with grass in an orchard, assuming it's the usual grassy kind. I find it hard enough already, cutting around and under the trees.

We have a walnut about 15' tall, but I'm not sure which variety, and the twit who planted it stuck it close to a big willow 200metres from the house. They make good (large) garden trees. Nevertheless, we had 17 modestly-sized walnuts from it this year.

If you just grow one from a nut, the tree is unlikely to produce much fruit, as my FiL has discovered.

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

OH has been doing some work for a farmer friend who's husband is ill and she has some poultry huts for sale. I haven't had chance to have a look at them yet. I'm worried about red mite... Any advice?

Red mites hate spirit based wood treatments, like creosote. As they hide in the joints and cracks in sheds, and especially under roofing felt, it's a good idea to treat any new shed with a couple of liberal doses of Creocote, which is the safer version of creosote.

During the time the hens use it, the shed (and hens) can be dusted with diatomaceous earth, which is like talc, but at microscopic level it's actually very sharp. This gets between the plates on a mite's body and literally sandpapers it to death!

We moved our hens into their brand new shed today. This has had 3 coats of Creocote and it's on a different site, so they get a change of land as well. Their original house will now get a coat of genuine creosote (lotus eater won't approve of that!) on the outside and several Creocotes on the inside, ready for when the birds return in a year's time.

Red mite is a b*gger to get rid of, as one of our friends has found, but you'll need to keep a weather eye out for lice too! We've had those, once.

alfie_1

CTC......... oh the cats look so cute :A

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks... yep cute, but a pain in the butt on times, especially when kitten goes on a made one:rotfl::rotfl:

British preppers is on tonight at 11 pm national geographic ( i think) its a repeat of last night ( new series)...As I have mentioned before this does strike a chord with me:cool:, not so much of an invasion of zombies, or the end of the world etc, but to have a reasonable stockpile etc for emergancies..

Just wondering what type of stockpile you lot have, and basically if we had major snow, how long could you last?

I have a bit of a stockpile, but I think after about 7 - 10 days it would be some wired mixtures of food combinations.

Animal food wise, we normally buy a few sacks at a time, but only buy it when we have just used the last bucket full or tin.

Think I might actually take stock this weekend... and also buy some more candles etc:rotfl:

Cold this morning, frost on the ground

edit.....Alfie.... just wondering if you still had the fire bricks and shelving? as we are still interested... its just things a bit manic here,so dont know when we could come down and pick them up...maybe in the next few weeks. or just after christmas

Davesnave

It was around -4C here early this morning, with outside taps frozen. Even in the polytunnel, it was -2.7C at 8am.

Now we will see how hardy the red lettuce, which I'd just germinated, turns out to be!

I think we could survive for around a month here, possibly much longer, if we ate the chickens!

Even longer if we ate their food...:rotfl: