Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

phoebe1989seb

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

There is no way I would get back to my re- kids/marriage days... without actually looking ill lol.. But a good stone or 2 would be fab...


The nurse did take my weight, but I didn't want to know it, so I might cut back, an see if I lose anything in a week lol...

CTC - until Jan this year I hadn't weighed myself since DS was about five (he's 24 now, lol!) and back then I was eight stone. I've been avoiding the scales ever since and wouldn't have them in the house, even though for most of the intervening years I'd hazard a guess I was no more than nine stone. Then we moved out of the city to semi-rural Essex and I stopped going out unless in the car - not agoraphobia (sp?) but the area turned out to be rather dodgy and both DH and I were nervous about going out on foot. Instead I spent two years fighting the banks :rotfl: and comfort eating!

Even after moving here in 2011 where we have amazing countryside on our doorstep - plus getting dogs in 2012 & 13 - I don't tend to walk as much as I did when we lived in the city......

Then in Jan this year I looked at our Christmas pics and thought I'd turned into Shrek's wife. I bit the bullet - better than chocolate - and bought some scales. Surprisingly I wasn't as heavy as I'd expected - just over 10 and a half stone which for 5' 6" isn't overweight per se - but I was determined to reclaim my inner skinny self. Like I said I've lost just over a stone in around ten weeks and tbh it's been very easy........feel so much healthier too!

Just need to start doing my *30 day shred* workout now :rotfl:

MrsAtobe

Good luck with the shred, Phoebe, I have a friend with 5 dogs (GSD, Cockers and ESS) who also works for a spaniel rescue, helping out at kennels, etc, so not unfit, and she found it hard going.

Dave, glad you've got things sorted pain wise, one of the people I used to work with ended up being hospitalised when his body attempted to pass a gall stone, he was very unwell after collapsing with the pain of it.

CTC sorry that you've had to put up with the more inconsiderate type of dog owner. The moose, (welsh springer spaniel) has not been tested around livestock, so he'd be on an extending lead going through your land. His recall does work, but he does like to consider what's in it for him to obey for a while . Sausages help, but if you had some raw in the kitchen, yours would probably win.

ETA for weight loss, contracting Crohn's disease does work, but isn't recommended by any sufferer. I can lose a stone in a day, which is not recommended, and makes you feel truly dreadful.

Re statins, my physio hates them, so many people have turned up to see him with unexplained aches and pains, and when he's done a full review they've only started having them since being on statins, it's untrue. He's a very well respected sports injury physio as well, until recently he was the physio for the Welsh Classicals rugby team. He's a family friend, so possibly tells me more than he does other patients.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Your Abutolon [sp?] is so pretty. You'll have to call it summat like Blushing Dave!!!!!:rotfl:

Well it is nice, but abutilons are easy to cross, and open pollinated seed is easy enough to come by. I just put it in as an example of something which grew all by itself.

The general public can be thoughtless when using rights of way, but what the previous owner did or didn't tolerate is probably key in CTC's case. I think I'd be using hedging to keep Joe Public on the straight and narrow in the places that matter.

If I put up a notice it would say something like: "This footpath through our land is for everyone's enjoyment. Help us to keep it tidy and please respect our garden and livestock enclosures.Thank you."

Hope your DH gets to see a specialist soon, choille. I think we all find that getting referrals to hospitals is much harder than it one was, but two years!!! :eek:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

2 years is a long time to wait, and it does seem to be getting worse... my step father was waiting so long for an appointment, ( along with others) the hospital employed a private specialist from London to come down and work on the weekend, so the hospital could try and get back on track with the waiting list... I dread to think how much that cost the Hospital???????


Re- the footpath.... infront of the house and beyond that the path is narrow, but as you approach the house its quite wide, as it is also our entrance, for the cars etc..


There is a hedge enclosing the actual garden, but as it hasn't been maintained its gone tall, but loads of big gaps lol.... so TBH it doesn't give any privacy so we were thinking of just cutting the whole lot down, exposing the garden, and then planting Holly, so it will hopefully form a thick hedge, but we can maintain the height so not to block the sun out the garden, which is happening now...and hopefully with it being holly it might beter the dogs trying to run through it into the actual garden...I will try and take some pics over the weekend of the path etc, so you can see what I am talking about lol..


Edit.... we can only put hedging up on the house side of the lane, as if we put hedging/fencing up to stop them going off the footpath, then we will not be able to get our cars onto our land... but maybe after all building work etc is done, then we are go back and re-think it all through again

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

The general public can be thoughtless when using rights of way, but what the previous owner did or didn't tolerate is probably key in CTC's case. I think I'd be using hedging to keep Joe Public on the straight and narrow in the places that matter.

If I put up a notice it would say something like: "This footpath through our land is for everyone's enjoyment. Help us to keep it tidy and please respect our garden and livestock enclosures.Thank you."

A notice along those lines would be fine with walkers I would say Dave.:T It states the case and yet is phrased nicely.

I'd also favour something low-level and attractive along the sides of a public footpath, in order to differentiate between my land and the footpath if I were in that situation. I'd be aiming for something about 3'/4' high (as in just high enough not to be stepped over or charged through by dogs). That way people can see clearly what is "public footpath" and what is "private garden".

There will be a presumption by walkers that people buying land with a public footpath through are basically okay about that and aren't going to be "private" people. I wouldn't buy a place with a public footpath, for instance, personally unless it had LOADS of plus points to counterbalance, because I am a "private" type person and would much prefer people couldn't as much as see into my land if possible. Hence I tend to assume that people with footpaths through land aren't as "private" a person as I am and are probably okay about/welcoming of one or two friendly comments in passing if you spot them. I'd tend to feel it was impolite to pretend I hadn't spotted someone in their garden by the footpath and just smile/say summat about "Good morning...nice day today" and just expect the same level back and I'd then walk on up the footpath (unless they looked like a nice person and obviously wanted a quick chat, as they threw in a few extra comments back of a hope-to-chat nature).

EDIT: in fact, I think "boundaries" to the footpath would possibly be seen as positive by walkers. It makes it absolutely clear which bits are private land and cant be walked on and most walkers will respect that and want to know where they shouldn't be stepping. I'm recalling a public footpath back in Home Area. I'd seen the official signs and wouldn't have know I was walking on a footpath if I hadn't known iyswim, as it went right round the border of a field in between the farmers field and the hedge and he had ploughed literally bang up to the hedge. Thankfully, I was very certain from those official signs that it was indeed Public Footpath, though it was equally certain as far as I could see that the farmer had quite deliberately ploughed bang up to the hedge and was trying to hide the fact....I was having to remind myself that it wasn't appropriate to feel nervous, as walkers really were entitled to be there and it did detract from the walk enjoyment.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

TBH it was all we could afford...( or I should say manage to get the money for) it is a lovely spot, and on the whole people are now learning, but you do get some who think its their given right to do what ever they want.. all they got is the right to walk across my land from point a to point b.. they haven't got the right for their dogs to run everywhere and poo and pee...


I like talking to people on the path... what I don't like is people staring at me and bending their necks to nose at what we are doing...


This was allways going to be the downside of our place, and that's why it was the price it was, plus the huge amount of work that needs doing...


Its just taking a lot longer to 'Educate' people on how to behave lol... one good thing we have managed to stop the horse riders, riding on the footpath... well so far, we might get the odd one in the summer... Also push bikes are not allowed on footpaths, but we do leave people use them on our land....

moneyistooshorttomention

CTC

Something like retractable bollards or those thick bits of wood with chains slung in between them would help delineate public territory and your territory. That way, you could get your cars through to the right of your path when you want to, but Joe/Jane Public can see "Oh, that bit is their private land. Noted...will keep off that".

I'm contemplating something like that myself, as it would stop people parking on a bit of my land (as got tolerated by previous owners), but I could unpadlock and let my own visitors in okay.

moneyistooshorttomention

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Its just taking a lot longer to 'Educate' people on how to behave lol... one good thing we have managed to stop the horse riders, riding on the footpath... well so far, we might get the odd one in the summer... Also push bikes are not allowed on footpaths, but we do leave people use them on our land....

Well that's stopped me nervously wondering if the public footpath concerned is in your garden:rotfl:. We do live in different areas then, as this public footpath I use is a bridleway and not just a footpath and therefore horses can use it too:). Horses I wouldn't mind, but I must admit I'm glad when cyclists CANT use a path too personally as, in my experience, hordes of them then do and expect the ones who are looked-out for (ie the walkers) to be the ones who do the looking-out for them:mad:. I hate cyclists on our footpaths/bridleways, as its not possible to have a peaceful relaxing walk along it when you are always conscious a cyclist might be coming along in a minute and will probably have the wrong idea of who looks out for who and will expect ME to do the looking-out (cue for me walking as slowly/study the scenery and deliberately obviously NOT looking out for the cyclist and wishing other walkers wouldn't look out for/stand to one side to let cyclists pass forgetting that it was OUR path in the first place and we should still be able to walk along it in a normal ambling-along/meditative way as many of us are used to. (sorrees....bit of a rant...as cyclists really do p*** me off sometimes with their newly-granted access to our paths).

lostinrates

Trellis fences......nice or twee? I have a short run needs to be dog and chicken proof quickly.....


Have seen some images.


( missing Alfie so much I could weep)
http://i2.wp.com/tatertotsandjello.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/trellis-and-gate-idea-at-tatertots-and-jello.jpg?resize=650%2C431

Love this, couldn't afford the gates made, could make rest or have made ok. Gates would be dear I think. Like it so much.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

the thing is the people with bikes are great... and very considerate on our part of the path, and there is never hoards of them...as those ones normally block up the roads when they are cycling lol


you need to find out if the paths are.... either a 'foot' path, or a bridal way... and also find out if it is a designated cycle path..


ours is just a 'footpath'


The horses, were churning up the path something cronic..