Only freedom will do

Suffolk_lass

My husband gets exposed to a new set of germs with every new year's intake at his school (beware Alex!) - at least as a parent, it is the changes in schools/nurseries that trigger the next set of germ-immunity development. I assure you that does not change. Sorry!

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

Feeling like a !!!! parent.

In the 2 weeks that DD has gone to nursery, she has developed a cold, scarlet fever and a chest infection

I realise that this is all perfectly natural and that nurseries are basically incubation centres for all maladies under the sun. Still don't like it.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do. I absolutely know where you're coming from but by your daughter going to nursery early you are helping her to build a healthy immune system which will be resistant to more in the future.

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

My husband gets exposed to a new set of germs with every new year's intake at his school (beware Alex!) - at least as a parent, it is the changes in schools/nurseries that trigger the next set of germ-immunity development. I assure you that does not change. Sorry!

:rotfl: Yes, I know this already from the schools I work in. I'm lucky that I've got a fairly strong immune system, so am not particularly susceptible to everything going. See some teachers / other staff that really seem to suffer.

Read once that dogs and not living in a overly clean home help to build a strong immune system. No problems there for me, then. Somehow I imagine Ed to have a pristine home with the faint smell of Dettol lingering, so may be of use and also an excuse to buy that puppy.

edinburgher

Haha - Dettol - check Alex with his fancy brand names!

We're also haphazard re. cleaning, but the basics get done. I am often ashamed of the state of our kitchen, which can literally be hoovered, mopped and given a wipe down in the morning and feel grotty by the evening!

Not too many smells, white vinegar the most common one, although it doesn't stick around for long.

Just got off a web chat with MBN@ after they closed one of my credit cards and then took the monthly Direct Debit anyway. Kudos to them for a smooth resolution to a straightforward problem :beer:

Payday for me today :j This month looks like it will be significantly less spectacular on the NW front, largely thanks to 8 consecutive days of declines in US stockmarkets. Not a problem, I prefer cheaper cheeseburgers. £2,000 of credit card spends paid off as well, I know this is all budgeted for, but it's still shocking when you basically settle all of your financial activity for a month in one morning!

We are going to have to spend a little (probably time more than money) in the garden this month. It is looking like a !!!! tip, with weeds that managed to overwinter everywhere and tree shoots and ivy attempting to colonise the patch of ground that used to be covered by giant conifers.

Karmacat

You're absolutely right about how all sorts of nurseries and schools incubate germs etc. As you say, nothing to be done, but I feel for you!

Also know where you're coming from with the gardening - the extra light you've got with getting rid of the conifers means things are longing to colonise your garden do you have ideas about what you want to plant? Something herb-y that will cover the ground? Oregano, salad burnet and heather are spectacularly successful in my garden, its very odd.

edinburgher

I love Oregano, we go through one of those little jars of the dried stuff every month, I really should put more effort into buying it cheaper

I have absolutely no idea KC. There are a lot of things to fix before the garden will even be a blank canvas. For example, the twits who sold us the house have put impermeable plastic sheeting under every border :rotfl:

I'm guessing priority tasks would be weeding, scarifying the lawn and removing all the plastic sheeting, replacing with something lower maintenance like an actual membrane suitable for gardening and pebbles/gravel?

Karmacat

Yep, plastic sheeting can't be good!

As to priorities, I remember you talking about fruit bushes? They can get to three feet high or so, so they'd probably be at the back of your border. Because they take a few years to mature, I'd make getting those set up a priority, which means doing maintenance on the fence etc at the back of them before you plant them.

Since you've got overwintering weeds everywhere, that plastic is probably breaking down anyway so it definitely needs to be gone. And you're right, its just time you need to spend - but as long as you keep minimal control of it now (don't let that ivy root in *your* garden, for instance!) it will take surprisingly little, honestly.

edinburgher

Too late re. the ivy! :eek: It seems to be everywhere around our area, probably because the street has a bright side and a much darker side and poor drainage.

I will start with a hefty spray of nasty super strong weedkiller that I purchased last autumn followed by elbow grease after a few days.

Karmacat

Keep at it, honestly! Early flowering ivy flowers are very good for bees, but if its rampant locally, the bees don't need yours as well ... just make sure to plant *something*, even annuals, so that the ground isn't left bare for weeds. I have to wait for my brother to come down to fix a retaining basement to my fence and in the meantime I'm putting cardboard down, with gro-bags weighting it down. Needs must

edinburgher

Bin bags might work...

Karmacat

Yep, absolutely. In fact, you could even experiment with pulling up the weeds from other areas and putting them *in* the binbags, helping weight them down. Old carpet, underlay, anything - people offer that stuff on freegle specifically for that purpose.

And, erm, are you going to keep your eggshells? To roast and crumble and scatter on the soil? I have a feeling Mrs Ed might not like that, but it really helps soil nutrition ....