Daydream fund challenge part 4 4 October 2014 at 9:37AM edited 4 October 2014 at 11:24AM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 10.7K replies 828.3K views

Ted_Head

Davesnave said:

Ted_Head said:

Well, that's me back aboard - what a strange time that was. I really don't understand this place sometimes.

  Hurrah, the prodigal returns!   You weren't off on one of your political adventures again, were you, Ted?  Waste of time that, especially on MSE.  

In my world, the important stuff is all run by groups connected with the military, industry and organised crime; Eisenhower told us as much in 1961, so it's kinda late to worry about it. Politicians simply get to fiddle at the edges after we've all argued with each other.....  So you might as well just enjoy your cat and your croft. They're real and healthy.

Sorry, bit of a rant there, but seriously, I'm not planning to take on the CIA or the !!!!!! any time soon. If I could just nail that bugar who keeps throwing bottles into our hay field I'd be more than content for now! 15 at the last count....

Yes - I know what you mean.
The littering thing is annoying. I pick up tins and stuff at the roadside but there has been little since lock-down.

PInk Poppy - I find that midges don't itch too much after a few minutes if you don't scratch. It's the clegg bites that go for me - they seem to flare up for weeks. I did get some menthol cream on prescription for psoriasis which worked well but I don't have any left. The boots Derma Care Cromamiton does help. I also use the Sudocrem for bites and sunburn etc - it's for nappy rash but it works for all things itchy. I even use it on the animals as it's safe.
Last night it was 22 degrees here at 10 pm. It's been hot but has now gone wet and fresher. The garden is galloping away from me but the bees are happy. Mr Monchrome cat is so laid back it's amazing. He is a bit of a killer and 8 mice yesterday is probably too many. He hasn't caught any birds so far - touchwood. 
We got a funny letter yesterday from a neighbour's lawyer sort of challenging our boundaries. It is quite aggressive in tone. I am tempted to ignore it as if I go see a lawyer - which it's asking that I do -  then I'll be thousands worse off, but it is unsettling. I have a few folks who I can phone on Monday to try and get a handle on it as crofting law is very complex. I think they are totally trying it on but I'd best check it out. Could do without the hassle.
I love the purple elder tree but I've killed two so far - don't know what happened with them. I have foxgloves sprouting everywhere - quite pretty and the bees seem to love rattling around in them so I tend to leave them until they've flowered.
No eggs off the hens at yet but they are still alive so that's something!
Been listing on the bay as they have an offer on just now. I have been getting rid of a steady amount of stuff so that will help pay for the stove which arrives Wednesday.
I've pulled so much out of cupboards that I'll have to ram stuff back in afterwards as it looks like we've been burgled. I've been having a good sort through - amazing amount of crap I have stuffed into every available space.

Davesnave

Ted, just do what the government do with letters like that:

"Dear Mr/Ms Neighbour's Lawyer,

I have read your letter with much interest. Although I cannot concur with them, your representations have been noted.

Yours etc

Ted"

As you're aware, the amount of land is rarely worth the hassle and possession is 9 points of the law anyway!

Still no word from our new neighbour's lawyer about their little dispute. He's naively hoping the farmer across the stream's lawyer will agree with his.

He's a good lad though. Told me where he got his cement mixer at a knock down price, so I sweet-talked the lady at the builders' merchant and got one too, £75 cheaper than the best internet price I'd found!  

Ted_Head

Yes, when I bought our cement mixer (cheaper than the cake mixer!) I went into the huge hardware shop in Inverness which sells everything - the guy said that's the price after knocking money off the ticket price, you won't find cheaper. I spent all afternoon trailing from hardware shop to tool shop North, South, East & West - and he was correct. He said, I knew you'd be back and he threw in a free shovel as well. I sold it recently to a guy who did some joinery work for us as it was rusting outside. It had done all the cement for the foundations and other jobs so we'd got our money out of that one.
Glorious day again after the heavy rain this morning so better rustle up lunch & then out to hack down some weeds I suppose.

RAS

Ted
Definitely speak to the Crofting Committee, as they often know more than anyone else.

Having said that I do know of one instance where there was a row between crofter A who thought they 'owned' a strip of land beside their house but B had the right of access to a field beyond and crofter B who thought the same strip belonged to them. And took to scraping the side of crofter A's car whenever he needed access to the field, which became increasingly often.

On further examination of both of sets of documents it turned out that at some stage when crofts had been reorganised the same strip had been assigned to both crofts!  A bit of ingenuity by the crofting committee facilitated a new access to the field from common grazing as it was otherwise going to be ridiculously expensive in terms of legal fees, for all four parties. Crofter B still got a sweetener from the land owner if I remember rightly.

Ted_Head

Hi RAS - I know the legal adviser at the Crofting Commission who I've picked the brains of in the past so I shall be phoning them in the morning.
There are a few anomalies round about which we've had to unpick over the years. It can all get a bit Wild West up here over a tiny rocky piece of sour boggy ground that wouldn't sustain a scabby sheep.

RAS

Ted, am only too aware of how difficult some of this can be. Fury when someone from another community let's livestock stray, families turning barns into illegal housing because the croft and house are no longer joined and they are desperate to get the croft so they can build a new house, and full blown local feuds developing over access rights etc. 

Hope it all goes well,

Ted_Head

I don't know if you've ever seen the film 'The Field' with Richard Harris :-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OaJCEIBU4w
Ireland but relatable.

Davesnave

Went fishing last night down at Pete's. Only caught a couple of 8" trout, which I returned, but it was a lovely evening and there was plenty to see. Had a kingfisher almost collide with my rod and there were dippers and herons about too, none of them willing to pose, unfortunately.

RAS

Meditative? With a gorgeous view.

Davesnave

RAS said:

Meditative? With a gorgeous view.

Yes, it's such a pleasant place, I'm not much concerned about the size of catch, but I like there to be enough flow for the fish and other water creatures. The two I caught and put back looked very healthy, which is encouraging.

The valley there has many mature oaks. Some are somewhat too mature and on their way out now, so Pete is planting more to leave something behind.