Daydream fund challenge part 4

Ted_Head

Dave - I would have lit a bonfire but we appear to have non-stop rain for days on end - getting greyish dark at 2 pm. Yurrrk. Everywhere a bog. 
Lovely having roses out Maggie - I did have a couple of yellow ones out at Christmas. I do have a marigold flowering which is a wonder as there is something eating shrubs and nibbling at stuff up the track - probably that little deer I see occasionally.

Doing nowt outdoors apart from feeding as it's so disgusting and cold. But am enjoying a surge in on-line sales so that is good and more clutter getting rid of.

Davesnave

Ted_Head said:

Dave - I would have lit a bonfire but we appear to have non-stop rain for days on end - getting greyish dark at 2 pm. Yurrrk. Everywhere a bog.

Yes, I said to DW at the time we'd a couple of hours' window of opportunity, so I was going for it. No chance now.

There have been changes here in the last few days thanks to essential workers going sick elsewhere. Suddenly, our life revolves around lessons on Zoom and nappies, but hopefully it's just temporary.

Tired of being stuck indoors, doing adjectives, I arranged today to pick up 60 battens from the wood yard so I can go on making trellis for our long-stalled herb garden boundary under cover. Having paid over the 'phone, I was somewhat surprised to find them outside the yard on the grass, but at least they were all there and it was just a case of stuffing them into a van with a load area 15cm shorter than them. I thought that was my hour of exercise for the day, but somehow ended it sliding about  in the mud and rain at the completely deserted adventure playground.

Ted_Head

Well, the sun came out today & despite a hard frost I went for a walk about. Good to just see hills albeit covered in snow and the horizon. Almost dark now but feels good to have spent a little time outside for once in ages.
A friend gave me an Oxalis cutting which looked like it was dying in the porch - freezing in there as no heating. I brought it into the hall and it's put up loads of young shoots so that's promising.
Gave the sheep an extra feed of haylage as everything is frozen solid out there.

Davesnave

Good to go for a walk Ted. Even my mudlarking yesterday at the playground was better than stayed cooped-up indoors.

Rained and drizzled all day here, but mild with it. I had to go back to the Health Centre to have more blood taken after my health MoT last week, so something may be up. Different nurse poked 3 holes in me before finding any of the red stuff, which has never happened before. Made up my first big bit of trellis, but discovered the wood was slightly different from the lot they sold me before, which really didn't help at all!

Pelting down tonight and rivers close to red alert level....

ukmaggie45

Davesnave said:

 I had to go back to the Health Centre to have more blood taken after my health MoT last week, so something may be up.  

Hope all proves fine for you Dave.
I had a nasty vaccine experience on 14 Jan, and not feeling very well today. Hoping I just caught a cold there!

ukmaggie45

Oh, I forgot to plug Independent SAGE again. Watch on Youtube every Friday at 1.30.  They're so fantastic, really tell how things are (unlike our government). I've really enjoyed a song from a fan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr5sB8xSDmw

Davesnave

I wrote a long piece about 'telling things like they are' , maggie, but I scrapped it. This isn't the place.

I'll only say that it's important to notice who think Covid represents a 'great opportunity' and extrapolate from there!

Hope you bout of unwellness is just a passing cold. They're still about!

Davesnave

Where is everyone? I've built 7 large trellis panels while nothing has happened here!

They're not in final fix positions yet; we just wanged them in between bouts of rain.

It was the best use I could think of for the bare conservatory floor, which is just waiting for us to mix up a new concrete one. Yesterday we brought all the old rigid insulation up from the barn and DW had a fine time putting it together like a giant jigsaw. After that's all in place, we'll put down a new damp proof membrane and then lay the concrete on top of that.....when if the rain stops.

Hope you're OK now maggie and over the post-vaccination unwellness . Like Ted, I won't be having the vaccine when it's offered; but I appreciate I'm lucky to be well for my age and able to boost my immune system in different ways. Doctor phoned me on Sunday to discuss blood results and they aren't too worrying. When I queried Sunday  he laughed and said, " I do an hour from home, so this &%$£* government and the NHS can say we doctors give a 7 day a week service!"

Well, I was impressed with the service I received, and also with the root canal stuff done on Monday.....the difference being about £800 ! 

Ted_Head

Hope you are feeling on the mend Maggie. We are cut off as the road out is snow bound and the council aren't able to organise clearing it. It's where the snow has drifted on the high road. We have enough to keep us and the animals fed for while so no panic but after a bit you feel that you want a run out to fill the pantry and see the country side. We could go the other route out but it is so much longer and slower - so we aren't completely stuck.
It's been Baltic with a wind that would cut you in half. I have another dog who is a farmer's cast off and destined for a bullet. Long story short - she's a sweet wee thing and still a pup really and is fine with the cat and the cat is being very respectful of her which is better than I dared hope for. They are both being very grown up - it's humbling to see. She looks more like a whippet than a collie but is really happy and tail thumpingly heart warming. She had a few accidents in the house but within three days she's picked up how not to go anywhere indoors. She just wants to please. So, that is my good news.

Davesnave

In other news, we concreted the floor of the conservatory last Thursday, but as it took about 4+ tonnes of material, Pete the farmer was drafted in half way through the day to help me with the mixing. There was no way I could have mixed and barrowed  that in 7 hours! Pete was somewhat shattered too at the end, as he'd been up lambing most of the night, poor chap. That's a huge job out of the way and our new builder, Don, really works like a Trojan. (No jokes about horses and cowboys, please! )

I've just let the hens out and it's bitter again , but nothing like others are having. DW and I managed to do some apple tree management at the weekend, but I've a feeling I'll be on my own today! Good bonfiring weather.

So pleased to hear you have a new four legged friend, Ted. She's found the right home I reckon. Animals are usually good at negotiation, though my two are hopeless if we allow any child into the house under the age of about 6 and they decamp to the poly or barn. Far worse than allowing in a dog!