Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

I too have roses out - yellow standard & lupins, but it's really freezing so that is odd. The grass seemed to grow into December which is great.

The light is better this year so that too makes a massive difference instead of those grey days for weeks we have had some brightness - stops us all going completely Harpic/clean round the bend.

Must stir myself s have just lolled so far.

lostinrates

I find the smell of box untenable. It smells obnoxiously of concentrated urine to me. So much so that when they sell it in on shelving near the veg stands in tesco I am unable to buy fruit and veg there as my stomach turns.

It is utterly repellant to some people sadly.

ferretkeeper

I'm not sure im a fan of this bit, I heard someone call it Crimbo Limbo on the radio yesterday, very fitting! Still only a few days til New Years eve, when I will rejoin civilisation!

I was meant to have mum and sis coming boxing day, then sis wasn't well, no decision on what was happening, was anyone staying the night, did I have to clean or make beds, what food etc etc so I decided to go there and save my sanity! However the forecast was so awful for Boxing Day I didn't go til yesterday, the thought of not getting back for the animals, being stuck in bad weather etc is not an option.

My sis lives in a town near Chippenham where I also lived as did my mum, and it was very nostalgic to be back in the area where I spent 15 years of my life. Went past my old house, school, places I worked, walked the dog, I even did a hill start where I did one on my driving test, which made me chuckle!

Ironically the town is where curing bacon was invented, the Wiltshire cure, and our old house is on London Road, coming in from the west, where the pigs would have been brought down all those years ago on their journey to London. The pigs they cured were the ones that weren't going to survived the whole journey, which is a sad thought but necessity and invention and all that...I never thought I'd be doing the same thing one day, shame I can't afford to do it there!

CTC dry curing is dead easy, easier than brine curing because you haven't got to boil up and cool everything before hand, just whack the pork in the salt/sugar/spices and the time is determined by the weight or sometimes the thickness of the meat.

I still make the odd mistake, I sometimes forget and leave it in the cure mix too long, so I can't sell that stuff! I soak it for ages and boil it so it's not wasted or use it in small amounts in soups etc.

I always sell out of bacon before sausages, less of it on the pig I suppose and I do keep a fair bit back for us. This year I had a big pig, real baconer, and apart from being a bit fat he was the perfect size for bacon cuts. I'll definitely plan on finishing some later again, I don't mind smaller loin joints but if it doesn't look like the stuff in shops people are a bit wary.

Which reminds me I'm sure the hams I'm curing are due out today or tomorrow, better check, one's for friends for their New Years eve party so that can't be a disaster!

I've also got my crafting bug back, mainly because I made some xmas decorations and pressies this year, but it's inspired me to keep going, and make things for us to keep rather than always give away or sell. I've done a big peg loom rug for by the bed and one to go by the bath, the cats and dogs bloomin love them so I'll do a few small ones for them!

Well I'll get back to mooching around, catching up on laundry and dishes, deep joy, and I'll be doing the animals feeding etc before it gets freezing again, it's only just thawing now in places!

ferretkeeper

lostinrates wrote: »

I find the smell of box untenable. It smells obnoxiously of concentrated urine to me. So much so that when they sell it in on shelving near the veg stands in tesco I am unable to buy fruit and veg there as my stomach turns.

It is utterly repellant to some people sadly.

Lol yes always smells like cat pee to me too! fine if you don't need to go near it often but most of the posh gardens I worked at years ago had box hedging which was kept tightly clipped by yours truly, I got used to it but yuk!

That said cutting back miles of lavender and santolina hedging could make me feel quite ill too so I suppose it's about personal preference, worth spending some time at the garden centre getting to know them I would say!

lostinrates

Oh, lavender is heady and strong, but not revolting like box. I enjoy being 'assualted ' by it. I find elderflower hard to stomach though.....I can do it but don't have the same relish others do for it...urine doesn't often appeal.

A couple of years a go I lost most of sense of smell for a while. Funnily enough the few things I could smell were some unpleasant smells, which it could sometimes smell weakly, eith that or I didn't register the nice ones ever. Grim. Smell was really depressing to lose to be honest.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

someone selling Lakeland x patterdale puppies for £50 on FB one male left, I am sooooo tempted...

alfie_1

ive been to the panto.... oh yes i have....:rotfl: brian connelly is brilliant. just brilliant. im sick of the sight of turkey now but maybe one more sarnie

COOLTRIKERCHICK

alfie_1 wrote: »

ive been to the panto.... oh yes i have....:rotfl: brian connelly is brilliant. just brilliant. im sick of the sight of turkey now but maybe one more sarnie

'He's a puppet!!!!!'

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

someone selling Lakeland x patterdale puppies for £50 on FB one male left, I am sooooo tempted...

:j:j:j WELL GO AND GET IT !!

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

:rotfl:

I am going to be cheeky and as some gardening questions even though my posting has been sporadic

My sister is looking for a low decorative hedge and was thinking of a box type hedge (?) but I seem to rememeber some can smell a bit unpleasant, what would be good to use? It is a sheltered and sunny sight. I don't mind box, but blight would be a worry. If she isn't going for speed, yew is a good choice and there are gold varieties of it if the darker green ones are too sombre. Anything really, except Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold!'

Also in the same spot she would like a small decorative tree and was considering an acer or willow, which would be better and are there any recomended online suppliers. Kilmarnock Willow is a monstrosity IMO, but it's her garden! Most of t'others aren't 'small.' AS IHS says, the pretty and small acers can be fuss pots. How about Sorbus vilmorinii?

The last question is what evergreen trees/shribs would grow to about 6 ft and cover an an unpleasant fence in a sunny yet exposed area? Viburnus tinus?

If she goes for the laurel, get the one called 'Etna' unless she needs shedloads.... It's more expensive, but more interesting.

Thank you!

On line suppliers.....Buckingham Nurseries is as good as any and has a wide range:

http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/index.html