Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

:think:Alfie - hope the dog is a god un & you see it right - which I'm sure you will, but where do you stop?

Strange old day. Good catch of firewood, still haven't managed to empty to the trailer.
Dentist is a new one & seems quite thorough - told me my face wasn't lop sided - so that's a plus :think:

Some we know is always a bit of a hypocondriac & now they seem to think they are riddled with cancer & have had an expert visit them at home to offer them palliative care options. It's all very sad.....especially when you hear the sad news of Victoria Wood.

I am a bit struggling with what to say to them as I don't believe it & feel really bad about saying/ even thinking that..................

DaftyDuck

Still suffering from the after-effects of my snuffle that started 3 weeks ago. In the middle of the night when woken, coughing and flushed, I see a strange apparition of a heavily-made-up man in a strange outfit coughing over me, saying "I can infect you over the internetz mwah ha ha ..." At least my leg is 95% recovered (and 5% black!).

Been burning trees. Seems a shame, but they are mainly fallen willow, starting to regrow, and they are too muddy/split/rotten to make firewood. So, huge bonfires all over. There are trees to spare for firewood. I counted around thirty-five other trees that are already dead, or nearly so, and they'll make even more firewood...

Beginning the weed spraying later today. I've still got an old knapsack sprayer, and various chemicals that are still all fully legal and decent... ... I will have to buy much, much more, as the scale of the weeds is impressive. I shall have to take photos, but it's almost too bad to want to...

Does anyone (with a make-up fetish, possibly ) know the difference between Grazon and Pastor Pro? I've got and have used Grazon... if the snuffles stop, I'll dig out the data sheets on the internet, but first-hand knowledge is always useful.

There's a small electric spray unit for a trailer that I've got hold of, and I might end up using that. We have a near-neighbour with all the equipment and certification to blast the lot, but I fear the fields would look like a bowling-green (or Vietnam after an agent orange drop) as a result. So, we'll try the spray and brushcutter first. Wearing a mask and having the snuffles/cough could be interesting... it might make people think I'm spreading the plague! :rotfl:

A fortnight has passed, and I haven't adopted or rescued any animals. I must have been ill!

Edit: coffee break & found the difference I think: Pastor is the broadcast version, Grazon is the spot treatment... probably!

Davesnave

Grazon is 60ml in 10litres if I recall correctly and it's good on docks and thistles, but not so great on buttercup, where something like Relay (or maybe Pastor?) is better. The buttercup will shrivel a bit and then recover to laugh at you.:(

I could have had Pete, my partner farmer, blast everything from an ATV, but I didn't want that, so went the knapsack route. It's very tedious, and you have a much greater acreage than I did, though I'll bet no worse a problem per acre.

I've never used pastor, just Grazon, Relay and the one for bracken which was banned and then unbanned, Asulox....and the usual glyphosate. Don't have to use a lot of anything now.:A

Rescue animals: The mini hen has already settled-in at her new home, although still in quarantine of course.

DaftyDuck

though I'll bet no worse a problem per acre...

I'll take that bet... well, it's worth a punt. I'll take a couple of pictures in the next few days, and see what you think. The river flooding doesn't help, or it does help the spread of dock and nettles. The ragwort I can deal with (since nobody has in the last five years), the nettles in the middle patch are solid for about a half-acre, the docks are more of a challenge, and the burdock is just nasty.

I will have a go, then call in the USAF B52's...

alfie_1

DaftyDuck wrote: »

I'll take that bet... well, it's worth a punt. I'll take a couple of pictures in the next few days, and see what you think. The river flooding doesn't help, or it does help the spread of dock and nettles. The ragwort I can deal with (since nobody has in the last five years), the nettles in the middle patch are solid for about a half-acre, the docks are more of a challenge, and the burdock is just nasty.

I will have a go, then call in the USAF B52's...

is it sheep or goats that love nettles ? I know piggies will clear it for you.....;) well most piggies, my mabel thought it was beneath her to eat any form of weed !! :rotfl:


just a thought if a "rescue" on the horizon ....

DaftyDuck

Goats. They'll eat nettles back to the ground, and that kills them eventually. Pigs will root around, and also get the roots. But, they'll also eat the trees, most of the wild flowers, and the fencing. But, we do like pigs. I love goats, and they are on the rather distant horizon. I do remind you, the "plan" was, no animals in the first year, they take too much time, and we'd be better off sorting the place first.

Mind you, I know a certain mad woman does have a spare goat and a sheep.... low profile, keep a low profile

I'd rather borrow some piggies; I don't want them long-term, not really.

Dave: I may have to pay up on that bet... which is nice Being the pessimistic, negative-minded cove that I am, I had the whole place six feet deep in tumbleweed, knotweed, giant hogweed, the lot. I've just been out to photograph the real nettles, docks and buttercup, and it isn't that bad... just a couple of solid acres, but they're not that bad.... I shall convince myself of that, resize a couple of pictures tomorrow, and let you either laugh at my impenetrable challenge, or call me a wuss.

But, backpack sprayer at the ready. I was going out this afternoon, but things got on top of me. Did get to hug the donkeys, which is always a stress-reliever

alfie_1

dafty... borrow pigs, electric fence the area in lots and hey presto....


I know you know but do you know not to use "killer" with a hint of wind that could send it to where you know you don't want it ...

DaftyDuck

I'm very careful. Not only will I take care in wind, I will wear the equivalent of hazmat gear. My caution comes from years of research working on neurotoxins and carcinogenic compounds. I am super cautious and careful. Not least because I've suffered the after-effects of that research.

Hence, partially, my escape to this wilderness, absence from lab-life, and change of pace to relaxed mode..... Not! :rotfl:

lucielle

Hello chaps, back from a weeks hols in the Lakes and would you believe I've got a suntan!!! Walked up a ruddy great hill in my vest top and should've known better!


Lots of things happening at my end and will let you know soon.
L

Davesnave

lucielle wrote: »

Walked up a ruddy great hill in my vest top and should've known better!


L

So long as it wasn't a string vest.......anyone else remember those? :eek:

Interesting visit from a surveyor from a company offering free loft insulation this morning. DW booked him after I grumbled they'd probably be dodgy.....

Well, he wasn't. Very straight, retired builder guy: "They can only afford to employ part-time pensioners like me...."
He was more interested in the re-furb than his assessment, which was basically proving we had no insulation. Apparently, there's been lots of dodgy stuff going on, and now the surveying has to be checked and double-checked.....but we're OK.

NPower is behind it, but their name only appears in the small print.

Apart from that, it's peed with rain all day, but last night I worked till 19.30 and demolished all the remaining woodwork on the conservatory, getting it under cover and ready to turn into firewood/useful wood while it was still bone dry. :j

This afternoon just potting-on,potting-on, potting-on,potting-on,potting-on,potting-on.....Did I say, I've been potting-on? :rotfl: