Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

That's great with the track volunteering Alfie - sounds like a worthwhile thing to do.

Yes, good that people aren't rushing in for dogs/pups although I do see some folks always have puppies, different pus over time - like they get rid when they grow a bit. Makes me sad. So many unwanted pets.

Good for you selling the tiles Dave - someone will be glad & it's always good to get rid of stuff you don't need. Wish ebay & Gumtree were a bit quicker, seem to be slow. I've decided to sell a mirror backed sideboard, but no one has phoned about it. I think that old/Victorian stuff has gone off totally = shame as it's quite a neat oak one. Wonder if I should put it in the auction.

Still hissing down out there & cold. We've lit the stove.

alfie_1

That's great with the track volunteering Alfie - sounds like a worthwhile thing to do.


I don't exactly "volunteer" choille... I get paid but I do ,do it as a favour too... ive been working with him from the concept of the whole set up [must be 12/14 yrs now]... he didn't want a tennis court [overgrown] so came up with the master plan of making the whole area a miniature railway [don't know/cant remember what guage ]..........

greenbee

Was miserable here yesterday morning, so I went out hunting for wardrobes but my local junk emporium failed me. It's a pity as I had a lovely 1930s gentleman's wardrobe from them recently. But small wardrobes seem to be rather hard to come by.

As I had family staying I made the most of the available labour. More pictures are up, and as the sun shone in the afternoon some spraying has been done, and some deadheading. Some nettles and brambles are dealt with, and 16 (ish) bags of weed have come out of the stream. Family are off this morning, and I intend to go back into the stream and drag at least another 8 bags out, plus take down some more rotting fence panel to top up the kindling. Hopefully I can clear the wilderness at that end of the garden (by the cess pit) and get the fence resurrected over the winter.

I've had a look at both my ash trees and they're sick, so I need to arrange for them to come out. I was hoping I could keep them for a couple more years (they're really too big for the garden, but provide some much-needed privacy). The apple and plum trees are also way too big (you have to pick the apples out of the bedroom window, can't pick most of the plums, and they touch the house one side and the neighbour's garage the other) so will go. Plus a MASSIVE goat willow. Guess I should book the tree surgeon for february...

However, the hedge, which I'd given some pretty harsh treatment is doing well - starting to fill out in the middle and growing up rather than out. Like Dave I've inserted some native roses into it which are looking good. I'm filling gaps with willow, as it's free...

Davesnave

At present, the ash trees here are unaffected by chalara, greenbee. It hasn't spread as fast as we were led to believe.

The ashes we laid in March on the road hedge have gone completely bonkers, throwing up dozens of new stems, much faster than I expected. It's such a pity we'll probably lose those trees, but I'll be in the queue for the resistant clones, when they come along.

Some of our plums here have never done well, so they came out last week with the help of Pete's digger, along with the remaining cherries that the blackbirds always have. We've planted wild ones for them elsewhere....

Looks like a good day here, but with rain threatened for tomorrow, that's probably a set-back as regards the building activities. Getting worried that our builder will be off for his month's trip to Oz before we complete the brickwork for the conservatory.

OTOH a lay-off would mean more gardening and leisure time....:cool:

greenbee

I'd heard that there was ash die-back further up the village, so thought I'd better inspect mine. One was looking OK, but if you look at the top it's not happy. The other is worse. I need to think what to replace them with as I need a screen above the top of the hedge. Maybe cherries. Or rowan. Something that will grow between the hedge and the stream and won't mind being underwater on occasion.

The fruit trees were fabulous (but inaccessible) when I first moved here. But they had been allowed to grow too big for the space, and they're not happy with the pruning they've been getting. As they completely fill the narrow south-facing part of the garden they need to go. I'll put some smaller ones in elsewhere. I think whoever lived here before was unrealistic about the size of trees on a .25 acre site. Five of conifers I took down were over 60 ft tall (and rotten). There was a leylandii hedge and a privet hedge both inside the garden. I've also taken out a smaller conifer (probably an old xmas tree) and a 40ft silver birch. There is a variegated ornamental willow that's very pretty (but keeps sprouting from below the graft), a pollarded willow that frankly looks odd, and a weeping willow by the gate that has to be kept under control as if it goes up to far it hits the power lines and if it comes down it hits the bus... one day it will have to come out, but hopefully not until have some more screening in place.

Aga man is dropping in at 7.30am on Thursday to a. find the place and b. let me know exactly what I have to get the builders to do before he can install it.

I_have_spoken

Feeling a bit shaken-up this evening, had a message to ring my boss to be told our Director dropped dead from heart-attack over the weekend.

As it happened, we'd been worried he'd had a chronic cough for weeks and he'd been for check-up recently.


I reckon he was younger than me, not overweight or a smoker. Very, very sad.

choille

Alfie - sounds like a good thing to do. Great being out doors - if it's not hissing it down that is. I would love something like that.

Sorry to hear of the Ash trees. I have ash, but mainly Mountain Ash - Rowan,

IHS - always a sobering moment when someone we know dies & especially if they are the same age, or younger - makes us contemplate our own mortality. Makes you realise that there are more things to life than pursuing money - in a way.

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

Makes you realise that there are more things to life than pursuing money - in a way.

Definitely, but it was nice when the people came today, removed lots of tiles and gave us money! I was almost as pleased to see them being used again and not wasted, though. :A

We've been pushing on. DW has painted 50% of the front of the bungalow, and the colour seems to be OK this time. I've finished the reinforced footings on one short side of the conservatory.... maybe 20% of what I have to do.

This afternoon we became aware of someone lurking in the front garden fiddling with our wall and when I looked harder I saw it was the guy who used to own all the barn conversions. He still acts as if he does!

Anyway, he was bemoaning the lack of a coping stone at one end, so DW explained we'd fix it when we landscape the front garden and rebuild the wall.

He replied,"But this is (name of barn place's) wall. I bought it, along with the road."

DW explained that the Land Registry had a different take on the matter, both on our deeds, and theirs. Mr Previous Owner Bloke then changed the subject, but my bet is that we haven't heard the last of this one! I have a hunch that he may be the source of a dodgy plan we've caught sight of in the past. It doesn't have a Land Registry stamp on it.

choille

It is great to sell stuff that you don't need - I love doing that. Glad the tiles will be reused.

You've both been busy Dave & Mrs Dave - You are a slave driver.

I do hope that the previous owner doesn't become a pain. If you have your deeds that show your property then that is good? Is he trying it on?

Davesnave

choille wrote: »

You've both been busy Dave & Mrs Dave - You are a slave driver.

I do hope that the previous owner doesn't become a pain. If you have your deeds that show your property then that is good? Is he trying it on?

It's Mrs Dave that does the slave-driving. I'm strangely relaxed now that we have a roof and central heating.

But this place is like the Forth Bridge paint job. Today she was planning the new chicken run.......

A couple of the barn-folk have tried stuff on, but most are OK or totally disinterested. As I've said in the past, our deeds are all good.