Daydream fund challenge part 4

Davesnave

I have a weed wand. It's good for lighting the barbecue. They still make the Sheen Gun.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sheen-x300-Flame-Gun/dp/B000LQ8BBI

You should bring your car down here to sell, IHS. Doesn't matter whether it's a posh Porsche or a proletarian Peugeot, after 2 years it'll have scratches all along the left side, courtesy of our wonderful Devon hedges.

And speaking of machinery, I gave my trusty cement mixer an oil change yesterday, a mere 28 years after buying it. It's electric, but it has a proper gearbox. As only about 150ml of oil came out and 500ml went in, I think it was needed!

Finished the main foundations today :j, so off to see some gardens tomorrow, when brave people in the little town open theirs for charity. It's one of my favourite afternoons, getting behind the scenes to see into all those secret spaces behind the cob walls and leylandii.

I_have_spoken

After the dismal weather here in Scotland, having a look to see what is in the bargain bucket at the over-stocked garden centres.

Picked-up Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' for a fiver, it'll over-winter fine in the conservatory. Also some cow-slips, they do well with me, and foxgloves at six for £2.

Just waiting for them to start selling the cannas.

Turned-out the tubs of tulips, not surprised to find most had divided so no point in the keeping them. They just never get the heat in Scotland to repeat flower. I liked 'Ballerina', so will order plenty more.

Bronze New Zealand hair sedge has seeded like crazy, I can see plants between the kerb-stones across the road. Oops.

alfie_1

hi all...
hot hot hot here... almost too hot !


2 puppies have gone , 3rd to go Wednesday... BUT having booked puppy no4 the people have just rang and cancelled :mad:....
talk about last minute ! supposed to be picking him up this evening !
I will be glad to get away on hols ! [early sunday :j]......
seem to have spent last 4 days, cleaning, clearing , fixing stuff... for when sis and OH house sit


working this week up to Friday [taking bimble to LIR which however I see it as a quick visit... wont be :rotfl: ] then Saturday is everything iv forgot till I pick up sis,oh and dogs from iow ferry..


hope you all have a good week..xx

Davesnave

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Picked-up Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' for a fiver, it'll over-winter fine in the conservatory.

I spotted that on my travels yesterday, trying to see as many gardens as it was possible to fit sensibly into a 5 hour walk around the town. A very striking plant!

If all the gardens had been in the town, we'd have seen all those that were open, but some were along lanes, the steepest of which (1:4) isn't suitable for cars either, so it was a physical challenge in the heat. A couple of the gardens down there didn't come with a house or a water supply, so with the gradient, they were especially challenging for their owners too!

At only £5 for entry to 29 gardens, it's a great value afternoon, raising much money for charity. There were 7 new gardens, but as I didn't see them all last year, about 10 were new to me. I think we saw 20 altogether. :A

It's amazing what lies beyond many of those high walls, but with the town itself in quite an exposed position, their existence is understandable. Lots of warm little corners and tender things surviving surprisingly well.:cool: On the edge, huge vistas to Dartmoor, and the winds that come with that, but some folks were still battling to grow unusual plants. :T

choille

Well, just caught up with all your news Dreamers. Nice to hear from LIR.

Those pups are too cute Alfie - I really want one.

Lucielle - Ragwort is easily pulled & does diminish if you get at it for a couple of years. It comes out easy but you need to wear gloves - well, you should. I should take my own advice. You can get a bit of a rash with it.

We did have rain while we were away, but I know it's been really bad here. The midgies seem to be in full spate & today as the sun came out it's been thousands of flying ants - so quite impossible for out door stuff.

Caught up with all the washing & bits of paperwork & bits & bobs of stuff, but feel quite tired. I think it's Monday & back into the same old same old.

Think I may have sold my Hedredian Ram, but I don't know if I should or not. Decided I need to down size animals as I am finding it hard to manage with OH being less able. Finding it hard to keep up with the outdoors - too much untamed land.............If the house was finished, I think I'd sell, but I don't know where we'd go. I wouldn't go so remote.

Davesnave

I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing break, choille, even if it rained a bit.

Land, tame or not, can be a worry. There's really only one way my physical abilities can go now, so it's only matter of 'when.' Meanwhile, I'm seeing more of DW walking with a stick or taking strong painkillers, just to function and do her jobs around the place.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. When we were first married, I used to joke that the fairly large age difference meant I'd be OK for someone to push the bath chair in my dotage. Looks as if it might be the other way around, but DW has previously been incapacitated with back problems and still found ways to live with them.....

choille

Yes, we had a wonderful time away. A lovely area where there was plenty to see & enjoy. Also saw an elderly relative who is wonderful company so we took him out a couple of times. That was good as his daughter was away on holiday so he was glad of the company.

Dave - sorry to hear of OH's pain. Pain is terrible. I do hate watching Mr Choille struggling. he isn't on painkillers as they haven't found any that work or he isn't allergic to. I don't think all the damp helps. He feels better when it is dry.

Davesnave

Is it only Wednesday?

We seem to have done loads this week, after discovering on Monday that our old conservatory floor was not built as we'd thought. There was no damp proof course. There was in the walls, so it would have been logical to put a membrane under the floor, but no, nothing.:huh: We had to do a rapid rethink.... Why we've never been damp in there is a mystery.

So, next week we'll be putting in a new floor, but meanwhile we've got both skins of the walls up to DPC, and we have most of the base for the porch complete too.

Now it's raining.

Last night Pete, came here at short notice to cut an extra wide trench, into which we're throwing all the wrecked floor remains, rubble etc. That area will become a wide path or a narrow patio. It looks as if all the levels will be coming up, so it will be easy to lose the huge mound of soil we have.

Better weather returns tomorrow and then....wet & windy weekend!:eek:

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Is it only Wednesday?

We seem to have done loads this week, after discovering on Monday that our old conservatory floor was not built as we'd thought. There was no damp proof course. There was in the walls, so it would have been logical to put a membrane under the floor, but no, nothing.:huh: We had to do a rapid rethink.... Why we've never been damp in there is a mystery.

So, next week we'll be putting in a new floor, but meanwhile we've got both skins of the walls up to DPC, and we have most of the base for the porch complete too.

Now it's raining.

Last night Pete, came here at short notice to cut an extra wide trench, into which we're throwing all the wrecked floor remains, rubble etc. That area will become a wide path or a narrow patio. It looks as if all the levels will be coming up, so it will be easy to lose the huge mound of soil we have.

Better weather returns tomorrow and then....wet & windy weekend!:eek:

Beggar the weather, Fir was going to do the garden path around the pond so we could finish that area ( we have the new liner Alfie, looks very raw right now)

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Beggar the weather, Fir was going to do the garden path around the pond so we could finish that area ( we have the new liner Alfie, looks very raw right now)

Saturday looks pretty windy and grim in parts, but Sunday seems ok for you.

Plans are afoot to get more care for Horse Woman, who's going downhill. We seem to be the point of contact now between her and the surgery, and we're not happy with the way things are being handled. She needs to go somehere with care 24/7 till she builds up her strength again. We know she doesn't eat all the food she has or take all her medication.

It's a worry we could do without. Although we're happy to carry on shopping and daily calls to check-up etc, we can't just stand here helpless and watch it all slide....:(