Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

Pottered about attempting to get out boulders that last idiot/builder rolled everywhere when we were getting ground levelled around house.

There are so many reeds popping up = must be the wet. The blackcurrants are infecsted so I was attempting to dig them out & try & get a bit of order about them - they are at the back of the house. I notice that the one red currant bush I had - which seemed to become really fruitful this year has been flattened & is dead. I am a bit peeved about that. I also managed to move the coal bunker.

Davesnave

alfie_1 wrote: »

that's the one dave.... pain in the butttttt

You can't do much with them, can you? Can't push a wheelbarrow through, and if I remember correctly, dogs get confused and leads end up wrapped round your legs.

Brilliant day today , although it started well below freezing and will go the same way tonight. I was back in the polytunnel, rescuing the mountain of neglected plants we still have kicking-about in pots. But I wonder if I'll have the time to look after them in the coming year and whether I'm making a rod for my own back....:o

And speaking of rods,it's angling that might be stealing more of my leisure (??) time soon. I probably mentioned ages ago that Pete lost the permission to fish on his own land when the very elderly gentleman who owned the rights passed-away. His heirs decided to take control, but the deed relating to these rights was lost. So, for the last 2 years the whole thing has been in limbo, with no one sure who can do what. The only winners were the fish! :rotfl:

Anyway, I tried to advise Pete on the legal aspects, and everyone then played 'fishing poker,' with nothing happening on either side for ages. However, just after Christmas, common sense prevailed and a deal was struck. A member of Pete's family bought the new deed created, so now, at last, the fishing will run with the land.....

(now edited)

alfie_1

dustbin men hate it ,dave ! they have to hoik the bags over the gate as impossible to get themselves AND bags through at same time .... I cant put them outside gate as worried the deer will get into them !


been a sunny day here and cold ..


the miniature goldfish residents have disappeared from sight ........ SO either an artfull heron [pond is deep tho] OR they are just warmer down deep ..


Im going to be looking after LIR's 2 ponies in a few months time while they are on hols. mare will go off to be taught to drive and foal will stay with my lot so its a good way to wean foal off mare..

pink_poppy

Davesnave wrote: »

PP I think I'd rent first, get to know it well and look to be ready to pick up a bargain towards the end of the year.

That's what we're thinking about, I've seen a lovely looking house for rent in an area I know I like. Only problem is it'll probably be gone by the time we can do something about it as we're looking to move up July/August time.

Another option is to buy a touring caravan and live in that for a few months :eek: It would mean having to move site every few weeks (DH sees that as a plus as he would only be looking for temporary jobs initially and could therefore be flexible with where he could work), but it would be difficult during the Autumn/Winter months.

So many things to think about ~ my head is spinning (in a good way)

choille

PP = good to have plans,

Alfie - Give LIR my regards. I miss her design tips = she has very good taste.

Got given 8 hens today - layers. I have them in a run, but they keep escaping & have scratched all the dead leaves & stuff already. I think they are grateful to be outdoors. They've been dust bathing all afternoon inbetween scratching for worms etc.
Hairy cat went in the pen to chase them & got a good ole pecking.
Neighbour not good. Told Mrs Neighbour to get Dr out - I don't like to she says, but managed to persuade her to. Poor neighbours - she's nearly 90 & has to do so much for him - I don't know how she copes.

greenbee

I was down in your direction today Alfie. Didn't see any ponies, but did see the donkeys, which I haven't done before. It was much warmer than it is here - I appear to be in a frost pocket. Having had a lovely day out on the beach (well wrapped up) I came home to find parts of the garden STILL haven't defrosted - must be nearly a week now. Hopefully it'll kill the bugs - although sadly not the mosquitos.

I'm getting very frustrated by the fact that hairline cracks are reappearing in the newly decorated rooms. Mostly around edges - where ceilings and walls join. There are no exterior cracks, so I don't think it is a cause for concern, and I'm aware that as my house is built on a floating raft (on old watercress beds), and most of the bedrooms are built into the eaves, there will be movement (that and the fact that I seem to be a little short on wall ties), but it's one of those things that bothers me. But I do wonder whether I should get it checked out but someone other than the builder. Or possibly get a proper decorator in when the work is completed (I suspect the builder and his apprentice aren't as good at it as a dedicated decorator would be). Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

Mole-catching isn't going well. The ground is so hard I can't check the traps

Davesnave

The moles are sticking to their well-worn runs here which aren't in any of our lawns, so I'm ignoring them. Too much else going on.

HW is now in a nursing home and, by all accounts, doing better since being forced into a routine. She recognises folk again, knows where she is etc and the palliative care is very good, so she's not in pain.

Meanwhile, her family have been clearing the stables, but it's a bit like the Labours of Heracles and they'll need more than one weekend! The dumper truck was up and down to our place many times, so we already have a huge pile of very well-rotted stuff......:D

No word from the conservatory company, so perhaps the MD doesn't think this is as straightforward as their surveyor did.

Meanwhile, our builder dropped by, and when told about the fiasco, he reminded us that he'd phoned the surveyor chap at the end of May to find out what to do with the roof for the fitting of the box gutter. He was told,"Nothing. Just stick a new fascia board on."

So, there it is; proof that the guy never planned to use a bespoke gutter, or to fit it according to the manufacturer's instructions. None of this is looking good for him.

Cracks at the edges greenbee: are these new ceilings or just fissures that have been filled? Once new ceilings dry out fully and the CH goes on, cracking can be 'normal.' We have not noticed any around our coving yet, but skirtings, even though they are MDFand therefore 'dry,' have still developed some cracks in plasces.

Poppy, not a touring caravan in late autumn or winter! You [STRIKE]will[/STRIKE] may hate it. Mind you, BiL/SiL come here in February and love it, but they have another option here if things cut up rough.

choille

GB - If it's been freshly plaster boarded then, as Dave says it's things drying out I'm afraid. We have a massive crack appeared across the bedroom ceiling - actually heard it when I was in bed.

I think we need flexible filler according to Mr Choille.

Oh, well - ebay very quiet just now.

greenbee

It's not new plasterboard. Just LOTS of filler (about 5kg in some rooms) and the bathroom was reskimmed. Where the gap between the new staircase and the walls was filled there are gaps where the filler has dried. I guess it's just a case of keeping refilling and painting. Until I moved in the whole place had probably only been redecorated once in 30 years. I guess the cracks are more obvious in new houses (or when you've just done the whole lot) than in old ones.

There are a few places where the finish was clearly a bit rushed - gaps between skirting and architrave etc., but TBH probably best to deal with that by filling and redecorating 12 months after the whole thing is finished.

I'm NOT thrilled that where they had to use new floorboards they've shrunk and there are gaps. Last time I had this done they brought the floorboards in for a week before fitting them (it was a nuisance) so they were acclimatised. Mind you, that was in Feb with heating. This time they were done in May, so no heating and a bit damp!

choille

I'd try flexible filler after scrapping out a bit of the old.