Daydream fund challenge part 4

Fay

Thanks both. I think next weekend will be my first chance to start digging up and potting on. I'm thinking the house will go on sale in 3-4 months and then the sale time, so some outdated wait. But I think I would prefer them out so any buyers don't think they're getting plants they're not and to save me the time of listing plants I'm taking etc. Luckily I know a great wholesale nursery so if any don't make it I can replace them, would prefer not to have to of course as I've grown these.
The garden needs some attention but I've been keeping busy seeing friends lol oops

alfie_1

hi all
sounds like you "have a plan" fay... why should you keep the garden up together ! id send "someone" a bill for half the labour


well today I used my new electric hedgecutters and my new electric strimmer...:j
I have a petrol hedger and brushcutter but they are too heavy /hard to pull chord for me at the moment [back prob] so I treated myself... made light work of the hedes/shrubs etc ... VERY pleased. got both for under 100 [screwbyfix]and they are really solid sturdy items.. im now massacreing everything in sight...:rotfl:


been a lovely day today ,about 15d... yesterday hit 18 !!


visited mum and she is coming on great guns now, walking with a stick [occasionally frame], hopefully home in a few weeks ..


owner of big dog still stuck in Majorca !! wont let him fly home yet... they have found out what was wrong and hes been / being treated for it so will just be a waiting game now !


when I went out to visit mum today, I thought id brought all the dogs in but when I got home I wasn't greeted by bimble fart :eek: of course after the initial "has he collapsed somewhere in the house" mode, I stood outside calling him [wracking my conscience "did I change his chip address !!!" ] I rang my friend 2 doors down and asked if she had seen him ....to be told he was sat in her kitchen in front of her aga!!... he has NEVER gone before [unlike asbo who bu**ars off to see her every morning for half an hour ] so I went to fetch him... if ever a dog can look as if they are saying "you drove off and left me outside !!:mad: "........

Davesnave

Grumpy today.

Caught the builder out, suddenly realising that he hasn't put ventilation into the floor void under the conservatory, despite convincing us it should have a suspended rather than a solid floor.:doh:

So.....he's been doing that.:p

Then I read and re-read the email from the Glass & Glazing Fed.... and decided they're not doing what they claim to do at all. They've told us nothing and nothing's happened, so I emailed to say what a shower they are, giving them a week to prove they exist. Otherwise, they can go forth and multiply. :mad:

Finally, I bought lots more building materials, so at least Sabrina on the order desk still likes me.

choille

Snowing here.

Dave - it's annoying is dealing with trades. It's been an eyeopener.

Glad Mum's making progress Alfie - she's a toughie.

Hopefully we will get the guy to come & help do the porch soon as he was supposed to come last week but something cropped up.

greenbee

I'm grumpy today too Dave.

Quote has arrived from the builder and it's more than I can afford to spend at the moment. But it's broken down room-by-room rather than logically as we discussed (I don't want to screed the floor a room at a time, I want it done in two sections to avoid issues with levels), so he's going to have to go back and work it out. Actually, I'd quite like to have line detail within the costings for each room too, but I don't think I'll win that battle - he's not good with paperwork.

Doesn't look like we'll be finished this year, and I was really looking forward to the house being warmer and less draughty and not having so many builders around...

DaftyDuck

Well, we haven't even started with the builders yet, so that nightmare has yet to become reality... but all tales of woe and stress gratefully stored and memorised for those 3am panic attacks.

We did buy an animal trailer from a very local dealer today, and then found the car wiring loom was dead for the trailer connector. Now, we could have saved £55 by buying it from an online dealer.... Would he (and his son) have taken best part of an hour to pull wires out like Dr Who and Scotty on speed, find one single failed crimp, ram it neatly home, pull it all out to show me where it might fail again, test it carefully, clean it all up, put all the junk back in the boot (luckily nothing too excruciatingly embarrassing this time) and pass on all the local gossip as to who has a police tag on, where the recent fire brigade incidents have been, and who is not really staying overnight with someone else, well not the whole night anyway... Ah, the advantages of shopping locally, and not always being totally mse!

Anyway, now that's sorted, we are better able to collect more stock. Collection only, mind.

My arms ache from bashing fence posts in. Then The Management ordered two whole pallets of posts, so I feel even more deflated. She claims she can't get them in straight enough.... hmmmm... Anyway, one of the riverside fences is mainly in, only another seventy posts to go on the next bank. I have nearly dropped the post bosher on my head a couple of times now, and have taken to starting the 2.8 metre corner posts by standing on the tractor. I'm sure there's a better way... Glad 'elf and safety aren't about!


The number of things I realise I know nothing about seems to double each week.

DaftyDuck

Fay. For transporting plants end masse... I take cuttings of shrubs, and divide perennials as early as possible before the move, to give them maximum rooting. I label everything, and keep a paper list. As things fail, that makes it easy to check what I need redo. Watering and transporting is aided by the trays for pots that gardencentres often throw out, or give away freely, and I collect pots that fit. EBay sells cheap plant labels. The mini greenhouses with shelves are good for growing and, with care, can travel in a van.

Plants that are cheap to buy, or have no sentimental value, those I leave until last. I give friends and family any duplicates, so they plant them out , and so I can get duplicates or cuttings back.

I have been lucky enough to have a garden spare at a house I rent out, but you could hire an allotment, or borrow a friend's garden. Growbags can be stuffed full of cuttings too, but I usually root them first.

Label everything.... List everything.... Photograph plants you love...

Good luck!

Davesnave

Still somewhat grumpy! Builder has been screeding the porch today and experimenting with his mix, but it came out worse than before, so tonight I was skimming it with a makeshift float and I've rubbed most of the skin off the fingers on one hand.

Other than that, it's not been too bad. The GGF lady suddenly had a Damascus moment :idea: after receiving my last email and acted immediately, demanding a response from the conservatory co within 7 days. So that'll be next Tuesday... err.....maybe.

Speaking biblically, there was a sudden darkness came over Mid Devon yesterday tea-time and a great wind arose. Still in my t-shirt, I was grit-blasted by thousands of hailstones as I attempted vainly to get vulnerable stuff under cover.....Then, just as suddenly as it came, it went, and the sun was shining again. I hear they had a water spout down on the south coast.

Still, with yesterday's change in the wind direction, I was able to have a mighty fire this afternoon, which consumed all the left-overs from winter hedge laying, putting that well behind me in a matter of half an hour.

I'm whacked. Got up at 04.30 because my dear son-in-law to be wanted his final essay checked, as he's completing his masters this week. Only sent it over last night. Normally I wouldn't have minded , but it had to be in this afternoon! :mad:

Hope I get a good mark.....:rotfl:My fine art essays were OK, but architecture???? :eek: Sounded like a load of old waffle to me: people interacting with street furniture and that sort of thing. Well, that's hardly news. We've all seen kids skateboarding off the benches in the park!

Fay

Thanks for the tips everyone. This week is a difficult one as some furniture is being taken from the house as a certain someone has found their own place...so I hear. I'm hoping to get a chance to start the great plant lifting this weekend too. Think I'll start with hostas as they're just bursting forth...good plan? Daffy I'll definitely do what you've suggested too. Thank you.

Davesnave

Might be a difficult week, Fay, but perhaps easier afterwards.

Hostas are tough old things, or even young things. Anything not with a single tap root, just bursting forth, should lift OK, though it may sulk for a while.Keep in shade till it recovers.

You might even find you have spares to go back again. They will soon fill out and you don't want the garden to look denuded.