Daydream fund challenge part 4

in_my_wellies

Lovely photo Dave. My friend has three daughters. Each one had two weddings, one in their fathers country and then another here. All looked beautiful but also expensive.

I've been AWOL back to Leicestershire for a while visiting, catching up and sorting out affairs. I continue to rent a large allotment which I should really give up but I suppose I keep it for sentimental reasons having had it since 1982, completely 'organic', a wildlife garden before it became fashionable. The corner of an odd shaped field it was created in WW2 and began as 10 plots. In the 1980's no one wanted them so now it's just two of us (me 6, neighbour 4) The TA states 'no sheds, animals or trees'. Lets just say it's a good thing the LL never visits! Two Bramley apple trees planted in 1942, five sheds, three greenhouses, a poly tunnel, hen houses all put to good use. Over the years hens, ducks, geese, goats, sheep and a miniature pony (The pony was dumped one night - quite a surprise when I went through the gate!)
Anyway, mum went for a little holiday with her sister and I set up camp under the apple trees and set to work. The weather could have been better!!!!!!!!!! Before I left Leicestershire I planted low maintenance fruit. I picked 7lbs redcurrants (I always happily lose most of these to a blackbird but sadly not this year), 24lbs strawberries (lost too many to rain), 4lbs raspberries, rhubarb and herbs. Much stored in a friends freezer until the journey back home. I shall go again next week for more but meanwhile friends take what's ready but it still surprises me how many buy from the supermarket instead.

My friendliest hen died this morning. I'm relieved all was well when I returned home so my daughter didn't blame herself. She was fine Monday morning, looked 'puffy' by the afternoon so I separated her overnight, she ate a good breakfast but was gone by coffee time. I suspect she was the one laying huge eggs, I shall see over the next few days. She was nearly 5.

My mum was so upset. She always loved animals but now she has dementia she seems extra sensitive to their needs. I used to foster cats for a rescue but had to stop that as I couldn't guarantee mum wouldn't let it out thinking she was being kind. I'm wondering if she would find a small dog company? The garden is dog proof. She kept dogs for over 40 years, mostly large ones. She can still walk a mile so exercising it would't be a problem.

Davesnave

in_my_wellies wrote: »

Lovely photo Dave. My friend has three daughters. Each one had two weddings, one in their fathers country and then another here. All looked beautiful but also expensive.

DD1 had a Registry office wedding, followed by a church blessing the following day. Our two don't do stuff by halves, but to be fair, they've met much of the cost themselves. :A


Horrid, strong, east wind here and wal-to-wall sunshine reminds me why I want to close the nursery and have less things in pots. I expect many of you have it too, and higher tempertures to boot.....:cool:


DW has removed/tidied all the spring stuff in the borders and planted loads of perennials and annuals to fend off the 'flat' look the garden takes on in July. Me, I'm digging holes and shifting soil again, as usual......


And now a public information announcement: "Watch out for Ground Ivy!" Yes that little blue-flowered plant that last year made such nice, tidy ground cover under the hedge, suddenly went native this spring and began smothering everything planted with it, even the moon daisies! :eek: It has had to be culled, or at least severely reduced. Lucky it comes out in barrow-loads with minimal effort.

Mugshot for ID:

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/health-benefits-ground-ivy


Don't believe anything else!

Chesapeake

Evening all,

I'm still around but have been head-down-bum-up with work the last 4-5 months, we've just hired another full time team member so now I can start taking some of my hard earned time in lieu :-)

Have had a quick catch up with the goings on, nice to see the progress being made.

I'm currently looking at trying to buy a house, am sick to the back teeth of paying rent and not being able to have a proper veg garden or any animals. Should probably start work on a deposit!

DaftyDuck

Just finished a four day stint at Norfolk showground, if you include setting up... Went well. We filled a large marquee with rare breeds (nearly fifty different), and only last minute decided to leave the Suffolk horse outside... too many guy ropes would have to be released to squeeze him in... and if he decided to leave in a hurry, he'd take the tent with him. We did squeeze the bulls in, though!

Unsurprisingly, my fave time is Tuesday evening, as we fill up with animals, with nobody else around to trouble us. It all goes downhill a bit when gates open and people flood in!

Anyway, no animals were harmed, and we didn't kill too many children.

I also had one of the wildlife stands to run. Supposedly. Thanks to a very efficient and extremely young volunteer, that was managed better than I could have done. Delegation. My new buzzword. That and "rewilding", which is my favourite excuse for can't be arssed... I'm "rewilding" some of the river fields right now. Glass in hand, too!

Mind you, I'm now three years behind schedule, having been in this place three years one month, so I'd better catch up. Not tomorrow: that's hot, and reserved for snoozing and catching up with all our own adorable animals that were left out of the excitement.

Time to refill the glass...

Oh yeah, I still remember just starting to wave my angry fist at one of those cursed power line helicopters coming in absurdly low, and scaring the goats... Just noticed the heartbeat symbol and emergency logo on the side in time: was searching for a landing place for a nearby injured child...

choille

In my wellies - that sounds like you did a marvellous amount on your allotment. Will it go to someone deserving if you give it up? I do hope so.

Dave I know what you mean about the pots. But it's easier now that I have an outside tap with hose - beats all that going to the burn to fill up the watering can.
Yesterday was 28 degrees. Completely stifling. The garden is looking very scruffy as I've just left it to 're-wild' as Daffy says..And how busy you have been with the animal show. That sounds amazing.
Chesapeake - hope the house hunting goes well. I don't know how some afford the rents they charge now. Where abouts are you looking to buy? If that's not too nosy.

Heard a helicopter in the night. The roads are madly busy with m/c, huge camper vans & sports cars doing the NC500 as fast as they can. The place is a race track. The camper vans average a 22 mph & drive about in possies so overtaking them is a no no.
Looking all overcast today. Not as hot thankfully. I find that heat too much.
I put some variegated grass in the front border & it's taken over. I must hack at it with a machete or something.

Davesnave

Re-wilding.....I like that.


Yesterday, we went to visit a semi-wild place, sheltered in a valley about 1000' up on Dartmoor. I was amazed to see they had gunnera and skunk cabbage there in what must be a frost pocket.


There was the obligatory sculpture trail, with lots of incongruous items of dubious artistic merit scattered around, but I ignored most of those.


I liked this one though:

Davesnave

We bit the bullet yesterday and began removing the Euphorbia 'John Phillips' which we cut back to near zero a few years back, as it had grown 8' wide and high again, swamping other plants. As John was a personal friend, we don't want to lose his monster, so a seedling will be planted in our Secret Garden lawn, where it can do its own thing in peace. Less grass to mow too! We have no idea how large it will get if we just leave it alone......

Pete turned up yesterday evening and cut the hay. It isn't going to be a large crop, but he said it was the best stuff he's cut this year, thanks to the sheep eating it right down in the winter. Not a word about my husbandry, but he added, "Didn't see no weeds." There's news: creeping buttercup isn't a weed! :rotfl:

greenbee

Davesnave wrote: »

There's news: creeping buttercup isn't a weed! :rotfl:

I’m delighted to hear that 😂

alfie_1

just if anyone interested ... greylag

alfie_1

gosh everyone has been doing lots of more interesting things than me !
spent most of last week ferrying a friends cats back and forth to the vets !!
cat 1 ... in for 48hrs on drip and catheter due ti crystals in bladder and affecting kidneys .[age 12+]
cat 2 ... loosing weight and tested for kidneys ! [age 12+]
cat 3 ... had a haemotoma [sp] in an ear and had to have the flap drained and buttoned [age 12+]
bill came to 1400 !!!!
and cat 1 didn't make it ...
been plastering the hoss's with fly repellent for last 10 days ... loads of the bu**ars !
our hay fields are best ive seen them so rain / sun / sun has done the job


we have the new forest show end of this month but they have cut out so many animals that it seens to just be cheap tat and hot tubs now ! they have the show jumping and displays but no antuques tent , no livestock classes just a FEW in a tent for show , no dog show now !
its not what I call a 3 day "country show" anymore ...


our last years young peahen is sitting on 4 eggs ... no idea if they will hatch / survive but she set up home in the cutting garden [ underneath the roses in a raised bed smack in the middle ] which is hedged and fenced so to keep her hopefully safe, we have put a net barrier across the gate into there ... shes done 3 weeks so far , so hopefully will not get "eaten" . watering the raised beds is an art without getting her wet ! I will let you know IF they hatch .