The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

maryb

Ginnyknit, that's exactly what happened to me - I used to be 5'6", then when I was about 55 I had a medical for work and they measured me and I had lost an inch. I went to see my GP and got a bone density scan and it confirmed I had osteopenia - the precursor to osteoporosis. I have been taking calcium and D3 tablets ever since. So you might want to ask your Gp for a bone scan if nothing else than to establish a baseline for the density of your bones so you can see how it is going in future.

Of course, for BMI chart purposes I am still 5'6" - no point suddenly increasing your BMI. Someone joked earlier about being too short for their weight - well I suddenly was!!

Nargleblast

Gardeny stuff today - sowed some parsley seeds in a four pint milk container. I already have milk containers with parsley, chives, thyme and radish seeds in, and all of these have green shoots rapidly coming through. I shall keep on sowing every time we empty another container, and come April/May they will hang on a back fence with a pole through them. I have also been chucking grass seed onto the lawn' s bare bits - we have two chickens, and every time I let them out for a walk, they dig up everything in sight.

A surreal moment earlier - DS is in town with his mates and he phoned home to ask his dad "Do you think Mum will like it if I buy her some steak for Mother's Day?"

Some women get flowers, chocolates, toiletries, I get the slightly off the wall stuff...although I will be more than happy whatever he gets me.

Squiggly_Diddly

Ooh sweeties... I remember buying a quarter of broken cigarettes - aka candy sticks now. Love toffee crumble too these days though off the sweeties/choc at the moment as trying to lose weight.
My back garden is a 35 ft long paved area which is great, I have resolved to plant some tubs with a mix of brightly coloured summer bedding & some longer-lasting shrubs. Previous garden was 35ft wide but 100ft long and I just couldn't manage it, so was delighted when I moved here.
Miss Stilty sounds awesome....
And yes, great to see so many contributors, I love reading everyone's input.
Right, curtains to make so a quick cuppa first & then motivate!!

camelot1001

Thanks for all your ideas, I will have to have a good think about what to do, the garden is fairly small so I will try to use every inch available.

Talking of inches I am 5'6" so feel quite tall compared to a lot of you!

Jazee

According to the heart mag I'm reading if your BMI is over 30 you are obese. Mine is exactly 30 which might explain why having reached a certain weight, my waist has disappeared and I can no longer hold my stomach in. Apparently I should aim to lose 1st 9lbs to be at optimum.

Ok ok, once I finish the shortbread.

nuatha

lobbyludd wrote: »

re raised beds - ... they'll be on top of concrete bases (already in situ) so does anyone know if there's a minimum depth to make them work (take the point about the amount of soil necessary if deep)? I probably won't be growing anything really deep rooted (like comfrey etc) and will mostly be flower planting, but with some mostly above ground veg randomly planted for the kids within it.

thanks in advance!

Most things root between 6 and 12 inches, so I wouldn't go less than 6 onto concrete and if you can go deeper do (or do different beds different heights)

stiltwalker wrote: »

We're going to be turning our garden into a sensory space for the children so not going to have space for veg - will have plenty of herbs as part of the sensory garden though and some interesting grasses for textures and probably some scented flowers as well. Mind you between all the stuff I do I don't really have time for it anyway, might have to find space for a couple of courgette plants though as that is what I miss - you never get the little ones picked young in the shops and I do also like the flowers stuffed and battered.


Right must get back to speech writing, take care all - X

Strawberries, raspberries? taste is a sensation
Courgettes are a practical idea - the rate of growth fascinates children (and is the despair of many gardeners)
Good luck with both the essay and the speech - not that little miss needs luck.

pondskater_2

Jazee wrote: »

According to the heart mag I'm reading if your BMI is over 30 you are obese. Mine is exactly 30 which might explain why having reached a certain weight, my waist has disappeared and I can no longer hold my stomach in. Apparently I should aim to lose 1st 9lbs to be at optimum.

Ok ok, once I finish the shortbread.

I need to lose 2lbs, just 2lbs to not be obese, can I do it, can I heck! On the other hand I was a good deal heavier two or three years ago so I will just keep plugging away.
Wish we were getting gardening weather, was nice and sunny for about and hour today but the wind howls over the valley and hits our garden like a hurricane.

camelot1001

So I have looked at all the raised beds, etc, they are quite expensive. How difficult do you think it would be to make them myself? Most only appear to be made from decking boards anyway. Is it difficult to double them up heightwise? I have limited skills, but using a saw and screwdriver are within my capabilities!

Floss

Camelot, as Nuatha says, use 6' lengths for the long sides & half of that for the width - means you can reach into the middle . Most builders or DIY merchants will cut wood for you if you go when its quiet and ask nicely. You can buy metal brackets to fasten them together to give the height.

lobbyludd

nuatha wrote: »

Most things root between 6 and 12 inches, so I wouldn't go less than 6 onto concrete and if you can go deeper do (or do different beds different heights)

that's great, thanks, I'm going to build one brick raised bed and one from the decking I've taken up - they won't be a huge surface area as we haven't the space, but this way I can use the front "garden" (yard) for something useful