The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Popperwell

I may have to go out...don't want to spend but the cable on the strimmer was too short to complete a corner of the front garden but I need an extension to manage the back garden. Just about killed me having nothing to hang onto for support(Knees hurt like h***)but with the grass down it will be easier next time. Another 12" of cable might just have meant the front lawn would've been completed.


What size extension to buy is the problem. The largest I can seem to find is 30metres in Wilkinsons for £30:eek:I may have to measure the cable on the strimmer and walk up the back garden using that as a guide and see if that's enough. I'm assuming the strimmer has 6 feet(1.82metres)and 30 metres is approx. 16x what is already attached to the strimmer so with that added on in total its a little bit more. I'm obviously not a DIY/garden expert:o

camelot1001

If there's an Argos near you they have a 10m reel for £14.99 Popperwell. That might be enough if you were only 12" away?

Popperwell

Thanks I have an Argos two streets away...but that's still too short for the back garden:mad::(it would work for the front lawn.


Looking at the lawn a couple of hours since doing it. It won't win prizes but its looking quite good.


I've literally had a look on the B&Q website seconds ago and can get a 45metre cable extension for the same price as the 30metre one at Wilkinsons so I may hop on a bus now and go and buy it...good to have some extra than what is needed(hopefully that's enough)a bus I can catch stops right outside the store. And I can be there in 20mins.


It may come in handy for other tasks in the future(I hate spending the money but...)fortunate that I can.


Once purchased I will never need to buy another. Its only like 75p a week over the year then its paid for. If I win the bingo tomorrow night its like getting it for free:p


If I am allowed to stay here/can afford to maybe next year I'll invest in some more flower tubs/baskets, put shrubs in the back garden. Improve the grass and get rid of moss/weeds again and get it green again. Mum loved her garden.

FairyPrincessk

Mar I'd gladly send you a slice but I don't think it would survive Royal Mail.

Pops, how frustrating on the cord length! Things like that drive me batty. I'm planning to go and have a hack at our back garden, but I'm just waiting for the neighbor to go inside. He and his mates all have 2L bottles of cider going and I don't really fancy a chat given how far down they are. It is never as entertaining to be the sober one in a conversation.:rotfl:

Shopping trip mostly successful although I'll have to settle for a half-sized cheesecake as a few items could only be bought in larger sizes than what I'd priced so I had to leave one 75p tub of cream cheese behind. Still, I came in .70p under budget. OH cheated, he bought his pudding out of his spending money instead of the challenge allowance, but he did get all of his meal ingredients for the exact budget so I guess I'll let it slide. Plus, I think I'm using substantially more from what we have in our stocks. It was a nice walk as well down a popular cycle/footpath surrounded by trees.

Recipe for a very decadent baked cheesecake, adapted with an OS twist. Cheesecake mixture taken from an old American cookbook by a woman known as Fannie Farmer (the puerile among you will enjoy that one!) Warning--this will be a dense and creamy cheesecake with a consistency closer to a custard cream rather than the fluffy cheesecake more common in the UK.

-Make one batch of Twink's hobnob recipe and press into the base of a 9in pie pan to form a biscuit base (I usually have quite a bit leftover but not quite enough to halve Twink's recipe), bake at 180 for around 10 mins

-Cream 1lb cream cheese until soft(basics is fine but must be full fat) Add 1 Tbsp flour, 1/2 cup sugar and mix. Add 4 egg yolks, 1/4 cup double or whipping cream and 1/4 cup soured cream and 2tsp vanilla and beat well. Beat the 4 egg whites with 1/4 tsp of salt until stiff peaks form and then slowly fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour onto biscuit base and bake 45min at 200. Allow to cool.

Goes deliciously with fresh fruit. I'll be serving it with a blackberry coulis because we have blackberries in the freezer but I don't like the seeds.

Popperwell

Hmmm, the recipe seems nice FairyPrincessk. I cheated finding some sandwiches reduced in Tesco's reduced by more than half in price but they are so well packed its like having a meal(I couldn't make them any cheaper)


I hope your garden expedition goes well...Got the cable extension and finished the front lawn...its tidy. Until the last minute I hadn't lost any of the strimmer line but I have a very small amount(think it caught a wooden stem of the hedge)


So I'll make an effort with the back garden soon. Looks ready for a downpour and seems quite dark now. Windy too.

FairyPrincessk

I thought we were going to get a downpour last night, but it never materialized. Unfortunately the drinking next door escalated and turned into an all night affair, so I didn't get the garden done. There was definitely a breach of what has been agreed with the council and police so I'll be reporting that Monday. I'd normally excuse a one-off, but I'm fed up with this. It may not have been as bad as it has been at times, but there were clear rules agreed, they were broken and I'm not losing weeks worth of sleep for it to escalate this time.

Needless to say, OH and I are both exhausted this morning, but the sun is shining, I've changed bed linen (easy since we'd moved into the other room last night) vacced upstairs, put a load of laundry on and we'll head out to do the shop when the shops are open. OH's burgers last night were delicious and there are some leftover for lunch today. I'll see how I'm feeling when it is time to cook, I may scrap some of the meal if I'm feeling quite tired and/or do it another night.

Jazee

Morning fencers. Just having a quick cuppa here (with a scone) before walking the dogs.

Have a great day everyone.

shanks77

Morning another quiet spell on here. Not a very good weekend weather wise here but trying to get some washing hung out in between showers and just some general tidying as working tonite as overtime. Looking like hours may get cut at work so that all shifts get 8 hrs a day. No-one is happy about it and have put in letters if objection but dunno if management will pay any attention to it. If it goes ahead it will mean I drop £2k per year which is a lot of money. My boss has said "oh you can just work an extra 2 shifts a month to make up the hours". Great so I can work them basically for nothing can I? And I am asking where these shifts are coming from as not everyone is off sick/hols every month and I am not the only one on nights looking for the extra hours. Not a happy camper at the moment.
On the plus side did really well at Mr T lady night in their reduced section so freezers fully stocked and should only need to go shopping for some vegetables.
FPK hope you managed to catch up on some sleep and that your noise complaint is taken seriously.
Pops hope u got your extension cable and got your grass finished.
Have a good day everyone xx

FairyPrincessk

Afternoon all,

It is rather quiet around the fence, isn't it?

ShanksHow frustrating about your hours. It is all very well to offer you theories about doing extra shifts but we all need real wages to pay the bills with, not theoretical ones! Still, I know you'll be fine no matter what comes.

My posh meal went well. My pasta was a bit thick, I just can't quite roll it that thin with a rolling pin, but I think it was otherwise fine. I ditched the blackberry coulis as I had enough strawberries to top the cheesecake. OH particularly like the salad--strawberry, spinach and basil with a lime and poppyseed dressing.

Lots of work on today and then a gym visit when I've finished the work. Maggie the cat is cross because I'm sitting at my desk and not out in the back garden with her. She thinks humans must all be mad to waste nice weather indoors--she may have a point.

Fajitas for tea tonight, mainly because I got a big pack of chicken thighs and need to get the rest in the freezer before I forget about them. It is an easy tea--mix up the spices, chop the chicken, three peppers and an onion and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and bung in the oven. Shove into wraps with a bit of shredded cheese and the OH is happy.

Popperwell

Oh dear...I have spent approx. another £16:o:eek:Again lucky that I could. Purchased more strimmer cord(3)89p each approx. double/treble the amount that came with the strimmer. The back garden was really using the cord up. When its down it will be fine. I am having to chop massive weeds that have grown high with thick stems but someone suggested a lop cutter would be easier so I purchased one today(£13.99)

Annoyingly if I now keep on top of it I may not need them again :mad: especially if I put stuff on the lawn to green it, kill moss and the weeds. Or I ever move through choice or am forced, then again what I have will last if looked after and I may not need to buy them again.

One half of the garden is nothing but these big leafy weeds, the other half has been whacked down with the strimmer and is almost finished. Perhaps I've gone at it too fast and should've taken my time. But I can do that from now on.

I feel a little sad as clearing this away means I have taken away the protection of(perhaps there is more than one)I came across a really tiny frog. I have no idea how its got into my garden as most gardens around here have high panel wooden fences(and I am unaware of any ponds)So unsure what will happen to him/her and again could be taken by a bird.

I may pop out and tackle the weeds as they are not affected by the torrential rain we had this afternoon which the grass probably would be and needs to dry out a little.