Extending our house without extending ourselves beyond our means

PurpleFairy26

brizzlegirl said:

Hope you had a good day PF. Often think of you when I’m running...

Thanks brizzle we did have a good day thanks. I managed a slow run at the weekend but thoroughly enjoyed it. Glad to be getting back out there slowly. 

Yesterday DH pottered in the garden, he tidied the patio and moved some pots around and gave it a sweep. Looks loads better. We also sat out after tea and talked about plans for the garden. Part of this issue is that we can’t do some work until a fence is replaced but it’s not ours and next door aren’t interested in doing it as it’s rented so a) obviously not the responsibility of the people who live there and b) there is so much hedge and shrubbery that the landlord couldn’t even see it if they came to their house as it has been broken for over a year. We don’t really want to pay for a new fence there But we also want it to look nice so are trying to work out options! 

We ate both lunch and dinner outside yesterday which was fab. I managed to get a few jobs done which was helpful. 

The tomato plant I bought back in from outside in loving its new spot and growing rapidly. I will plant that and a couple of items out over the next couple of days so I can then plant on some more seedlings on inside to grow stronger as I’ll have some pots free. 

Payday tomorrow so I’ve made sure the accounts all balance for the end of the out pay month. 

Hoping we can do more in the garden this weekend. It’s looking loads better. 

savingholmes

Glad things are going well PF. My indoor tomato plant is definitely further on than the one I planted outside. The indoor one already has flowers.

joedenise

We've got the same problem PF with regard to the fence.  We've replaced our side but next door is rented and they're not bothered for the same reason.  There's also a load of plants in the way which is part of the problem of the fence being warped as the roots are so close to it.  I think it's a case of grin and bear it or try to cover it up somehow from your own side.

PurpleFairy26

joedenise said:

We've got the same problem PF with regard to the fence.  We've replaced our side but next door is rented and they're not bothered for the same reason.  There's also a load of plants in the way which is part of the problem of the fence being warped as the roots are so close to it.  I think it's a case of grin and bear it or try to cover it up somehow from your own side.

It's so frustrating isn't it as it's really making our garden look a state. We've talked to our builder and he's given us some other ideas so we are going to explore those and see where we get to, but yes it will likely end up us making it look good from our side. 

Heavy rain here this morning and night winds so washing out of the equation. Have done some cleaning and I'm going to do some painting this afternoon nice and safe indoors. The outside jobs can wait for another day. 

Lovely face time with my folks this morning. Lockdown would have been much harder without technology like that. 

I've done some housework and sorting this morning so a couple of places look a bit tidier. Rest will get done later or tomorrow. 

PurpleFairy26

DH has been super busy this last week. Painted most of the fence, will need a second coat but looks so much better already. He’s also made some furniture for one of the bedrooms which I can now move stuff about to maximise the space. 

This gives us our hallway back (where the furniture had been stored) so time to give that a good tidy too. 

Been playing around with some options on paper for the format of a room we are looking to complete when lockdown lifts. Need to discuss with DH when we get a chance. 

Garden needs more work and some stuff planting out but it’s a bit chicken and egg until the fence is finished. Will plant some seedlings on to bigger pots though at some stage in the next few days. 

Lockdown to do list has been updated. Few more things added, a few completed. Material has arrived for a blind so I need to get DH to dig out sewing machine out of loft when he’s next up there. 

PurpleFairy26

Finally managed to get out in the garden and plant on some plants and move some things around. Looks like my blueberry bush has died, it was looking good until a couple of weeks ago, I think one of those late frosts must have caught it 🙁 that and the loss of my raspberries does not make a very DFW garden this year. Oh well. I have some cherries on a tree, a miniature  gooseberry and unripened plum (just 1 😉) as compensation. 

The apple tree is covered in some sort of ant/black fly on the ends of the leaves - need to look in to that. I've cleared part of one bed too, it's garden bin next week and we want to maximise its use as we're paying for it. Will aim to do a little more tomorrow. 

Clothes mountain has been half sorted, again more to do over the weekend but progress definitely made. 

DawnW

My blueberry bush seems to have died too PF   I have had it for several years, and like you, I think the frost killed it. I have ordered another one from a nursery which sells on ebay, and from which I have bought plants before. At £6.99 with free postage, it is better than queueing up / braving the local garden centres (I am still not supposed to go out - I do, very cautiously, when hardly anyone is about, and I will be seeing my family with caution as per new guidelines, but don't want to brave shopping yet). Probably cheaper too! My apple trees have aphids too. The ants 'farm' them for the honeydew, that horrible sticky substance that they secrete. As they are minaret trees which are supposed to be summer pruned, I have given them a good haircut, which has removed a lot of the aphid ridden foliage, but there is still quite a bit there. I did notice lots of ladybirds, which eat aphids, so won't be using any pesticides. I rarely do.  I think the late frosts, and then this very hot, dry weather isn't doing most things in the garden many favours. The raspberries and strawberries seem to be holding up ok so far though!

I will leave the other blueberry in situ, and keep watering it, in the hope I might resurrect it, but not very optimistic.

debtfreeoneday

Garden sounds like it’s coming on great PF x

PurpleFairy26

Visitors - how lovely 😊 

dawn thanks for the info on the Apple tree, mine is miniature too so might give it a hair cut today. 

foxgloves

I can't grow blueberries, despite being pretty green-fingered on the whole. I gave up on trying & composted the plants. Our current home grown fruit crops are apples, pears, rhubarb & strawberries. Raspberries probably to be added once we have managed to clear a tricky bit of ground.
F x