Get a grip woman!

beanielou

Positive vibes.

Suffolk_lass

Wrote an epic list with DH. At least three things on it will need builders. And use savings. Other things are sitting lurking and we are not doing them. We could use the painter who did outside to do some indoor work too.

I have booked my friend the farm manager for the end of October to help (he does, I help) take down the large cherry tree that is outside the kitchen. We have two cracks in the wall and the back door might have become sticky because the tree roots are interfering. It is far too close to the house.

We want to prop the roof of the 2-bay cart lodge so we can remove the brick bases around the three pillars at the front (they are a brick width wider than the posts on all sides so the entrance is 20cm narrower than they would be if the posts were not surrounded by bricks (we don't know if the posts are surrounded or actually sit on top of brick pillars) - it isn't a driving desire to park in the cart lodge, we want to put up barn doors that slide.

We also want to lift the existing patio slabs and surround each one with block pavers to slightly increase the size of the patio without having to pay for more than strictly necessary York stone slabs. Of course the depth of the pavers and slabs are different so it will need a grownup to sort for us, and at the same time, I would like them to use some mortar so the weeding between the slabs is less needed. It means emptying the lower part of a bed that sits between the patio edge and the low wall up onto the area that is supposed to be a bed, then grass.

The third thing needing a grownup builder is the need to rebuild our block-built pig shed. It is on the deeds so no need for PP. There is a concrete tiled roof and electricity and there was water at one time (so could be again). We would like a much bigger south facing roof (covered patio) - think mono-tilt and a much steeper overhanging roof elevation to the north so we can make that lower overhang into a log store. The rubble from the demolition can be the hardcore for the base. The existing building sits on a cracked slab that was the roof for rabbits and previously rats and the door frame has warped where it is slowly falling. It is two rooms with one door and two windows. We need to draw up properly what the new design looks like but my hope is for some patio doors on the south facing wall to provide a sunny studio. The dilemma is do we want garden machinery in the back part or shall we move that elsewhere. If it is going back it needs temporary storage, such as renting an on-site 12x8 metal storage container such as building sites use. If we do that, we definitely need a builder as we would spend the budget on storage we are so slow. If we are using a builder, he needs plans. And materials.

Enough rambling.

In money things
At the bee meeting last night I bought two more 14k cans of bee syrup that was left over from the association bulk purchase. The speed we are using it, it was worth it. Part of my Sensible September. Bargain price of £32.

In winter prep I checked out the price of gas bottles as we use 19kg propane for the separate hob and the Village Hall. Both two canister set ups, both have one empty. DH said the larger moho bottle (13kg) is almost empty too. We will wait until we get back from out next trip before ordering the replacements. I also need to nudge the agri merchant for the generator quote he was meant to send me.

I registered properly for the solar group purchase scheme, here in Suffolk.

I made four more jars of tomatoes making 32 now.

Karmacat

Wow!  Your lovely house is turning into the central point of a smallholding!  I'm very, very impressed, SL, what you're doing is wonderful.

themadvix

Loving the plans for the pig shed - it sounds like it will be a wonderful and multipurpose, useful space.

Suffolk_lass

A quick check of the bank accounts this morning shows the big CC will be taken in full on Monday and the new (reduced) sim only phone card too. I pay for mine and DS's because they are both on the same contract. His is over 100gb data (I recommended the EE (it has to be EE for the coverage in the paces we go) 2 year 125gb/mth for £18 for him and the 10gb for £10 for me. The part month bill is £23.84 this month. It was £33.77 last month 

I also stewed about 30 ripe plums with about 6-7 damaged apples and heated the three kilner jars that were in the oven from yesterday's tomatoes, to re-sterilise them, then used the jam funnel to "bottle" the stewed fruit as though it were jam. The screw-on lids should mean it lasts - the have all popped in after some cooling upside down. I thought they would be good for an instant winter pudding, and full of summer sunshine - a spoonful under an instant microwave sponge or simply with custard or yogurt.

Suffolk_lass

A trip to Sainsbugs after my turn tolling the church bell and fitted in after DH and pup came to the nearby town for me to get golden wedding anniversary cards and collect my prescription. It gave DH a chance to buy bread and chat to the artisan baker and then a quick late cafe breakfast and coffee.

Mercifully my pharmacy is either receiving regular supplies of the right HRT or they have made a note that I am a priority (as the sticky patches don't agree with my skin), as my back slips for missing items have been fulfilled and things (for me) have resumed. Phew!

I made 4 jars of pickled onions (shallots); bought three bags from Sains and they are lovely pink ones. I also managed to get pickling spice there. I think four jars is enough for this winter! I reuse any jars that have had things like a ready made curry sauce in normally but I don't seem to be buying that any more. So it was a large mayonnaise jar and three smaller jars that had had the small spicy pepperdew peppers in. I don't like reusing lids really but I do it once for these pickles.

I also managed to buy oil, although the olive oil is in a 2l instead of a 3l bottle now. I picked up two 5k bags of white granulated sugar too, in case our bees need more syrup after the dry summer. 

They were happily bringing in bright yellow pollen sacks yesterday, getting ready for her maj to lay the winter bees that will see us through until Spring. DH fed the three hives at our out locations and one of them had not touched the syrup (a good sign they are finding forage for themselves)

foxgloves

Still lots of bees visiting our garden, @Suffolk_lass. They are mostly on the last of the echium, cosmos 'Double Dutch Rose' & purple toadflax. 
I regularly re-use jar lids for preserving. I get on ok with the glass spring-clip preserving jars but have had mixed results with the branded jars with the metal lid/ring combo. I've actually had those kind of lids corrode right through into actual holes in the past, which has never happened (so far) with my well- washed recycled jar lids. 
Still haven't bottled any tomatoes but it's on the list. 
F

Suffolk_lass

@foxgloves you must do some tomatoes, it is so much tastier than shop bought. I have high hopes from the liquidiser stage I introduced as I definitely fall into the CBA category for removing skins from thousands of tomatoes (manually or mechanically using a mouli-mill).

We are not allowed to re-use lids on any honey we sell. I had always reused for jam because the heat kills any bacteria or pathogens but honey is not heated (or the beneficial properties are changed) to a temperature where that is assured

foxgloves

Yes, I can see that lids for honey would need to be new ones. It was honey from a Suffolk beekeeper which started my love affair with borage honey. I absolutely love it - such a delicately floral flavour. My Mum & Dad bought me my first jar from Snape Maltings absolutely years ago, & when I said how nice it was, they bought me some more each time they visited. I'm now able to buy it from a beekeeper's stall which is sometimes on our local markets/craft fairs.
I am defo going to bottle a few jars of tomatoes. I need to do it to reassure myself I won't get botulism & to go through the full sterilising process. I'm confident of the process, just need to go ahead with it. We also prefer the flavour of fresh tomatoes compared to tinned - much sweeter & more mellow. I will be zizzing some up for freezing also.
Have just brought first basket of green ones indoors for ripening as this has now slowed hugely outdoors. They get a chance in the basket, then any that are still green will be sealed in a paper carrier bag in the pantry to finish off. I usually have a good success rate with this.
Need to step up all areas of old-style activity over the coming week.
F

trix-a-belle

SL if you find yourself running short on jars for your fruit and vegetable storage escapades you could probably turn up quite a few by putting a request out on the book of face or other local sourcing sites.
I'm glad you're sorted again with your HRT.

I've half rearranged my outdoor growing space this week ready for next year, just the other half over the monster strawberry patch to dig over which was long overdue a thinning and refresh & probably rip out a fig which I don't love & has never done anything useful. The previous owners had all roses/bushes/decorative stuff so i've gradually turned over some space to raised beds but trying to source enough top soil to fill them is taking time although i've lowered the height across half the space which has gone some way. I'm at a loss of what to go where and how much space to allow for things though