The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

Floss

I've got some rather nice deep grey Cuprinol in the shed...anyone got a brush?

Nargleblast

Can it have sparkly bits in it like the fab top I bought in the chazzer today? We need a sparkly fence.

greenbee

Has anyone checked for damage after all this wind? We might need a few replacement panels before we can get on with the painting. I can offer a couple of pallets if we're going to cobble something together. And I'm sure Mar can knit us some... 

Floss

Knitted would be comfy...and would have the benefit of allowing the wind through...

mothernerd

greenbee said:

Has anyone checked for damage after all this wind? We might need a few replacement panels before we can get on with the painting. I can offer a couple of pallets if we're going to cobble something together. And I'm sure Mar can knit us some... 

One of the chairs ended up in my cabbage patch, the empty milk bottles were smashed, the cover is off the polytunnel (one side is holding as it's held down by 3 rows of pots (chimney pots/ old kitchen bins at the back, 40 l tubs and decorators buckets in the middle and smaller buckets and assorted plant pots at the front) but come off at the fence side (where mum decided it would be out of the way) and doubled over like an inside out umbrella. Spent the day moving chillies, peppers and the last few tomato plants onto various windowsills, taken the dining table into my room to hols another row of pots and one of my water butts is down (it was stood on an old filing cabinet inside the polytunnel and didn't have much water in so the wind blew it over. 

Not a problem as I was about ready to clear up (several tomato plants with just a few green tomatoes on), set off any seed (some quick growers and some for next year can be put in compost from September on. Had a food delivery before 8 am so done lots of heavy lifting and am totally exhausted (only carried 3 pots in then needed to rest before doing the next batch). My room is an absolute tip despite having tidied it several times last week. I was putting most of the food (cans, canned and bottled drinks, cleaning stuff and fresh veg) in the shed and only bringing it into the house as required - let it decontaminate by itself rather than wiping every item. The week before last I found rat droppings in the shed, the wild bird seed had been clawed open in several places and one pack of toilet rolls had been scraped at one side to make a 'nest'. No sightings of the actual rat but think it had only recently got in (part of the doorstep was scratched to bare wood).

So brought all the toilet rolls (only lost 3, 2 damaged, 1 more just to be on the safe side) and the bird seed/ mealworms and all the food except a few bottles of bleach into my room. New containers - large lidded metal bucket and an even larger plastic tub - arrived last Friday so mealworms and seeds back in the shed. I have a piece of metal I dug out of the garden which might work as a 'trasher' for the step so it won't have a big enough gap to get in again.

I am still living with mum (since March 18th) and it has been a bit fraught the past two weeks. I made one trip into town. The library reopened and I took my books back. They had good protocols in place and I didn't get further than the foyer - they had a shelf on wheels for any returned books. I only went in a few shops, Wilco for a few garden, diy and household items, two cs which had wide aisles and a one way system clearly marked on the floor (40 books, half at 5 for a pound, five 1000 piece jigsaws for less than a pound each, 2 packs of handkerchiefs and a Thai silk blouse for 2 pounds) and the farm shop for plate pie, potato cakes and cheeses. Boots had been recommended by someone on another thread (staff wearing masks, one way system in operation and had a good selection of masks and gloves) and as well as a mini med/ first aid stock up I bought 3 sandwiches and 2 fruit boxes reduced to 50p each. Spent about 2 hours filling the green bin with rosebay willow herb, brambles and deadheadings from the buddleia which DS3 and his Beloved have allowed to run riot. Very glad I'd treated myself to a pair of gauntlet gardening gloves.

That night we (Greater Manchester, parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire as well as Leicester) were put back under stricter lockdown - not allowed to mix two households either in the house or garden. I hadn't been back to my house for several weeks since pubs and takeaways were allowed to reopen as the short journey to my house involves passing about 11 of them (not to mention the summer long disco party with drugs and drinks for teenagers that happens on the car park behind my house - the police disperse them and they are all back within 15 minutes). Prior to that Sunday evenings were my favourite time to go back and gather garden stuff and bring it here.

It's mum's birthday on Saturday and I wrote a list of people who might visit - we know one person is bringing a present, DS2 and his gf may come and there were one or two others (eldest of mum's gds - probably without my brother as he is also high risk). I am trying to set up a socially distanced party (they won't all be there at the same time, more of a trickle). I based the shopping list around it. On Friday I will don my mask and gloves and cook/ prep as much as possible and I have paper plates/ platters and boxes to divide food onto. People can come and sit on the visitor's chair (with tie something onto one of the other garden chairs so we have two easily identifiable guest chairs) and either eat the food I've prepared (going to label all the plates) or take it away and I will ask them to send mum a photo/ greeting to mum by email. 

If the weather is fine there will be no problems (been trying to get to town to put money in the bank for past two days - thought the rain would put people off so it would be quiet but I draw the limit at being soaked before I get to the end of the street). I am now thinking that since I have to empty the polytunnel to get the cover back on, I may be able to use that. It will fit in the paved area beside the house (inside the gate). It's 3 m long so I could put the visitors chairs at the gate end (I've been keeping it padlocked shut except for when I've had a delivery and then I sit further away and ask them to put it in the trolley or on the bins in boxes) and we could sit at the garden end (mum and I will have to go in and out by the patio doors as the side door will be blocked off by the polytunnel. One end of the tunnel is off (accident in the last big storm) so we won't be too enclosed but will have some protection if it buckets down. Any leftover/ unclaimed food will be a running buffet throughout the weekend - I'm not issuing invites. If people turn up with a card or present they can have food, those who dont, don't get (I'm not surprised but still slightly appalled at how quickly most of mum's partner's children stopped visiting after he died).

So I'm here for the foreseeable. Had one or two wobbles, neither mum or myself wanted to share a house yet, but circumstances dictated otherwise and there's no way I can alternate between here and home without ramping up the risk of infection. I do feel as though I'm in exile but mum can't do online orders or take in deliveries. I need to be here and will make the best of it (I was a lot less calm earlier in the week). I have books and jigsaws, some embroidery pieces I want to finish (5 projects in all but working on two and then will see how I feel, I have slowed down and can only do a bit at a time), some fun games and lots of drama series to watch and of course my vegetable growing. Hoping you all stay safe and healthy.

MingVase

Here you go - will this do?

greenbee

MingVase said:

Here you go - will this do?

That's stunning. I need about 30 metres please... 

MingVase

O god

Floss

In sparkly yarn

greenbee

Floss said:

In sparkly yarn

Definitely. That should keep Mar out of trouble for a bit