The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

mehefin

greenbee said:

mehefin said:

Anyone got any sensible ideas on how to get rid of rodents who seem to be impervious to rat bait?

Traps. Just bear in mind that if you catch them after they've been eating your bait you'll end up with liquid rat... 

Yes am aware of that.. not a nice memory

-taff

You could try peanut butter, maybe mixing the bait in would work?

mehefin

Tried Mars bar on an old type trap.. the beggars triggered the trap and ate the goodies.

the old saying was the 2nd mouse got the cheese.

burtha

 chocolate spread on the traps.  
we decided that they work in teams otherwise to remove the marsbars 

MrsCD

We had rats last year in the garden, and had already stopped putting bird food out, kept the garden tidy etc, all the things you're told to do. So we contacted our local authority  and were sent a form to fill in with 7 sightings, with time, date etc. They were mostly out at night, just occasionally through the day, leaving deposits behind, and we weren't going to sit up half the night watching for them! Then we would have been charged goodness knows what, and it wouldn't necessarily have worked, we were told.
So we bought lockable (poison) bait holders (Big Cheese) and put them where we could see the runs, mostly under the fence to next door's decking. We've kept refilling the holders and haven't seen any signs of them for quite a while. We alternated the type of bait because sometimes they can become immune, apparently. 
We tried traps, but they didn't work for us at all.

mothernerd

Saturday 23rd April 2022
Was looking for a quote (I have loads) but serendipitously found this. It's a bit long-winded and too American (have contracted and altered it a bit) but it seems a good place to start - future contributions will be much shorter, I promise.

How To Start To Create The Best Possible Life For Yourself
1) Get Your Mind Right
Everything comes from the inside out. Work on cultivating a positive attitude. Read more books, listen to podcasts, ask for help, meditate, practice daily gratitude. Do what you need to get right inside.
2)  Take Stock of what needs to be worked on, or healed.
Who you need to forgive and who needs to forgive you. Take the first steps to healing yourself and releasing all that baggage that is holding you back. 
3)  Make a Conscious Effort To Heal Your Inside.
Exercise, eat well. Make a list of what needs to be worked on.
4)  Put it into Action Right Away
If you wait too long and start overthinking or contemplating, you may never do it.  Take the first steps to healing your life and create the best possible circumstances for your own individual abundance and growth.

mothernerd

Right, this fence isn't going to mend itself. I'll work on a place of honour for our precious Ming Vase.
Would Madame prefer Titchy Blue or a restful sage green (the better to show off Madame's own beauty). Wildflowers or paper flowers will be used to decorate and a supple of jelly babies will be laid in. Did someone mention bunting or is that over-egging the pudding.

By the way, the previous post mentions exercise. My own exercise is doing ankle circles and am very pleased to have found that by keeping my good leg (the bionic one with the replacement hip) bent with my foot flat to the bed, I can sort of 'bicycle' with my troublesome leg which helps alleviate the cramps I was getting (self-diagnosed as poor circulation).

MrsCD

I mentioned bunting,  but we can keep it for burtha's hen party, then if we're having a party for the Queen's Jubilee. 
My exercise yesterday came about because my dad had to go to hospital for some treatment,  so DD drove us there,  we dropped him at the unit, then went on to Roker beach. We walked along the promenade then had a cuppa from the flask I took with us. By then Dad had rang to say he was almost done so we picked him up and got home by tea time.
It was a beautiful day and the water was perfect, just lapping on the shore.

pollyanna_26

IGood morning Fencers. I've spent far too long trying to remember whose Uncle was part of Wool Clubs but the Inconvenient Memory has failed me. That will cheer monna up she was never keen on it.

I've also been pondering burthas' Any Fence Can Be Damaged but it can also be Fixed and she's right. The various Tougher Threads evolved slowly over the years so although there's a real Mar shaped hole here perhaps we should just let the thread evolve in a slow way respecting our fellow fencers and sharing what we're doing , giving advice if asked and she how things go. Just friends chatting over a fence like Cissie and Ada minus the rollers and curlers as we aren't that OS. I remember putting mums metal curlers in for her and my rollers of the past. It was a relief when Velcro rollers appeared. For years now it's been a quick whizz with the rotating hot brush fast and effective. I'll be the one with a scarf on my head hiding indoors if the power cuts come but have candles matches and solar lamps.

Something I hadn't realised until  reading to day was how burtha setting out on her virtual run round the UK while running it in real life nearer home had taken us on her journey . Lots of places I'd been or had wanted to visit and memories of seeing owls up close , lovely flowere shows and beautiful places and the tour of the Sirdar Wool factory Highland walks , rivers and waterfalls and the people we met along the way.

The virtual TV walks have been wonderful during the pandemic. i could walk through Snowdrops , Bluebells . Primroses as I used to and places I had  or not yet visited. Really enjoyed  the Yorkshire Shepherdess walk and the others to different places. Looking back it probably stopped me going stir crazy.

I have a question does anyone have a Soupmaker? I've always been a cook from scratch person but with youngest sheilding a few mies away . We both used to cook I found I didn't feel the motivattion or sometimes have the energy to bother as often tins and  packets were replacing  fresh veg and ingredients. The joints and muscles were flaring and I was struggling to sleep.

I talk to Mar most days and she said get yourself a soupmaker like mine. It's quick and easy.

I wasn't sure but started thinking about it. I haven't used my beloved chef much in recent times which used to chop , slice, grate blend and all sorts of things and is something I'd had since the 80s with the odd replacement. Well I've been thinking looked online at Soup Makers dithered then asked youngest if she'd like one too. She and boyfriend have  just bought a breadmaker as she can't go down to the village shops and he's working from home long hours.

She sent me a pic of her 1st attempt Bread Rolls she'd topped them with Oats and said they were just like the ones we used to buy in Marks.

i ended up choosing the same brand as Mars but the bigger size as I prefer to prep once and chill or freeze some for another meal.

Ordered Stainless steel rather than Aluminium.  I replaced my aluminium pans , oven tins , kitchen tools in the 80s with SS.

Both soupmakers arrived at dds the other day and she did a review to me via Email . Very good handle disability friendly . I started laughing she's turning into her Mum. I always way up pros and cons the same way.

I'd found a paperback 100 soup recipe    book online so ordered one each . Many of the books were American with recipies I didn't think we'd use but this one is written by a nutritionist and dd says it's really good.

She made vegetable soup yesterday and said it was quick and lovely. The easy clean worked well as she'd  been cooking soup in a pan and if she wanted it smooth lumps of veg were blocking the food processor .

I'm wondering had anyone has any hints or tips about them. Both dd and I are keen to keep making our favourite Gary Rhodes Vegetarian Scotch Broth that's been made her a lot over the years

Some ingredients are added at various stages while it's cooking and it's a slow process. Does anyone make something similar?

pollyx

ZolaBuddy

Well the sun has most definitively got his hat on today. Have had a most splendid day thus far, and now we're enjoying "high teas" on the patio with the sun beating down and not a cloud in the skies.

It's brief moments like thus where all my troubles are put to one side, and I am so glad to be where I am right now. 

Life is good, and so is this forum