Weekly Flylady Thread 31st July 2017

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Honey_Bear wrote: »

If I didn't say it before, massive congratulations on reaching your target, Valli!

Thanks JoJo; I'm not sure if we have a rambling rose at either end of the garden. I rather fear we have. I've often wondered if I should plant buddelia although there is quite a significant amount sprouting out of walls and chimney pots around here, so - good - I don't have to feel guilty about not doing so any more.

Shower room sparkly, second load pegged out, dog about to be trotted around the block and then back to patchwork.

Rambling roses tend to be open flowered, wild looking and flower just the once on spurs coming from the horizontal stems. They also grow long and wild with zero intervention.

The way to deal with them is to

Head, eye and hand protection
Use loppers rather than handheld secateurs and just cut what is nearest your face/over your head until you can get into the horizontals. Then use loppers if they're up to finger thickness, any more than that and you need either a pruning saw or a bow saw.

Don't worry too much, it's unlikely to die even if you cut it right back to one shoot sticking out of the stump (again, use a saw to take out extras pointing outwards.

Then, if you have a few flexible horizontals left and want to encourage flowering, you can use vine eyes in a fence and covered wire twisted to hold the horiz. into a looping, Loch Ness Monster/chewy sweet snake shape, as putting the plant under that pressure slows the sap flowing and creates the conditions that make flowering spurs appear - it also gives you a rough pattern to see where to chop off bits if you don't want it growing in a particular direction. Or point it in the direction of a tree and they'll scramble up it and flower at the top - flowering at the top is their strength and what makes them need some firm management. Despite what books might suggest, I'm perfectly happy to lop off bits throughout the year and will prune in Late Summer/Autumn and Early Spring; early in the year to make the shape for best flowering, after flowering to keep the damn things under control.

They're my favourite roses, and you can be positively brutal with them. Just never cut off the buds, as they won't regrow that year.

MinnieMousesMummy

Hi everyone, Sorry I have been missing this week. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that I need to get done and sorted before I start uni on 1st Sept. I will be back to join in next weeks list.

LameWolf

I have a problem. This may be something the Flyladies can help with, so I shall run it past you if I may.:o

First, the background: Mr LW uses old-fashioned sticks of shaving soap for his daily shave. Up until now, he has always opened a new one when the old one got down to the level of the plastic holder, and I would then snaffle the last bit to put in the kitchen to use for the many items I need to hand-wash if they needed more than a quick swish in water with non-bio powder in (I can't use biological powder at all). The nature of shaving soap sticks is that the soap is hard, and works well for this purpose.

Now the problem - Mr LW has observed me use my bath soap until there is nowt left but a bubble, and has decided to do likewise with his shaving soap; very commendable and MSE, but the other side of the coin is no more bits of soap for kitchen use. So I thought I'd just get some green household soap like my grandmother used to use - except that I can't get it anywhere in MK or any of the surrounding towns for love nor money; the chap in the shop in Stony Stratford told me they'd not been able to get hold of it for ages.

I looked on the Bay of Fleas and it's selling for silly money (presumably to collectors, though who would collect bars of soap from decades past is beyond me); so that's not an option. Even on Amzn the prices were somewhat eye-watering.

I hereby throw this open for discussion.

kazwookie

Evening

LW I 'think' my local market has a stall that sells it, I'll have a look on Tuesday, what sort of price is accptable to pay for such an item / what size are you looking for?

Had a busy week, but a slower day tomorrow with housey type stuff, and food shopping.

Hugs / birthday wishes / kick up the back side for all those that need one, help yourselves

bossymoo

Do you not have a "Range" or "Savers" in MK LW? They'd be the first place I'd look. Or a pound shop. Actually think I have some from M0rrisons, their own brand. If you don't have any luck I'd be happy to post some to you

I have my babies home they were grubby and hungry, both have been fed, dunked in the bath and hair washed.

Now on my sofa, in their onesies, cuddled up with a DVD - bliss

LameWolf

Kaz Mr LW paid 99p for his last stick of shaving soap, so I was thinking in the region of £1 a bar or under (certainly not the £30 I saw a pack of 2 bars going for on Bay of Fleas!!) I seem to remember them being larger than bathroom soap, would only just fit in my hand when new.

Bossy I've never heard of "Range" or "Savers" so I don't suppose we have them here - but I will look again next time I visit Morries; my brain goes into meltdown in there, I hate it, but go about once a month for stuff I can't get elsewhere, so I may have walked straight past it in a daze. :doh:Can you remember what colour the wrapper is?

ETA my thanks to Froddy for alerting me to vegetarian jelly crystals other than those in H&B - I found some the other day, ironically in Morries, in the World Foods aisle. They're listed as Halal, and have carrageenan (sp?) as the "jellifier" (if that's actually a word), not gelatine; and they're half the price of the H&B ones. :T

SunnyGirl

LW How about the pure soap flakes? They sell them in Home Bargains, my Mum buys them for washing wool jumpers.

LameWolf

SG I really want a bar of something I an rub on grotty spots, like where a dog has drooled on me for instance. Not a stain per se so doesn't need the pink-wrapped stuff, but needs a "proper" scrub iyswim. I suppose if all else fails, I can just snaffle Mr LW's spare stick of shaving soap......:rotfl:

SunnyGirl

LW Buy one just for kitchen usage and don't let Mr LW near it That'd probably be your cheapest and easiest option tbh as you know it's suitable for your skin etc and it does the job

LameWolf

I reckon you're right, SG. If I can't find the "proper" stuff in Morries, I think that's what I'll do. After all, there's no law that I know of that says it has to be used for shaving with!

I have to be so careful what I wash my clothes with; can't use anything bio at all; Mr LW and I even have our own bathroom soap, as his preferred one (I/Leather) makes my skin itch horribly. I get artisan soaps at craft fairs and such like for my own use.