"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

greenbee

Metal raised beds that weren't due until Tuesday turned up at lunchtime, so instead of ignoring them I thought I'd see how easy they were to put together. Turns out they were very easy, and even better they were very close in terms of size. So the old laminate flooring/loft boards that were edging two of the no-dig beds are in the bin, the bricks/lumps of concrete supporting them are in the rubble pile. The new beds are almost the same colour as the greenhouse, so hopefully will blend in well. They do need a bit of adjustment when I can get out there with a spade to shift a bit of the compost so they're actually resting properly on the ground.

Three more raised beds are on order. Once those have arrived I'll measure the other beds and work out what I can get to tidy those up a bit. 

No seeds have been sown, but I'm gradually getting closer I may also sow some creeping thyme in modules as I want to plant it in the paths rather than trying to keep them topped up with bark chip the whole time (in fact, I may scrape the bark chips that's on there off and shove it in the compost bin at some point!). 

Checked my remaining mortgage OP allowance (why do they make it so hard to find?) and put the link in my calendar - it turns out I'd already put something in the diary to check the outstanding amount and try to pay off up to the limit before the anniversary. I've added a note to consider paying off the following year's allowance in November if I have the money available. 

LadyWithAPlan

All the gardening prep is impressive given how cold it is 

greenbee

It's OK in the sunshine if you keep moving!

Small raised bed is on it's way. Two others are delayed waiting for new stock.

Measured three more beds, but they're non-standard sizes so I need to think of solutions for:

120cm x 270cm (has two fruit bushes in it, each with a standalone cage over it, and strawberries/wild strawberries round the edges)
100cm x 250cm (last year's runner bean bed)
100cm x 260cm (last year's squash bed... it's actually 90cm at one end and 106cm at the other, but that can be adjusted!

I'm wondering whether I should just find the nearest size in a kit and adjust the beds to fit them. 

Baileys_Babe

greenbee said:

I'm wondering whether I should just find the nearest size in a kit and adjust the beds to fit them. 

This seems like the least stressful solution.

greenbee

I think that's probably what I'll do. But I'm not going to do anything until the next lot have arrived and I've got them installed (and I've tweaked the current ones so they're properly in place). 

Lovely walk this morning ... as always I was reluctant to get out of bed, but the lighter mornings mean everyone else is keen to get up. Cold, crisp sunshine, and skylarks twittering above the fields. 

Today needs to involve - turning some elderly bananas into filling for kongs, washing the new towels on a quick wash and hopefully drying them mostly outside, running the DW once the solar picks up enough, possibly running the new towels through the TD when the DW is done, washing some clothes, maybe doing some ironing, sorting out some postage and a walk to the post box. And a LOT of work. 

Electricians back tomorrow to make a start on moving the consumer unit, so two noisy and disruptive days ahead of me. Oh yes, I have to remember a. to put a slide and some notes together for a call on Wednesday and b. to turn up to it given I don't usually do 9am meetings (I don't generally start meetings until the US comes online). 

Need to message the plasterer (that's been on the list for ages), choose carpet (ditto), make lists of small, annoying jobs for the builder and plumber.

Having spent some time with Stinky at my friend's house yesterday, and seen how much easier it is for him with quarry tiled floors rather than vinyl, I think I need to investigate the possibility of quarry tiles for the kitchen and utility room. The vinyl is horribly slippery (for people too!). Quarry tiles will be disruptive as the floors may need to be lowered and I'm not sure how this would impact on the UFH in the utility room. But worth looking into ... unless I can get very thin quarry tiles.. 

rtandon27

GB - I love that I'm not the only one who does not do 9am meetings! I'm amazed that you are diarizing a meeting that early in the morning!

Due to the multiple timezones I work in, it's commonly known that I only do meetings between 10am and 4pm UK time.  Outside of these times, I'm either commuting, working on deep focus projects of interacting with the folks who share my open concept office space!  This morning, some kn0b in another timezone decided to book a 9:30 online meeting, despite having been told I would not be available and that no, I do not do meetings while on crowded trains.  I was subsequently asked by a senior person why I had not attended, so told them blankly that the confidential info I needed to present was not suitable to a train full of screaming children and their equally poorly behaved parents.  Point has been taken onboard, and the person who booked the meeting has been instructed to accommodate my schedule going forward!

kazwookie

rtandon27 said:

Point has been taken onboard, and the person who booked the meeting has been instructed to accommodate my schedule going forward!

Just love it, well done for standing your ground.

greenbee

@rtandon27 - my diary is blocked, but no one seems to bother looking at it. Because I'm in the UK they assume I work for the UK business. I don't. Technically I'm employed by them, but only by the legal entity. They don't pay for me! I have pointed out that I may well forget to turn up... and it wasn't entirely a joke. In fact I must check exactly what time it is before I go to bed. And maybe prep for it! That's the other thing, they don't understand that when everyone comes along wanting their specific stuff done, I'm actually trying to support the whole organisation, so the detailed request for their one meeting with their one specific customer isn't really feasible. This, however, is a divisional meeting, so worth turning up for. Although only virtually. I don't travel unless there's a REALLY good business case. 

greenbee

I'm sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, and trying to summon up the energy and enthusiasm to log on and prep for my 9am call...

Dog has been walked and emptied (twice!), cats and dog have been refilled.

Remembered to order oil as the watchman is now below halfway (stupid 1000l tank means it needs topping up about every 6 weeks at this time of year, and there's very little flexibility in order volumes). 

Thought electricians were due today, but noticed last night that my last message agreeing a date hadn't been read, and I didn't get a reminder text in the evening either. So I need to compose a message asking if everything is OK and getting a date in the diary. Good thing I didn't book the plasterer and carpet fitter... my procrastination has paid off! But I do have work travel coming up which complicates things.

greenbee

So the electricians DID turn up - I hadn't had an automated reminder (I let him know that I hadn't, and told him that's why I hadn't taken the pictures down ). He arrived just as I sent a whatsapp, so I deleted it before he read it!

9am meeting done. Much less slick and professional than the US-run meetings. Also lots of flags that indicate a serious need for education around AI (I'm not going to volunteer myself!). 

The neighbours who normally feed the cats when I'm away aren't sure whether they can do it this time, so I'm going to ask one of my book group neighbours whether she can help out. My mum may well need to come and stay for at least part of this trip. I've got someone booked to house sit for the next two known trips, but need to find someone local who can help on a regular basis (and at relatively short notice) as there may be local work trips that need covering too. 

Lots of notifications about deliveries - orchard is on it's way, and more of the raised beds, and some more seeds. So the gardener will be busy on Friday (I'll get him to plant the trees and fruit, not do the raised beds), and I'll be busy at the weekend. And I still haven't sown the indoor seeds!

Dog lick mats and kongs need refilling - I did cook the BNS yesterday and have mashed banana and BNS prepped to do them, so should probably get set up and do them gradually during the day.

Not much sun shining, so while the battery is refilling, I don't think there's quite enough generation to run the DW. So it's a toss-up between doing it now, or waiting and seeing what overnight pricing is like. I won't be doing much tomorrow as the power will be off while the electricians move the consumer unit from my office into the downstairs loo.