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

Jessy103

We have a 10 year old whippet and despite hating water and baths, still rolls around in fox poo, I once chased her around the garden with a bottle of ketchup, neighbours probably thought I was bonkers 🤣 Hopefully stinky is a lot brighter and connects the two!

greenbee

One of my friends told me today that with her last dog, all she had to do was say 'bath time' when it looked like it was thinking about rolling, and it changed it's mind! I'm thinking of asking her to do some training for me...

I've been out for most of the day, but still managed to get a wool wash and the cleaning cloths washed. Wool wash drying on the airer, cleaning cloths are on the line freezing (as are the dog towels from the CS, which still smell of detergent). Hall is back together, so is the bathroom (although the floor really needs a good wash. Airing cupboard is clean and I'll start putting stuff back in there soon. My mum is staying on Sunday night, so I need to put some stuff back in the room she uses - but I'm not going to do too much as I'm hoping the carpet fitters will be here shortly after I get back from my next work trip. 

Plan for tomorrow needs to include some gardening. There is stuff to go in pots, and there are raised bed frames to fit round existing beds. 

greenbee

Bedroom done. Bathroom done. Airing cupboard done and everything back in and it looks lovely and tidy and organised (and really does need repainting sometime... and a new hanging rail putting up).

Two raised beds constructed today - one small and one large. The large one is bigger than the bed, so I need to weed the extra bits and add some compost. I've identified the bed that the other large one is intended for, so that's a project for later this week/next weekend. I now need to measure some more beds and work out the best way to edge them. 

All the plants bought at the supermarkets last week have been shoved in pots (frits will be moved when the orchard grass has been cut as I'm hoping they will naturalise). If I can get some more tulips, violas, pansies and primulas/polyanthus this week then I'll fill the rest of the patio pots.

Kongs filled and frozen, lick mats filled and being added to the freezer slowly (have to wait for each one to freeze before adding the next). Chicken in SC for cats. Cats have also had a yogurt lick mat. Still need to bleed radiators, do the ironing, and something else boring which I can't remember...

greenbee

Radiators have been bled (I should probably top up the system with water now), ironing has been done. No more tulips or primulas, but more violas and pansies and some compost and the patio pots are done, pretty, and no longer depressing me. 

Ordered a selection of raised beds that I'm hoping I can use to create at least most of the rest of the edging I need. I made up the last wooden one and put it in place, and have unpacked the metal ones. It was dark by the time I finished, so haven't managed to work out exactly what combination of which bits I will use where. I prefer the shallower wooden ones to the metal (less compost used too - as they are going round existing beds I can't fill them with bits of rubble and wood!), but the mix is good. I do need to keep buying more commercial compost, as we've run out of home-made and I need to top up some of the beds. This year needs to involve making a LOT more than last year (so building more compost bins). 

Double snowdrops arrived, so those have been planted. Other stuff is dormant roots/bulbs/corms, so can wait. Neighbour dropped off three asparagus crowns she'd dug up. They don't really like having their roots disturbed, so may not make it, but it's worth a try. Trench was dug, manure and compost mixed in, mound created, and crowns planted. Trench is now ready for when the crowns I ordered arrives, although I need to dig one in the other bed. 

Cleaner was here today, so the house looks and smells better (I managed to get some tidying up done first too - the ironing board is FINALLY put away, but I still can't find the picture pins, which I need to get some pictures up on the wall (one in the sitting room, a key box in the hall, three pictures in the spare room, and I think 6 in the ensuite... which still needs shelves sourcing for it). 

Dog and cat bedding and towels have mostly been washed. There are two cat fleeces that need a proper de-fluff before washing and drying.

Suitcase has been unearthed. Batteries have been ordered so I can change the one in my airtag. I need to start packing tomorrow... both for me, and for Stinky, who is going to have a holiday with a neighbour. 

greenbee

Up early this morning, so walk done by 7.15am. Which meant all animals though it must be 8.15 and breakfast was late... Made a start on rearranging bits of metal raised bed (definitely not as nice as the lower wooden ones, but bizarrely much, much cheaper), but then the gardener arrived. 

Last prunus is being planted, and a hydrangea and skimmia from my mum's which he dug up yesterday. Then he's going to mow, so the garden will be vaguely flat, I can start planting bulbs and wildflowers in the 'orchard' and getting creeping thyme going in the veg plot, and compost production can ramp up!

Inside, I need to get on with packing, and with work. This includes (and should probably start with) unpacking the two sacks of dog food that are still sitting in a box on the porch... 

greenbee

I have my first work trip in about 15 months coming up tomorrow. Packing was hard. Also had to pack for the dog who is going on holiday to a friend's house. Hopefully I've remembered everything. 

Mowing was done, and the garden looks odd. Far too tidy! Rest of the house is starting to get back to normal, but not entirely as the carpets have been ordered so the bedrooms will need emptying again in a couple of weeks. But there's less stuff cluttering the place up. Packing for work made me realise that most of my clothes are still packed away/inaccessible. And i've mislaid my spare glasses somewhere (I'm not hugely worried as I only use them for screen-based work and I won't be doing much of that until I'm back home). I've also mislaid the picture pins, which is irritating as I wanted to get the key cupboard back up and the plasterer removed a pin and didn't put it back/leave it, and I have some other pictures waiting to be hung too. 

So a fair amount of sorting today. Bins out a couple of days early - as they're all full, hopefully it isn't too obvious that they are out because I am. One raised bed frame built and installed (the bed it is going round was larger than the frame, so the excess compost has been put into the next door bed which was smaller than the frame). It isn't great quality, but it looks better than the bits of old laminate that were there before. I've realised that what I should probably have done (and maybe will do for the rest once I've used up the kits) is ordered a whole lot of 15cm gravel board. However, I now have a mixture of different styles, and hopefully there's enough variation for it to look deliberate. 

Logs have been sorted, ouse plants have been watered, seedlings have been moved and more seeds planted, and I've remembered to lock the gates and windows. Just need to stay up until the dog is ready for bed (I'm shattered), and then tomorrow is an early start (6am to walk the dog, shower, dress, feed the menagerie and be ready for the taxi at 7am), and I land at 9.55pm Central Time, so it's pretty much a 24 hour travel day due to indirect flights. Hopefully once this trip is over I won't be doing it again for a long time... 

Alchemilla

Bon voyage! Not surprised you were tired after all those jobs.

Daughter of Satan never made the rolling = bath connection.

rtandon27

Happy Travels @greenbee - fingers crossed for a smooth & uneventful trip!

greenbee

Trip was exhausting. I'm not used to travel anymore.

Stinky had a lovely holiday with his friends. Cats were pleased to see me when I got back.

Still haven't finished unpacking, but have done laundry. 

Solar is doing well this month, and I'm exporting more than I import again. Solar diverter has been fixed, so I may start heating water with solar to reduce oil consumption. It's nice to be able to put the DW on during the day. And do laundry, and use the oven DW is running, I'm about to have a shower, put the electric towel rail on to dry the towels, do some laundry and then possibly bake some of the cookies I've prepped mix for this morning. There may be less sun later in the week, but overall I'm now happy that electricity costs will be minimal. I should probably reclaim my surplus from my provider.

Lots of dog kongs and lick mats have been filled, so I need to stock up on BNS and pressure cook it for him. I also need to cook some pet food (have chicken wings and livers, need some mince/carrots/BNS etc). Have some not very nice veg soup that I made yesterday to use up this week (not worth freezing, but will get eaten while I have no visitors). 

Hoping to get a date for carpet fitting soon (it was apparently ordered last monday), and spend this weekend cleaning out the greenhouse and sorting out my vast piles of wood so that ready-to-use logs are in one place, newer logs in another, stuff to split is ready to be done, and anything to be used as kindling is chopped and bagged/boxed somewhere sensible. 

Since Stinky arrived I haven't done any Pilates, and I need to get back to this now he's a little less needy. I'm doing lots of walking, but I miss the Pilates. I also need to start eating properly... which means getting the kitchen sorted... which means getting the greenhouse/garage/utility sorted. 

I'm also going to have to at least partially clear my office again, as the place where the consumer unit came out needs filling and painting. While it could be painted without too much mess, the filling and sanding will be messy. However, there's lots of grit and dust coming down, so it needs doing. Although I'm tempted to tape some paper over it for now.

Annoyingly I've lost my pack of picture pins and I have a whole lot of pictures I want to get up on the walls, so need to try to find those. And put the filters back in the robot hoover so it can start earning it's keep!

greenbee

Baked banana breakfast bars (banana, peanut butter, oats, seeds); almond and PNB cookies; almond and chocolate cookies. The PNB ones have a bit of maple syrup and vanilla essence in. The almond/chocolate ones have a little sugar but 100% dark choc. All three delicious. A little bit of grid electricity used when heating the oven up. 

Recycling out from the kitchen to the bin, compost to the compost bin. Animals have been fed, and Stinky has a bone (so will be extra stinky) which I need to retrieve from him shortly so we can go for a walk before I start work. WM is nearly done, so washing should mostly dry while I'm in meetings. DW is almost done. 

Bookclub tonight, so Stinky needs a decent walk, and regular ball-throwing in the garden this afternoon so he doesn't mind being in his pen all evening while I'm out.