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

greenbee

Did the weeding (obviously more weeds have grown overnight!) and planted the last of the geranium. I'm using the sprinkler to water the beds at the moment as there is so much new in there. I'm doing 3 sections with roughly 30 minutes per section which is hopefully enough. They had a good soak last night, and have had another one this morning (it's a west-facing bed with a wood to the east and a house to the south, so no sun for a few more hours). 

Today is a full work day, but like most of my work days a late start/late finish. So as this morning's watering (including the greenhouse) has been done, the dog walked, and everyone fed, the plan is to do some Pilates, then stick laundry on as soon as there is enough solar generating, followed by the DW, and probably more laundry. Robots need to get going upstairs as the new carpets are still shedding some fluff (although the back bedroom is almost done). 

My mum is coming over tonight, so I need to go and buy some veg - I'm hoping the little petrol station supermarket will have what I need as it'll take less time, if not I need to decide between supermarket and farm shop. I need to feed her tonight and tomorrow, and make sure there is something for her breakfast and lunch as she's looking after the animals while I have a dog-free day out with a friend.

Bits for the greenhouse waterbutt have arrived, so I'd like to get that installed today on the off-chance there is rain soon. It'll also mean I can get the irrigation system at least partially set up (I need to work out how I'm going to get the wires and hose from the water butt into the greenhouse!) ready for when it's needed. 

I'm trying really hard not to attempt to fit too much in at a time. But I also need to remember to clear stuff out of the way of the builders who are due on Wednesday. This will include emptying my office (again) to get the hole left from moving the consumer unit filled.

And hopefully I'll find out soon when the scaffolding is coming down (again, I hope it's soon, so I can get on with cleaning up the patio!).

greenbee

Lovely day yesterday learning how to actually plan my planting and catching up with a friend. The dog had been busy eating dandelions while I was out and apparently had been good all day. Did some watering when I got home, but not much else.

Today I watered the veg plot while I was emptying the dog first thing. After his walk and feeding everyone I filled all the watering cans and watered the trees/shrubs, and then did the hedge at the front - I need to think about how I can mulch it as there is a lot of bare soil, it's very dry (used to have leylandii and laurel in), and it's on a slope. This was followed by a lot of fiddling around working on some temporary solutions for the shed and greenhouse waterbutts (I need to order a couple of bits for the shed one - a base as it's on an old milk crate now, and an elbow for the downpipe; the greenhouse one could be a permanent solution), as well as moving a couple of pallets and IBCs into position. Now my mum has left I can get the third pallet and put the last one in place. The filling caps I ordered aren't any good - I can't make the seals stay put, and I'm not sure anyway what would feed into the fitting, so I'll look for something different. But the taps are fine. I can't fill them yet anyway as I haven't got the bits for stopping/connected the extra outlets at the bottom of each one.

Then I emptied the compost out of some pots, used it to mulch trees/shrubs and top up a bed on the veg plot. I tipped the last of the grass mowings from a couple of weeks ago out of the builders' bags and onto the compost heaps, tipped the last of the bay prunings into the garden waste bin, cut back two buddlieas and a dogwood and shoved those bits in the garden waste too. 

My mum dug up and labelled some soil samples, so I need to test those over the next day or so (four tests each). 

And I've done a quick mow on the highest setting. Just the grass nearest the house which was the bit that hadn't been done. So a reasonable amount done. 

The dog wants his post-lunch bone, I need lunch, and will then contemplate what's next. Probably shifting the last pallet and IBC, followed by making a start on pressure-washing the patio!

greenbee

Am procrastinating. But got lots done yesterday - IBCs are in place (and they fit - although the last pallet is a non-standard size so I need to find a nice strong Europallet to replace it with), grass was mowed, pressure washing was started. Chalk has arrived for marking up the patio.

Rubbish collection this week, and for the first time in months the bin is almost empty. So I should probably attempt to construct another raised bed frame and use the space for the junk that will need throwing out once that's done. 

Pilates, laundry, and some baking also need dealing with today at some point in between bits of work. I suspect the laundry may end up not happening, but hopefully it'll get done over the course of the week, despite the predicted rain and builders being here on Weds/Thurs.

greenbee

Have hoovered up a couple of labradors while baking black bean and beetroot brownies. Also shoved some washing in the machine and set a robot off to vacuum my bedroom. It's now recharging before tackling another round of the new carpet. I'm seriously considering hoovering the dog...  luckily he's very good, and eats dandelions and spiders, so I'll keep hm. 

Pilates was done (very short session) and I've also put together one more raised bed and binned the rubbish that was surrounding it. Good use of the sunshine. Coffee and black bean brownies now, then I need to feed everyone and prep for my first meeting of the day. 

greenbee

Managed to sow three trays of seeds during a long meeting that I only needed to listen to, as well as clearing up quite a lot of stuff in the kitchen. I'm going to make a concerted effort to get water harvesting/raised beds/plant supports done in the garden and seeds sown this week. Even if it's only a packet of seeds inside or out and one more bit of construction done each day it will help. 

Clearly weeding needs doing too, but that may have to wait for the weekend. 

greenbee

It's raining, which is lovely, but the water butts aren't filling. One because clearly I'd disconnected one end of the pipe from the gutter while doing something else and not reconnected it (I'm going to go back and check later that it isn't falling off), and the other I can't work out. The greenhouse gutters are flat, with no fall on them that I'm aware of (you have the option to fit water butts front or back), and the back water butts are full, but there is nothing going in to the front. So I need to take a spirit level out and see whether the greenhouse isn't level, there's a fall on the gutter, or there's something else going on. If I can only get water at the back I'll have to rethink and maybe put the big butt on the summerhouse (guttering should go on this week, but I'll need a paving stone or two to stand it on) and get it some friends to connect to!

No gardening on the cards today, but I need to empty my office ready for the hole left when the consumer unit was removed to be filled, which will be messy and dusty. I also want to get the shark filters washed and dried by Thursday. 

No laundry either, as there's not much sun, so not much power!  But the rest of the week should be OK and it's just cleaning cloths and pet blankets and bedding that need doing (poor washing machine). 

Feeling a bit fragile and headachy today for some reason (I suspect it's my 7pm finish that does it, which is why I've moved most days to 6pm), so just pottering in an attempt to get stuff done. 

Robots are at least being useful and continuing to hoover the new carpets (I moved one into my bedroom yesterday so that was done. 

Oh, and I finally got a screwdriver out and fixed the wonky loo seat that was driving me nuts. 

greenbee

Office is almost empty. Lots more to clear up ready for the builders tomorrow, but I'll do it later as the sun is shining!

Dog has been walked, everyone is fed. Landing has been hoovered and the shark taken apart (SO much fluff jammed in by the roller) and all bits washed and drying). 

Scaffolding coming down tomorrow - starting at 7.30am (I'll be out walking the dog), builders will be here at 8ish and do inside stuff (boxing in pipes and cables, adjusting doors, filling the hole from the old consumer unit, putting up shelves). They've got some waterseal to apply outside, so I'll need to empty a planter (currently full of rocket, so need to eat that) so they can all be moved out of the way), and are going to have a look at the summerhouse which needs guttering added and the door adjusting. 

Part arrived for shed downpipe, and I now know why I was confused - the pipe on the shed is one diameter, and the spare bit is another! It's stuck together, but the gutter needs a repair, so it may be easier to get a new kit and reinstall it. 

Additional butt on the greenhouse isn't filling as the gutter flows away from it. Which is odd as the rest of the greenhouse is level, as is the front gutter. I need to get the bigger spirit level out, and possibly rethink the water butt configuration. It's not like I don't have options. But I do need to get the IBC connectors sorted out - although I'd quite like to get at least one (preferably four) euro pallets in place before I get too much water in them. 

Need to make a list for tomorrow...

greenbee

Scaffolding is down. Windowsill in back bedroom is being replaced with one that will be straight. Fixing the utility room/garage door frame has been added to the list of small annoying things for the builders to do. From the noise coming from the back bedroom I should probably have emptied the wardrobe (but they're working in the spare wardrobes) as I suspect there is going to be a LOT of dust. And builders' dust sheets rarely actually keep dust off things, so the poor hoovers are going to be busy too.

Guttering on small shed has been adjusted, so it should now have enough of a fall on it for the water to flow into the butt (the shed tilts the opposite way to the gutter, as it's settled into the ground). Laurel stumps are being drilled and poisoned. A tree is due to be moved before it actually gets settled in, and next door's leylandii hedge that sucks all the moisture from the bed in front of it needs a haircut. Luckily someone else is doing all that!

I've sown red celery, snapdragons and knapweed in the greenhouse, and phacelia and poached egg plant outside around the fruit bushes. 

I need to get on and do some work. But it's cold, windy, noisy, and I'm tired!

Jessy103

Sounds like good progress is being made 👍

greenbee

Lots of progress. And more things identified that can be done next week (fix summerhouse doors, put up shelves in big ensuite if I order brackets, summerhouse guttering). 

I've sown lots of cosmos in modules, and some morning glory and sunflowers. They're all in the greenhouse having been watered. 

Need to finish unloading the DW before bed. And go and buy more seed compost in the morning.