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

greenbee

Nothing to do with me!

greenbee

I'm trying to work out how to make the most of the Agile plunge pricing tomorrow. Chances are it'll be sunny and I'll struggle to use more than what the solar is generating when the pricing is really good. However, I can at least discharge the battery when I go to bed, then turn it off, and plan to put a hot wash on tonight to finish by the time I get up to let the dog out, and another to go in then. I've got lots of towels to do, so they can go through the TD (I may do a cat bedding wash, possibly do a dog bed/toys, the cleaning cloths, and a drum clean as it's essentially from midnight tonight until 4pm tomorrow. 

So the plan should be - 10pm discharge battery and turn it off, have bath to use up hot water (hot water diverter is off)
Hot wash to finish by 5am
5am (ish) - move laundry to TD and set off new hot wash
9am (ish) - next hot wash into TD and set off new hot wash
10.30 am turn battery back on to charge, turn solar diverter on, turn on towel rails and any heating if needed, turn on oven, start baking, run DW even if not full (we had fish today!). 
12.30 pm - swap out laundry again (estimate based on how long hot washes work - but remember not to use economy programme as it needs to be quick) for one that won't need to go in the TD 
3.30 pm - switch of battery/immersion grid feeds

That gives me three towel/pet bedding washes that can go in the TD, and hopefully a cleaning cloth wash and drum clean. Plus DW, baking, and some heating if needed. The overnight stuff will at least use negative pricing from the grid. The rest will only earn me what I use over and above any solar generation, which is going to be a challenge now we have so much. 

I should probably set some reminders/write out a list and put it somewhere obvious!

Watty1

Love the garden progress.  Last year I went to a local Open Gardens event and it was lovely, real gardens, with tangles and weeds and beautiful views and plants and then small courtyards full of junk shop finds with plants growing through.   Not a perfectly manicured and designed garden in view and it was joyous.  Everyone was so lovely.  Some of the gardens were new, some old established gardens.

I sense your open garden event will be like that.  And my goodness it does seem to have motivated you.   

greenbee

It certainly has motivated me Watty! I don't want to spend years looking out (or living in) somewhere that is all potential but I don't enjoy. So I'm trying to get on with it. Although this month has been VERY spendy, so I'm hoping to make it through until payday without having to dip into savings Next month will have some big CC bills as a result too. I know the next lot of savings will have to be cracked open to do the September/October work, but I was expecting that. 

I'd better get on with using electricity while they're paying me to do it. Unfortunately as a low user with solar it's proving quite hard work!

greenbee

Laundry is ongoing (I'm even doing hand washing as I've got the airer out to dry it on), and I've pricked out a dozen nicotiana into modules. I'm now out of modules so anything else is going to have to go in pots. Although at some point I'll go and check the modules in the greenhouse as I think some of those could be potted on. At least I now have plenty of compost!

greenbee

Not much done outside yesterday (although I did leave the veg plot irrigation on for rather a long time and remembered when I was in the bath!), but lots of nicotiana pricked out - hopefully some will survive.

Masses of laundry done, and more to do today (I want to get the hand washing done as the utility room is currently clean/tidy enough; and my dog-walking coat; and swap the current dog beds out too as the dog is still relatively clean. 

Some books put away yesterday evening - I'll try to do some more today so all the boxes are empty and I can start rearranging them to make sure that they're in the right rooms. There are pictures to go up too, when I feel up to measuring.

So the aim for today is to get beans planted, more nicotiana potted on, the fencing pins on the veg plot hammered in a bit further (the rain has softened the ground and the wind won't have helped), the sorbus trunk tied to a bamboo, and the pallet swapped out under the IBC. I think I probably need to write a list for the rest of the week so I can work my way through it!

greenbee

Progress report:

• Pallets swapped under IBC (square solid pallet swapped for Euro pallet - IBCs now all fit on the hard standing)
• Solid pallet moved to compost area (can use it to stack mulch/compost bags for now)
• One more pallet moved to compost area for third compost bay (need to move one more and find some fencing wire to complete it)
• Ash bin tidied next to third compost bay, incinerator brought to patio for construction (I should probably take the ash bin from the porch up to the back and tip the ash into the big bin)
• Four water butt kits moved to the back of the summerhouse
• Mange tout planted (only 4 germinated, so I'll see whether there are any more seeds to direct sow)
• Dwarf french beans planted (I think only the purple queen are really ready to go out, but I've put the orinoco wax and cupidon out - the Alda gold and another yellow one haven't germinated yet). Find more Cupidon and Orinoco Wax to direct sow with them.
• A few weeds pulled up. 
• A couple of fencing pins bashed back in.

So having a rest and contemplating dragging the rest of the hazel out of the hedge and into the veg plot so I can build the bean frame, squash frame, and some supports for the broad beans, and get the runners, climbing french beans and borlotti beans in the ground. 

Soil is pretty good condition. Last night's accidental extra-long watering session probably paid dividends, but I also found worms Given the rubbish compost I've had so far, I may top dress with some of the new batch (I need to move it up and stack it by the greenhouse anyway). 

Having a break (and doing laundry!) before going back out into the wind. 

greenbee

• Raincoat washed and on the line (it'll need to go into the TD to reactivate the waterproofing). I should shove the cat bedding in really. 
• Coppiced hazel moved from behind hedge to veg plot (I took my mum to a local nursery yesterday - they were selling this for £20/bundle, so I'm saving myself a fortune!)

Nicotiana seedlings aren't happy about being pricked out, so maybe I should wait and give them a bit longer in the seed tray.

Bits of the carpet washer are soaking as the dirty-water bit and the brush have gunk in them that I've never managed to remove. The dirty water bit is probably due to lending it to someone who didn't clean it out immediately. The brush is a design fault.

greenbee

Not much done for the rest of yesterday or today as it's been cold and I'm tired.

• First batch of hand washing washed and dried
• Cat bedding washed and dried
• Pallet under third IBC swapped as it was wobbly. Not sure new one was any better, but hopefully it'll be OK as the plumber has connected the IBCs (he finished in the rain and they started filling up - it'll be interested to see in the morning).
• One more pallet moved to compost area (it'll make the front of the third bay once I've sorted out some fencing wire to tie them all together).
• Paving at back of greenhouse swept and a few bags of manure/compost rearranged
• Started moving bags of mulch to compost area
• Started moving odds and ends from staging by kitchen door to shed
• Moved garden tools into shed (and managed to shut a cat in for about 4 hours... I was shouted at A LOT when I found her and let her out!).
• Made spare bed
• Put away some books
• Cut up a whole muntjac and boxed up/froze it for pet food
• Filled endless kongs and lick mats to see us through the next week-and-a-bit
• Went to see my mum and collect some squash plants given to her (for me!) by a friend, as well as two orchids she's been rehabilitating for me 

Things I haven't done - mulched, filled beds, put up bean and squash frames, planted climbing beans, filled pots, planted sweet peas, fixed the teepee for the perennial peas, put up the greenhouse blinds, finished hand washing, washed dog bedding (although he has had a clean bed in the garden room which he is VERY happy about), put up pictures. Or sorted by ISAs/pensions/tax return (the first has been neglected for several years, the second for at least one ... possibly two).

rtandon27

@greenbee - wow hun - your 'not much' list made me want to sit down and have a rest!!!