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

Alchemilla

I find window cleaners like domestic cleaners, start strong then go off the boil.

I am not looking forward to Babydog having the op. He might have to be on crate rest.

rtandon27

@greenbee - I think we are in the same general area - will PM you the window cleaner we use, he's reliable & very well mannered, hopefully he covers your area as well?

greenbee

rtandon27 said:

@greenbee - I think we are in the same general area - will PM you the window cleaner we use, he's reliable & very well mannered, hopefully he covers your area as well?

I've moved, and I'm now in Norfolk, but thank you!

I'll message him to ask when he's next going to be in the village and see whether I get a response. 

Stinky is now free. As is stripy cat (she made clear this morning that she no longer thinks it is appropriate to be imprisoned, so I let her out, she's been very good).

We've been investigating drains today. Lifting the septic covers reveals that the first chamber is performing very well but the lid is corroded and needs replacing - these lids have been discontinued, so I've called the drain guy to ask him about replacing it with a modern one (annoying, probably expensive, but best to get it over and done with). The second chamber is performing less well, so I've messaged the people I buy the bacterial treatment from to find out whether I can just treat this chamber direct. The lid is missing a screw (the first drain people who came round managed to drop it), so that needs replacing as the smell is coming from the second tank. My gardener is gong to see whether he has a replacement for it at home. Or three matching ones that will fit. If not, we'll have to work out what they are and I'll buy new ones.

The utility room sink trap has been cleaned, and we've decided that the WM and DW drainage hoses need replacing. The WM one because it is grim (I've just done a drum clean wash in the hope that it will help) and the DW one because it is too long and set up wrong. And we'll also plumb in the TD waste. 

So a productive day, but not how it was planned. I now need to get dressed and go to the supermarket. And then do some work.

I did manage to FINALLY change the water filter cartridge too!

rtandon27

haha - and here I thought you'd only moved in the same area - who knows where I got that idea!

greenbee

Bacteria people have made some suggestions, so I'm going to try the cheap (and easy) ones first. They were very quick to respond, and very helpful.

I keep dozing off while trying to work, so may well go and have a nap.

Gardener has watered and mulched after doing the drains, and tipped half of one compost bin into the other to mix it. We're getting the borage/nettle/compost tea set up, and will be reducing the number of garden waste bins as we need to process pretty much all of it on site as the soil is so poor. And he's now moving paving slabs so we can set up more water butts behind the summerhouse (once he has painted it) which will make watering the orchard a lot easier. 

greenbee

Yesterday was mostly spent asleep or nearly asleep.

Did some laundry - the new sheets needed washing again as they still smelled funny. They've been done now, but it's raining, so they're on the airer on the landing. However, the blanket and PJs are done, and the rest of the laundry is sorted and ready to go during the week when it's sunny.

Lots needs doing in the garden at some point - I haven't really kept on top of the watering but hopefully things will survive. The pots seem OK, it's just the odd newly-planted thing in the borders that might be a problem. I've got more end-stops for the remaining soaker hose, so need to take the current stuff out of the strawberry bed and replace it with a longer one, and then stick the remaining bits in the back of the really dry border. 

Garden waste bin renewal has only come through by post (which is odd as they say they'll notify by email) so I need to locat the letter and do the renewal. 

Broad beans, courgettes, and chard have been picked. Broad beans are almost over, so I need to think what to stick in their beds. And I definitely don't need all 7 courgette plants! Two days of neglect has resulted in some very large courgettes (they love sunshine apparently). The squash next to them are growing well - I hadn't got round to putting up a frame for them to climb up, so they're just rambling over the plot. Hopefully I'll get some decent squash from them... I'm not sure what kind they are though, so have no clue how to tell when they are ready. 

And i need to get on with booking the next round of carpet removal/electrics/plumbing/wardrobe building ready for the decorator. And loft insulation/hatch as well. 

greenbee

Rain today, but not really enough to be useful. I'll have to get my act together with watering again from tomorrow as it's hotting up again from next week - there's a bit more soaker hose I can use. Houseplants need watering at some point too. 

I've found another solar irrigation option (the one I contacted hasn't called me back), and this one is a UK company. So hopefully they'll be able to help me - I must call them tomorrow morning. 

Need to spend some focussed time on work - having completed one project I need to get some others underway. 

Lots of laundry still to do as well. 

EssexHebridean

I can't imagine what made us think we needed as many courgettes and similar as we have either...if they all produce well we'll be eating nothing else! 

I confess although the deluges of rain yesterday weren't all conveniently timed, it was glorious to not have to water everything last night! Indeed, I suspect the main beds will be ok for another few days yet, although the pots might need some attention tomorrow.

EssexHebridean

I can't imagine what made us think we needed as many courgettes and similar as we have either...if they all produce well we'll be eating nothing else! 

I confess although the deluges of rain yesterday weren't all conveniently timed, it was glorious to not have to water everything last night! Indeed, I suspect the main beds will be ok for another few days yet, although the pots might need some attention tomorrow.

greenbee

I've been eating rubbish for the last couple of days despite having lots of lovely veg as I'm too hot and tired to cook. Or even make salad.

Dog walks are now being increased back to normal lengths, but with the heat that only works if it's cool enough. In between he's busy playing with the cat or lying on the floor to cool off.

Most of today has been spent in the veg plot locating ends of soaker hose and swapping out the end plugs for connectors. I've got a couple more to go, and the strawberry bed hose to redo (it only did 3/4 of one side and there's a very dry patch as a result). The idea is to set everything up in a loop instead of a network of dead-ends - and I think the new pump system can run two separate zones, so I may split it. I could also run multiple loops in each zone, but I'm not sure whether that is more or less effective than a single loop. Regardless, I need to change all the connectors and make sure that there are no dead ends. I think I've got one more end to locate and a couple more connectors to change as well as the strawberry bed to do. Then I can reconnect them all in a single loop on the current system and see whether it works. Water pressure is getting very low, so the fact that I accidentally left the water on all night last night at least means everything got a good soak and I can take my time getting this done (well, the weekend anyway).

Drains have been stinky, so I've put oxygenator in the second chamber along with extra bacteria. No sign of improvement. yet, but the smell did motivate me to do that - and check the first chamber (not smelly, but needs a replacement lid) and lift some other drain covers - all clear.

Unfortunately I overfilled the bath last night, and it looks as if the overflow isn't properly connected - there's a damp patch on the kitchen ceiling. I did wonder why there was a strong smell of damp in that part of the kitchen this morning, but didn't look up. There may have been the odd small but not noticeable leak before, as it does smell of damp fairly frequently in the kitchen and utility room (although not round that area) and I haven't tracked down the source yet. I'll message the plumber on Monday. It's a pity this didn't materialise until after the bathroom was decorated, but at least the kitchen hasn't been done yet. Unfortunately the side of the bath is tiled, and clearly not intended to be removed. Hopefully it won't be too messy, but I'll get him to replace the pop-up waste (which annoys me) with a normal plug at the same time. And the bath panel can be replaced with a painted one... which I'll have to ask the decorator to paint to match the walls but in a waterproof finish. Hopefully it can be replaced fairly quickly as I'm not keen on seeing what's under the bath. Or letting the cats investigate!