Learning to walk before I run

killerpeaty

Happy birthday to dd1! Sounds like it went really well but kids parties are legitimately scary. So many of kids, everywhere, doing everything!

savingholmes

I succumbed to buying a ticket recently too. Will you let us know if you win?

edinburgher

Haha - I certainly will - you'll notice my diary will suddenly be full of 1% problems

We are getting our soffits, fascias and gutters replaced. This is not an exciting thing, but it does make me feel terribly grown up! They require a small deposit (less than 10%), I can live with this as they have stellar feedback. 5-6 weeks, just need to get rid of our bee visitors first. Not going well on that front, no helpful reply from the 3 "beekeepery" resources that I contacted and the first pest control firm will only spray them, despite wording that suggested otherwise on their website.

Suffolk_lass

Maybe you and the builder on a cherry-picker with a bird box late dusk? Wear nitrile gloves. It won't be big (assumes tree bees). Just open the space up and scoop all the fluffy/wooly looking ball into the box

savingholmes

Suffolk_lass said:

Maybe you and the builder on a cherry-picker with a bird box late dusk? Wear nitrile gloves. It won't be big (assumes tree bees). Just open the space up and scoop all the fluffy/wooly looking ball into the box

That sounds super brave!!! But then I have a horror of things that sting - however much I'm happy they're doing their bit for the planet (and food)!

edinburgher

@Suffolk_lass - no room for a cherry picker at the back of the house, would cost £££, I don't think it's a reasonable ask of the builder (two of those who quoted for gutters etc. Have flat out said they won't do anything until the nest is gone) and there's still a risk of stings as I understand it.

Unfortunately it's looking like pest control. I just hope that my small attempts at being bee friendly help offset the damage - we've been doing "No Mow May" and I'd like to plant a bee friendly hedge for both the bees and added privacy 😊

Karmacat

That's what happened to me when I had to renew the mortar on my house, Ed.  There were solo bees digging all the way through to the cavity, and the builders refused to work on any part of the wall till they were gone.  No one could rescue them, they weren't a swarm, or a hive.  So they got murdered by pest control and my house was made watertight again by the builders.  I made a donation to the local beekeeping society.

edinburgher

Not much MFW news (mostly spending money, heating engineer out to fit a new vertical radiator in the kitchen). I have, however, been able to arrange visibility of all of our Vanguard accounts through my main account. It's a real time saver, I can now see 2x SIPPs, 2x ISAs and a JISA from one login. I'm a fund manager for a boutique family investment firm  

killerpeaty

How is Very Little doing? 

edinburgher

@killerpeaty - she is beautiful, cranky, growing like a weed