Simple living in the country - back to basics

SuperSecretSquirrel

You might find a new and presumably more efficient boiler will save you on running costs. It will no doubt take a long while to pay for itself, but eventually it should... Might make Mr Cheery feel a little better - it did for me when we had to replace ours!

Inspired by your Christmas 2 photo the children have helped me make a trifle that we'll have for dessert this evening 😁 We prefer plain jelly, no sponge, no fruit, no booze. I'll eat the sponge fingers and drink any available booze separately 🤣

KajiKita

Yaay for at least being clean! 😊

Hoping the sunshine makes you both feel a bit brighter today. 

Sending hugs.

KK x

teapot2

Glad the 'spare' shower was bearable, hope a boiler decision isn't too painful.  All the trifle chat has reminded me I practically knocked everyone out one Christmas with a trifle made with a sponge heavily soaked in Cointre@u.  I tend not to bother with a jelly layer but like a layer of tinned mandarins and tinned peaches with fresh banana slices then custard and cream with a bit of grated chocolate over the top.  I've made myself drool 🤤 so might have to go and chomp the head off my chocolate bunny!

Cheery_Daff

😂😂 you lot 😂😂

Gosh, it's a glorious day out here, and I've spent much of it inside trying to finish the work I was doing yesterday 🙄 Finally gave up half an hour ago, not finished but I couldn't bear to miss all the sunshine.

Sorted out the chickens and replaced their bedding. They're not impressed right now as they're having worming medicine, which means limited treats for 7 days so they get enough of it 🙄 Sunshine is also having other medicine, so she gets shut in another bit of the run with some egg - although she's getting wise to this and eating less and less of it as the days go on 🙄

Thr new ones especially are DESPERATE to come out 😕 The housing order still hasn't been lifted, but the risk levels are now officially where they were last year when they lifted it, so I don't know what the hold up is (although it was the start of May last year). Hate having them shut in 🙄

Anyway, gloomy thoughts. I am in the greenhouse 😁 which is still an absolute tip 🙄 Been trying to decide what to do - do I stay here and sort it out? Nip to the village shop for milk?! Drive to a nature reserve for a walk?! 

Think I'm just going to stay here and sort the greenhouse out - I am going to want to plant seeds at some point soon. Will ring and ask Mr Cheery to pick up milk. 

Nice to be warm - the greenhouse is unsurprisingly far warmer than the unheated actual house!

Suffolk_lass

Does your WiFi stretch to the greenhouse? I have been known to sit on a crate and go through email in mine because it is warmer. I also really should empty everything out and give mine a good clean then put everything back. I know some of the membrane needs topping up after the mouse invasion two years ago, and there are lots of tiny spiders (not red spider mite) in there as I keep walking into their webs and finding them in my hair after each visit. On the other hand, there is more to life and if we move, ...

I've enjoyed all the pudding chat, but I recognise you are trying to change the subject. So - boilers. We replaced ours in 2011 after the old one was working 40% harder all winter while the house was being re-thatched. All was well until a Friday afternoon repair to replace the expansion vessel (which contains a rubber bladder bag that had perished - it's a five year life for these it seems, and if he was still an industrial designer I would get DH to design something longer-lived). The engineer omitted to de-pressurise or turn off before undoing and sprayed near-boiling pressurised water everywhere and caused various electrical problems. I stopped using that firm after that but we have our new chap at least three times a year. Once to service, once when something stops working (heating pump usually, as we don't use it enough) and then when something breaks (two re-pressurisation valves, I am on my 5th or 6th - they either seize up or snap). I can restart, re-pressurise, depressurise, diagnose and generally manage it. DH knows nothing. He is the engineer though - Aargh!

I love the camping shower analogy!

Happy Easter 🐣🐥🍮(that is a custard emoji!)

Cheery_Daff

Thanks SL! Useful boiler context 😊 and I'm very happy for the pudding talk to continue, I'm just not sure what else I can day about it myself 😂

Having said that, I did have a nice bit of raspberry and almond cake today 😂 Met a pal for a walk, some cake, and then another walk and some ice cream 😁 Rather tired now, that's more exercise than I've done for ages!

Cheery_Daff

And yes, the WiFi does stretch to the greenhouse, and I've been known to spend an entire day working in there 😂 Only once or twice, usually in spring when it's a sunny day but too cold or breezy to be outside. Thanks for the reminder - I need to make sure the new set up allows for that! 😂

Cheery_Daff

Well, I am sitting in the empty greenhouse (well, empty except for a chair and the fig tree) drinking a hot chocolate as the sun sets  😁 It faces south, but because of where it sits, it's also one of the last places to get the sun, so it's most pleasant. 

I've been measuring the greenhouse, and the giant stack of pallets, and I think a single one split in half will be good for a bench down one side. That'll be a lot wider than I had before, and I' thinking I'll get away with a single storey, whereas I had 2 layers before (which did my head in anyway). This way there will still be room for big stuff on the floor later in the year. 

On the other side... maybe a narrower bench? I do want to be able to turn round easily after all 😂 A narrower, two storey bench with room for storage of pots, compost etc at the end that's hidden by the IBC tank, rather than the end visible from the footpath. 🙄

I'm also thinking I might actually just incorporate a seat into the bench 😂 Then I could repurpose this metal chair else where in the garden as part of my seating plans...

teapot2

Suffolk_lass said:

I've enjoyed all the pudding chat, but I recognise you are trying to change the subject. 

Sorry Cheery, I hadn't picked up that you were trying to change the subject when I posted.  Slinks off back to lurking blushing

redofromstart

Oh I'm deeply envious of the fig tree. If I could travel back 15 years I'd convince me to plant one on my south facing stone wall. I'd also do a better job of planting an asparagus bed.