Mortgage free in Forever Home :-)

PennysIntoPounds

Wow, well done 

Watty1

Question on the cardboard.  Do you just lay the cardboard down?  Or clear first?
(Have a patch I'm wondering what to do with)

redofromstart

The veg plot stuff looks spot on.  I was out looking at my space this morning and trying to decide if I should keep the treated wood left over from the roof for edging.  

@Watty1 KK introduced me to the no dig bed stuff last year.  Take out any obvious perennial weeds (blackberry/nettle/etc) but otherwise I just covered over the neglected greenery with the cardboard and added a million bags of compost. Don't forget to take the sellotape off the cardboard.

debtfreeoneday

Looking great KK

KajiKita

Thanks @SandyShores, @Cheery_Daff, @PennysIntoPounds, @debtfreeoneday 😊

@Watty1, it’s pretty much as Redo describes; dig out the worst of the deep rooted or really strong things (bramble, big dandelions etc) but anything soft, don’t worry about. The guru of No Dig (Ch@rles D0wding) says to strim or mow back the foliage before covering with the cardboard. I do think that is worth doing as the cardboard will lie flatter to the ground and exclude more light. I started by hand trimming with hand lawn edgers but in the end just ripped at it with my hands. Cleared a big tub of foliage from that bed in the photo. 

Yes, remove all the tape.
Soak the cardboard well.
And yes, LOTS of compost! 😉
It doesn’t completely eliminate all weeds, but it massively knocks them back and gives the ground a lovely texture as it all rots down. 

I went back to work today. I was so on the ball this morning that I was ready too early to leave! 😂 I used that time to change all my bedding - luxury! 🤩❤️
Really good day in work - finished two pieces of work. I feel like I am contributing now 😊

Mr KK drove for the first time since his back issue this evening, to collect his books from the accountant. He should be able to finish his books tomorrow and get his return submitted in good time 👏😊

I’ve had a reply from my old yoga teacher about 1:1 lessons for Mr KK. I have described what she is suggesting to Mr KK and he is (slightly nervously 😉) up for it, bless him 🤩 ❤️

KK

Viking_mfw

I am in awe of your sage bush. Mine always die. 

KajiKita

Viking_mfw said:

I am in awe of your sage bush. Mine always die. 

I have no idea why it has done so well! 😂 Maybe because it’s at the foot of the hedge’s south face so maximum sun and the hedge’s roots and the thin soil here mean it doesn’t get too wet at the root? 🤷‍♀️😊

Forgot to mention yesterday, I did ask about my December pay. The payroll lady is off until Monday but the senior HR person tapped some figures into a calculator and said it looked roughly right. They think the £180.80 ‘bill’ from HRMC might be be due to my previous car allowance and not having it any more? No idea but it sounds like it’s feasible 😊

Boring day today - didn’t have enough to do. Did some prepping and audit organising and checked some product with the Technician. Gave him some flower seeds that came free with a magazine that I was reading at lunchtime. He looked bemused … he’s slowly getting used to me! 😉😂😂😂

I speed-read an interesting permaculture book last night. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the concept of staging targets for gradually increasing the amount you EAT from your garden / allotment. They suggest targets of either of ‘incremental self sufficiency’
First meal including homegrown veg
First meal where all veg is homegrown
First day where all the veg is homegrown
First weekend … etc 

or

Crop focused self sufficiency: 
Garlic to cover a full growing cycle
Salad to cover a whole summer

Reading this made me realise that I am MILES from this! Not only in terms of how much edible crops I produce, but also in terms of my whole approach to what I grow. I don’t ever expect any success so don’t plan it in - stupid things like having masses of peas last year but only boiling them as a side veg rather than making them the star of a recipe or meal. I’m not sure I’m explaining this very well but I feel like I have been ‘jolted’ out of the rut of my approach …

So, intentions / aspirations for this year’s growing season:
- Plan my succession plantings and get them recorded for action in my diary, calendars, work diary - everywhere! 😉
- Look out recipes for my typical gluts and have them ready to use 
- Watch my crops more closely to see the gluts arising and get the recipes in the next week’s meal plan and any supporting ingredients in the weekly shop
- Aim to CONSUME something from my garden every week, certainly between April to end September - even if it’s just a few sprigs of herbs in a meal or a tisane 
- As previously mentioned, get out with a child’s bucket and a pair of scissors to chop back the bindweed, ideally daily, but minimum of 4 times per week

I hope that these ^^^ aims will shift my relationship with my garden and my produce to something that is more … what’s the phrase I am struggling for here …? More faith and trust in them? More confidence in me to a) produce them and b) to use them? 

Sorry, big ramble, I’ve been cogitating on this all day … 😊

KK

savingholmes

Well done on the gardening.  I've done no dig in the past it works although shop bought compost is expensive...

Good if pay seems right.

KajiKita

Nice, positive day here. 

Got up early and had a good session on Duolingo on both French and maths 😊 (now working my way through my 7 and 8 times tables! 😳😉😂). Also got all the internal bins emptied before Mr KK surfaced. 

Started helping Mr KK de-Christmas the house. Always a relief once that’s done, I find. 

Headed down off the plateau to the local market town to get my mobile fixed. New sim (again) a £2 drop in the cost of my bill and a reminder that it might be worth looking at a combined broadband and mobile deal with 33 once our latest fibre deal ends - by then I suspect I will need a new handset. 

Popped into a local clothes shop on the off chance and found a beautiful violet, oatmeal 0lsen jumper for half price - I absolutely love it and even Mr KK says it suits me. It’s also long enough to fully cover my lower back which is good for keeping me that touch warmer atm! Bought it from my monthly pocket money cash rather than on a card so kept my NSD too. Also treated myself to a £1’s worth of unopened daffodil buds 😊

Wandered down the garden when I got back to see where I could put in a goji berry bush and a winter honeysuckle and discovered that three panes had left my greenhouse! The two glass ones were lying on the floor unbroken ❤️ but the Perspex panel had absolutely vanished! 😳 Wandered out into the lane to see if I could see it and someone had obviously come across it and propped it up against the chapel’s ‘This way out’ sign at the top of the lane 🤩 Mr KK helped me put all three panes back in. Apparently the Perspex sheet might be a touch short and probably needs replacing, but for now we have put an extra clip spring on it to try and hold it in place during any future high winds! 

Wrangled 2 loads of washing in the afternoon. No means of getting anything dry without making the house damp so had to use the tumble dryer. 

Got out for a walk around the loop - found a slightly different path that means I am entirely walking through the woods and don’t walk on the road. I think it’s a touch longer because it wanders about quite a bit more! 😂 Hit 11K steps today 👏

Had a lovely session on the sofa with my tapestry and more V0yager 😊 Also booked the four days before Easter off as annual leave - I think! First use of the app holiday booking system … 🤞

KK

~FlowerPot~

SOunds like a very nice CS find.

I would love to see how your tapestry is coming along.

I got out mine, but have yet to look at it properly to see where the problem was, I could just start in another area I suppose and come back to the problem later!!