Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

KajiKita

Well done! 👏

I would have shuffled the mulch around a bit too … 😉

Next question is what are you going to plant?

KK

greenbee

Congratulations! I still need to sort my compost out so I can mulch the veg beds. But it wasn't the weather for it today (and I was busy doing laundry and cooking and sowing seeds to go in the beds that still need weeding and mulching and the greenhouse that needs cleaning). You have, however, inspired me to try to work out how to compost my hay this year.

Cheery_Daff

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951251#Comment_81951251

I'm going to keep it nice and simple and follow (broadly 😂) the plan in the Veg in One Bed book. Splits the plot into 10 rows, and off the top of my head I can't remember what goes in each (first 2 are spuds though). The book tells you what to do each month. Felt like I needed some specific instructions this year (although I'm already not following them, as my spuds are still chitting in the greenhouse and are going nowhere near the ground until the end of April - last frost day round here is 15th May so I'm taking no chances 😂) Not bothered planting any seeds yet either - when I've planted this early before, I've just got bored of the whole enterprise by the time it's warm enough for anything to go out 😬

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951259#Comment_81951259

There are always so many jobs that need doing before all the other jobs!

Mine has all been experimental - my hay is just a byproduct of trying to manage the field, rather than being produced for itself, so it usually ends up as mulch somewhere. Last year I didn't cut any 😬 the year before I tossed it all over a fence into an enclosure and it's rotted down beautifully - the stuff on the top a little stringy but excellent mulch, and beneath a beautiful soil.

The stuff in the outbuilding has been there 7 years I think, collapsed a bit and there was some rather dry soil under the pile, but largely still recognisably hay. So I'd definitely say put it somewhere wet or you'll still be looking at hay in a decade 😂

Baileys_Babe

Congratulations on finishing the mulching and decluttering the hay.

Cheery_Daff

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81951435#Comment_81951435

Thank you!

A gentle but productive day today. Awake far earlier than I had any business being awake given that we stayed up quite late last night 😬 Spotted 11 sheep in the hay field 🙄 don't even know anyone round here who's got sheep at the minute 🙄 Figured I'd deal with it after yoga, but they've made their own way back to wherever they came from.

Nipped out for a coffee with Mr C and for some errands. Town was as busy as you'd expect on a sunny Bank Holiday in a touristy place 😬 Nice to see people enjoying themselves 😊

Spent most of the rest of the day in the garden. Dug a couple of old metal farm gates out of the grass, carried on building a tiny 'wall' of stones round the flower bed I'm making on the outside of the veg patch. Did 2 loads of washing, scooped the top off all the new mole hills, and got the mower out for the first cut of the lawn this year 😊

Came inside and did my 30 min cleaning podcast too. Really enjoying this, a surprising amount 😂 I think it's because it's like my new yoga habit - uncomplicated. Not setting out what I do on particular days, just putting the podcast on and pottering.

Today the washing up was already done, so I started by putting away the washing I'd brought in off the line. I'd washed the sheet from the spare bed, so put that back on. Hoovered the bedroom, craft room, and all the cobwebs in the ceiling above the stairs. Then hoovered the stairs, study, kitchen and offshot (so basically everywhere except living room/bathroom - Mr C was on the phone).

Need to get back on the case with cooking - I had museli for tea again today… Daft really - I had some parsnip soup in the fridge, but stayed outside til I was just Too Hungry.

I was going to clear out the car but it went dark before I got round to it - a job for tomorrow.

Off to see Mr C Snr tomorrow, might get some lentil soup in the hay box now so I don't end up with museli for tea again tomorrow...

rtandon27

Nicely productive day Cheery - congrats on finishing the mulching - well impressed that you managed that one and in record time! It was a day for the great outdoors, I spent much of it tidying the front of the house and pruning bushes in the glorious sunshine.

Cheery_Daff

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81952629#Comment_81952629

I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't found a lighter, closer stash of hay in the outbuilding 😂 But I'm pleased it's done 😊

Glad you had some time out in the garden too 😊

greenbee

Not only have you finished the veg plot, but you've also disposed of all that hay, so it's a win! I must try to use mine this year rather than shoving it in garden waste. One of my aims is to get my composting working properly… it currently has too much interference from people who don't follow instructions (also I have too many grass clippings).

EssexHebridean

Excellent mulching!

Which cleaning podcast is it you use? I'm debating about just making a habit of setting a timer for 15 minutes of an evening and just tackling something small each night. I know from experience that sometimes I will carry on and do a bit more, but that can work as a really good jumping-off point for me.

Saw the pic of the tattoo elsewhere by the way - love it, very "you"!

Cheery_Daff

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81953427#Comment_81953427

Ha, thank you! 😂 I'm using The Organised (Mum) Method (I think the 'mum' was in there originally but I think it's been dropped now). There's an app, I think just called TOM (or possibly TOM Rocks?) Some here recommended it, possibly @DawnW I think? (Apologies if I've got that wrong!)

It's £3.99 a month but I'm taking it out of the food & household budget and treating it as much cheaper than a cleaner 😂😂 She does a 30 min 'keep you company' session each week day, plus there's lots of decluttering, spring cleaning etc sessions. I used to like the flylady one because it told you exactly what to do, but this doesn't, it's definitely more of a keeping company thing. It's not constant chit chat either, periodic reminders and a bit of chatter which I quite like. There's a free trial for a week I think. I'm finding it helpful, but it won't be to everyone's taste (especially not because you have to pay for it 😂🙈)

Speaking of which, I havent done today's session yet... Ready, steady, GO!