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

KajiKita

Maybe the gym subs would make more sense in the winter when it’s wet and dark and you want to be outside less? 

Lovely view 😊❤️

Enjoy your weekend … <vicarious happy sigh> 😊

KK

Elisheba

Oh, enjoy your free weekend! 

Have to admit if I had the land you do I would be investing in one of those sit on mowers that you drive around in! My gran had a lot of land and I remember how tiring it was to push the petrol mower round, and then strim all the edges. Took hours.

Cheery_Daff

Mr Cheery suggested a sit on mower the other day. Personally I don't think we have enough space to justify it! I'm not counting fields - they're mostly covered by either cows or trees, and I would want to keep the meadow as a meadow (so it wouldn't able to be done with a ride on mower). So just the garden, which is big enough for me to complain about but not massive 😂 And is in several different bits too, some up steps, so I'd still have to get the strimmer out 😂 

I'm sure you'll believe me when I tell you there is certainly no neat lawn edging here 😂😂 Will try and post an illustrative picture later. 

Cafe breakfast this morning, which I like as a Friday tradition. And I've booked to go swimming at 11.30, trying to get some use out of the pass 😂 I'll cancel it while I'm there, it'll run til the end of the month anyway (probably the end of next month I imagine). 

And then the rest of the day in the garden I think! 😊

Cheery_Daff

Right. Cafe done, swim done - I was the only person in my lane for a while which was nice, and one other person joined me later (I still managed to accidentally kick them in the shin though 🙈). Really enjoyed it, ambling up and down the lane, looking out at the trees in the park 😊 Made me want to USE rather than cancel my membership 😂 In fact I came out inspired by all the exercising people to upgrade to full gym membership and make use of some classes! 

If I did do a pay monthly membership, I'd need to go swimming four times plus three other classes/gym sessions to make it worth it. That feels manageable - but I haven't even been using my swim membership for the past few weeks... 🙄 Will think on. 

Washing on the line, and second load nearly done. I've done a bit of raking of the grass - don't usually bother but some of it from last week's scything is very long and killing off the grass underneath. 

Been sitting and reading on the swing in the sunshine 😊😊 Once the second wash is done I'll peg that out then get on with the patio for a bit. 

Bit grumpy today, not sure why. I slept well and have a leisurely weekend 😊 Just not enough time on my own lately I think! 

Cheery_Daff

Oh, and tomorrow's hotel sent me a 'your stay is tomorrow!' email this morning 🙄 I've checked and they did email to confirm I'd changed the date, and sent me an invoice showing a refund to the credit card for the price difference. If they also think I'm going tomorrow that's their tough luck 🙄

KajiKita

We have a ride on mower and our patch of land, including the house, paths, big sheds for Mr KK’s, big pond, two meadow section bisected by curving path at the width of the mower and various trees is just under an acre ….

Could you hire one for a trial and see how you get on with one?

KK

Cheery_Daff

I could, but I really don't think there's a need. I did the whole of the bits I regularly mow yesterday with a strimmer in just over an hour. I last did it a fortnight ago. Sometimes I do it once a week, which gives me the chance to do the less cut areas in rotation, but I never do more than an hour and a half at a time. It might justify a couple of hundred quid on a petrol mower, but it doesn't in any way justify the expense or storage needed for a ride on one. 

The meadow I don't count as 'mowing'  - that's once a year and done with a scythe. A ride on mower wouldn't do it. I once hired a mechanical scythe which was worse than useless and far more effort and less pleasant than the normal one! 

I've added an extra few stones to the edge of the patio which is cheerful 😊 Now doing some batch cooking - done 7 portions of granola, 3 lots of baked oats, sausage and mash, and some hash browns for tomorrow's lunch, using up some elderly potatoes 😊 Need a sit down now!

greenbee

You can often get petrol mowers on FB marketplace, so that might be worth a try. I have a battery one, and do 1/4 acre with that regularly. The rest I'm letting grow long and will strim and then mow in the autumn. 

LadyWithAPlan

On the feeling nervous performing - focus on the fact that audiences are very generous and want to be there ! .
 Also try 'breathing in the room' and 'breathing out in the room' - and be aware of yourself and all else in the room..

Watty1

Love the garden talk. I sold the ride on mower at the start of spring as I had nick named it "much trouble daily" as it genuinely was.     I've made a real mess of field management this year and after a couple of chats with agricultural types I'm thinking of selling my topper and the seeder and using the money to buy a flail mower the tractor can pull. I'd prefer one the quad can pull but the I'm thinking the quid might not have enough "ummph"  

My thinking is flail mowing the unused fields would return them to use quicker (they are not really suitable for hay) and getting someone in to flail mow would be the down payment on the flail mower anyway.  Sorry thinking out loud on your thread. apols.