I think everything hinges for the near future on the fact that my mother is staying with me for two days in the middle of August, so I need to clear the patio and create a seating area. To accomplish this will mean the following jobs:
- clear an area for the heap of clods of earth to safely sit and moulder and decompose. At the moment, there are two heaps, one on a flagged area underneath the cob tree, and the other just sitting on the grass.
- get the old table into position on its side in this area, so I can stack the clods inside it without harming the little picket fence on that side of the garden.
- that will also mean spraying the weeds between the table and the fence, and putting mulch down, so I don't get out of control weeds in an inaccessible area.
- move the clods of grass to their new position, all binny and proper :)
- the lovely hardwood 2 x 2 timber, and scaffold boards, should probably just be moved into the *other* shed at the end of the garden so I don't have to think about them at the moment.
- before I do that, however, I should rescue the electric fan from the back of that shed, seeing as its going to be hot again. One job really does lead to another.
- not so critical in timing, but some of the leftover vinyl thats *also* hanging around the garden needs to be nailed in between the legs of the table at each end so that it becomes the sides of the bin. I *think* I can do that when its in-situ.
- this means most of the patio is now clear! So the job then is to wash my lovely aluminium bistro chairs, and the grotty old white plastic garden table I inherited earlier this year, and hey presto, I have a cleared patio area with garden seating on it!
- maybe I can use up a larger piece of the leftover vinyl by gluing it to the top of the grotty white plastic table! Eureka, another use for leftover vinyl (I think) ...
I've just thought.... maybe I can actually use the flagged area as the site of the "bin" for the clods to decompose, for this year at least. It would mean less moving things around, and less weeding-that-doesn't-make-an-immediate-difference. Hmmm.
Saturday 30 July 2011
The garden just got scary
Hmmm... I accompanied my sister to the council tip late yesterday afternoon, and had a bit of a shock when she got back here. She fished out some stuff I needed from the back of the shed (I won't go in there - just too many spiders too close to my head, gulp) ... and she insisted on also getting the mower out of there and mowing my grass for me. And then I saw the garden through her eyes ...
Notwithstanding that I've spent a couple of hours on it in the past week, it looked very like the municipal tip itself :( Grass thats two feet long, empty saucers that used to have pots in, a few empty flowerpots around the garden, some pots that are full but the original plants have died and they're now taken over by weeds, black bags full of composting leaves left in the wrong place and having grass start to grow over them, clods of grass having been dug up and left in two piles to decompose, not just one, weeds growing at the sides and rear of the many mature shrubs in this garden, loads of slugs pootling about in all that long grass, the slabs of the patio not being repointed and so the weeds and the ants are having a field day in between, patio furniture stacked to one side because it needs to be scrubbed before it can be used, an old table thats meant to be used as the sort of compost bin for the clods still sat on the patio with lots of lovely hardwood that was in the loft just sat on it waiting for something to be done with it. It was absolutely horrendous.
I made a start, at least. I bagged up clumps of the grass that she'd mown, and *while* she was mowing, I made a start on clearing out the shed. At least now, I have a bit of cardboard - leftover moving boxes! - ready to put down as mulch.
Very scary tho. I have to get to grips with all of this. I need to be doing four hours a week or so, at the very very least, just on the garden. I'm not sure I can, but I'll do my damndest.
Just been downstairs to make a cuppa tea. I forgot about the empty drawers from an old chest of drawers, which were used to transport plants from my previous house, the old bricks that were here that will *eventually* be used for edging, the water butts not yet connected (only delivered 2 days ago, I'll forgive myself that one) and the trunk of the dead buddleia, with assorted branches. Oops. Admiring the neighbour's new kitten doesn't quite cut it. A plan is coming up.
Notwithstanding that I've spent a couple of hours on it in the past week, it looked very like the municipal tip itself :( Grass thats two feet long, empty saucers that used to have pots in, a few empty flowerpots around the garden, some pots that are full but the original plants have died and they're now taken over by weeds, black bags full of composting leaves left in the wrong place and having grass start to grow over them, clods of grass having been dug up and left in two piles to decompose, not just one, weeds growing at the sides and rear of the many mature shrubs in this garden, loads of slugs pootling about in all that long grass, the slabs of the patio not being repointed and so the weeds and the ants are having a field day in between, patio furniture stacked to one side because it needs to be scrubbed before it can be used, an old table thats meant to be used as the sort of compost bin for the clods still sat on the patio with lots of lovely hardwood that was in the loft just sat on it waiting for something to be done with it. It was absolutely horrendous.
I made a start, at least. I bagged up clumps of the grass that she'd mown, and *while* she was mowing, I made a start on clearing out the shed. At least now, I have a bit of cardboard - leftover moving boxes! - ready to put down as mulch.
Very scary tho. I have to get to grips with all of this. I need to be doing four hours a week or so, at the very very least, just on the garden. I'm not sure I can, but I'll do my damndest.
Just been downstairs to make a cuppa tea. I forgot about the empty drawers from an old chest of drawers, which were used to transport plants from my previous house, the old bricks that were here that will *eventually* be used for edging, the water butts not yet connected (only delivered 2 days ago, I'll forgive myself that one) and the trunk of the dead buddleia, with assorted branches. Oops. Admiring the neighbour's new kitten doesn't quite cut it. A plan is coming up.
Thursday 28 July 2011
Leftover vinyl flooring, and what to do with it?
I *like* vinyl, in lots of ways, tho I loathe the smell that hangs around just after its been laid. Fortunately, after the last lot, I went on holiday :)
And now, I come back home to lots of bits of vinyl - some are really big, 3 metres by two, others tiny, a foot wide by three long. So, what to do? This is what I've thought of so far:
- put a big piece underneath a rug thats on the ground floor - it can act as extra insulation, and will hopefully feel quite luxurious underfoot.
- use at my computer desk as a floor protector. I haven't used one previously, and the flooring was literally about to wear through after a decade of intensive use, ballooning in a very unattractive manner, shall we say!
- I have an old table on the patio outside, which I'm planning to put on its side and transform into a turf bin - I'm slowly digging up the grass so I can extend my borders - I'm planting herbs at the moment - mint, creeping thyme, ordinary thyme and oregano are in at the moment. The table will keep the slowly-growing stack of turf clods off the wooden fence at the back, and I'm planning to nail squares of the spare vinyl between the side legs of the table to keep it all in place.
- not sure about this one, but I was thinking I could construct a dust cover for my mahoosive all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, rather than buying one in the shops.
- I really don't know about using it as a mulch in the garden, I don't think its appropriate - its not water permeable, for a start. Well, thats a finish, really, isn't it. If its not permeable, it can't really be used in the garden. And because its not bendy enough to bend around clods of earth, it would provide *lovely* cover for slugs and snails. Don't think I want to go there.
Any other ideas gratefully received!
And now, I come back home to lots of bits of vinyl - some are really big, 3 metres by two, others tiny, a foot wide by three long. So, what to do? This is what I've thought of so far:
- put a big piece underneath a rug thats on the ground floor - it can act as extra insulation, and will hopefully feel quite luxurious underfoot.
- use at my computer desk as a floor protector. I haven't used one previously, and the flooring was literally about to wear through after a decade of intensive use, ballooning in a very unattractive manner, shall we say!
- I have an old table on the patio outside, which I'm planning to put on its side and transform into a turf bin - I'm slowly digging up the grass so I can extend my borders - I'm planting herbs at the moment - mint, creeping thyme, ordinary thyme and oregano are in at the moment. The table will keep the slowly-growing stack of turf clods off the wooden fence at the back, and I'm planning to nail squares of the spare vinyl between the side legs of the table to keep it all in place.
- not sure about this one, but I was thinking I could construct a dust cover for my mahoosive all-in-one printer/scanner/copier, rather than buying one in the shops.
- I really don't know about using it as a mulch in the garden, I don't think its appropriate - its not water permeable, for a start. Well, thats a finish, really, isn't it. If its not permeable, it can't really be used in the garden. And because its not bendy enough to bend around clods of earth, it would provide *lovely* cover for slugs and snails. Don't think I want to go there.
Any other ideas gratefully received!
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Water butts and showers
I'm very excited :) I've ordered two water butts from Wilkinsons Online, complete with lid, tap and stand. A big one for the back of the house, a small one for the porch at the front - altogether the total is just over £50 including delivery. I've got to get them fitted yet, of course, but I'm very pleased at all that.
In the same order, I've also got a solar shower coming. I was having a long chat about experimenting with solar energy, basically because I'd wondered about how hot it gets upstairs in my house, and thinking I could just hang one of these camping showers in the window, then hey presto, a free shower :)
Well, when I was searching for water butts, I found one of the solar showers, also at Wilkinsons - their search engine isn't very good if it turns up "solar shower" when the search terms are "water butt", but I'll forgive them, because its coming along at the princely sum of £4.68 - even if it doesn't actually work here in the UK, I've had an interesting time talking about it with friends, and its a good experiment for the long term! Plus, when I live in Spain, in some future indeterminate time, it'll definitely come in handy by then :)
In the same order, I've also got a solar shower coming. I was having a long chat about experimenting with solar energy, basically because I'd wondered about how hot it gets upstairs in my house, and thinking I could just hang one of these camping showers in the window, then hey presto, a free shower :)
Well, when I was searching for water butts, I found one of the solar showers, also at Wilkinsons - their search engine isn't very good if it turns up "solar shower" when the search terms are "water butt", but I'll forgive them, because its coming along at the princely sum of £4.68 - even if it doesn't actually work here in the UK, I've had an interesting time talking about it with friends, and its a good experiment for the long term! Plus, when I live in Spain, in some future indeterminate time, it'll definitely come in handy by then :)
Sunday 24 July 2011
Blackberries
Oh my word. I got back from holiday yesterday, and I've been hard at work in the garden: making sure everything is watered, mourning the creeping mint that didn't survive my absence, clearing ivy and long grass, starting to clear space to get rid of two of my three rhodedendrons (in a tiny suburban garden!!!) so that I can plant my blueberries in the right soil ....
Well, earlier this evening, I took a walk around the rest of my domain (also known as the Council Recreation Ground). And I picked a handful of blackberries! I've never lived anywhere before that was so close to so many blackberry patches, so I've no idea if this is ridiculously early, but I know its *fairly* early....
I'm determined to make lots of blackberry jam this year (strained - I don't like the texture of blackberries, even whizzed) and these are now washed and in the fridge - I'll pick some more tomorrow and take a bag with me, as I'm on staycation, and can do anything I want :)
Well, earlier this evening, I took a walk around the rest of my domain (also known as the Council Recreation Ground). And I picked a handful of blackberries! I've never lived anywhere before that was so close to so many blackberry patches, so I've no idea if this is ridiculously early, but I know its *fairly* early....
I'm determined to make lots of blackberry jam this year (strained - I don't like the texture of blackberries, even whizzed) and these are now washed and in the fridge - I'll pick some more tomorrow and take a bag with me, as I'm on staycation, and can do anything I want :)
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