Hello Forkers. Late on parade too cos I've been reading. Too dry and windy for weeding and planting and my babies are still too small to need potting on yet. I've got the sprinkler out again on OH's new lawn. Day 12 and no germination yet.
Thanks for the chook hugs @Hostafan1 but they just tolerate being stroked at the mo and Scruffy won't even have that. She has grown the best and reddest crop and whattle but still has tatty wing feathers and practically no tail but an impressive turn of speed if she thinks a cuddle is imminent.
We have installed PV panels here and they came with some heat exchangers too which heat all our hot water and provide leccy for lights and cooking and washing machines etc but we still need the oil CH for the radiators in winter. We keep rooms we're not using closed in winter and ear extra layers and have rugs for the sofa but still need some heating.
Hope everyone's having as good a day as they can. I'm waiting for a leek and bacon frittata to cook so we can have lunch. One day I will crack my pastry demons but maybe after another few kilos. Now Easter and the chocolate supply have gone I can get back on that wagon.
Hugs where needed.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Allotment Boy, we are also getting visits from jays. Haven’t seen any for months, we used to put cashew nuts on the bedroom window sill for them, and they would fly down and collect them. After seeing the pair in the tree this week, we put out some nuts, and they were straight over. I don’t know if these are ones that used to visit, or just brave ones!
OH and I have been busy out there ... he's pulled up and composted the psb and chard and planted a row of Charlotte potatoes. He's also done a load of watering and weeded and raked the bare soil of the veg patch. I've sown Cayenne chillies, cosmos, nasturtiums, echinacea, cerinthe and verbena bon. Then OH made lunch ... my turn to wash up ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I too, am a dahlia-holic. My lonely three haven't sprouted yet... I'm like an anxious first time Dad waiting for them to pop up! I'm really hoping the new bulbs I ordered get here somewhat soon.
On a conference today so I'm working from home which is a massive commodity for me as I've never done it before, so far am enjoying the quick access to tea, cats and the bathroom as I wish! Though I'm not sure I could manage it for more than a day XD
While we were out there the phone rang ... I rushed back in as I was expecting a call ... it was one of those silent calls masquerading as a local number ... I told whoever it was that I hoped certain parts of their anatomy rotted and fell off ... the call terminated ... it was probably just a computer, but it'll be a computer with no bo$$ocks now.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We can iron suits and jackets on hangers or curtains in situ if we wanted. There are models at all sorts of prices ranging form 50 quid to 500. Have a google.
My dahlias have all lost their labels but I do have the names stored somewhere. I have sown more Bishop's Children too and will keep the best ones after a spectacular failure with named Bishops from a nursery. Money refunded but not doing that again.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Thanks @chicky, that makes me feel a little bit better ... we have friends who converted an old barn and meadow from scratch ... they have a ground source heat pump and underfloor heating and it seems very efficient, but as I said, they were starting from scratch. The barn is also a 'U' shape with a south-facing courtyard on a southfacing slope ... It is a blissful spot.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sorry not to be posting here for a while - various family things going on which I won't bore you with - but I've been trying to keep up to date with what's been going on. Respect therefore to @WonkyWomble for taking on extra family responsibilities. You're a marvel and a wonderful example to others. xx Sympathy and hugs to @punkdoc and @Hostafan1, and anyone else in need.
I was stirred into posting here by the comments about air source heating. Our bungalow was heated by an ancient oil burner when we bought it, and there's no mains gas available. We opted for an air-to-water heat pump as being the "greenest" option - and I'm happy to say that it DOES work with radiators, though they need to be new(ish) ones, preferably aluminium (because it circulates water at a low temperature). In addition we increased the loft insulation to 30cm and put external insulation on the solid concrete block walls, for which we got a grant. This greatly influenced the efficiency of the system, and it maintained a constant comfortable temperature even when it dipped to minus 6.8 one night. Yes, it is a bit noisier than the gas boiler in our previous house, but it lives outside so we don't generally notice it. We don't have to do any complicated stuff with it - just set the thermostats and change the time when the clocks go forward or back... and it needs servicing only every 2 years, with a life expectancy of up to 30 years apparently. That makes the (high) initial cost a bit easier to bear.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Thought you all might find the talk that was just up on my conference interesting - about the healing effects of nature and being present in nature. On the surface I always immediately recoil at that kind of talk as being too 'hippy' but knowing myself how I feel in my garden/the great outdoors and how others report they feel too does give some weight to research (which at present is sadly somewhat scarce). The focus of this particular talk was on using nature to facilitate improvement in quality of life and life skills for those going through cancer treatment but I know that there's also research into how it can help those with dementia, learning disabilities and a host of other cognitive, physiologically and psychological disorders. Quite interesting to contemplate!
Good to see you @Liriodendron 😀. Sending strength and big hugs to you whilst family issues are ongoing.
And great to hear your first hand experience of an air source heat pump (I said my knowledge was getting a bit dated - so brilliant to hear that things have moved on with the tech). You’ll now not only be insulated from the cold, but also from a dent in your finances when (inevitably) fossil fuel prices rise to reflect the cost of carbon they emit. This is currently only included in electricity prices, not for gas or oil yet.
Interesting stuff @takhana ..... us gardeners all know it’s true.....but how to prove it? Can they do clinical trials of that sort of thing? Because there will always be people who dismiss it as hippy stuff unless they can get some evidence together 🙄
Just in from a productive digging session 😀. Now going to take the bikes for a spin, before collapsing in front of Friday night telly
Posts
Thanks for the chook hugs @Hostafan1 but they just tolerate being stroked at the mo and Scruffy won't even have that. She has grown the best and reddest crop and whattle but still has tatty wing feathers and practically no tail but an impressive turn of speed if she thinks a cuddle is imminent.
We have installed PV panels here and they came with some heat exchangers too which heat all our hot water and provide leccy for lights and cooking and washing machines etc but we still need the oil CH for the radiators in winter. We keep rooms we're not using closed in winter and ear extra layers and have rugs for the sofa but still need some heating.
Hope everyone's having as good a day as they can. I'm waiting for a leek and bacon frittata to cook so we can have lunch. One day I will crack my pastry demons but maybe after another few kilos. Now Easter and the chocolate supply have gone I can get back on that wagon.
Hugs where needed.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I too, am a dahlia-holic. My lonely three haven't sprouted yet... I'm like an anxious first time Dad waiting for them to pop up! I'm really hoping the new bulbs I ordered get here somewhat soon.
On a conference today so I'm working from home which is a massive commodity for me as I've never done it before, so far am enjoying the quick access to tea, cats and the bathroom as I wish! Though I'm not sure I could manage it for more than a day XD
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We can iron suits and jackets on hangers or curtains in situ if we wanted. There are models at all sorts of prices ranging form 50 quid to 500. Have a google.
My dahlias have all lost their labels but I do have the names stored somewhere. I have sown more Bishop's Children too and will keep the best ones after a spectacular failure with named Bishops from a nursery. Money refunded but not doing that again.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sorry not to be posting here for a while - various family things going on which I won't bore you with - but I've been trying to keep up to date with what's been going on. Respect therefore to @WonkyWomble for taking on extra family responsibilities. You're a marvel and a wonderful example to others. xx Sympathy and hugs to @punkdoc and @Hostafan1, and anyone else in need.
I was stirred into posting here by the comments about air source heating. Our bungalow was heated by an ancient oil burner when we bought it, and there's no mains gas available. We opted for an air-to-water heat pump as being the "greenest" option - and I'm happy to say that it DOES work with radiators, though they need to be new(ish) ones, preferably aluminium (because it circulates water at a low temperature). In addition we increased the loft insulation to 30cm and put external insulation on the solid concrete block walls, for which we got a grant. This greatly influenced the efficiency of the system, and it maintained a constant comfortable temperature even when it dipped to minus 6.8 one night. Yes, it is a bit noisier than the gas boiler in our previous house, but it lives outside so we don't generally notice it. We don't have to do any complicated stuff with it - just set the thermostats and change the time when the clocks go forward or back... and it needs servicing only every 2 years, with a life expectancy of up to 30 years apparently. That makes the (high) initial cost a bit easier to bear.