Confirmed by the environment secretary peat based compost is going to be banned by 2024 That's great as long as there's a good alternative.
Cayuga, when I see your photos I get hit with a huge homesickness for our upstate NY garden. Upstate NY is not New England, but we shared zone and weather. I miss peonies, astilbe, Ladies' Mantle, and so many of the other plants that just won't live here. I've learned to adjust, but I still have so much nostalgia for our former garden . . . .
Busy day today. A golfing pal who's a gas central heating engineer, is coming this morning to service the replacement combi boiler, he installed three years ago. It's been completely trouble free. This afternoon we are having a large double glazing unit in the back bedroom changed as the original has misted up.
Yes. I understand. I would too. I know, were I to move away, I'd adjust to a new climate, plants etc & enjoy that, but still miss the old.
Boiler serviced, took about an hour, £60 well spent ("brown envelope job of course!"). Service book brought up to date. He said it's in excellent condition, 'course he would, he put it in! Then we spent half an hour talking golf over coffee. The boiler will be four years old later this year, how time flies when you're old. Old window out new window in. Young man on his own. Big window for a bedroom, it's over four feet square. It took me longer to replace the Roman blinds and re-hang one curtain. He gave me a bank account number to make an on-line payment, "at my convenience." "We did have a payment machine but it got broke at Christmas and the boss hasn't got round to getting it fixed." So today's jobs done. I need a bit of guttering replaced above this window, I could do it myself, but I won't and I'm thinking about having the flat roof over our lounge extension recovered. It doesn't need it, I had it re-felted about fifteen years ago. But it's as well to have it done after this amount of time, in case it starts to leak.
Just got soaked walking the boys, it's their last walks for the day so it doesn't really matter. Changed my clothes poured some tea, now sat down for the rest of the evening. Hubby has got a hernia and he's waiting for someone to tell him when he can have the op, or he'll go private but he doesn't really want to, he hasn't got private insurance so it will cost over £3000.
What a beautiful and restful-looking back patio. It has all the elements of a perfect place to chill.
Err.. Wash what, "all the usual stuff?" Sorry! No gardening or golf today too wet. I'll probably help out with a bit of housework. My wife usually does this on my golf days, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, when I "don't get in the way." She won't do it when I'm at home. On any day, I'll load and unload the washing machine and tumble dryer. (Those newfangled outdoor clothes lines and dryers haven't yet reached this part of the North-Wesdt as yet). I'm quite happy to do a bit of dusting. But I will spend some time playing my leccy piano and my tenor sax (not both at the same time) might even teach myself a new tune and there's bound to be something worth watching on BT or Eurosport.
I'm planning to make a batch of lemon squares to send to my niece for her birthday. And I'll start the packing up for a planned camping trip. The living room is our staging area. It'll look a right mess before we leave.
We did some serious house cleaning as there are extremely hard winds and a bit of rain today. We had to stay home anyway for an appointment anyway. We did the whole upstairs. Most of the seedlings are gone from the windowsill. We are very worried about our newly planted beans and courgettes in the lottie. Cayu...camping? Like with a tent camping or with a rented camper ? Or perhaps in a little hut. C’mon...tell more. Will it be in a camping business or a national park?
I went into town to stock up on microwaveable food. Our kitchen is undergoing a bit of remodel after the February storm that led to broken water pipes and the need to replace the ceiling. I've been banned from my stove, ovens, and pantry for all week, and I'm undergoing a bit of trauma. We are nuking lunch and dinner in the den. If this lasts much longer, I'll end up on a psychiatrist's couch, and I pity the psychiatrist!
