richardiox
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Post by richardiox on Mar 29, 2024 0:33:04 GMT
On the lobbing things over the fence theme, last year I went through a run of two or three months of finding used johnnies in the back garden, more often than not just underneath my stash of porno mags.
No idea where they came from and 80% sure it was nothing to do with the Mrs.
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Lukus
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Post by Lukus on Mar 29, 2024 1:58:22 GMT
Thread took an interesting turn
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Post by smoothpete on Apr 10, 2024 8:25:06 GMT
I saw a sparrow get hit by a car this morning so I went out into the road and carried her to safety. She seemed ok, nothing visibly broken. Just a bit spacky and dazed. I popped her into a safe place in a tree. She was gone when I came back from the gym so she's hopefully fine and not eaten by magpies or something
Just before this sparrow rescue I saw a rabbit dead in the same road whose corpse was being enthusiastically shagged by another rabbit. Nature is mental.
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Post by dfunked on Apr 10, 2024 8:28:53 GMT
Thread took an interesting turn
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Lukus
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Post by Lukus on Apr 10, 2024 9:20:22 GMT
Good work, though that's a dunnock 🤓
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 10, 2024 9:27:32 GMT
Delicious teacakes
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 10, 2024 10:38:15 GMT
I think I've had dunnocks in the garden. They slightly flutter their wings as they hop about. Look a little nervous.
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Lukus
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Post by Lukus on Apr 10, 2024 10:55:05 GMT
http://instagram.com/p/CpmzUdODBiJ I get loads of them at my feeder. Funnily enough they are the most bold I find, they don't mind you being there or making movements so just carry on doing their thing, whereas the robins and tits are more flighty. Perhaps they just don't see as well? I dunno. They're usually on the ground looking for stuff to eat.
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Post by smoothpete on Apr 15, 2024 7:07:32 GMT
I'm not sure this is going to work as it uploaded as a short. Let's see. A metric fuckton of insects making a massive bugnado over my garden. Like a murmuration but for little midgey looking dudes. It was strangely beautiful.
Youtube has killed the video quality but hopefully you get the gist.
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 7:33:35 GMT
Ummm, wow! That's a lot of bugs.
You're near the river, correct? Could they have drifted over from there?
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 7:34:12 GMT
Also, I saw goldfinches and a greenfinch on my bird feeders over the weekend, which are new visitors.
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Post by smoothpete on Apr 15, 2024 8:24:35 GMT
Ummm, wow! That's a lot of bugs. You're near the river, correct? Could they have drifted over from there?
Possibly, or it's because the meadow behind the garden is basically now just a bog given all the rain recently
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Post by Dougs on Apr 15, 2024 8:34:00 GMT
Noticed loads of midges in our garden too. Assume it's because the grass is also like a bog.
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 15, 2024 8:48:07 GMT
Had a garden day yesterday as it was sunny. Strimmed, first mow of the year, pruned, aerated, cut down trees etc..
Absolutely lashed it down last night, garden is like a pond again.
Roll on summer.
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Post by dfunked on Apr 15, 2024 10:16:28 GMT
What tool do you use for aeration out of curiousity? Our lawn seems to be well beyond just poking holes in it with a fork and I reckon we need to remove cores of soil.
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Post by smoothpete on Apr 15, 2024 10:36:53 GMT
On the subject of lawns. Ours is now half moss. The house next door is a rental, and I assume the lardlord had beef with the previous owners of my house because in the neighbour's garden along the fenceline there's a bunch of fuck off massive leylandii trees which block out almost all the sunlight from our garden. In winter they block it completely. Over the years I've been on to the letting agent of the house several to get them sorted which they did actually do once but they took them down from 5 metres to 3 metres which made fuck all difference really. They're about 4 metres high now. So recently I sent them an email saying: ----- As it stands right now I would likely have a valid complaint under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 which deals with "high hedges", specifically:
"4.2 A high hedge is defined in the Act 7 as so much of a barrier to light or access as is formed wholly or predominantly by a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs and rises to a height of more than 2 metres above ground level."
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a78b309ed915d07d35b1bb8/highhedgescomplaints.pdf
Of course, I would prefer not to make a complaint via that route but instead to deal with this amicably hence reaching out to you to then speak with the landlord.
I don't mean to be a dick about this but we've lived here for almost 18 years and I've just mostly put up with it until now... But they genuinely ruin our garden and I've had enough..
----- They replied saying they'll get quotes and OK it with the landlord and get back to me, but that was 6 weeks ago. I followed up with another email this morning. I guess I'll give it another week for them to confirm what they intend to do, but if no movement by then I'll just go ahead with the complaint
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 15, 2024 10:38:06 GMT
Well thought I had a garden fork but had to make do with just a spade and slitted at intervals. Didn't make a jot of difference. I'm the same, clay soil, no drainage, like a marsh. It needs complete landscaping and some french drains but that's big bucks so just trying FOC alternatives first. Been looking at those spike shoe attachments, I mean every holes gotta help, right?
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 11:02:38 GMT
On the subject of lawns. Ours is now half moss. The house next door is a rental, and I assume the lardlord had beef with the previous owners of my house because in the neighbour's garden along the fenceline there's a bunch of fuck off massive leylandii trees which block out almost all the sunlight from our garden. In winter they block it completely. Over the years I've been on to the letting agent of the house several to get them sorted which they did actually do once but they took them down from 5 metres to 3 metres which made fuck all difference really. They're about 4 metres high now. So recently I sent them an email saying: ----- As it stands right now I would likely have a valid complaint under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 which deals with "high hedges", specifically:
"4.2 A high hedge is defined in the Act 7 as so much of a barrier to light or access as is formed wholly or predominantly by a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs and rises to a height of more than 2 metres above ground level."
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a78b309ed915d07d35b1bb8/highhedgescomplaints.pdf
Of course, I would prefer not to make a complaint via that route but instead to deal with this amicably hence reaching out to you to then speak with the landlord.
I don't mean to be a dick about this but we've lived here for almost 18 years and I've just mostly put up with it until now... But they genuinely ruin our garden and I've had enough..
----- They replied saying they'll get quotes and OK it with the landlord and get back to me, but that was 6 weeks ago. I followed up with another email this morning. I guess I'll give it another week for them to confirm what they intend to do, but if no movement by then I'll just go ahead with the complaint Seems like you've been entirely reasonable. And 18 years is a long time to put up with it. I remember discussions around leylandii in my early forays online and into Google Groups. They were roundly condemned, and one regularly suggested approach was to use copper nails to secretly kill the trees. Somewhat extreme though. I would think the landlord doesn't give a shit about the trees but doesn't want to pay to have them cut.
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 11:05:12 GMT
Well thought I had a garden fork but had to make do with just a spade and slitted at intervals. Didn't make a jot of difference. I'm the same, clay soil, no drainage, like a marsh. It needs complete landscaping and some french drains but that's big bucks so just trying FOC alternatives first. Been looking at those spike shoe attachments, I mean every holes gotta help, right? I have a manual core thingy. Like a frame with three or four tines that can take a small core out of the soil. Like all manual garden tools it seemed like a good idea in the garden centre, and then turned out to be hard work that took longer than I expected and I got bored with using it. Not sure I ever completely tined my very small lawn.
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Post by smoothpete on Apr 15, 2024 11:23:13 GMT
Seems like you've been entirely reasonable. And 18 years is a long time to put up with it. I remember discussions around leylandii in my early forays online and into Google Groups. They were roundly condemned, and one regularly suggested approach was to use copper nails to secretly kill the trees. Somewhat extreme though. I would think the landlord doesn't give a shit about the trees but doesn't want to pay to have them cut.
yes that's probably the case. They also had a big sycamore which I needed sorting (it was huge), I ended up paying for it to be done myself... Fucking thing is now back to its previous size anyway.
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 15, 2024 11:25:43 GMT
Well thought I had a garden fork but had to make do with just a spade and slitted at intervals. Didn't make a jot of difference. I'm the same, clay soil, no drainage, like a marsh. It needs complete landscaping and some french drains but that's big bucks so just trying FOC alternatives first. Been looking at those spike shoe attachments, I mean every holes gotta help, right? I have a manual core thingy. Like a frame with three or four tines that can take a small core out of the soil. Like all manual garden tools it seemed like a good idea in the garden centre, and then turned out to be hard work that took longer than I expected and I got bored with using it. Not sure I ever completely tined my very small lawn. This I imagine? Looks cool. No chance on my soil!
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Post by dfunked on Apr 15, 2024 11:47:20 GMT
Yeah I've been looking at a few of those on Amazon. No fucking way I'd be doing it with that little effort!
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Post by Dougs on Apr 15, 2024 11:51:21 GMT
In the same position as mrpon. Clay soil, house on a hill(albeit nearly at the top) and uneven gardens throughout. Impossible to go on the lawn in winter and even now it's very soft underfoot. Next door have 3 football mad kids and for the 2nd year, it's now just mud. They relaid turf last year and at time I had to resist saying anything, as no-one likes that.
Proper first mow yesterday, and then overseeded and fed the most problematic parts. Hopefully will be the turd polish it needs without spending big bucks.
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Post by technoish on Apr 15, 2024 12:07:35 GMT
I've broken two manual core tine things, it's the hardest work I've probably done in the garden.
The shoes with spikes work alright, and a fork, but I had a lawn company come in with a machine to do it properly one year. Think I will have it done like that every couple years. I think it has helped.
You could rent a machine probably?
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 12:20:07 GMT
I have a manual core thingy. Like a frame with three or four tines that can take a small core out of the soil. Like all manual garden tools it seemed like a good idea in the garden centre, and then turned out to be hard work that took longer than I expected and I got bored with using it. Not sure I ever completely tined my very small lawn. This I imagine? Looks cool. No chance on my soil! Yes, but without the black plastic triangular thing.
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Apr 15, 2024 12:22:20 GMT
I've broken two manual core tine things, it's the hardest work I've probably done in the garden. The shoes with spikes work alright, and a fork, but I had a lawn company come in with a machine to do it properly one year. Think I will have it done like that every couple years. I think it has helped. You could rent a machine probably? One of these?
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 15, 2024 12:40:04 GMT
Ahh the dog shit maker!
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Post by technoish on Apr 15, 2024 12:41:08 GMT
I've broken two manual core tine things, it's the hardest work I've probably done in the garden. The shoes with spikes work alright, and a fork, but I had a lawn company come in with a machine to do it properly one year. Think I will have it done like that every couple years. I think it has helped. You could rent a machine probably? One of these? Yeah. You could also use a dethatching device set low, but that will still only get top layer (and will make the lawn look terrible for a while!!!).
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mrpon
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Post by mrpon on Apr 17, 2024 9:13:11 GMT
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Post by dfunked on Apr 17, 2024 9:27:57 GMT
The infographic is something else. Supports not one but TWO elephants, mid-embrace no less!!
Would be keen to hear feedback on it.
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