Early Winter Bits and Bobs - 2021.

[oldherbaceous]

I know Christmas must nearly be here as, the hover is messing about,,also, we have been getting the freezer topped up over the last few weeks for the Christmas period and that packed up yesterday……on a good note though, I spotted the freezer wasn't working, before the contents had thawed out..and there was a lovely Lady in the village who had a near empty freezer and let us put our stuff in there!
Just waiting for the third thing now,…..

[Geoff]

Sad to say Christmas itself is still a possibility as the third. You remind me of one Christmas Eve when the full fridge packed up and we had to buy whatever they had in Currys to replace it, luckily it was an under-counter type so fitted in the car. Turned out panic had clouded my judgement - it was only the bulb that had gone! We still have it, I recently converted it into a kegerator (there's a word for you to Google). Hope you can get things fixed quickly.

[Primrose]

Bad luck OH. I sometimes think we would have less stress in our lives if Xhriatmas was abo,I shed - bad things always seem to happen around this time of year. Hope you managed to get things sorted before the 25th. We had our big freezer park up during last year,s lockdown and trying to replace it was a bit of a nightmare as everybody else's freezers we're packed ahead of anticipated Armageddon!
Christmas seems to be a similar event as far as advance food storage is concerned.

[oldherbaceous]

I have checked all the basic things, so a new one is now being ordered….just to make things a little annoying, it is in the barn and wooden units that are full of all sorts of stuff, have to be taken out of the barn first, before we can get the large chest freezer out!
Happy days…

[peter]

OH I think modern units are optimised for working in a house, where the temperature is kept at human comfort levels, they don't work if it gets too cold, like in an unheated garage.
Best ask at point of ordering?

[Primrose]

BECO seem to be the only make we found whixh would guarantee their models working in lower temperatures in a garage or outhouse..

[oldherbaceous]

Yes, got the outdoor freezer models sorted, there does seem to be a few more models on the market now, compared to 15 years ago….but it is very limited!

[Westi]

Surprisingly mild today even if a bit showery on & off. Started the annual canker cut out of the apple trees, but lost the will when my gloves got stuck together with the sealing stuff so just went for the winter pruning instead so that is done & I can actually see the bits that need cutting out so will do that bit by bit as gloves allow....Dear Santa, gloves please; I've been fairly good this year; if you ignore the expletives uttered from time to time almost angelic!

I then decided to go back to emptying the big compost bin which I have already done about 3/4's off, so decided to tackle the last bit so I could access the hedge row & cut back the brambles & got a lucky find right at the back - a nice pile of Xmas spuds & Cara's to boot! This compost bin was started nearing 5yrs ago so they went in early in its use & been happily growing for quite a while without any intervention & almost scab free. Nothing like a freebie to brighten the day. Whole bin is now about 2' high when it was maybe 5' but going cautiously. My neighbour did a bit of a dig there a couple of years ago as I said he could take some compost & he dug up an adders nest - they were not happy & as he just ran so I had to coax them into the farmer's field so neither was I!

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[Primrose]

Nice little freebie Westie. I,ve always been in the ha it of putting a few sprouting potatoes into the early stage of our co post cage and often further up as well. As we,ve never really had the space for potato growing in our vegetable patching,s always nice to have a surprise harvest and surprisingly even when we,ve had bad blight years, these"freebies" have never been affected. I don't know whether growing in such a high environment of "nutrition" has given them increased immunity. Perhaps being tucked in the corner of a garden by two high fences has given them added protection of spore transmission in the wind?

[Stephen]

I hope the white goods are all working well soon OH. I have been fortunate in that the only times the freezer has packed up was operator error and knocking the plug firmly into place addressed the issue!

On the spuds front, I have sometimes recycled from my own crop but generally prefer to start from new, as I like to swop varieties. "Charlotte" have become our number one choice and we put in a different one to accompany them.

[Stephen]

Having lost all my broad beans last winter and in the spring, I netted over them this time.

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[Westi]

This will be obvious to you all, but I've got a language disadvantage. (OK still kinda English)! What is the name of the clip things Stephen? I have loads of the blue tubing behind the shed inherited from the neighbour who gave up his plot but bits of plastic wire doesn't work to secure the netting over them.

[Geoff]

They are called tarpaulin or market stall clips - loads of types and sizes on eBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253776127837 ... BMkKqXyrlf

[Westi]

Cheers Geoff!

[Geoff]

I think the moon's been out partying and not managed to get to bed yet this morning.

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