WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Get away! What you do is...build a huge, tiled roof over the plot, make some simple frames from 2x2 planed and treated, staple thick, clear plastic to them. Slot them under the guttering of your roof in November or before your first frost takes place. Dismantle the frames once frosts finished and stack them somewhere out of the way Easy!

 

Hi,

With the garden frozen solid I decided to wander down to the workshop this afternoon to resume work on the rotavator restoration. I soon got settled in and enjoyed a couple of hours moving the project forward a bit.



Here's what the exhaust valve seat looked like ending up with very little compression.


Sorry about picture quality; the camera didn't like the darkness or taking a close up. I made this valve seat cutting tool. It's dirty having been used.


The exhaust valve seat is much better after using the tool; I lapped the valve & seat after taking this picture.

With a new cylinder head gasket installed and cylinder head secured a spark plug was put in and now the engine no longer spins without compression; it's much harder now to turn the engine over by hand so it's got a great deal more compression. Tomorrow I'll fit the petrol tank and silencer etc then hopefully I can carry the engine up to the hut and rejoin it with its restored chassis and gearboxes. The rotavator is so heavy I'm restoring it in sections in the workshop then moving each section up to the hut where the rebuilding is being carried out frozen fingers permitting.

I'm looking forward to using this rotavator in anger on the meadows shortly. A good day after all today.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I know that feeling all too well and yet there are still more things I want to grow and more ideas bubbling below the surface. Maybe next year, well 2025 as I have seeds and plants ordered for next year and can't waste them.

 

In the last few years I've noticed all the garden jobs that I'd really like to sort out getting put off until tomorrow,.

 

I didn't say after which Christmas!

 

I've got all winter, which is always the longest season.

 

I did some cutting back for an hour or so but I gave up as I couldn't feel my fingers!

 

I like your garden ornaments @Grandma Sue, particularly your Staffies.

Being honest I'm not a great lover of garden ornaments and Oswald was the only one - a present from my children. He will be replaced at some time with something else from the animal world. I don't like human statues which I think belong in the grounds of stately homes.

 

Ahh, so you must be into gnomes, that's your Christmas present sorted.

 

Birdwatching (through the back doors), various Tits attacking the coconut feeder (freebie from Tesco), Dunnocks, Robin and the usual gang of Sparrows very much enjoying themselves at the small pond.

Mr Blackbird took a break from his ardent task of eating the neighbouring Hawthorn hedges empty and came in for a quick wash and a morsel of seeds, quite beneath him usually.



Otherwise, I just managed the ice on the paths, sweeping off the snow and breaking the ice with a rake.

Came up with a new invention to keep the paths slightly less mortal- small animal bedding wood shavings

The Degus kindly borrowed me a handful of wood shavings and I got them in just when the temperature was above zero so they froze nicely in place overnight.

Non-slip, cheap, and easily swept into the flowerbeds and lawn once things warm up next week.

 

Garden ornaments? If you have a few bob going then David Goode - Bronze Sculpture
I look occasionally smile and chuckle and move on.