What are we doing in the garden 2024

If the fronds blacken @simone_in_wiltshire, that’s OK, you can cut them off before fresh growth starts in spring. The critical thing is to make sure that the indent in the central crown is stuffed with fleece and also that the outside of the top of the trunk near the crown is protected.

 

@Plantminded That part was properly wrapped, double and triple.

 

We also use the garage as the entry point like you do. In theory and practice you drive up to the house and use the remote control to open the door, then drive into the garage, get out of the car and press "the tit" as we call it to shut the door. Then we access the house via the utility door, which starts the burglar alarm countdown. The main front door is bolted from the inside and opening it if you could would set off the alarm straight away. So it's not the entry point at the moment.

We have a side door to the garage, which we use when on foot, but the side gate is locked when not going out that way.

We once drove in and the door came down on top of the car and we were stuck half in half out. Luckily hubby was slim enough to get out of his door and push it off. No damage done.

Today hubby has been looking at the side runners that the door runs along. They seemed very gunked up with grease and stuff. He has cleaned one out and will do the other tomorrow. The automatic reshutting or reopening happens if it thinks there's an obstruction. It was just unfortunate that I slipped outside before it came back down. Best always to wait till it's finished opening. They are scary things with a very heavy door and big springs. Treat with respect!

 

The door operates by remote control - a simple flashlight when outside and a button when inside. We think it reshut due to gunk in the side runners. It's a safety measure so that you don't get crushed - it rebounds. I obviously rushed outside before it had properly opened - well it could have come down on top of me I suppose. Hubby has been cleaning out the side runners. He will finish that tomorrow and hopefully it will run a bit more smoothly. Our front door cannot be used for entry the way it is set up at the moment as it is bolted and alarmed when we go out. If the battery fails in the remote control it could be a problem. But you usually get a couple of goes with a flat battery