What jobs are we doing in the garden today 2016

Did a drive by but was late for lunch so didn't stop...

 

Have just been out the back watching the bats' impressive aeriel display

(nothing to do with setting up TV btw lol)

 

Yesterday Mrs Shiney did loads of cutting back, trimming and weeding.

I just cleaned the bird feeders. It was more difficult than it sounds. Taking them apart isn't too difficult and just takes a bit of time unscrewing all eighteen feeding perches, removing the bottoms of the feeders and the tops. Then scraping all the muck out of the feeders, bottle brushing them, washing them through, disinfecting them, scrubbing the perches and then trying to screw the whole lot back together again.

Screwing them back together really needs three hands with one of the hands having a pair of pliers for fingers. Each pair of perches need to be put in opposite each other and screwed back into place. Trying to fit the nut on one side is difficult as it goes in a recess but there isn't enough room to put more than one finger through the hole. I used a magnetised screwdriver to pick up the nut and slot it onto the recess but then you can't remove the screwdriver without it taking the nut with it and there's no room for a finger as well. So I use a non-magnetised screwdriver to hold it in place.

Unfortunately I'm already using one hand to hold the magnetised screwdriver and one to hold the bird feeder. So I pick up the other screwdriver with my teeth, put it in place and hold it there with my chin whilst I remove the first screwdriver. I can then remove the second driver and hold the nut in place with a finger. Then slot the other perch in the hole opposite, put the long screw in and try to line up the two perches so that I can screw it in.

In the past I've thought about gluing the nut in place but with my DIY skills it's bound to go wrong.

The other solution is to buy some newer feeders that have the parts clip and unclip but I don't know if they do them big enough.

 

Good morning have levelled the left hand side of the garden and have ordered 25 bags of bark chipping for tomorrow and some extra strong landscape ground cover

 

Oh, I forgot to add that the main feeder is over 3ft high and cumbersome to handle, and the metal base slots inside the plastic tubing and is held in place by the first set of perches. So, for fitting those, I have to go through all the process above whilst holding the heavy metal base inside the feeder!

 

About to go the the allotment and water in some nematodes (pesky slugs are having a field day down there), weed, feed the giant pumpkins and pick raspberries.

 

It cost me £38 25 years ago and they now sell them for closer to £50.

 

Good morning to day I am so excited my bark chippings are being delivered this morning,so I will be busy to day when its done I can get on with my next project

 

Sorry, all three of my hands were occupied and so I couldn't use my camera.