Spring jobs

[JoceAndChris]

Is it Spring? if so. What a long, cold, stupidly snowy winter it was. (Thanks to all the winter tips you gave me in November this winter was better for me than last however.)

If you're anything like me you'll have been cuddling the Rayburn/ hunched by the fire and venturing outside only when unavoidable. Consequently there's all this to do:

1) Prune roses. http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/pruning_roses1.shtm
2) Feed roses
3) Clear greenhouse, prepare for planting
4) Continue trapping rats (started last Thurs - 9 so far)
5) Ensure outbuilding guttering is feeding water butts
6) Degrime paths
7)Collect up all twigs and store
8) Remove dead growth and debris from all borders
9) Replace doormats
10) Arrange to have chimneys swept
11) Assess wooden window rot and draw up schedule of repair/ repainting
12)Spring clean throughout, washing pillows, turning mattresses etc.
13) Remove efflorescence from scullery
14) Alter heating thermostats

Have I missed anything? What are your jobs?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Whenever you write a numbered list here number 8 is a cool smiley. Why?

 

[Moo]

Have I missed anything?

er ...... get smoke alarms fitted?

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Oh, yes, how could I forget that?

 

[AMc]

I try and get the chimneys swept at the start of the heating season in case some bird has expired up there. At £40 for the last attempt I'm considering buying my own brushes. We've got solid flues so I'm reasonably confident I can do it without making a hash of it.

Whenever you write a numbered list here number 8 is a cool smiley. Why?

Young people often indicate amusement by typing a colon then right hand parenthesis into their portable telephones. This looks like a happy face on its side. When you type that combination here the forum software assumes you're being jovial and converts the symbols. A colon then capital D gives a broader grin .Finally the number 8 then right hand parenthesis is 'cool' apparently 8).

Please get a smoke alarm even if you just prop it on a picture rail or something.

 

[Pford75]

Start chitting potatoes
Sow shallots
Prepare lime putty (if you don't already have some) for small repointing jobs once frost has passed
Net fruit cage

I also make a point of sorting out all my various finances as we approach the end of the financial year. Might seem unrelated to PPUK...but I think it's good to have a checkpoint for assessing home insurance, planning the finances for forthcoming projects etc.

 

[Flyfisher]

4 ) Nine rats since last Thursday is quite impressive. My list includes "continue trapping moles" and the tally to date is 23, but that's since last year, so not quite as impressive as your headcount.

5 ) Ensure water butts can't overflow or, if they do, that the water won't cause any problems to your house.

8 ) Leave a space after each number to avoid '8)' being interpreted as an emoticon :wink:

9 ) "Replace doormats" - After every winter?

10 ) "sweep chimneys" - I'm with AMc on leaving this until next autumn/winter in case of bird problems throughout the spring/summer.

In addition, and quite apart from continuing general repairs, my list includes servicing the ride-on mower (otherwise known as rescuing it from the scrapheap for yet another year).

But, in general, I'm really looking forward to things warming up and being able to work predominantly outdoors in the coming months. I wouldn't say I am particularly afflicted by SAD but a bright spring days, a few extra degrees of temperature and daffodils blooming everywhere certainly lifts my spirits.

 

[robgil]

1, get a new job.
2, get a weekend job.
3. get an evening job.
4. organise a No 10 petition asking for an 8 day week and sign it 51 million times , just so i can have a day off.

 

[Merlin]

Spring is definitely on the way. The trees are coming into bud again, snowdrops are out and I saw squirrels foraging yesterday, so they are out of hibernation. Was a lovely day for a walk!

The birds are busy on my bird feeder, and nests are being built judging by the agressive tones I get when approaching the trees.

As for jobs, my list never seems to get any shorter, but I am looking forward to getting into the fresh air in the front garden. Have pruning to do, fencing to put up.

The back garden needs the decking removing and Mrs M will want her pots bringing out of store for growing tomatoes and potatoes. All in all, the Merlin Household is chirping up after the long winter.

 

[Nigel Watts]

1, get a new job.

Sounds rather similar to my list. My job is being relocated outside London. Rather than move house or spend nearly four hours a day commuting I have decided to take the offered redundancy terms. Downside is having to find a new job. Upside is getting a bit of cash, after the tax man has taken a big slice. Apart from doing sensible things like topping up my pension I have the challenge of deciding what to spend it on.

I would also add mulching the flowerbeds with home-made compost

 

[JoceAndChris]

How interesting to read about all your ventures. Good luck with the job-hunting, Rob and Nigel.

23 moles is a staggering number, FF. You must have all mine as I don't seem to have any.

Rats, however, have become a large and time consuming problem here, they gnawed into the hen house and I suspect have been stealing and storing large amounts of grain - I wondered why I was getting through so many bags of feed. I can't imagine the high success rates with the trapping will continue. It appears the older, cleverer rats are sending out their babies to die in the traps now I'm rigidly controlling the feed. The babies have been half eaten on the traps in the last couple of days. Not nice.

"Replace doormats" - After every winter?

Perhaps you are lucky enough not to live in a sea of mud? We don't have a road, and park the car in the mud. Sometimes it's almost impossible to climb in, it's so muddy. I've lost count of the number of delivery men I've towed out now. At some point I think we'll have to concrete the land in front of the cottage, it would be a lot less romantic but make life so much easier.

Thanks for the chimney advice, and we're buying a ride-on at the weekend- this one - anyone know it?
http://www.hayter.co.uk/products/homeowner/mowers/tractors/heritage-M10-30-ride-on/

(seems a bit of a waste of money as there are currently 5 rabbits doing an excellent job but boys must have their toys!)

Good idea with the financial sorting Pford, and what do you mean by net fruit cages?

Young people often indicate amusement by typing a colon then right hand parenthesis into their portable telephones.

:lol: Degenerates!

 

[Juju]

Clean the windows - the sun is shining here and I can't believe how dirty they are!

I love this Spring weather - I suffer from SAD or something similar and it's been reallly bad this winter. A day doing some gardening would be very therapeutic... In fact, I might go out there now and see how decimated the garden is - I haven't really examined it at all for months.

 

[Feltwell]

Hmm, time for me to get a bit more serious about job-hunting too. Sorry to hear about the redundancy Nigel - are you sure the tax man will get a big cut of your redundancy payment though? I thought they were tax-free (although bonus accrued isn't if I remember rightly.)

I missed out on redundancy at my last employer. The "day of the long knives" was the worst kept secret in the business - over 400 people, 1 in 3 of the head office staff, went in a single day. Regrettably for me I wasn't amongst them, and quit of my own accord 2 weeks later as I'd already got another job. I visit their premises quite regularly with my current job, their offices are now more full than ever, just 3 years on.

 

[LadyArowana]

The plumber is here doing the annual boiler check right now, not sure it's particularly a Spring job, but it's the anniversary of when we put in the new system! It's a lovely blue sky day in London, still cold though. I can promise you that the wet weather will disappear soon as I ordered some boots today.

 

[Pford75]

what do you mean by net fruit cages

We have fruit cages for gooseberries, raspberries, currants etc.

During the winter, we remove the netting from the top of the cage so that it doesn't get torn by snow and to maximise light into the plants. During Spring, we reinstate the nets to keep the birds out.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Hmm, time for me to get a bit more serious about job-hunting too. Sorry to hear about the redundancy Nigel - are you sure the tax man will get a big cut of your redundancy payment though? I thought they were tax-free (although bonus accrued isn't if I remember rightly.)

Thanks for sympathy. Actually I feel very positive about it. Enforced change is often a very good thing.

It is true that part of any redundacy is tax free, but above this counts at the top marginal rate and next tax year, when I will be hit, is a horror for higher rate tax payers. The effective marginal rate as you nudge over the £100k mark will be 60% because of the taking away of personal allowances at the rate of £1 per every £2 of income, even though the 50% band doesnt start until £150k. There are also going to be restrictions from 2011/12 on how much tax relief higher rate tax payers can get on pension contributions, with complex anti avoidance measures applicable to 2009/10 and 2010/11. I am pretty sure my earnings will be low enough to enable me still to make tax-efficent pension contributions, but its a bit of a minefield.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

There is a huge light bulb in the sky today and muggins is in the kitchen preparing canapes for 20 people tomorrow evening.

I wandered down the garden to see just a small carpet of wild crocus, some uprooted spring bulbs,( squirrels x3) some very small green shoots here and there, lots of dust in the house, and paintwork beckoning at me to get on with it.

We have not seen any sun for weeks, but hopefully I can get started soon. The 'little man who can' has looked at our blown bricks and flaking paint and will come as soon as we want him, to do the cleaning up and repointing. Worst bits first to see how we go.

One firm has refused to do our kitchen floor-- all too difficult--- an another has given us a favourable quote and advised us to remove the existing tiles, so I'll have to have the floor levelled after that and need to be out for at least 3 hours to let it dry.

Other than that we've manged to get 2 more oil paintings out of store and hung plus a good quotation for having another painting restored.
Then it is the dreaded clocks. Got somebody coming shortly to look at them.

So, tickety boo so far!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Joce - the whole of that list will be knocked off by Elevensies if you ask ilona nicely!

As for other comments, yes, PLEASE add a smoke alarm to the top of the list, and like robgil and Nigel, I would like a new job too! Atlthough I am sorry to hear the circumstances in which Nigel finds himself and hopes the new job comes along soon (well sooner than the money runs out!).

Moles - what's the best eradication stratgey? Our garden and fields could easily be rented out as a film set for The Somme at present. There's 26 just between the front door and the yard and they were even pushing up new ones when it was 6 inches deep in snow. Little buggers!

Robin

 

[Pford75]

Moles - what's the best eradication stratgey

Enroll yourself on a phosphides course, you will then be able to purchase/use Phostoxin which is relatively cheap and very effective.

 

[robgil]

Start chitting potatoes

ouch!

How interesting to read about all your ventures. Good luck with the job-hunting, Rob and Nigel.

!

thanks Joce , i will need all the luck i can get , finding a job where i dont actually have to do anything but will still bring in enough money to live and buy a nice big colvic watson motor sailor by the end of the year will be pretty hard to do.