Plumbers Mate?

My outside tap was leaking badly, ho hum, what to do? Call in a plumber and pay through the nose or have a go myself?

It was impossible to replace the washer as the joints had welded together. I thought it best to replace everything.

I bought an 'off the shelf' kit which contained an outside tap, a self cutting tap just like the ones that the washing machine hose is connected to, and is designed to clamp to the existing cold supply in the kitchen. Plus a flexible hose for connecting the two taps together.

All I had to do then was remove the old installation. Before getting to work I turned off the mains water at the stop cock. Then I cut through the copper pipes with the hacksaw. To get everything apart I had to repeat the procedure outside.

I closed off the end with a push fit blanking cap and then fitted the self cutting inside tap. With the aid of a wire coat hanger to guide it I pushed the flexible hose through the wall . All I have to do now is secure the new outside tap to the brickwork.

The mains is back on and so far everything appears to be watertight. Yippee.

Plumbers mate? I don't think so because I've done him out of a job.

Overwhelmed?

I have a multitude of tasks beckoning. So much to do, only one pair of hands and there are never enough hours in the day.

Life coaches recommend goal setting. My tasks are specific, but there have too many as my enthusiasm runs away with me.

The tasks are measurable and they are attainable. They are also relevant and I am not time bound.

Maybe after a good night's sleep things will take on a different perspective.

It has been a long day, it is now 8:30pm and for some the night is still young.

But I have been awake since 5:00am and was at the Hayling Island car boot sale by 6:00am.

Thoughts on Gardening

Just recently I've been sorting out my 'plant pot' garden. All the plants required repotting and I've got through an awful lot of potting compost. It comes in 75 litre bags. Even though I've been mixing it with the spent compost I've used the contents of eight bags.

Thinking I was getting a good deal I'd been buying it in B&Q but only on 10% discount Wedensdays. Their multibuy offer is 3 for £10 (£9). Then I discovered that there was a good deal in Wickes on any day of the week as their offer is 4 bags for £12. Even the staff were happy to help me manhandle my purchases into the car, that didn't happen in B&Q.

10 litre Black builders buckets at around £1 a pop are much cheaper than buying planters. All one has to do is remove the handles and make a hole in the base.

My own homemade compost needs mixing with commercial stuff as it is too wet. It is also chock full of seeds as young Melon plants have been popping up in unexpected places.

Big fat slugs, when covered in dry compost, feel quite nice as they have the texture of a jellybaby.

Plant saucers are vital as they stop the pots from drying out. Big ones are difficult to get hold of locally but they are available on Ebay.

I've used an old galvanised mop bucket as a planter. I cut away the mop wringer and drilled holes in the base.

I plan to grow strawberries. Using three or four different sized planters to make a cascaded planter is a good idea. Some soil goes in the bottom of the biggest one, then the next size goes in and the gap is filled with soil. The same procedure is followed with the others.

Watching Gardeners World has given me inspiration and I hope to find some interesting containers at car boot sales.

In the meantime the house is gathering dust but all the while the sun shines I am compelled to be outdoors.

Kew

Thanks to the £10 offer from SouthWest Trains I visited Kew yesterday.

It turned into a bit of an adventure. Even though I left home at 7:30am, through my own stupidity I missed the 8:53 train. Because they carry out repair work on Sundays, the final stage was a 45 minute bus journey.

I eventually arrived at Kew Bridge station at 12:45. Was I mad? Probably.

Kew in general is very pleasant. Everyone knows about the famous gardens but few are aware of the Steam Museum.

My intention was to visit Kew Palace, private residence of George III, Queen Charlotte and their large family. She gave birth to 15 children but not all lived. It is rumoured that Charlotte had negro ancestry.

What I didn't know and I was annoyed about was that in order to visit the palace one has to pay the entrance fee to Kew gardens.

Although the palace was quite charming it's small; I was round it quite quickly. Interesting points included a waxwork head of George made by Madame Tussaud herself. George's waistcoat and the chair in which Queen Charlotte spent her final days.

Although the afternoon was very hot I did a very quick tour of the gardens, after all I had paid to get in. Afterwards I visited St Anne's, the church on Kew green. On Sunday afternoons they serve afternoon tea. This little interlude was absolute bliss.

My return journey started at 4:05pm. Three hours later, at 7:05pm I got into the car and drove home.

Interesting But Boring Chores

I usually have the Clio washed by those guys that lurk in supermarket car parks. They do a reasonable job but it really needed a good clean. It’s only £5 and very convenient but it’s the same as going through the car wash. Every so often it has to be done properly. A while a go I bought a waterless car cleaning product called "Showroom Shine"on one of the shopping channels. It really does what it says on the tin. It wiped away all the grime without a scratch. Most car polishes leave a residue but not this stuff, when I'd finished there wasn't a streak to be seen. I spent about 90minutes on the task. I poked into all those annoying little nooks and crannies that one usually ignores. Bearing in mind it’s 9 years old it looks very nice and I almost enjoyed myself. After that I decided to clean my ancient Ransomes ‘side-wheel’ push mower. Although it cuts OK it was packed full of greasy grassy goo. I guess it had never been cleaned so I decided to take it to bits. Out came the spanners, socket set, pliers & screwdrivers. Even though I’d given them a good soaking with penetrating oil the nuts wouldn’t budge. Then I remembered reading that that they might loosen up if heated with a blowlamp. Success!! It worked on nearly all of them. I’ve smothered the mower in oil and newspaper then left it ‘soaking’ in a bin liner.

Japanese Arrow Bamboo

Just bought this from Lidl. 'Pseudosasa japonica'. Apparently this Bamboo was once used to make arrow shafts It is quite different from the other Bamboo on my garden, the Phyllostachys genus 'Aura' & 'Nigra'. This one produces a profusion of slender culms that grow tightly together, forming a dense hedge, with large, dark green foliage and a somewhat tropical appearance. The label says it is a tough and versatile bamboo which thrives in shade but also grows well in a sunny location and is wind tolerant. It can be pruned to almost any height and sheared into a rigid, square hedge. The culm retains a tan colored outer covering called a "culm sheath" which creates a checkered contrast with the green culm. To stop it spreading I will need to restrict the roots with a solid barrier.

Beautiful Pest

I need to get rid of these colourful visitors. Death will come via a small paintbrush loaded with white spirit. I don't mind doing it this way because a chemical spray will kill beneficial insects. The Scarlet Lily Beetle is very destructive to lilies and fritillaries. It is about 8 - 10 mm long and is a native of Eurasia. Lily beetles came into the UK on imported lilies at the start of the 1900's. Now they are commonly found in the South East of England, but are spreading all over the UK. The adult lily beetles feed on the flowers, leaves and stems of the lily, spends the winter in sheltered places in the garden - not necessarily near lilies. They come out of hibernation in late March - May then from late April -September they feed on the lilies and lay eggs on the underneath of leaves of lily plants. The eggs take about a week to hatch - producing beetle larvae which feed on lily foliage. The lily beetle larvae are fully grown in about 2 weeks - they then pupate in the ground and in 2 -3 weeks emerge as adult lily beetles.