What preps are you doing this week? Part 3.

[DustyDog]

Getting my veg patch weeded an ready for veg to plant, loads of collies, toms and peppers, turning over my tinned food preps, doing some repairs/maintenance on shed etc, hopefully get some more logs sorted.

[featherstick]

As part of my long running scheme to "make do and mend" both for myself and others, I have for several years been assembling a well equipped workshop. This weekend I added the best piece of kit so far, a Harrison M300 lathe to replace my ageing Boxford. It's a big step up from the Boxford, and makes some heavy tractor repairs possible.

I'm like a kid with a new toy right now.

Can I have a go?

[Catweazle]

As part of my long running scheme to "make do and mend" both for myself and others, I have for several years been assembling a well equipped workshop. This weekend I added the best piece of kit so far, a Harrison M300 lathe to replace my ageing Boxford. It's a big step up from the Boxford, and makes some heavy tractor repairs possible.

I'm like a kid with a new toy right now.

Can I have a go?

Any time you fancy visiting. I've been tidying up the barn this morning, trying to organise everything, but I'm such a womble.

Heavy iron now includes: Royal shaping machine, Gorton milling machine ( CNC converted ), Startrite pillar drill, Boxford and Harrison lathes, AC/DC Tig welder, 230Kg anvil and forge.

Coming soon: Startrite 14 bandsaw.

It looks like Scrapheap Challenge in the barn at present.

[Yorkshire Andy]

As part of my long running scheme to "make do and mend" both for myself and others, I have for several years been assembling a well equipped workshop. This weekend I added the best piece of kit so far, a Harrison M300 lathe to replace my ageing Boxford. It's a big step up from the Boxford, and makes some heavy tractor repairs possible.

I'm like a kid with a new toy right now.

Can I have a go?

Any time you fancy visiting. I've been tidying up the barn this morning, trying to organise everything, but I'm such a womble.

Heavy iron now includes: Royal shaping machine, Gorton milling machine ( CNC converted ), Startrite pillar drill, Boxford and Harrison lathes, AC/DC Tig welder, 230Kg anvil and forge.

Coming soon: Startrite 14 bandsaw.

It looks like Scrapheap Challenge in the barn at present.

Ohh my idea of heaven

The money you save by been able to repair or rebuild or make stuff is a boon.. My Sealy gas mig has already paid for itself and I've had a bit of beer money out of it too for doing little repairs on friends cars... Oh and the little ones frozen scooter which broke yesterday stopped a lot of tears

[junmist]

Bit the bullet and brought James Wong Home Grown Revolution so some unknown food crops will be growing in tubs soon.
Have been looking at the privet rent market How the hell do people do it, 6years + for council/ social housing. Looked into Older people part buy part rent still can't afford that either so it looks like its privet rent and that is going to mean moving from an area I know to an area I can afford. And I have to sort all of this out before October when my health problems hits again Oh well fingers crossed

[Decaff]

[quote="Arzosah"

Honestly, this year I'm really discovering how underrated a good cleanout and regular maintenance can be. Because I don't have much energy, I'm *still* on it, but the house is starting to feel really different, and over the weekend I might even have space enough to get the dehydrator out, and for the first time ever I'll be cropping from my garden, plus a few foraged blackberry leaves and nettles.[/quote]


Hows the clean out coming along? It makes everything easier to find doesn't it and the space is no longer stressful.

[Arzosah]

Honestly, this year I'm really discovering how underrated a good cleanout and regular maintenance can be. Because I don't have much energy, I'm *still* on it, but the house is starting to feel really different, and over the weekend I might even have space enough to get the dehydrator out, and for the first time ever I'll be cropping from my garden, plus a few foraged blackberry leaves and nettles.

Hows the clean out coming along? It makes everything easier to find doesn't it and the space is no longer stressful.

Not bad thanks! I'm scanning old letters (I can't just chuck them out, I'm a genealogist, I can't help it, its a disease ) and I have a jolly little kindle book planned now about my months scarpering about Europe in the autumn and winter of 1976 came across an American woman who'd written about her year in France au-pairing, thats what gave me the idea.

More books are going. Lots of sheets are going - I use them for work (don't ask ) the stash of chenille will soon be coming out of the airing cupboard to be used for fingerless gloves, legwarmers, bedsocks and hats (little projects that can be done one at a time and won't hurt my arthritis too much). All my flower pots that aren't in use are going to be stored in a plastic dustbin thats going out to the bottom of the garden - I expect to soon dispense with the double width bookcase by steps like that

The overgrown cherry laurel is cut back as high as I can reach - next job is to get the stepladder out from the collapsing shed and cut back further up. May need a blokey to finish it off, as they're about 25 feet high, sadly. The decking it was growing over needs the teak oil I have waiting, needs it desperately - that may also do for the ants that have colonised the area

And plants that haven't been planted because I was never sure if I was moving on are going to be planted - two bays (which have done really badly in the pots), a sage, a couple of fruit trees ... I may get rid of the seed stash, which has some *very* old seeds, by experimenting with micro greens this autumn.

The cleaning isn't going too well and a lot of this has slowed down anyway cos of the huge family emergency thats happening over the next 5 weeks or so. It does put everything in perspective. Still, the maintenance and clearing up sort of keeps me sane.

Sorry! This just grew and grew ...

The first week of my retirement, in September, my sister's going to help me take all my counselling room equipment to the tip - its all its fit for, apart from a few bits and pieces.

[7 lives]

Best of luck with the mega sort Arzosah-I was in sort out shed mode till I found shed had robins nesting in it.Fabulous excuse to put off cleaning and sorting!

[Deeps]

More 'basics' this week, some first aid bits and bobs, a bit more scran and a bit more dehydrating. Its all been a bit underwhelming really. I guess it can't be rock 'n roll all the time. I've also managed to put away a few more vinos in the 'cellars' of Casa Deeps, that's a bit more 'street'.

[Britcit]

Being quite new to this, I'm taking small steps to start with.
Added a few extra items in the shopping basket to start a food stash.
Putting together a box to keep in my van with useful stuff as I am driving Aberdeen - Cambridge this Monday.
Food, water, basic first aid kit.

Any pointers for a 'Van Kit' would be appreciated.