Be Excellent To Each Other

I fitted a stair gate to keep the pets out the pantry downstairs, and also fixed a dripping bath tap that has been bugging me for ages. It was really simple once I got the right tool and watched a quick how-to video. I don't know why I left it like this for so long (probably 20 months....)

My patio has turned into a forest again. I put some sand stuff down a few years ago that was meant to stop weeds. It has not worked.

I keep using weed killer butt they keep coming back. Grrr

If you ever overfill your kettle it’s worth taking the extra boiled water out and pouring it over your most persistent weeds. They just melt away in front of you.

. I will try that.

Salt the earth

(It works)

Is there not a risk that the salt washes either off the patio or into the earth as it dissolves and spreads to kill the lawn or plants? I’ve seen people say they used a huge amount of salt before and I always wondered what you might do if you took up the patio slabs in the future.

I think there is a risk, probably potentially problematic for nearby water courses too. I did it to a car park and some slabs, worked. It was just one of those bags of salt for gritting paths and the like in winter.

We have one (actually three) of these

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-patio ... /p/0488594

and they work brilliantly. We got two of ours in Morrisons (in the little outside garden but) for £4, and a little short handled version gif Darwin gif £2.25 in Wilko (because it’s his favourite garden job).

The little triangular scraper but makes short work of it, even if you have those little patio bricks we have.

Would have helped if I’d actually put the link in. Have edited it in now.

My solution is sub optimal.

No kidding, if you're expecting that guinea pig to learn how to use that mini-fork then I've got a bridge to sell you.

You joke Mali, but I've noticed our garden is a lot harder to keep weed-free since the last rabbit popped off earlier this year.

Possibly dumb question, and definitely the wrong thread, but can you buy parasol bases that support a large parasol without the need for a table?

Specifically one that can be used with or without a table?

Yes, we have one - it's a big stone slab with a (roughly) 30cm 'sleeve' that the parasol slips into, and some little knobs to tighten to hold it in place. It's very heavy, but does have some little wheels that it can be tilted onto and then slid around.

It doesn't quite hold the parasol as stable by itself as it would when used in conjunction with a table.... but it's certainly able.

Kinda like this: https://www.billyfresh.com/products/30k ... SQQAvD_BwE

Ah, I didn’t realise those would support it. We have one of those plastic ones that someone gave us, but we need a better one. I’ll look for something like that, thank you!

Would a hole in the ground be an option?

https://soleroparasols.co.uk/parasol-bases.html

You lose the flexibility of movement, but they're damn solid

Edit: Better link

I don’t need flexibility of movement so much, as I really want it bang in the middle of the lawn that’s closest to the house, so we can sit and picnic, or on comfy chairs, or to read/spin, etc, but I’d be worried at having it sunk into the lawn (if that is even possible) as there is no way D will not find a way to trip over even the slightest protuberance, which would likely happen with changes in soil wear, erosion, and moisture.

An event shelter or gazebo might be useful. We used these when I did all that charity work which I don't like to talk about and they go up easily and store well


https://www.houseoftents.co.uk/pop-up-g ... 3KEALw_wcB

Or use a sail cloth shade

https://www.primrose.co.uk/water-resist ... &806=33654

Good shout. Pop up gazebos or cabanas are dead useful, for garden, beach or park trip in the heat. Excellent for outdoors parties and camping too. We get quite a lot of use out of ours

We had a hole in the lawn for the clothes dryer when I was a kid. They go all the way in so you can mow over them, so no way Darwin could trip.
Main issue is finding the hole when the lawn is a bit unkempt, but witha bit of prodding and fingering, you can usually find the spot.

You knew exactly what you were doing there!

Our new one comes with a red cap to make it visible, but still below mower level.

The dryer itself will itself only come out when mowing, I imagine, so not really an issue for us.

Once I get round to putting it in, I mean

Ah, that’s good news, because my other concern was D getting the top of his foot in it as he ran as he only has smoll feet and they’re only the diameter of the line or thereabouts.

The awning and gazebo are both good ideas, but it won’t be attached to the side of the house (that’s the patio, where we already have a table to support the parasol we have) and I want it to be simple enough to just lift the parasol out of that and pop it onto the lawn, bury myself, rather than have to set it up or rely on Russell being available to help, which though I’d probably manage a gazebo on my own I likely wouldn’t bother with.

How about something like this ...

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7285701 ... lsrc=aw.ds

It's essentially a big brolly that you peg down. Officially a fishing shelter, but works as a quick setup sunshade

Haha, that’s great! I really like tbat

You could get a cantilever one that you could then use for either the table or the lawn without relying on the table hole

https://www.whitestores.co.uk/garden-fu ... ukQAvD_BwE

Ours is a similar stone base, and it works fine with a large parasol.

I’ve already got a parasol (totally copied Dr Zoidberg and got a huge bright one last year) otherwise tbat would have been a good call.

DIY folks! Should I be getting impact drill bits for my impact driver?

Yes!

Somehow I missed this patio weeding talk. My patio is full, full of weeds from where I've neglected it for too long. I think I'll get the scrubby brushy thing AND some salt.

Likewise! Looks like a handy gadget.

Another good thing to do is if you ever overfill the kettle just pour the excess boiling water over a patch of your weeds and they shrivel away. That’s obviously a very ‘bit by bit’ approach, and hopefully you don’t overfill the kettle anyway. Might also work with the water from boiling veg, though I’d avoid anything starchy as it might leave a film?

I've never tried the boiling water approach, I'll give it a go.

Does it work as well with big weeds though, or is it only effective on smaller ones?

Some of the ones at mine are quite big, I'll try and remember to get a pic.

We have this. No idea what it actually is but it's nuclear. Destroys anything it touches. And teasingly stored next to our wine decanter.

I'm quite scared of it.

I think it works on all weeds, but I’ve only tried it on our little ones

Yes. Wera are the best

Cheers

I've made a small drawer to slide under the TV unit. It's only 10cm high and will slide on the carpet. The base is currently just cardboard while it's in proof of concept. What material should I make the base from? I was thinking thin plywood or that fibreboard that you tack onto the back of cheap wardrobes. Any suggestions? It would need to no more than 5mm thick and low friction

Lasagne sheets

Giant playing cards

Hardboard will be fine. Either plain or white (like they use on the back of wardrobes, for drawer bases etc.
plywood would be more robust, but I suspect you’ll struggle to get less than 6mm thick, unless you have a really good supplier nearby

Thankyou.sir, I was concerned that I'd have to use lasagna sheets...

Use little lego wheels to make it roll

We made a few little upgrades to my craft room. I had a drop-leaf table that wasn’t too stable and a wall-mounted half drop-leaf that sort of met but didn’t really, so I got a new desk that spans most of the width of the room, so my sewing machine, overlocker and everything else can sit side by side. Even better there is a slide out second table that sits at 90° so I can set both sewing machines up and pivot between both as I sew.



I got an actual comfortable chair. And I got a little cabinet to hold my printer as I had nowhere for it to live, so I could roll it over when I need it, and move it out of the way when I don’t.

What a brilliant, cosy space to make stuff. That's brilliant.

Apologies for double brilliant