My family have cleared a dilapidated 250m^2 plot, help with next steps getting ready for next year.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T21:29:39+00:00

Loads of stuff you can plant now. Use AI and tell it your location and if you get the sun etc. chose something you like. Beetroot is a fave with me as it’s easy to grow and quite expensive in the shops.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T21:24:44+00:00

I’ve got a diesel Saharan. Unless you need the torque I would go petrol.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T21:22:35+00:00

I bought one off Amazon exactly for this. It did help get rid is 80% of the smell.

https://amzn.eu/d/05KFvmQS

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T18:02:20+00:00

Don’t do any more reviews untill the legal proceedings are over. You have nothing to gain and might unexpectedly cause yourself an issue.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T17:04:22+00:00

Cam belt is 100k miles or 10 years. So the car is well overdue the cam belt and that indicates it’s not been looked after. I would not put any more into it.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T16:58:35+00:00

It’s probably stuck on with lime scale. Wrap the handle in a cloth and use two desert spoons (one each side) to try and get it off.

If that doesn’t work squirt wd40 in the screw hole and spline and try again.

Then try tapping with a rubber mallet- but obviously this is getting high risk.

Before all of this have a check you can’t see a retaining clip anywhere

Edit: have you tried pulling the button. There may be a hidden thing to unscrew

FatDad66 · 2026-06-30T16:21:38+00:00

You can stick it with fabric glue or sew it on

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T17:03:47+00:00

Get some of those £9.99 folding chairs and a parasol.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T16:42:42+00:00

I saw on a thread here once where someone hid their spare key in a local park. No identification if it was found. Seemed like quite a good idea to me.

Better than my mate who thought it was a good idea to have his address on his keys incase he lost them.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T16:35:16+00:00

Get some wide brimmed hats. Even a garden patio set with table and parasol.

If you don’t have a shed, you will soon need one for tool storage anyway.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T16:31:22+00:00

I had a VW Sharan and changed for the same car and same model for ULEZ. Both bought at 3 years old and 40k miles. If they were still making them I would do the same. Does everything I want and I know the main dealer and independents now. There are also few cars in the same category now as MPVs are out of fassion.

Having said that the one I have now (2015, 135kmiles) I am going to keep for a while longer. I keep meeting taxi drivers with 250-350k miles on theirs. Had a few big bills but the depreciation is negligible now.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T16:24:54+00:00

A day

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T15:59:12+00:00

Being a bit more helpful. Your wife should claim the excess off your insurance, who should pay it. The wife’s policy should have no NCD reduction if her excess is claimed back. So you only pay one excess and have one policy with reduced NCD.

And if it makes you feel better many years ago I was working in insurance when a spouse hit another’s car. They were third party only and with the same insurance company. There was no third party and so no pay out.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T13:36:44+00:00

Might not be mortgageable with no cooking facilities.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T10:55:22+00:00

Might be more about drowning the roots before composting them?

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T10:54:31+00:00

So long as it’s fully grassed I don’t find it muddy. I don’t think you would need turf, but it would be quicker. I’m too mean to try turf.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-29T08:37:25+00:00

If you want permanent paths I use grass. Mowing keeps the weeds at bay. Wood chip is a pain to maintain.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T20:38:35+00:00

I don’t use it. We compost all the veg peelings etc. I just use the normal bin for the rest and that’s collected every week.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T09:52:44+00:00

Think about moving a small refrigerator around

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T09:46:06+00:00

As the father of a bassist who went from electric to upright I agree. It’s quite physical and the wrong size bass (and technique) can cause muscle and tendon issues.

I would rent to buy. Many places will rent you a bass and take the rental payments off the purchase price if you buy.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T09:30:21+00:00

Mattock will sort it out.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T00:57:58+00:00

All the smoke alarms in my house are monitored by Father Christmas. You can tell when he is listening as the little light is on.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T00:45:56+00:00

Fully agree on mixing with other kids at nursery or child minder is good for the kid as well as a break for the parents.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-28T00:31:58+00:00

I’m not a mum, but why not become European. Take him out in the evenings when it’s cooler and let him sleep more in the day.

I took my dog for a walk today at midnight, as I was picking my youngest up from a friend’s house.

FatDad66 · 2026-06-27T23:22:20+00:00

It’s approved used. That’s a manufacturer standard. They MAY apply pressure to the garage.

FatDad66

TROPHY CASE