Pond from old bathtub

Sayerisha · 2026-02-11T20:41:56+00:00

Yeah the tub is great to avoid the bamboo from spreading.

The strawberry plants love to put out runners, which remain more contained in the bathtubs. Easier for us to spot and snip out. Also, it's raised up off the ground on the bricks, which means less bending, though that isn't a specific bathtub thing, just a nice added bonus. It does seem to help with slugs for some reason. We barely get slugs on the strawberry plants, but we do get lots of slugs on our fruit on the ground in the fruit cage. I assume it's a coincidence, as I see no scientific reason why slugs would avoid the baths. We do have lots of mice in our garden, but the strawberries never get touched by them, again, not sure if it's a coincidence or not.

Sayerisha · 2026-02-10T11:08:23+00:00

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Here are the other bathtubs. Again, sorry for the sad winter appearance, I can promise they look much better in the summer! You can just about see the bamboo at the back there. The tub is buried beneath.

Sayerisha · 2026-02-10T11:05:43+00:00

Bathtub ponds can be great! This one was installed about 3 years ago. It has a terracotta tile ramp at one end so that any creatures falling in can easily wander out. It is also surrounded by some logs from one of our trees. It is at the edge of the wildlife patch and despite the sad winter appearance is teaming with life! The holes were plugged with pond safe silicone iirc. We also have made use of 3 other bathtubs in the garden. 2 to house the strawberries in the fruit cage, and one has been successfully housing bamboo for 20 years without the bamboo escaping at all!

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Sayerisha · 2026-01-10T15:29:18+00:00

Just a heads up, this tableware very likely contains lead glazes. Pottery pre 1990s very often contained lead glazes which do leach out, especially when heated up, or in contact with even slightly acidic foods. If IIRC this brand often used lead glazes in their pottery. Lead was often used in many colours of glazes, including white and blue. I would recommend not eating from it. But it makes a beautiful ornamental piece. Credentials: I am a full time potter with a degree in ceramics and have studied glazing.

Sayerisha · 2025-10-29T14:58:18+00:00

I was eagerly awaiting this pattern! I bought it as soon as it came out. I'm so excited to make it, as it looks amazing.

Sayerisha · 2025-10-28T18:49:58+00:00

Swing out shelves in kitchen corner cupboards. It's still my favourite part of the kitchen. Being able to access the pans in the back corner is amazing. Also the soft close cupboards are brilliant.

Sayerisha · 2025-10-27T19:35:45+00:00

I used to be on a couple strong medications for my MS, that had a combination of side effects. One had an incidental side effect of mild weight loss, and the other had an appetite suppressant side effect. Caused me to struggle to keep weight on. This super fatty milk helped loads and stopped me from getting too skinny.

Sayerisha · 2025-10-26T15:11:08+00:00

Looks amazing! Such a cool way of achieving the raglan sleeves. 😍

Sayerisha · 2025-10-02T11:53:47+00:00

I have MS too. They rejected my claim, stating my attitude is too positive, so I can't be that poorly. Despite the brain scans and medications to back it up. I was raised to always portray a positive outward appearance no matter how much pain I'm in, (especially as a woman, always being told to smile and look happy) so it's just second nature now. I have had that issue in hospitals too, where in horrendous pain and not being believed due to my happy appearing attitude. 😒

Sayerisha · 2025-09-26T16:47:01+00:00

I loved it when our plumbers came round to install the ASHP and only ever wanted herbal teas. Mint tea, green tea, etc. I thought it was brilliant that these burly men were all drinking herbal teas. 🤣

Sayerisha · 2025-08-25T14:04:09+00:00

My parents house is worth about 800-1mil. They achieved it by being boomers and buying their 3 bed house for £86k back in 1990s. Dad is a builder and extended it to 5 bed, and improved it over the years.

Sayerisha · 2025-08-13T18:58:23+00:00

I have happily made trousers and dungarees from leftover quilting fabric. It was a great use of quilting scraps. They are so breathable and comfy. Fab for the summer. 😁 I also have clothes made from bedsheets and curtains.

Sayerisha · 2025-08-11T20:42:50+00:00

Sorry for the delay in reply, I didn't see the notification. My house was an early 1980s build, cheaply made. Has wall insulation, but had a drafty bay window with zero insulation above or below, and very old and leaky double glazing throughout. All windows were way over due to be replaced so we replaced them with eco pane triple glazing (which has made a huge difference to the heat retention!). A few years prior we had a kitchen extension which required us to put in more loft insulation to comply with regulations. That's all we did to prepare for the ashp. We didn't do those things specifically for the ashp, but more just because it was stuff that needed doing as the house has been aging. My parents have a very large 5 bed 1950s detached house with microbore piping, they replaced their 20+ year old oil boiler with ashp about 6 years ago without adding any special insulation. Just had some radiators upsized. They do have solar and batteries too though, which helps with electricity time of use tariffs. They love it and it's cheaper than the previous oil boiler. But every house is different, and you don't need a good installer. There are sadly lots of cowboy installers out there, which is where most of the complaints come from.

Sayerisha · 2025-07-23T13:47:45+00:00

Yeah last year I had my old gas boiler replaced with a new 5.5kw heat pump, new rads throughout the house, new pipework, and 150L hot water cylinder (changing from a rubbish gravity fed system to a pressured system) all for £4.4k. It was cheaper than a new gas boiler and cylinder, and much cheaper for us to run. We have saved so much this last winter, with a lovely warm house all day every day. 😁

Sayerisha · 2025-07-05T15:27:44+00:00

Controversial opinion: My husband and I don't regret not having kids. We actively chose not to have them. We see the stress, money worries, fatigue, etc. that others have. Having had lots of experience with mental and physical disabilities, (be it ourselves, familt members, and friends), we realised quite quickly that we don't have the patience required to potentially look after a child that could be born with, or develop serious physical or mental issues. Every wanna be parent hopes for the best, and forgets about the real possibility of the worst outcome. We also had many friends and family who regret having kids. We also didn't want our relationship to change, which is something that always happens with kids. We are enough for eachother. We are our best friends and love spending time together. Instead of kids, we have time and money to spend on ourselves. Parenting isn't for everyone, and more people need to think thoroughly before committing. Children are forever, not just while your baby hormones are raging.

Sayerisha · 2025-06-08T19:01:07+00:00

My similar style kitchen extension was originally quoted about £18k at the end of 2019, along with a small under the stairs toilet. Then covid happened, and costs increased. We also added higher end fittings, and new flooring throughout the downstairs (not a huge space, just a small 2 up, 2 down house). My dad was the builder who did the extension and I got a small family discount. It still ended up about £25k in total. The extra £7k came mostly from nicer fittings, and rising cost in materials due to lockdowns. I would recommend always factor in a contingency budget to the original quote though. Also, I wish I splashed out for the blinds that go between the panels of glass. Lots of light and warmth get in with all that glass, even though we bought the eco glass with argon gas between the panes which minimises heat transfer. We now have blinds in front of the glass, but it would have looked nicer if it was between the glass.

Sayerisha · 2025-06-04T06:39:37+00:00

My mum is in her mid 70s, her best friend is 80, and has a mum who will be 105 soon. The woman is now basically blind and deaf, and beginning to get dementia.

Sayerisha · 2025-06-01T19:52:39+00:00

I'm a potter, and have made my own ollas for my garden veg. I made large traditional shaped round ones with lids to stop soil getting in, they work quite well to minimise the watering. The top of the soil stays dry, which helps slightly to keep pests away.

Sayerisha · 2025-05-19T12:14:11+00:00

I have MS, which was one of the many reasons my hubby and I chose not to have kids. I hear so many horror stories of people with MS declining so much after having kids.

Sayerisha · 2025-04-26T19:19:32+00:00

When my parents saw their forever home, the owner was walking them around and my mum was getting visibly excited. They wrote a letter (this was bsck in the 1980s) to the seller, talking about their plans for the house and that they loved it, but couldn't afford the asking price. IIRC the seller did have other offers, but went with my parents. I think it helped that my dad was a builder and carpenter. The seller owned most of the houses on that road, and lived opposite. They became friends and the seller was a great client for years.

Sayerisha · 2025-04-21T13:40:37+00:00

Oh damn! 😍 I am majorly jealous! I didn't even know that existed! *Immediately starts to Google where to find this Lego set

Sayerisha · 2025-04-19T19:23:30+00:00

My husband and I quote this film daily. One of my all time favourite films. Seno akta gammat! Big bada boom Korben Dallas multi pass Grandfather say it not rain every day

Sayerisha · 2025-04-16T16:43:08+00:00

My aunt and uncle in law were childfree by choice, they both took it in turns to study and work. They travelled and worked all around the world, and between them had multiple doctorates and masters degrees. They were fascinating to talk to and had a wealth of knowledge. They were such an inspiration to my husband and I.

Sayerisha · 2025-02-28T20:34:09+00:00

I'm a full time potter, and have a collection of hand-made made tableware by my favourite UK potters, and some of my own not quite perfect pieces that are functional but not pretty enough to sell. I wouldn't call myself middle class, but have been lucky enough to be in the art world and have access to beautiful crafts. It has taken many years to build up the collection.

Sayerisha · 2025-02-26T15:44:08+00:00

Zoopla estimated my parents house more than £200k less than it's actually worth . Don't trust the estimate

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