@iain
Should one do gardening while wearing a Bel Canto?

That’s the Law sorted out.

Back to topic now?

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Thu Apr 10, 2025 7:56 pm

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Thu Apr 10, 2025 7:13 pm The other woman being helped let out a slight giggle and a subtle smile at that!

Terrible, isn’t it? I had a girlfriend once who could identify any flower, tree or bird with killer accuracy at 100 paces, yet didn’t know how to mix a Negroni or who won the Ashes in 1981. Didn’t last long. Last I heard she’d married some dullard who didn’t answer back!

Some folks are best kept at arms' length

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Thu Apr 10, 2025 9:33 pm

tikkathree wrote: ↑Thu Apr 10, 2025 9:20 pm Drew I should really provide evidential photos but as I have no evidence of "before" I could only do the "afterwards". My patio was a similar colour to yours until last weekend. Then I sprayed it lightly with water, poured on bleach and set to with a stiff-bristled yard brush giving it all about fifteen minutes to the square metre/yard. Then I left it all to soak for maybe fifteen minutes before hosing it all off. It is all almost white now and was a thoroughly satisfying physical workout. Milady declares herself to be very pleased. That generated brownie points and, s we all know, "points mean prizes"!!

My wife has made clear that this weekend, weather allowing, we will be taking a power washer to the paver patio in pic 1. What that means is I will pull out the power washer, hook it all up, then she’ll go to town with it and have her bit of fun. I will then get to disconnect it all and put it away. I’ll get points for the assist.

The ugly cement slabs in the second pic are where we park the cars, therefore I have no issue with how they look.

Sounds like you might have a good book lined up for power washing time.

@iain - the thread was meant to be about Flora, not butter!

iain wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 5:52 am I couldn’t post when this was about gardening as that’s definitely my wife and her mother’s area. However we seem to have moved towards who has what role in a household.

A few years ago we had some friends stay over after a social evening. I was cooking breakfast the next morning and asked if they would like me to add some butter to their bacon sandwich.

Him “Yes please”
Her to him “Do I have butter?”
Him to me “Yes she does”

I love stories like this! Exchanges like that are signs of a very healthy relationship.

We have a division of duties where gardening is concerned.

I cut the grass and am also allowed to trim hedge, bushes and trees under supervision. Mrs nbg does the rest.

I used to have a dodgy back, however having taken up yoga about ten years ago that is no longer the case.

Neil

nbg wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:14 pm We have a division of duties where gardening is concerned.

I cut the grass and am also allowed to trim hedge, bushes and trees under supervision. Mrs nbg does the rest.

I used to have a dodgy back, however having taken up yoga about ten years ago that is no longer the case.

Neil

When we first moved into the new house, my wife retained a lawn service to mow and edge because we didn’t have a lawn mower up to the challenge at the time. I’ve been in no rush to acquire such a mower. The lawn service has been retained for another year.

If we had a good shed where I could store a riding mower it would be a different story. I’d be down for that!

^^^^ A ride-on mower for the size of garden / lawn that you have Drew?

Strewth.

Good exercise once a week to walk behind a mower.

Guy

Sent from my Galaxy S23 Ultra using Tapatalk

^^^ A sit on mower would certainly be overkill for our lawns (or as Mrs nbg refers to them as - grass, with an equal measure of moss).

Neil

I’ve always used an old-fashioned push along mower. I don’t have a big lawn so it’s quite easy.

The other week a neighbour who was moving to a flat sold me a small Flymo very cheap. It’s quite good at this time of year when the grass is a bit tufty, wispy and mossy, but I’ll still use the hand mower for preference when the condition improves. You don’t get stripes with a Flymo!

This is actually quite an interesting thread. Thanks for the contributions so far!

The thread has encouraged me to cut the grass this afternoon. The least I could do, whilst Mrs nbg was inside decorating a bedroom.

Was about to some of the cuttings to a compost bin, but decided not to disturb this fellow… Neil

I have the week off work next week and I’ve just been given the dreaded list.

I’m tempted to say that I’ve been called in to some sort of emergency.

Neil. Whilst trimming around a compost heap two years ago I disturbed an adder. I had to carefully rehome it due to having several rather inquisitive spaniels, one of which has already been bitten by an adder.

My father, who is of a certain mindset and (dare I say it) a certain generation, has so far stubbornly refused to hire any help for my parents’ garden, despite his having had two replacement hip operations and suffering with some arthritis in his wrists and hands.

His ingenious solution is to enlist the services of my mother who now mows the lawn instead!

If I may be permitted to say so, this thread is as much about the factors of aging as it is gardening, and the realization that one must slow down eventually. Hopefully I can help persuade him at some point, ever so subtly, that greater enjoyment may actually be derived from enjoying a relaxing G&T in a garden that others have tended to.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 3:59 pm I’ve always used an old-fashioned push along mower. I don’t have a big lawn so it’s quite easy.

The other week a neighbour who was moving to a flat sold me a small Flymo very cheap. It’s quite good at this time of year when the grass is a bit tufty, wispy and mossy, but I’ll still use the hand mower for preference when the condition improves. You don’t get stripes with a Flymo!

This is actually quite an interesting thread. Thanks for the contributions so far!

Interesting indeed! I used a push mower at my old place, as the lawn was quite small. If I tried using it at the current house, it might kill me!

timepieces_and_bags wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 5:31 pm My father, who is of a certain mindset and (dare I say it) a certain generation, has so far stubbornly refused to hire any help for my parents’ garden, despite his having had two replacement hip operations and suffering with some arthritis in his wrists and hands.

His ingenious solution is to enlist the services of my mother who now mows the lawn instead!

If I may be permitted to say so, this thread is as much about the factors of aging as it is gardening, and the realization that one must slow down eventually. Hopefully I can help persuade him at some point, ever so subtly, that greater enjoyment may actually be derived from enjoying a relaxing G&T in a garden that others have tended to.

My parents (in their 80s) have made use of a lawn service for close to 15 years now. When they started with it, it was less about not being up to the work physically, and all about deciding their time was better spent on the weekends. They simply didn’t like looking after a lawn and the yard and had only done it out of necessity.

I’ve come to realize there are two different types of people in this world: those who love working in the yard/garden and sane people. My best friend loves nothing better than to spend a Saturday mowing, pruning, edging, weeding, watering, etc. He loves it. My grandparents were the same way. My mother-in-law is still out in her garden every day at 80. My wife loves it. I’ve inherited my parents’ attitude - it’s a chore I’ll do out of necessity, and nothing more.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful yard/garden. I just don’t want to be the one maintaining it.