Fruits in the Garden - Part 1

We're intending to significantly increase the quantity and variety of the edible perennials in the garden, mainly in the form of additional fruit bushes and trees, but all the new plants we've bought recently will be described in Part 2.

In this Part 1, we're summarising the edible perennials we already have growing in the garden.

Growing in the ground

Rhubarb (unknown variety) -  we've three crowns planted next to the raised bed area, and these produce a lot of stems throughout the year.   Very undemanding to grow, it needs next to no attention at all.

Chives - not a fruit of course, but then strictly speaking neither is rhubarb ...  There's a patch of chives in the raised bed area.  Being an allium, it's evergreen, can look a little straggly in winter, but it comes back strongly again every spring.   If left to flower it becomes a magnet for the bees.  With nothing to do except harvest the leaves as required, it's the very easiest edible perennial you can grow.

Investment Review - December 2020

Another year over, and here's the final quarterly investment review of 2020.   Let's start with the combined portfolio summary sheet, updated at the early market close on 31 December :-

Annual Spending Review - 2020

Well, 2020 is almost over.  Here's where all the money went, in what turned out to be a very unusual year for our spending patterns :-

click on the graphic for a larger image

See previous reviews for the 'Rules', e.g. the 2019 review ...

As usual, the graphic shows the highest spending categories for 2020 in descending order from the left, with the equivalent 2019 and 2018 percentages alongside.

Conservatory Design & Build - Part 4 - Finishing Works & Fit-out

With the building structurally complete and weathertight, finishing works could continue inside the conservatory at our leisure, and any remaining exterior jobs can be done as and when the weather permits.

Continuing with the diary from Part 3 ... 

laying carpet tiles on top of XPS insulation boards.  In this
picture, all the easy ones are down - the rest needed cutting to fit

Conservatory Design & Build - Part 3 - The Building Structure

The long-awaited doors and windows duly arrived, and on the scheduled date too, so it was time to assemble and erect the building.   

The delivery coincided with a short spell of fine weather, with no rain forecast for at least three days, so the intention was to complete the basic build and make the conservatory weathertight within this timescale.

The photo diary continues from Part 2 ...

the windows and door on the north face were pre-assembled
and in position within a few hours after delivery !

Investment Review - September 2020

Here's the regular quarterly update with valuations on 30 September :-

click on the graphic for a larger image ...

Conservatory Design & Build - Part 2 - Enabling Works

Following on directly from our Part 1 post, we've been continuing with the enabling works for the new conservatory.

The photo diary continues ...

the old guttering arrangement above my office door, 

also fed with a downpipe from the main roof

the new arrangement - a galvanised C-section purlin now carries the water to 

a tundish at the RH end. A second length of purlin below makes a face

 between them to add a board.   This board and the timber post structure on 

the right will provide a flat interface for the end of the conservatory to butt up against.