Bobthebuilder

The amount of red tape rings i had to jump through to get a offset mortgage would say to me that wont be a option for everyone. Hours on the phone, 2 bank visits and proof of pension to pay it off if i didnt in the mortgage term. You deal with the repo guys with an offset.

I can believe that, the £28k i was talking about was many moons ago. I was going to buy a flat in Dorset, asked the bank for a £24k mortgage, they laughed in my face.

Hmm I wonder if the same is true for my help to buy ISA. Dont quote me on this but i think, if you need a mortgage for a first time buy the minimum amount they will lend you is £28,000. Best check that though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52106119

I normaly buy my tomatoes, courgettes etc as small plants but as the garden centers are shut, this year will be mostly spuds from leftovers from the kitchen, oh well when needs must.

Personal preference i suppose, if you get all chefy about it a double cooked chip in dripping is more like a roast potato than fries done in vegatable fat like you get in mcdonalds.

On the subject of home made chips, beef dripping is a must and i never peel my spuds, just chop em up and fry with the skin on. Bit of salt, ketchup? or gravy?

Thats a great video, perfect for Sancho Panza. I think we might be talking about this stuff a lot this year, and pizza again maybe.

They will be the best chips you have ever had.

A bit like advice on ISAS, SIPPS, cashflow, pe etc for me. I will say growing veg can be easy or can be a lot of work, dont get an allotment unless it really is your hobby. See what older gardeners grow they have learnt the hard way, spuds easy, just put them in soil they will grow and you will get spuds. Same for courgettes, tomatoes need picking out side shoots and tying up to a cane as they grow but thats it, water, feed and you will get veg. Roots and brassicas are a lot harder to do and have more pest problems best left for your 2nd or 3rd year really but stick the carrots and parsnips in, give it a go, nothing better than seeing children pulling the carrots up and the wonder on thier faces. My cherry tree is just starting to blossom, its in its 3rd year and the 1st time it has blossomed, patience is needed, just like some shares i guess.

I have only grown carrots once, sow seeds in drills then thin out as they grow, a lot of work for something thats cheap as chips in the shops(same for most root veg i think) plenty of vids on youtube. You sow carrots in Feb usually and parsnips taste better after a frost at the end of the year Dec onwards. A lot of pot planting is done to give the little plant a chance against frost, snails and slugs, they would not stand a chance sown directly in the ground, grow them on a windowsill, cold frame or greenhouse if you have one. Easy veg are sweetcorn, courgette, tomatoes,spinach,if you want tomatoes its a bit late in the year to grow from seed now, best buy a few small plants if you can. You sow root veg directly into the soil then thin out the smallest and most others in pots first then plant out late spring. Monty Don knows all.

My fav Roy Orbinson tune with the usual suspects, George on guitar.

Great guitar player, loved the stuff he did with The Travelling Willburys, Tom Pettys Full Moon Fever and Jeff Lynne. He also financed Withnail and i,that makes him cool in my book.

I water everyday in dry weather, best to do it in the evening so the sun does not dry it out but i do water in the sun if things are wilting. As i said veg needs a lot of water spuds more so, best to use a hose everyday. Leeks are easy, sow multiple seeds in pots through the summer then plant in when you harvest the spuds into the same pot, the leeks will be 9 inches tall ish, make a hole with the handle of a broom say and put the leeks about 5 inches down. They will grow over the summer, autumn and be ready all winter.The bit of the leek that grows in the hole blanches hence the white bit on the bottom of leeks. You get 2 harvest a year from the same pot / plot, spuds then leeks and sometimes you find a missed spud when you dig up the leeks in winter. Now you know why leek and potato soup is a classic. Edit to answer all your questions. I have planted out some early spuds already and will continue for April, if the plants have grown foliage and you get a frost it will kill them but if you are planting now the growth will not be until the end of next month so you should be ok. Great thing about growing in pots is if you do get a frost you can always bring them indoors for the night.

Nice, like the old one. Pre charged air rifles are really good, the only problem is they are so accurate and have no recoil they are too easy really, give me 15 mins on a 50 meter range and i will be putting pellets through the same hole in the target every time.