Thanks - I’ll take a look.
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That looks excellent, i’m very impressed.
Will try that on my new fence that’s coming later this year.
Although a concern here is the evil tendency of the next-door neighbours to slop paint on their side and which goes though gaps to cause runs on my side. One neighbour has already done this with grey paint, i suppose one can’t stop idiots from doing idiotic things but what sacrilege 
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Not wishing to create problems, but want to solve your possible future one. Your neighbour can’t paint their side of your fence without your permission. If they do and you’re not happy, you can take legal action. If it went the whole hog, get them to replace the whole thing or get a new fence and send them the bill. I can understand paint coming through your side being a nuisance. Not wishing to create neighbour problems, as no one wants that, but just letting you know for your own power.
Thanks for the lovely comment about my fence. Not the most interesting post, but it’s the kind of thing I like to read on the Naim forum, rather than a group of blokes laughing at two pigs shagging on their way to slaughter. What’s wrong with the moderation here sometimes?
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I don’t bother with the jokes thread any more, don’t find it funny enough.
Anyway, it’s fortunate the grey paint though that fence is mostly hidden by my woodshed and oil tank, so i can pretend it isn’t there. That fence had an odd arrival, the old fence was being held up by a Virginia Creeper type vine, until the guy next door decided to destroy the plant, but with the vine removal also went the old fence attached (my fence) …and then part of the brick pier wall collapsed due to his over enthusiasm (my wall). The neighbour in question is a joiner-fitter, and all credit where’s due good at his job. He rebuilt the brick pier and constructed a fairly good sturdy quality fence.
While he was finishing off the fence, i thanked him for his kindness and good job done, and gave him a couple of hundred quid just to keep things friendly, after all it was my responsibly to replace/pay for the fence, and it was pretty rotten.
After a bit of friendly chat for a while all seemed well.
However, in hindsight i’m not sure he realises (or cares) who actually owns this fence, he may think it’s his, but he did a good carpentry job and for that i am grateful for his action.
But although he seems to be fair minded, his wife is the wicked paint decorator, and what i find a lot worse is, her eleven year old boy likes to boot a football against this new fence, now the vine has gone and the new sturdy fence is there to bounce the ball off… there is a loud BANG followed 15 seconds later with another loud BANG and repeated every 15 seconds; ad-nauseam. 
<>
The new fence will be bordering a difference pair of neighbours who at least seem far more (intelligent) reasonable to get along with, don’t think there will be a problem.
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My parents in law have a small farm. We collected some tomatoes and cucumbers yeasterday. As well as 8 kilos blueberries in the forest. And mushrooms
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I found that photo disturbing and very, very sad 
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It’s amazing how far they travel.
OK all together now.
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Becoming disillusioned with the quality of composts out there. I think there’s something going on in a lot of compost production that is unhealthy for certain plants in pots. Too many plants struggle for no reason.
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That’s interesting. I’ve seen the same but since I’m a young gardener I can’t really compare yet and blame the weather and my own work for now.
Composts: @Ardbeg10y and @Count.d
I’ve wondered about this, and I have two observations; first, peat is no longer used in domestic composts, and second, council food and green waste is contributing to poorer quality of composts. It is very hard to control the quality of the latter, and I’m not sure what’s replacing peat in the former. Coir or rape / hemp straw?
@Camphuw @Ardbeg10y there’s too many of my plants in pots that are struggling. I need to get the mixes down to a basic inert one and then add nutrients and bio stuff from there. I’ve ordered some coir and Ecothrive Charge to start with. To this I’ll mix my usual perlite, fine bark and probably a bit of sand/grit, granulated seaweed meal and small amount of organic fertiliser.
The coir is an interesting product. I used to use it, but haven’t for years. Once you look into it, it’s a variable product. At production, it needs to be thoroughly washed and processed with horticulture in mind. Then it needs to be ‘buffered’ so it’s the perfect medium to grow in. The Canna Professional Plus Coir is most likely the best and this is what I’ve ordered.
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I believe there are two problems here.
First, while banning peat extraction is absolutely the right thing to do, there is no escaping the fact that alternatives currently available do not hold nutrients well, and almost invariably make a poor growing medium.
Second, nearly all gardens have, or could have healthy soil in which plants can thrive. Covering it in concrete, quarried stone, felled timber, plastic, gravel etc and sticking plants in man made containers filled with manufactured growing medium will never be the same, quite apart from the high environmental cost.
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