Have a very happy birthday you lovely lady .

   

I've been puzzling how to keep track of my different plans for 2026. Please don't say  "Spreadsheet" . 

I needed to keep a Garden balance Sheet (showing what I've spent and what I've harvested); and to keep tabs on my £1 a day spend on food.  It would also be good to record any clutter that I give away or items I'm given. 

Result - I have a new, cunning Plan (I can hear you lot sniggering now. Stop it at the back).

I have found a shiny new Notebook to start me off. 
Everything I possess, money, food, seeds etc is the status quo - or Ground zero - or whatever you like to call it.

In the Notebook I will record the changes in the status guo (the Ins and Outs) that take place every day. Ins on the Right and Outs on the Left.
For example, any food I harvest, anything I'm given for FREE is an IN. 

On the OUT side is anything that leaves the house or my moneybox! 
The cost of any food (or seeds) that I buy is an OUT. 

However, any seeds that I sow from my seed stash or food that I eat from the store cupboard has NO value, it has been written off. When the seeds are sown they will be recorded as an OUT. When they grow and are harvested, they become an IN at shop value. Unless I can save seeds from them, they will need to be replaced and the cost will be an OUT.

Any clutter that I give away is an OUT with no value. 

I'm sure this is as clear as the bottom of the pond.

I watched several Great tits feeding on the camellia flowers today. I could see them from the landing window and they were unaware that I was spying on them. They seemed to be pecking at something on the yellow stamens in the centre of the flowers but I can't think what it could be. I've seen bees on the flowers recently too - that I can understand, but the birds puzzle me. Do they eat pollen?

New thread for 2026.
 2025 thread - https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=2259

Anything you'd like to share - we're here to listen, laugh with you, offer a shoulder to cry on, just generally to be a friend.

2025 https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=2262

Let's fill this thread with happiness in 2026. 

Here's 2025 https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...light=2025

Sunhat or umbrella ? Wellies or sandals?

New thread for 2026.

Hope you acquire lots of freebies this year.

One of our most popular threads! 

Here's 2025 https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=2260

A thread to record what you've spent on gardening and the value of the crops you've grown in 2026. 
There are no rules, do it in anyway that works for you. 
Its not a competition, just a way to get an idea of how much you spend on seeds, compost, plants, sundries and structures compared to the value of the food or other crops that your garden gives you in return. 
Feel free to share the ways in which you are measuring the costs and benefits. All the more ideas the better. 
I suggest we post our Balance Sheet at the end of each month to keep an eye on it!

The 2025 thread  https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=2259
The 2024 thread - https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...ance+sheet