Sloping gardens

I agree Proserpina a card thanking her and maybe telling some of your gardening experience and what your looking forward to do in her well kept garden.....

When we lived in another house, I was in the front garden (longer than the back garden) and noticed an elderly man looking down the drive - so I asked him if I could help and he said he was the previous owner, lived there from new (1930s) and had had to move into a residential home.
He came in for a cuppa, I showed him round the house and garden and he shared his memories. He'd planted the 3 peach trees and grown orchids in the GH - and I had one of those orchids as a gift from the next door neighbour.
I enjoyed hearing his stories and I hope he felt better knowing who lived in his house and loved his garden.

When we lived  in another house, I was in the front garden (longer than the back garden) and noticed an elderly man  looking down the drive - so I asked him if I could help  and he said he was the previous owner, lived there from new (1930s) and had had to move into a residential home.
He came in for a cuppa, I showed him round the house and garden and he shared his memories. He'd planted the 3 peach trees and grown orchids in the GH - and I had one of those orchids as a gift from the next door neighbour.
I enjoyed hearing his stories and I hope he felt better knowing who lived in his house and loved his garden.

.......and he left with all my jewellery and money I had stashed in the house!

..............All 50p of it!!

It's lovely to be able to go back and have a look at a loved property. When mum died we sold the house (eventually) to a mature architect and his wife. The house was in need of modernising much like any other older person's property and this couple worked wonders with it without losing the cottagey charm. They were kind enough to invite me to come in to look at what they'd done. Although mum would have turned in her grave to know her beloved mature wisteria climbing up the living room wall had been chopped down - it was necessary as the roots were invading under the living room floor but such a shame.

I've bought a really nice card now. I will try to write a draft or two before I write in the card itself!

Congratulations, Proserpina! It's going to be a lovely garden, I'm really happy for you.

I have fallen at the first mortgage hurdle! Between agreeing with my broker which one we were going for and getting going on the application, the rate has changed. So now we are going for another lender entirely. This means updating the solicitor and the EA. What a palaver.

However, I have also been trying to think about my future kitchen. I still have no idea how to fit everything into the available space, and really need to go and measure up before I can start making proper plans, but I have at least decided what kind of hob I want (because obviously that's the priority, as opposed to working out how to fit a sink, oven, hob, fridge, freezer, washing machine, and dishwasher into what is currently five kitchen units' worth of space, while also allowing for sufficient work surface and storage). I have only wanted a gas hob in the past, and was worried about an induction hob getting destroyed by my cast iron pans, but I feel I have read enough now to reassure me that I can protect it!

I changed my gas hob for induction very recently and although I have replaced one iron pan because of the weight, I still use my cast iron griddle hot enough to make naan bread. The glass has discoloured slightly, but my main gripe is that the touch controls don't work unless scrupulously clean and dry. 
But in general I'm glad we made the change ... although I have kept a two ring wok burner hob as well 

I changed my gas hob for induction very recently and although I have replaced one iron pan because of the weight, I still use my cast iron griddle hot enough to make naan bread. The glass has discoloured slightly, but my main gripe is that the touch controls don't work unless scrupulously clean and dry. 
But in general I'm glad we made the change ... although I have kept a two ring wok burner hob as well 

Umm, so today I found that my cast iron ridged griill pan had a small, hard nodule on the base and consequently the hob is  scratched. MrPP has ground out the flaw to prevent it happening again. 
Reading up, it would appear that you can actually put a bit of paper - cooking parchment, even kitchen roll - between the hob and the pan which I'll try tonight. If you hear of a big house fire down my way ...