Today is, I feel, a day for starting with the positive. So here is a picture of my work-in-progress jumper which, you will note, only needs Sleeve #2 and a little bit of sewing to make it an Actual Garment. I have made a start on Sleeve #2 and hopefully I will have it finished in a month or so. Definitely before the end of the year.
This morning we went to see a welfare advisor about the DLA appeal. I had to do a lot of signatures in the space of about ten minutes. Some were for paperwork to be sent to DWP and others were to confirm that I am allowing CAB to retain my information and whatnot. Serious hand-ache by the end of it - you could probably arrange the paperwork into the order I signed it just by how legible my autograph is on each piece. As I understand things, the advisor we saw today won't actually deal with my appeal. His role was more to advise us on whether we should appeal and how to go about it. But he's starting the appeal process for us and he's referring my case to another organisation, whose acronym I have forgotten, and someone from there will contact us to arrange to come to see us to go over things in depth. It all seems rather convoluted but at least the ball is rolling now.
Also on the positive, once that referral comes through we should be working with a named advisor on the basis of appointments. The CAB do their best, but they're over-stretched and under-staffed (almost entirely by volunteers) so you can't make an appointment - you have to turn up and wait, often several hours. If you're not prepared to wait, the theory goes, then your problems aren't that desperate. It's as fair as it can be, although I do feel sorry for people who wait patiently for a couple of hours but then leave before they get seen because they have to pick up their kids or get to work or whatnot. Today Steve and I were waiting just over two and a half hours, or, to put it another way, we'd arrived at the exact time the centre opened but we hadn't been queuing outside the door. Appointments will be much easier, not to mention less exhausting.
That said, despite the length of the wait, it wasn't so bad this time round. Rather than being held at the CAB proper in the town centre, it was a specific "Benefits and Debt Clinic" being held at a community centre which houses a hundred and one other things including a little subsidised cafe (you know the ones, lots of fruit and fairtrade stuff, no chocolate, crisps or fizzypop). So our two and a half hour wait took place while we were comfortably seated and enjoying a cuppa.
Georgette the Courgette is doing well. We have spent £1.49 on a bag of compost and now we're just wondering whether we have to find a container to put it in or if we can just use it like a grow-bag - to phrase it another way, will she need more depth or more width in her new home?
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after a fashion, anyway.
6 comments:
Georgette needs a pot. Greengrocers/florists often get rid of the buckets they use to store thing in, I've got loads which someone picked up for me and drilled drainage holes into. That size is much bigger than G will need though, you'll need something about 6-9inches (phnarr, phnarr!)
Make sure it has drainage holes in the bottom, add in a few pebbles, broken crockery or whatever you can find to aid drainage at the bottom of the pot before you put in soil. Warm sunny spot and water are all that's then needed, but if you're feeling generous plant food every so often!
Good luck with the appeal stuff, BG x
I like the jumper with just one sleeve. It's quite radical and may catch on :-)
I have to disagree with BSS. The bigger the pot the better, courgettes make substantial sized plants that need support. If you place her in a 6 to 9 inch pot she will either or both, break leaves as she as she reaches her middle age spread and/or topple over breaking leaves, fruits off etc. The bigger the pot the more water and goodness it will be able to take in and retain in the heat of the day, courgettes need and love water.
If you plant her directly into the grow bag that will be absolutely fine, and leave it on the patio so that the slugs don't find her as easily and she gets the warmth redirected back onto her from the warmth of the slaps, (works a bit like an electric storage heater). Make sure you make a few holes in the bottom of the bag to allow for drainage, you wouldn't want her to drown now would you.
Your jumper is looking very nice. Very Clever.
The jumper is looking beautiful - it'll soon be finished and then you can wear it all th etime and marvel at its prettiness and softness :)
I know nothing about courgettes except that I kiled one last summer so I shall refrain from making any suggestions
I'm very impressed by the jumper. Like Carie, I shall refrain from commenting on Georgette; I've never killed a courgette but that's probably only because I've never tried to grow one.
I grow courgettes in the greenhouse in Long Tom pots.
Love the jumper, who needs 2 sleeves anyway?
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