[julsie]

Just a quick question for all the gardeners out there(anything to keep my mind off pain)
what can I do with a lawn that has become so overgrown,that I can't get a mower over it or strim it?Plus ,I'm worried about squishing toads!When I last walked across it ,I trod on something squidgy which squeeked and it was a big fat toad!I love them....odd,I know! It was okay though.Thanks for any suggestions,
Julsie

 

[ALWIN]

Hi Julsie

I am sorry you are suffering.

I would leave the grass until after the toads have finished mating. I think they should be starting about now.

After all, what is a bit of grass between friends? Especially slug and snail eating friends.

And

Do you really want to be in pain AND covered in minced toad parts?

Ever used a reap hook???? I have - makes your back SCREAM!

Seriously, I would pay somebody to give it a first cut and leave the problem of its state to them. Otherwise you're going to get really, really tired! You are just not well enough right now, my friend.

 

[cath]

How about a goat or a sheep?

Alternatively you could borrow some rabbits - mine can eat at least a square meter per day I reckon:rotfl:

:bunny: :bunny:

X C X

 

[Jirel]

Thankfully all I have anymore is the line of mini-roses along the front walkway (townhome so the rest is taken care of) but I have had toads in the past and I agree with you, I love them too!

 

[julsie]

oh,crikey,Alwin,
Just when do toads stop bonking?
Julsie
(sorry,was that too rude?)

 

[ALWIN]

Julsie

I am a bit of an expert in the toad department - indeed, I think I could earn good money as a consultant. Even so, I am happy to pass on my knowledge completely free of charge. :wink:

I find they usually stop ...

a) When they have finished. And they finish, I think, when they have fallen asleep whilst entwined. They must do, because I can think of no other creature that appears to mate for as long as frogs and toads. I'm sure they sometimes stay like that all day. Yup! Sad to say, I really am sad enough to watch creatures all day. :Blush2:

b) As soon as the grass cutter gets them. :Crybuckets:

c) They also stop when the season ends and that depends on when it began.

Pearls of wisdom, I know, but at least I'm modest.

What I would like to know about them is why, if you get close to a frog it will leap away with gusto, but toads just grudgingly amble off in their own good time? I have always supposed they look so unappetising they just don't expect anything to prey on them. Perhaps, on the other hand, frogs are aware we want their legs? :Ermm:

It now occurs to me that it might be rather interesting to compare the flavour and texture of frogs and toads legs? Indeed, I wonder if this has ever been done? All replies welcome. :Smile:

I find frogs, toads and newts fascinating and feel really priviledged if any are in my garden. Alas no pond, so have only ever seen toads ... and not enough of them, or very often, sadly.

Perhaps the local toad population is aware that I do not know the difference in flavour and texture between a toad leg or a frog leg, so they are keeping away? One of life's mysteries. :Blink:

I think the goat and rabbit ideas are sound, and geese are real grass shifters. I love the look of geese and would like to have one or two in my garden, but I am a bit scared of them when they come at you hissing with those serrated beaks. I would have to carry a big stick to wave at them, I think. A vision of me dropping stick and running like the clappers springs to mind, however! :Scared:

I thought you were very, very rude, by the way, and it has taken me a long time to recover - I think I might need counselling. :rotfl:

 

[ALWIN]

Well I don't know why I can't ge tthe smileys ...

 

[Joandublin]

Mmmmm Alwin...let me try the smileys from here....

:lol::hehe::sad::worried::wink2:

Did they work?

Joan:rose:

 

[ALWIN]

:thumbs: hno: :lol: :blush2:

 

[ALWIN]

Did you turn them back on ?[

You can see what I typed in the post - what did I do wrong?

 

[marie2]

I needed a good laugh before I had to get ready for work:lol: I was out working in the yard all day yesterday and I think I will pay today my neck is hurting. I live in the desert so we don't see to many frogs. Somtimes I see a lizard in the garden everynow and then and somtimes a frog.

 

[Joandublin]

Hi Alwin

There are many powers that I have but turning on and off the smiley function is, alas, not one of them! :lol:

Did you actually type the smiley short forms instead of clicking them into your post? I mention it because I notice there is a capital letter at the start of each one. Smilies are all typed in lower case. Maybe that was why they didnt work?

Cheers!
Joan:rose:

 

[ALWIN]

That's :blink: :blink: :blink: exactly what i did.

Thank you

 

[julsie]

Oh,Alwin,you make me laugh.:rotfl:
We are supposed to be going to France this year so I will ask in a restaurant about toad's legs...... actually,maybe not,they might kick me out.Why do people eat frog's legs?there's so little to them,and snails...well just how do they de-slime them before they eat them?yuk!oh,my gosh,I don't mean to cause any offence to French people reading this.
Last year we had about thirty snails hiding under a drain cover and I kept meaning to clean them out.The next time I looked,they had all gone except for lots of crushed shells and one big,fat,happy toad sat on top of them!This was fine until lots of tiny baby toads(I'm assuming they were toads) started migrating into our house and I would find them hopping around the kitchen or hall.They must know I like them because the same thing happened at this house and I found babies hopping round the kitchen,(or it may have been my evil cat dropping a pregnant toad in the house somewhere8) ).Again,I didn't mind rescuing babies,but one day my then 1yr old daughter was happily chobbling on something which I quickly scooped out of her mouth,yep!she'd found the one that got away.. a dried up baby toad behind the settee I do hoover sometimes,honest!
Anyway,I'm waffling,don't get out much!
The garden that is overgrown belongs to a house we stupidly,stupidly bought last year to do up,because my silly brain convinced my body that it could still do it ,but my body said,nah!no,thanks!
I will get someone to do the lawn,when randy toads have finished having their way,sounds like it might be september then?
I quite like the sound of sheep,they can munch around slimey friends!
Julsie

 

[ALWIN]

Julsie

I would not ask for toad's legs ... you might get 'em, and what if they are horrid? If you ask for soemthing you've got to eat it or it's rude!

I only tried a frog's leg once, and such was my palate at the time (young - ate anything) I honestly did think it tasted a bit like chicken, but would never order them myself cos not enough on them. Bad enough beggaring about with a chicken's leg, never mind such a small thing. They do look exactly like athletic human legs tho'.

I have not eaten snails. In this country they always used to be swimming in garlic butter for some reason, and they smelled great. I was waitressing at the time, so could not afford to eat out myself, and these days you don't seem to see them. Hard to find good French food up here for some reason.

You collect your snails, rinse them, and feed them on raw carrots for a couple of days until their poo goes orange / yellow so you know all the toxins are out of their bodies. That's as far as I have got with considering snail farming for food in my garden because my family stopped me right there. I was banned from a single further thought. They do not want to eat snails, it transpires :rotfl:

I have a friend who gets toads in her cellar every year - drives her nuts. I would find it charming.

Children are so funny with the things they put into their mouths!

I once caught a tiny baby frog no bigger than 1 inch across to show my son (2yrs old at the time). I opened my palm and held it out to him and he RECOILED with a look of horror and disgust, then suddenly, quicker than I could move my hand away, he slapped his open palm down on it hard and squashed it. I was mortified. He used to do things like that when he panicked. Once saw him quickly stomp on a worm he had inadvertently uncovered. Funny thing - stomped on it with his foot, then ran in a circle frantically rubbing his hands together. Did look funny.

He gets really embarassed if I mention things like that now becuase he loves wild life.

If it is any consolation, we are living in a complete mess for simialr reasons to yourself. We are waiting for builders to start work at the end of April. Meanwhile I have had no dishwasher for 3 years, not enough work space to stack dirty dishes (3 years of stacking them on the floor), and I die of embarassment if anybody visits during the day when they can see my holed carpets with stains everywhere.

After the building work I have the entire house to redecorate from top to bottom and every single carpet has to be replaced. I wish I could afford to get them to replaster every wall in the house so we could just stick lining paper up and paint over it. I ams upposed to be stripping all the floors at ground floor level, but I am struggling to strip for bed.

Oh, well - slow and steady won the race.

It will all be worth it in the end. Then your husband will want tomove again. Usually happens to me the day after my dishwasher arrives

 

[julsie]

I think that is more than I wanted to know,about snails I mean,eeeewww! I have never eaten them either,but when they start munching on my tulips...I might just consider it!
My daughter won't eat a nice sandwich I put out for her,but any loose mortar around the fireplace and it's straight in there!little horror.
This house we bought was as an investment as we like it where we are renting and my husband thinks it would be too small for all of us.I wouldn't mind living there though.Unfortunately,doing it up is going at a snail's pace.My days consist of going to bed when my daughter does and I'm just not getting anything done,it's boring apart from anything.
So,we have had this house for 6mths and I have managed to strip the walls but not much else.Main problem is trying to work out how to fit a bathroom upstairs because it is so small and the architect wants £1200 for doing plans,is that the going rate?I don't know...if I sold my body for the next 50 years I could pay him... maybe not..actually .Still,I have to get it sorted.Replastering...very expensive,I'm not looking forward to that.Still,like you said,take it slow and I will get there....just have to convince my husband!
I trod on a baby frog once and it popped,I felt it and got that sinking feeling...I really was hoping it was one of the cherry tomatoes I'd been growing,I felt absolutely wretched,pathetic,I know but I do love to see them.
Alwin,you know about gardening thingy's.What would look nice alongside two William Lobb roses against a black iron fence,any ideas?thanks,
Julsie

 

[ALWIN]

How tall do you want the plants to be?

William Lobb is a beautiful old rose. I think you are spoiled for choice really. I would grow one of the less vigorous spring flowering evergreen clematis up the railings behind for winter colour and Hellebores in front of them for winter / spring colour. There are loads of clematis and hellebores to choose from. In summer big clumps of pinks would be in keeping with this old fashioned favourite and give you great wafts of perfume, and the foliage would contrast well.

We did not use an architect, but 'a chap who draws plans wot used to work for t'council' ! All has been passed. It's a 3 storey extension forming 3 rooms, then 2 beds being knocked into 1, and an en-suit nicked from same space. Also outside stone steps re-positioned, and a canopy put over front door, and re-model of roof cos of extension. Our chap charged about same as you have been charged. Need I say more???

It seems a bit steep for one little bathroom. I would ask your local builders if it is necessary to use an architect for a job so small.

We are putting a little wet room in our cellar cos we are short of space. It means we do not have to consider fitting a shower cubicle or bath in, so less fitments to buy. There's just a sink, a loo, an extractor fan (no window) and a shower head sticking out of the wall and the whole thing is tiled floor to ceiling with a drain hole in the floor.

I want to know how the toilet paper is s'posed to stay dry, though! Need an ingenious plan.

I used to eat the loose mortar around th edge of my bedroom window when I was small! By the time my mum discoverd it behind the curtain, the hole was as big as a small fist. I used to enjoy the grit at the side of the road after it had rained too. Loved the wonderful fresh smell, but was always disappointed by the taste.

In hot weather I found it easiest to peel back used chewing gum off the pavement. This had to be chewed for a bit before you could loosen and spit out the grit, then it was as good as new! YUM!

These autoimmune disorders ... do you think there might be any connection with my childhood eating habits??? :rotfl:

When my children were small we used to fill jam jars with 'worms in muck' as gifts for halloween. This is a jam jar filled with crushed choccy biccies with those jelly sweet snakes dropped in. Went down a treat!

Think I'm gonna get done for deviation soon.

Amazing what you find to talk about when you are supposed to be doing something else, isn't it?

 

[julsie]

Alwin,
The fence is about 3ft-4ft high between ours and the neighbours,who are much posher than us,so it can't look too scruffy.I love scented plants.I could plant anything really as long as it isn't 'rabbit caviar' as my neighbour calls it ,but I don't have the knack of mixing things well,if that makes sense!

I think my architect is taking the **** and I may look around a bit.I thought about a wetroom too,but I've heard they're very expensive to do?Have no clue how to protect your toilet roll,sorry....soggy,cold, toilet roll he! he!oh,well,you won't need a bidet!

You might have something with childhood eating habits and autoimmune disease.I used to make mud pies and decorate them with grass.They looked good enough to eat...but of course,never were!
Julsie

 

[acard]

I know nothing about gardening-I married a green thumb
I do know he uses salt to kill the snails and slugs. I think beer too.
We don't have issues with frogs or toads.

Our issue is mice(eekkk)

I have eaten snails and frog legs both were very good, but I won't do it again:lol: I think I had, had a few glasses of wine which makes everything better. This was in my pre lupus days too. Now, I am more careful.


Good luck,
Becca

 

[ALWIN]

Julsie

I'm not sure how the wet room cost breaks down because we have an all in one price, but the builders were not perturbed in any way. So long as there is headroom (we're short, it a solid floor, so we're digging down) cos they do have to raise the height of the floor to make it all properly waterproof, etc and get a bit of a lean on the floor towards the drain.

We were tiling floor to ceiling anyway, so no extra cost there.

Bidet ... toilet roll ... I'll wash my feet in the shower and forget the bidet! :rotfl:

Acard

My horticulture group are are, including me, organic gardeners. I use a variety of things for slugs and snails - from beer to simply putting them in the council green rubbish bin (they collect our garden / kitchen vegetable waste, etc. in this bin every 2 weeks over here, then turn it into compost to reduce landfill.

It seems anything that kills them can get into the food chain, and my colleagues are funny about killing ANYTHING. They are having an impact on me - I haven't killed a slug or snail since I've been on the course (except with beer cos I can safely put their little bodies in my composter afterwards.

I used to kill them as soon as I laid eyes on them. Salt isn't too great for your soil.

Isn't it amazing what you can eat after a couple of glasses of alcohol? I detest kebabs, but always manage to join the throng in kebab ordering if I am tiddly.

Take care