Do You Ever Get the Urge?

Amidst Chaos You Can Find Calm Frugality

It's been raining for the past few days but it hasn't halted progress here in Frugaldom. We now have a larger pile of logs sitting at the back door awaiting sawing and chopping, but I keep getting the urge to do something a little bit different. So I did!

 

The bargain poly-tunnel was recently moved into it's permanent position and I'm going to leave it built up over winter, hoping it is sheltered enough to withstand any gales or snow storms we may encounter between now and next spring. There's nothing planted inside it at the moment, just three old fish crates with the surplus cucumber plants that didn't fit in the little greenhouse. So, I set up my wooden airer and have been drying off some laundry inside the tunnel. This not using mains electricity for laundry is becoming a fun habit, but I digress... back to the log pile!

 

At 3m long, these logs are screaming out to be turned into path edging going down through my slowly emerging permacultured garden. What better way to edge paths than with logs?

 

I don't know about you, but I love natural wood. This is cheap and cheerful wood, cut locally from sustainable, commercially managed forest. These are like the treetops after they are felled and the trunks cut to length and hauled off to the yards. The forestry commission here sells these logs for £22 per tonne. We went as far as weighing the logs and they weighed between 20kg and 25kg each. There were 44 logs in total, which got shared between neighbour and ourselves, plus we split the transport costs, so it totalled £20 for 22 logs - that's not even £1 for a 3m log!

 

The above is the first of the logs being laid alongside the length of path that was uncovered, from hereon in it's a case of digging, laying in some weed control (probably a recycled building merchant tote bag) and then getting some woodchips or gravel laid. Suffice to say, I can't wait to see the end result, even although I know it's going to take months. These are very rustic path edgings, but could also become raised bed surrounds and who knows all what else - I'm thinking bird hide at the bottom of the garden near the stream, as its a great place for photographing the wildlife.

 

Cutting this post short as it's just gone 9pm and I have just received a rather interesting looking delivery by courier. Exciting, or what?

 

NYK in Frugaldom.

Edited in - Huge excitement here, as the late night delivery is the 'Twister' washing machine that's up for grabs in our free competition draw for those taking part in our Septimus Frugalus Challenge! Better still, it has arrived with a few other Ventus freebies for me to try! Excellent!