Blimey, it's halfway through July already....

Things continue apace... today about 20 plants hand reared from seed by my lovely assistant (no not Debbie McGee, but Fereday ... who has never been known to sport a leotard or sequins .... though I can see the potential for confusion because he does sooooo like shiny things .... ) were 'homed' at one of Fereday's client gardens. The not-so-bronze fennel looked particularly lovely, really bushy and fluffy and very, very green.Fereday tells me I am going to have to buy him loads of shiny things to compensate him for (and distract him from) the turmoil which will undoubtably ensue with the move down South. He tells me that a marriage is an investment, afterall! Smart arse! True to my broker training, I remind him that returns may go up or down and that his capital isn't guaranteed! But we will get 'new shoes' for the car before we drive it down. I'm now experiencing a bit of an irrational panic: I think my subconscious is convinced that we need to buy things up here because everything is going to be more expensive down South - if we aren't careful, the Pickfords' lorry is going to be full of tinned food, loo roll, sugar, television sets, new car tires, and toothpaste. Still, it would freak out the new neighbours sufficiently to ensure that they keep reasons for excursions onto our property to a minimum - I'd love to live somewhere where finding tennis balls, footballs, and lolly sticks in the flower border just doesn't happen... I did think about falsifying our ages to get us into a retirement community, but we'd just be trading one set of unwelcome garden finds for Wherther's Original sweetie wrappers!The glass display counter which I bought on a whim (blogs passim) has actually turned out to be quite a good nursery for growing from seed and the more exotic crops are doing rather well in it. My peppers are looking very healthy. Unfortunately, even with the offer of a set of Hen Party wings from Claire's Accessories, I couldn't quite convince Fereday to dress up in a stripy yellow and black jumper and 'do the business' on them with a paint brush, so we got both plants outside on a couple of the hotter days when they began flowering to let the bees and other winged thingies do their thing. I'll give the jumper a go again next year, but I fear Fereday will always refuse to be 'bee-pimped' ... sigh .... Anyway, hopefully, I'll be harvesting peppers soon.And, I've made an appointment for some ritual humiliation - posh hairdressers next Thursday. Absolutely dreading it .... I'm going to have to say that I need something easy to manage because I can't coordinate a brush and a hair dryer at the same time (because I don't have a third hand ... or a hairdryer actually .... but we'll keep that between ourselves), a style which will always look tidy and professional, a cut which removes the 'hippy-ness', etc., etc., and some impossibly polished robo-woman who is so sleek she could intimidate a siamese cat is going to have the perfect opportunity to wallop me by suggesting I put a bag over my head. Even if she doesn't actually say it, she'll be thinking it .... and I know she'll be thinking it .... and she'll know that I know .... There has to be no worse feeling - it's like you're happily swimming away in your bucket one minute, the next minute you look up into the barrel of a shotgun!
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James replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"Price per visit.
Tell the customer it will be X amount per visit.
In you head charge £30ph or £35/£40 whatever it is worth and work out how long it will take you.
Half a day is half a days money.
View the garden. Take pictures. Tell the customer you…"
15 minutes ago
Lee Davis replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"How do you do price work for a weekly maintenance job though? Part of how these bigger clients justify knocking me down a bit is that they are 52 weeks a year, lawn jobs are only march - October really. "
1 hour ago
Lee Davis replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"Wow that's impressive, what fuel do you it in it? The engine that has failed on my Hayter is Honda, but that's because I hadn't checked the oil level."
2 hours ago
Peter sellers replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"Exactly, you the supplier are in charge of the cost not the customer"
2 hours ago
Peter sellers replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"The underlying issue here is charging by the hour.
The only way to achieve realistic rates is price work, the customer will always have control of the cost along with a perception of what they "think" is a good hourly rate ( or bargain) . The odds…"
2 hours ago
Honey Badger replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"Vics right there's money in machines.
Do not negotiate rates with new customers what you want to charge is up to you, its not for them to set the rates you are offering the service. If you don't get what you need walk away to another that will…"
3 hours ago
Honey Badger replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"The decks are very strong with no rusting issues. Honda claims in there marketing as tough as a rhinos hide."
3 hours ago
Vic 575 replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"I have an Efco self-propelled hand mower. I am not here to recommend Efco particularly, but rather the Honda engine that is fitted. The Honda engine is as sweet today as when I first bought the mower in, wait for it, 2005. So 19 years on and the…"
4 hours ago
Vic 575 replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"Hi Lee,
Yes, I think this is the problem with general gardening, the more horticultural mixed type of work. It is hard to justify very high hourly rates for pruning roses and planting borders. I can do and have done all of this type of work, but…"
4 hours ago
Lee Davis replied to James's discussion What is average cost for mowing a garden?
"Hi Vic. Yes I realise that I'm not charging enough, even after 7 years of self employment (20 years in horticulture). I don't really do lawn only jobs, I prefer to do the whole garden, but still £20/hr isn't really enough. I recently got a new…"
6 hours ago
Lee Davis replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"Oh actually it sounds like Polystrong is the same as Xenoy. "
7 hours ago
Lee Davis replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"This is very encouraging! I don't know whether I should go for the bigger machine with the Xenoy deck or the 19" Polytough. I'm a bit nervous about spending that much money on a plastic deck, if I'm spending that kind of money I expect a good ten…"
7 hours ago
Lee Davis replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"Thanks for that James. I love the build quality of the Weibangs but it sounds like Honda might be more practical for me, although the grinding noise is a bit worrying, isn't it under warranty? "
7 hours ago
Stephen r Brook-Smith replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"Yes was a good mower and not too heavy , I purchased a cobra pro when my Honda needed some work and was in the workshop and I've used them ever since , for me they have just been the best mower overall what ever we throw at it , I've never tried…"
8 hours ago
James replied to Lee Davis's discussion New mower time!
"I have a honda hrx537 hy and weibang 53asd
Can't go wrong with either. 
Weibang with a highlife blade and a dedicated mulching blade leave a phenomenal finish. Better than the honda but if grass is long or wet it can stick underneath and completely…"
18 hours ago
Tim Wallach replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Gadgets that were surprisingly useful: catcher on hedge trimmer
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18 hours ago
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