Linda Secker

great discussion! We have a wool filled duvet (comforter) and like someone above, I find it too heavy, it's what we have though, so will keep it for a few more years. It's quite low tog-rated (6-7?) so not warm enough in the winter. I found some amazing angora goat hair blankets, one English, one South American, both beautiful jewel colours, soft and very lightweight which I add to the duvet in the winter. When I go to bed, I wrap up in a hooded dressing gown with a hot water bottle and read till the bed's warm enough to go to sleep. I usually throw off the blankets in the night. Our bedroom is unheated but we live in coastal North West England so temp rarely drops below -2 C outside

We can still easily get it here in the UK.... we call it soft brown sugar which comes in light and dark. It's a less refined form of cane sugar. The dark one is also sometimes called Muscovado sugar. They are both very different from Demerara, which is also less refined but can be made by adding molasses to refined sugar. I don't understand why you would do that tbh, but that's just my opinion Demerara tastes good, but is very granular.

Molasses is good for you though - all the vitamins and minerals from the original plant are in it. White sugar has all that stuff stripped away in the refining process.

Incidentally, we get both cane and beet sugar here

When you look at the snails chomping your greens  and your revenge plan starts with googling “snail NPK value”.

when you see the snails chomping your greens and you google 'how to cook escargot'

Could you add a nitrogen fixing tree or shrub? Comfrey is very shade tolerant and the tree/shrub would mulch the comfrey with fallen leaves... Also, I always leave the last 'cut' of comfrey on the plant - the last cut I take away would be around mid September here.

So sad to hear Andreas.... good that all the local community will pull together to help everyone out, but if there is anything you need in the future that we might be able to provide, just shout

I'm so sorry - I just laughed out loud..... Have had my own pee accidents on my allotment in the past, can be a little public but that didn't stop me swearing

The toothpick tip.... how did I ever not know about that?? Thanks!

and it's a thing of beauty.....

Hey Mikki

Love your idea - anything that gets bunnies off wire mesh is a plus in my opinion

I wonder - why not use the 'escape areas' as well? Or are they actually used for something else, just dog proof?

Be prepared for the does to make and use their own burrows instead of the crates you have buried for them

make sure there is plenty of shade and shelter for them - one piece 6x4 might not be enough. and several crates above ground as bolt holes if a hawk flies over - rabbits are a bit naff from a survival point of view, just the shadow of a hawk can give them a heart attack if there is nowhere for them to hide.

Also, if you can, introduce feed plants outside that also offer shade and wind protection. You can cut armfuls and throw over the fence.

Plus TOYS!! they don't have much to do in there except eat and dig, so they will dig.... toys are easy - apple branches to chew, things to roll or throw around

You can see I am coming at it from a bunny welfare point of view, but I am sure you want to have happy bunnies as well as safe ones

Chris it sounds like you've already made a good start!

As your trees grow, they will dump leaves right where they are needed. In the meantime, I echo the above advice for woodchips and making use of every scrap of organic matter that comes into your home. Also though - ask people for more! Neighbours, your workplace for instance - I used to get great buckets of tea bags, fruit peels and coffee grounds from the office I worked in - autumn leaves, rabbit hutch cleanings... there will be loads more than you think and who cares if people think it is an odd request, if it all adds to the fertility of your garden