I was walking Olga on Finchley Road a couple of weeks ago when we found this feather stuck in some weeds beneath a tree. It's clearly not from nature. Maybe someone was wearing a feather boa to work?
It stayed there for a while, and then, when I walked Olga past there a few days ago, we found this:
Someone had pulled out the weeds and installed artificial turf beneath the trees. Olga seemed perplexed. I hope it doesn't interfere with their ability to absorb rainwater!
I'm getting a late start on the blog today because I slept in a bit. Normally the dog wakes me up at the crack of dawn -- which as I've said in previous posts, is like 4:30 a.m. at this time of year. But this morning it's raining outside (YES! RAIN!) and even with the drapes closed I think she could tell. She could probably hear it. In any case, she seemed content to stay in bed.
The painter was here yesterday, and the bathroom is pretty much finished. It's very blue, a slightly darker shade than before -- something like periwinkle. I like it, though, and it's a million times better than it was. Today he's coming back to take care of the hallway and some other slightly damaged areas, and then he should be done. I'll share pictures!
We got a bit of a scare because while cleaning I noticed a crack in one of the new tiles around the bathtub. I assumed it occurred during installation, and I was envisioning lots of drama in notifying the contractors and trying to get it replaced. But when I looked at it this morning I realized it's not a crack at all -- just a thin line of spilled, hardened caulk. (Which will no doubt be a pain to get off, but at least the tile doesn't have to be swapped out. I was literally lying awake last night wondering how to make that happen.)
Hooray, yes we got rain. Glad you didn't use it all up before it got to us! I lay in bed listening to it earlier, and remembered that I hadn't put the bucket under where the ceiling often drips in the front room! Luckily it was still dry when I got downstairs. The garden will be feeling better anyway.
ReplyDeleteGood to have your bathroom finished.
ReplyDeleteArtificial grass does hold water, so will help the tree in one way. But in no other way is it good
So many bad stories about artificial turf lately. But I know it allows water through to the tree. I’m curious to know how it holds up to dog poop, scratching, and pee. Was that an actual Painted Feather Flower? Such a shame they pulled it out.
ReplyDeleteI think tradespeople in England take their jobs with some pride to get the job done well, with happy customers. While it has improved here in the last decade or so, it was certainly not always the case. So, it is great that you are happy with the painting and your don't have a bad crack.
ReplyDeleteThe bathroom needed to be repaired. I didn't have time to blog for a couple of months. The bathroom is finished. Yay! Congratulations! I quite often wear my pink feather boa to work.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Periwinkle! One of my most favorite colors! I am looking forward to seeing that.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got rain. I sure hope that tree was able to get her share of it. That seems sort of weird, doesn't it?
Glad your home projects are almost complete - how nice it is when the workers are finished!
ReplyDeleteI hope we get some rain today too!
Artificial grass is like donald trump, fake and useless. I'm not a fan, of either.
ReplyDeleteGlad your bathroom is all done.
So glad that the bathroom is done -- can't wait to see the pix. The color sounds lovely. Interesting about the tree. I'm not sure I get that. Seems like if they didn't want weeds then a stone bed with a good underlayer might be better.
ReplyDeleteI love that you got rain there. I wish we would get some here. The flowers and grass love that water from the sky.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that the bathroom project is pretty much finished. Yay!
So good to get the painting finished. And curses on the neatness counts freak who put down the plastic "grass".
ReplyDeleteI'm picturing someone coming to work in a feather boa and I kind like the image! That seems a strange place to put artificial turf.
ReplyDeleteI worry less about the fake grass holding water and more about doggie leavings.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the pink feather was a remnant of a Pride event (since I'm not sure many folks wear pink feather boas on a daily basis). I find the artificial turf odd.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to photos of the bathroom. The color sounds great!
As long as that spilled caulk is not on a seam between tiles a gentle scraping with a single edge razor blade should take it off.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see photos! A possibly cracked tile would keep me awake too. We need rain--send some over. Perhaps to Canada to put out the wildfires?
ReplyDeleteI don't hate the plastic grass. In Arizona real grass is sometimes replaced with the fake. It looks good, survives the summers when the owners are gone. We had a yard full of gravel, which reflected heat and allowed weed growth without massive applications of pre-germinant chemicals. So, I don't know which is better.
ReplyDeleteOlga Girl , You Are A Classic
ReplyDeleteCheers
I used to have a feather duster the same shade of pink as that lone feather :)
ReplyDeleteCan trees really survive with such a small square of dirt around them? They appear to be doing so there, but here I've only seen very slight trees - babies, really - that never thrive in their brick or cement jails.
Artificial turf is very popular here (drought and all) and as long as it is laid correctly water will seep through.
ReplyDeleteI understand your angst about the potential crack. Glad it was just caulk. A razor blade might help.
Artificial grass? The rain will just run right off it unless there are a few holes poked into it and then the weeds will grow through again. The poor trees.
ReplyDeleteFrances: Yes, things have definitely perked up around here. It only takes a little rain to make a big difference!
ReplyDeleteGZ: Yeah, I'm not a fan! Our neighbors across the street put artificial turf down in their front garden and it looks ridiculous.
Mitchell: A very rare species!!
Andrew: We're very pleased with the quality of the work. Many of the tradespeople and builders in the UK are Polish, including our work crew.
Janie: I think I should START wearing a boa to work. Pride, indeed!
Ms Moon: It DOES seem weird. I don't know why they didn't just put some soil around those trees and plant flowers. Maybe they were afraid they'd get trodden on.
Ellen D: We are very close to being done!
Pixie: Ha! That's so true! I would rather live with fake grass than with Trump, though -- far less dangerous.
Jeanie: Yeah, some pebbles or gravel would have been nice.
Robin: All the watering in the world can't top a good, soaking rain.
Boud: There's such a thing as too much neatness!
Sharon: I do too! As I said above, maybe I should do it?!
Bob: Yeah, that could get disgusting. Hopefully people will keep it tidy.
Kelly: Maybe, but weird that it's on Finchley Road (where there have been no Pride events as far as I know).
Jim: Yeah, it's on the smooth, glazed surface of the tile itself. It's not even really visible -- just something I felt as I ran my hand over it.
Margaret: Yeah, Canada apparently needs rain in the worst way!
Allison: Well, in Arizona it makes a little more sense, though I like the idea of pebbles more (with maybe an underlayer to block weed growth).
Padre: She steals the show every time!
Jenny-O: I think some of the smaller ones struggle, but the big ones have deep, established roots and seem to do OK.
Caro: Do we have any razor blades? I'm not sure. Hmmmm...
River: I think some artificial grass is made to be permeable, but I have no idea what kind this is. I suspect the trees will manage, but I'd rather have the weeds, personally.