TPMC Blog

Well what I have been doing since I spoke to you last. Well work, getting man and machine ready for Spring. It is a very tangible feeling, wild life and nature preparing themselves for Spring. Nature is in the rude mood!!the next generation is on its way. It's getting brighter in the morning and in the evening, my cycle rides through Windsor Great Park are always a joy, even more so now. But cyclist heed my words, always wear reflective clothing and have your lights on. The weather cannot make it's mind up, cold one day, warm the next, rather annoying, if I'm honest. Policing, 4 day driving course. Hurtling around the roads and lanes of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. The training is very tough but very good. Afterwards I felt I could give up driving all together and just walk or cycle.

Well what a confusing couple of weeks, no 2 days the same. Weather, all over the place. One day wearing polo shirts, next clad in thermals, next keeping the rain out. But still plenty to do and sympathizing with the Daffs, Snow Drops and all the buds appearing on trees, I'm sure Mother Nature has seen this all before. Cycling to and from work is getting easier, lighter in the mornings and evenings. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, Spring is just around the corner. Just completed 2 x 12 hour shifts with the Police, very busy with mainly drink related crimes. The paperwork sometimes is overwhelming, shattered, early night tonight.

Well what a challenging week that was!! The bad weather kept me house bound on Monday and Tuesday but the boss had plenty of work for me to do. Learnt a few things about myself. 1. I don't like working from home. 2. I don't like working in doors. 3. Technology has got something against me BUT Ladies and Gentlemen, I have triumphed over technology and I am now master once again. Back to work on Wednesday, it took me 1 hour to slip, slide, walk and cycle just 10 miles to work. Rather enjoyed the challenge, and it was very beautiful going through Windsor Great Park. I think I fared a lot better then your average rear wheeled drive contraption. Thankfully the snow and ice has all gone. But Ladies and Gentlemen, I hear you say "What can you do in this weather" I say" Whoa there". Still much to be done, cutting logs for burning, cutting back and removing dead wood from a variety of trees and shrubs. The changes this has made in some cases is remarkable. After being weighed down by all this dead material, plants and shrubs have sprung up and said a big "Thank you". All plants need their own space to grow, allow light, air and rain to get through. Don't thank me Mother Nature, just doing my job for you. Comment to cyclist, please,please wear high viz clothing and big bright lights, it WILL save your life. Policing, busy night shift last Friday, people will not resolve their problems through drink, it just adds to them. Talking it through with your loved ones is always a good start. Part of the job of being a Police officer, is to be a good listener and social worker. The bonus of the job is at 01;00 Saturday morning is tucking into the finest chicken wrap with salad and lashings of Chilli sauce/ Garlic sauce and a generous portion of yes Cheesy chips, fizzy pop to finish. I think I had my 5 a day in there somewhere!! Then onto the next job, finish at 04:00, bed by 05:00.

Good evening everyone, I am the newest member to the TPMC's blog,. I will attempt to write a weekly blog which I will hope to be funny, informative and discuss such topics as gardening, as that is what I do, policing, for that is I do, cycling, to which I also do. I may moan and groan from time to time but not too much I hope. The coming week as you all know it's going to be cold, you know the saying "There is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing", so wrap up warm. Gardening, you may think what can you do in the garden at this time of year, I say to you, PLENTY. Please make sure there is plenty of food and water out for the birds. One tip for, try and avoid sun flower seeds, good for the birds, not so good for plants and veg. The hulls of the Sun flower seed contain a toxin which over time will leach into the soil. So you may notice poor vegetation around bird tables if you feed your birds with this seed. Or you could move the table away and if you can, clear away the hulls so the leaching of toxins will not take place. Policing advice for you,with icy roads, please keep a large gap between you and the car in front, do not exceed the speed limit and if you need to break, a gentle application of the brakes and going down the gears will make slowing down much safer.

Former London property of Henry VIII up for sale!

I know these things usually boil down to a matter of personal taste, but for me, this has to be ranked pretty high up in the realms of dream property!

Firstly, my analytical side is keen to look at the facts and figures aiming at getting some idea of comparables. By my calculations this property works out at around £1600 / sq ft. A quick look on other top end houses for sale in Wimbledon show £1300 / sq ft to not be unusual and there is one currently on the market for £2,650 / sq ft!

Of course £ / sq ft isnt the be all and end all, so what other factors are there? Well, land. The Old Rectory has over 2.5 acres. This is leafy Wimbledon, but its still London and that sort of land in London is quite special.

Obviously if your preference is for modern minimalism then this is unlikely to float your boat, but if like me, the mere thought that Henry VIII once walked the rooms and owning 500 years of history then thats definitely worth £300 / sq ft!

Targeted at those with a weighty wallet I admit, but the worldwide appeal for such a special property must be huge. From my perspective, whoever is lucky enough to be the next custodian of The Old Rectory is a very fortunate person, but will no doubt be someone with incredible taste.

Full details and brochure on Knight Frank website HERE

 

 

Great answers to exam questions! 2

Great answers to exam questions!

Himalayan Knotweed

Recently I was brought in to look at a plant and initially we were unsure about what it might be. For some reason Japanese Knotweed sprang to mind and the moment you mention that everyone has a tendancy to panic, quite understandably. Its one of the most invasive and destructive plants we have to deal with, causing a demand for companies who specialise in its removal. We believe now that it is Himalayan Knotweed. After flowering between June and October, the plant forms seed pods 2 to 3 cm (¾ to 1¼  in) long and 8 mm broad (¼ in), which explode when disturbed, scattering the seeds up to 7 metres (23 ft). Impatiens, meaning "impatient", refers to this method of dispersal. There's some interesting info on the Plantlife site here

 

Autumn Lawn Care

• It is important to remove the build up of dead grass or thatch using a metal tined rake. The removal of this thatch will reinvigorate the grass minimising the risk of fungal disease in warm, damp autumns.
  
  
• Aerating the lawn is equally important, use a border fork to push down into the lawn about 6cm and wiggle it about, repeat this action moving backwards at 15cm intervals over the entire lawn.
  
  
• Creating these slots will enable air to get in, relieving compaction and improving drainage
  
  
• Areas of bare lawn can be top dressed with old potting compost mixed with grass seed. Brush this in with a stiff birch besom or other broom so that some of the seed is worked into the soil surface.
  
  
• Unlike the spring feed, which was high in nitrogen, the autumn fertilizer should be high in potash
  
  
• Instead of raking up the fallen leaves on your lawn, raise the height on your rotary mower and use it to suck them up. The collected mixture of chopped leaves and grass clippings will be great for the compost heap.

Supporting The Big Wildlife Garden

In an effort to support the work of the Big Wildlife Garden initiative, we at TPMC are sending out to our regular Gardens customers a free packet of Empathy Mini Meadow wild flower seeds. By doing this small gesture, we hope to bring more beautiful wildflowers to the gardens of Britain as well as generate awareness to the importance of our wildlife.

They have a competition up and running which ends on the 20th May, all details can be found here

For any TPMC Gardens customers who have not received your free mini meadow, please email gardens@tpmc.co.uk and let us know.

Thanks for your interest, together lets create gardens that not only look great but are a haven for wildlife!