Lumisol and cloche & Spur
 

You may remember Missy Olive. She is a very quiet tortoise and small for her age of 60 odd and doesn't like a lot of noise or bussle. So she sleeps in her cloche at the bottom of the garden. I close her house up every night.

For some years her cloche was under a cheapy plastic cover adapted over a £19.00 B&Q summer pergola frame and I would often check the micro climate under the cover which was pretty much warmish from spring to autumn.

today I got the lumisol out I bought 3 years ago! nothing like taking the bull by the horns, just a little later... and cut a piece off and added eyelets to it round the edges and then tied it by string to the cheapy B&Q frame.

(don't do this with any breeze whatsoever as 1) It nearly took off with me hanging on like some crazy lawn surfing game 2) the edge whipped me full on in the face and the eyelet took a piece of me with it !

Pickies from other year

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Wildlife camera - always in with Missy Olive.

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I mostly let her area get overgrown as she likes to hide so much

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In there somewhere

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todays work while Gordon was sunning himself in Salisbury ... for those who don't know the lumisol material lets in all UV light which makes it ideal for Tortoises and plants.

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I know its a bit rough and ready but the benefits of providing a microclimate outweigh the untidiness...but that's because I m not good at DIY but give it a go.

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I will be interested to see how the plants do underneath so will plant more in there.

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I'm packing my bags and moving into your garden. It always looks so lush, no matter what part of it we see. Olive is so beautiful.

Hope your face is recovering from the lumisol attack. I was left battling with the cover on the chicken run during storm Doris. Nice new bungees fitted now but my language was ripe whilst trying not to take off with the cover attached to me like some weird superwoman cape!! Very entertaining for the kids. :lol:

The things we do for our animal family.

Olive has a lovely home Claire. Your gardens beautiful & seems soo big! It will be interesting to hear what you think of the Lumisol (very good idea to put her home under a frame like this)

Oh it looks lovely, great pictures. Your garden looks lush.

Looks lovely when can the torts and I move in?

Great photos. I love untidiness, it is so real. Everything in our garden is called rustic. I love having torts as that explains all my weeds. Although I must confess my veg patch is fairly tidy in that I generally plant in rows.

Lumisol is new to me so I may have a look when I am next in B&Q. Not just for the torts as last year my potatoes were frosted.

Hope your face is ok now?

Mine is more rusty Jan than rustic ! It would definitely work with potatoes as all spectrums get through unlike greenhouses (and you can cut into strips place like one of those bead door things that hang from the top of the door - I did it with gorilla tape and it's holding ) so tortoise can go in and out of house with extra layer of protection from chill).

Many thanks for all the nice comments !! and the funny stories ....always good to hear others are as bonkers and chaotic - this has made a difference as it does keep the warmth under it and the plants all seem good, and I probably won't have to water so much as I have placed the pots strategically so the rain runs off into them !

Watch this space - it will probably blow away and end up in a neighbours garden ! CB

How did this turn out Clare?