Last Saturday morning, Phlorum staff set out for a lovely weekend in France, courtesy of Jane and her husband Ron. We had to set off very early to catch the ferry from Dover to Calais, so not much sleep was had by all. By the time we got the hang of driving on the wrong side of the road and going around roundabouts the wrong way, we were almost there!

Ron and Jane showed us the sights and some local bars and we got back to the house just in time for Paul to arrive in the early evening. Paul set off on Friday night by Bicycle from Newhaven, camped outside Dieppe and started pedalling early on Saturday morning; a good 70 miles! He was a bit worn out and damp, but seemed to have enjoyed it all the same! He arrived just in time for a spectacular French feast and lots of wine which I am sure made him feel a lot better.

After being thoroughly spoiled and having a fabulous time (and no doubt with the trousers a bit tighter that previously), it was time to set off for Old Blighty again on the Sunday afternoon, via the cheese and wine shop of course (Paul left early in the morning as he was pedalling again!!).

Simon

Japanese knotweed canes in winter

It seems an unlikely scenario but weeds can stop you getting a mortgage, or so it seems from an article in the Metro last month.

Dave Williams from Cornwall has tried to borrow £83,000 from Santander but has been turned down because of a small amount of Japanese knotweed on a piece of land that he bought recently to extend his garden. Although Mr Williams believes that had this been winter the surveyor would not have noticed, it is likely a diligent surveyor would have seen the dead canes that are evident in the winter.

He could treat the knotweed with a suitable weed killer and eventually it will die with perserverance. Patience is the key; do not be tempted to cut it back or dig it up as the roots will spread even without any leaf.  If there is no building work  planned on the area, it doesn’t have to be a big problem.

However, if Mr Williams is thinking of developing his garden, then he has a problem as Japanese knotweed can grow through concrete and tarmac. Currently, throughout the British Isles, it  is causing the construction industry substantial financial concerns running into millions of pounds in costs to eradicate the dreaded weed.

Jane