Image 1 — Suggestions for fireplace brickwork
Image 2 — Suggestions for fireplace brickwork

Suggestions for fireplace brickwork

Hi all,

Just had a new burner fitted, replaced an absolute bodge job of an open fire. I need a solution for the brickwork where the old fire hood was as this been cut away for the hood. I think this is the reason anyway, it's an early 1800's house there may have been something there before that the hood was put in to cover.

Preferably id like it bricked up to match the rest as I want to retain the original look, can this be done?

u/BoyoMcLad — 3 days ago

Green Tomaytoes

Anyone in the UK struggling with with unripe tomatoes at the moment or just me? I have 10 large plants with lots of fruits but not a single edible tomato yet this far into July.

I'm assuming it might be heatwave related? Its my first time growing anything. I was expecting to have tasted one by now. Patience is a virtue i guess!

Same for my chilli's as well! Loads of fruits but only a couple of ripe jalapenos but you eat them green anyway!

u/BoyoMcLad — 3 days ago

What's going on here then?

Hi all.

Can someone help me to identify what's going on with my plants? Pretty much all of them are affected. Is this disease or something I can fix? The plants are getting plenty of water and regular feeding. They're are otherwise growing well with plenty of fruits. Al says magnesium deficiency but I want to be sure before I try to fix it.

Leaf yellowing and spotting. Also a couple of plans are seeing some yellowing on the stems and branches which has appeared recently.

I'm in the UK and we've been having quite a long heatwave at the moment, could it be related?

u/BoyoMcLad — 3 days ago

Help with parking ticket - sorry

Hello all, Apologies I imagine these kind of questions pop up on here all the time but I am utterly deflated, feeling like I don't have a leg to stand on and have genuinely done nothing wrong (however, hopefully not legally)

I've been issued a notice of debt recovery for an unpaid parking charge with the date of contravention 12/05/2026 and date of letter 14/07/2026. The parking company in question is 'Retail Park Limited' and the bayliffs are 'dcbl'. This is the first letter I've received regarding the charge, which, admittedly due to my own fault I haven't updated my V5C for my vehicle after recently moving address, I have updated my address on everything else possible including notifying the DVLA, just not my V5C. Because of this the letters I'm assuming have been sent to my old address. They have not been forwarded to me and I've recieved no prior correspondence.

The penalty in question is a genuine mistake by either myself or the parking company, at the time I went to the machine to pay for the parking. There was a lady in front of me having trouble with the machine, she must have typed in her reg but left without getting the ticket out of frustration. I then went to pay for my ticket, typed in my reg, paid and recieved a ticket. I then displayed the ticket in my vehicle and went about my business. I later returned to my vehicle and noticed that the reg on the ticket was not mine but the lady before me.

I kept a hold of this ticket because I had the feeling that the company might come after me for this, annoyingly I have now binned the ticket last week because so much time has passed and it thought they would have come after me by now.

It's now way past the appeal date, the debt collection company won't give me the time of day obviously. From what I'm reading carparks only keep CCTV for 30 days which has now long gone, this would show the woman walking away with no ticket and me purchasing and displaying a ticket.

Have I just got to suck this one up and pay a £170 charge for a £1 parking ticket?

The most frustrating thing about this is the woman before me gets to park for free while I paid for her ticket and also the penalty. I give up.

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u/BoyoMcLad — 4 days ago

Additional growing tops from truss of fruits

Hi guys. My tomatoes are starting to fruit quite heavily now and I've noticed that at the end of a load of fruits it's continuing to grow like a sucker would. Should I leave these on the plant or prune after the fruits? It's an indeterminate plant. I've been concentrating on one main stem and pruning suckers as I go

u/BoyoMcLad — 17 days ago

Problem with quince tree?

Hi guys. Does my quince tree have a disease? AI says it has 'powdery mildew'

Also a lot of leaves have holes and some browning.

The tree has likely been neglected for many years before I bought my house a couple of months ago

u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago

Any additional care/feeding now my tomatoes are fruiting?

Hi all, First time growing the king of fruits. My plants are getting pretty big now and starting to fruit and flower. I've now started to feed with tomato feed but do I need to do anything else? I was feeding before initially with some blood fish and bone in the compost mix and occasionally with a balanced plant food. Now that I've switched to tomato feed do I need to continue with any of the others or do anything else?

u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago

Can anyone help me shed some light on these vintage contraptions??

Found these in the garage of a house i bought. The old fella before me had a number of vintage cars. A 'Riley' 'Rudge' motorbike and a number of others.

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The red can from what I can see seems to be a parts washer? From 'Schofield Bury' and the other is an esso fuel can?

u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago

Asbestos cement pipe?

A few of these dumped in the garden in a house i just bought. AI says concrete but family think asbestos cement!

u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago

Quince tree advice

Recently purchased and old property which came with a quince tree. The leaves look very shaggy and I don't believe it has flowered (Google tells me it should have flowered late spring?)

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Looking for advice on what to do with it as I'd like to revive it if it needs to be!

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I'm in the UK if that's worth mentioning, thanks!

u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago

Inherited apple tree

Hi all,

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Recently purchased and old house which came with a small dwarf (i think) apple tree of some sort. It will almost certainly have been neglected for an unknown amount of years due to the previous owners being old and in poor health.

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My question is does it need anything to help it thrive?

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It's already producing approx 20 fruit but all of the branches are tangled between themselves. Does it need pruning?

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I'm in the UK and completely new to gardening, but I already love it! Appreciate the help.

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u/BoyoMcLad — 1 month ago