31st Dec The Annual Round-up in Photos

My Annual round up of the year is mostly photos connected with moving, which took forever. Six months from having my offer accepted to actually moving in. Luckily it's like childbirth, soon forgotten once it's done!

  January. We were locked down and I started packing boxes and lived with them all around for weeks.

 

February saw more snow fall than we've had for many years. I was stuck up the end of the lane for several days with a drift in front of the garage.

 March and my buyers were keen to move in so we exchanged and I moved out into a holiday let bungalow in Old Newton a village only a few miles from both old home and my new bungalow. It was tucked into the end of a cul-de-sac - no view!

 Hopes of getting moved quickly faded and as the holiday let was needed I spent a couple of weeks in a caravan at the Stonham Barns before moving back to Old Newton.

 

Finally there was completion on the bungalow and I moved in during the first week of May

In June things were getting back to normal and for me that means car boot sales and my best bargain was the plant stand. Which was a bit rough but after sanding down and painting slate grey it stands on the patio looking very good.

I got my greenhouse sorted in July and I'm very ready to start growing as soon as possible in 2022.

In August Eldest daughter+ bump and Eldest Grandson came to stay for a week and we went to Framlingham Castle

Also in August I watched lots of sport on TV and picked up small bargains from many boot sales.This photo is just one haul

In September I hauled all the "things that shouldn't have moved with me" out of the garage and joined in the village yard sale event

October saw the arrival of Grandchild number 5, my third Grandson.

Every month I add the photo of the library books I've requested and collected from the mobile library to the blog. Always lots of  comments saying "thank you for ideas" which is good to know and I also love to get ideas from other blogs too.

 

December. Now they are growing up I try not to include grandchildren photos on the blog but now and again one just has to be shared. 

This week I got to meet the newest grandson and we managed to get together 3 times while the Surrey family were visiting Suffolk. Best of all we persuaded them to sit still for a photo. There was a small discussion about who should hold the baby but as Eldest Grandson said " He's MY brother!"

Left to right Youngest Granddaughter and her brother Middle Grandson- who live the closest to me. Eldest Granddaughter who is over near the coast is holding her cousin. Then Eldest and Youngest Grandsons...... the two Surrey boys.

And that was 2021. 

Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting through yet another year of My Quiet Life in Suffolk.

I shall be back next year.......... which happens to be tomorrow.

Sue

Getting Organised

 8 days after moving in and everything is getting organised.  The first thing I did was to leave messages with 4 different  builders/garden companies listed in the local parish magazines to ask about the concrete base for the greenhouse. One rang back during the day and offered a date in June so that's sorted (as long as he turns up!)

 

 A couple of days after I moved in a window cleaner was cleaning next door so I asked him to do mine when he's next round - every 6 weeks in summer he said and £10 a time as there's no upstairs.

Then last week a young lady was doing some tidying in the front of next door neighbour's and I assumed she was the wife of Avi who I've spoken to a couple of times but she was a gardener so I've got her phone number and will give her a ring when I'm ready to prepare some vegetable beds. She says she likes the No Dig way so I'd better save some cardboard boxes ready to cover the grass where the beds will be although that means not growing anything this year - which might be a good idea anyway as it will give me time to sort out what other things I want to do in the garden.

 

2 new pans have been bought for the Induction hob - it heats up so quickly. What a good job I didn't buy a new frying pan when I planned to - before moving - as it might not have been suitable. Also  got the breadmaker up and running. After a few weeks with supermarket bread it was nice to get back to the real thing again.

 

I've finished emptying all the boxes that were indoors  but the garage still has those marked 'Not Important'.........although I worked out that one is my preserving pan etc and another long box says "Christmas wrapping paper and other long things!" ?? 😕

A Brown Garden Waste Bin has been ordered from the District Council- they cost £57 a year........ never had one before as there was always room for compost bins. Might have a small one here when I get some slabs to stand it on. Also ordered a folding step stool so I can reach the top shelves of the very tall kitchen cupboards and dirt trapper mat for the living room patio doors which will be my back door until I decide what to do about a possible back door out of the kitchen.........I'll live with what's here for a while.

 

The water bill has been paid for all year - I will change to a water meter sometime later as that will cut costs of both water and sewer which round here are paid to two different companies. The Council Tax is a lot less than it was up the lane so I got that paid and out of the way too.

Yesterday I did a Tip Trip with huge bags full of all my packaging paper from the move and rubbish bags left by the previous owners who said they were recycling bags to go out but they looked like rubbish to me! After that I picked up some bags of Multi Purpose compost and a tomato plant to go in a pot on the patio - just one for now- starting small until I have more time.

And finally I've got round to organising a visit to the dentist 15 months after my last appointment. They've shut the small branch in Debenham where I used to go so it's a journey to Ipswich instead. Not what I wanted to do but a filling fell out so it was easier to stick with the same dentists group rather than find a new one nearer who would want a £50 New Patient fee on top of everything else.

 

Phew!......getting it all sorted feels good.

 

This week I'm grateful for 

• Getting all my books unpacked and shelved
• Finding all my possessions again
• A speedy dentist appointment to start sorting out all the problems that have appeared in the year.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

And hopefully next week I'll find some things to blog about apart from unpacking boxes.

 

Back Monday

Sue

3 Years Ago - Can That Be Right?

 Yes, it really is 3 years since Colin went into hospital and unlike all the times in the 5 years before,
he didn't come home again. Sometimes it seems like just a month ago and other times it feels like forever. I've got through the 3 years on my own because that's what you have to do, but I still miss him every day.

I hope he would have approved of  my move to the bungalow and it dawned on me that the day I got the keys for here - May 5th -  was exactly the same date as we moved to the smallholding in 1992, I remembered the date as it would have been Col's  Dad's birthday, so maybe all that waiting was some sort of "sign"! as we had 23 happy years there.

Back to the reality of  now and I'm still unpacking boxes interspersed with trying to change umpteen addresses for officialdom and hoping to find someone to quickly lay a concrete slab for the greenhouse as the children were absolutely horrified that I was planning to put the greenhouse on the patio which they reckon, and I agree really, that it would ruin the lovely patio area. 

There are also several things here that I didn't know about and have to work out and get my head round - like the induction hob - which I find I only have a couple of saucepans I can use on it and the fact that the en-suite loo is a Saniflo macerating thing - not a problem - but it would have been good to know! The pull out washing line is a puzzle as I can't find anything to hook it onto without it sagging to the ground and I still have to read and understand the instructions for the remote wireless thermostat for the oil boiler which two people have tried to explain! 😕

No worries.........I'll get there eventually......no rush.

Apologies if I don't answer comments or leave many anywhere for a while - just a tad busy and I will get back to normal in a week or two...........or more.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Friends and Family

 My sister L and her husband J offered to come and help with anything that needed doing on Saturday which was wonderful, especially as I'd discovered the washing machine connection was drip drip dripping. The WM is in a special big cupboard in the bathroom which sounds odd but a perfect solution when the kitchen isn't huge. I had turned off the water behind the machine but J was soon able to cure the problem.

We were just stopping for a coffee when the doorbell went and there was BiL Andrew who had brought some more of my gardening stuff over to put in the shed and garage. I wasn't expecting him as he's in the middle of repairing and painting the barge- boards and end walls of his house but had been rained off.

The doorbell went again later and this time it was the postman with a long parcel and what a lovely surprise when I opened it - a yellow rose bush along with a plastic lined fabric pot from blog friend Ang.

 

Thank you so much and what a lovely surprise present and how clever is a flat-pack rose! - (think that green stake was to stop the rose sliding in the parcel and meant to be taken out!) I guess it could be planted out in the garden later.

And  then much later blow-me-down when the doorbell rang again and there was Son who had come over to see if there was anything he could help with. 

So during the course of the day many more jobs were done.

Thank Goodness for friends and family. 

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Have lost internet now!

Edited in this morning to say ....now t'internet is back again ....as today is the day is was due to start so heavens knows how it was working between Friday and yesterday afternoon?
 

I'm In!

  I wasn't expecting to be organised enough to write a post for publishing today but thanks to Son who in no time at all got the new hub going (have to say well done to BT in this case who got the hub here 5 days before it was expected) and he managed to sort out some fiddly fixing on the back of the TV to get that attached to the dish.

 

Just two guys this time and this is Wayne fixing the legs back on my big dining table - told him I'd give him a mention!  I nearly sold this table...wasn't sure there wasn't going to be room for it but the living/dining room is much bigger than I thought. 

(The big white thing is my ancient settee without it's cushions and before getting its huge throw chucked over it.) 

 So TV, Internet, My own Bed and help from family - what more could a woman want! Apart from a magic wand for unpacking umpteen boxes 😉

Youngest Granddaughter and Grandson approve of my new home and while son was sorting the technology they were in the small bedroom and with the help of DiL unpacked lots of toys..... they certainly have their priorities right 😀

I've had 2 welcome cards from neighbours already and everyone who walked by with their dogs when the removal van was there (seems to be one heck of a lot of dogs in this village) said hello and welcome. 

I'm going to be a big disappointment to them! "popping in for a coffee" with people I don't know at all seems a bit odd to me although I will be joining the WI and probably going to the URC church sometimes and joining the friends of the doctors surgery to get to know people.

Back Monday......... should have unpacked a few more boxes by then.

Sue

Today It's The Furniture

Thank you for all the comments yesterday wishing me well in my new home.

All the stuff that was stored in Brother-in-Law's house has been moved in . And he brought over some of the garden things which are now in the shed and garage. A few more things to come later.  He also managed to pull some floating shelves off the wall as they were right where my book-shelves will go.

Furniture coming out of storage today................Son is coming over to help this afternoon.

 I have this awful fear that they will open up the furniture van and it will be somebody else's possessions! 😮 Although I'm almost sure this won't happen.

Yesterday was also the first day the Mobile Library has visited the village since they got going again so I was able to walk 5 minutes up the road to collect my 3 reservations.... much better than having to drive and I was able to nip back across the main A road to my old village to cast my vote. Our Suffolk  County  Councillor in the villages  represents the Green Party and he is so well known and popular the signs up in gardens don't say Vote Green or his surname but just vote Andrew! Hope he gets voted in again. I've known him since he was a Cub Scout in my pack back in the late 70's.

Back Eventually

Sue

My New Home......At Last

 Almost 6 months after having my offer accepted.........here it is.

View from front garden across the road to the newer part of the village cemetery! - At least it will never be built on.

 

Looks like an apple tree.

Below is the view diagonally across the back garden from one corner to the other.  And behind the trellis is where my greenhouse will go on the patio which has patio doors to living room and  also oddly patio doors to the small bedroom which previous owners used as office/hallway and back door as also - oddly - there is no back (or side) door from the kitchen (might remedy that if I can....sometime) 

Greenhouse already ordered! There is a long delay due to a shortage of toughened glass which comes from Spain (who knew?)

 The bit where I'm standing will probably be where the veg. beds will go.

 

There is  also a magnolia looking good at the moment

Now lots of things to sort out.

Back as and when

Sue

The First Of May

Thank you to everyone for comments yesterday and good wishes for the move next week. Apologies to Sue for getting the word IF stuck in her head like an ear-worm! The removal van is booked for next Friday so by this time next week I will be living among boxes again but unpacking them rather than packing! I've promised the 3 year old granddaughter that she can help unpack the toy boxes - so that will be fun😊 and I've asked for a bit of family help with everything rather than trying to do it all myself.

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I've missed doing my First Of The Month posts with all the weather lore and days to remember so it will be good to get back to my books - wonder how long it will take to unpack them? The shelving will need tethering to the walls first as they are tall bookshelves.

 What with one thing and another I'd forgotten this is a Bank Holiday weekend - for me this means two Boot Sales!......... - weather permitting......and it looks as if it might permit because rain is forecast but only for later in the afternoons here in the East.

If it does rain I have a plan.....................Over the first Lock-down Suffolk Libraries re-vamped their website and now there is an easier and clearer to find "recommended for you"" page. It says it's related to what you've borrowed before and on the Non Fiction pages for me I can look through 20,526 thumbnail pictures of book covers! and with one click find out more about them. What a good way to spend a wet afternoon! Browsing books without having to wear a mask and all in one room rather than in 40 different libraries.

Other things to look forward to are picking up some reserved books from Debenham library, Sunday lunch at Son and DiL's. Then on TV there is the much talked about finalé of Line of Duty and the final days of the snooker championship that I've been following for the last fortnight.

I'm also going to research Electric suppliers for the bungalow. At the moment it is Scottish Power, previously I was with Eon.........both are equally as bad as the other in customer service (trying to get hold of them on the phone is a joke) and as I've the opportunity to start from scratch I'm thinking about the Greener companies - any ideas? 

And if I'm still looking for things to do I could always start writing "change of address" notes to friends and family.

 

This week I'm Grateful for 

• An end to the long drawn out house move in sight
• Plans to make sure  another Bank Holiday alone in a Covid Pandemic is a busy one.
  

 

Back Sometime 

Sue

IF

I hope I've not moaned too much in blogland about the silly delays in this house move. Have to look at it this way.................................

IF

I hadn't decided to sell at all I could have stayed at the cottage and spent many thousands of £'s on a new sewer system within the next year, probably a new boiler very soon, contributed to resurfacing the lane again and heavens knows what it would have cost if the water main up the lane had needed replacing.

IF

I hadn't decided to move out to rent to make sure I didn't lose my purchasers (who had offered more than I was expecting to sell for) I could have still been living in among all the boxes waiting for exchange and completion and being nagged by them to hurry up and risking all or any of the above, which might have happened and put them off buying or made them reduce their offer.

IF

I'd not gone to look at the site of the new-build in my Son's village (which was my original idea) I wouldn't have known about the huge trees at the back and the shade over all the garden and I'd have still been renting somewhere anyway as those houses are still not finished. Plus I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed living on the edge of a new estate with all the traffic for 70+ houses going by everyday and a village that is increasing in size by the minute.

IF

I'd have known about the delays involved due to the Equity Release company's loan on the bungalow, I still would have gone ahead as the bungalow will suit me fine and other things that are for sale are either too big/small/expensive.

 and of course IF Colin hadn't got ill and  died we might still be at the smallholding!

 Who knows?

 That word IF is a funny ol' word.

and finally IF all goes to plan then bungalow purchase will complete next week. At last!

Sue

 

Email Explanation

 This is what I got from my solicitor yesterday, part of the email from the bungalow owner's solicitor

Dear Sue

 Extract of email which I have received from the sellers’ conveyancers:-

 Good morning

 It is very much down to the lenders solicitors giving final sign off – it is taking a ridiculously long time for them to do so, I cannot disagree with that, but I’m afraid we all have to wait for them to get the job done.

 My client is calling me every few days, so please reassure your client that the delay is not down to any reluctance to proceed on my clients part.

 

So I carry on twiddling my thumbs and waiting.

Sue

 

 

Another Year Older...........

..................... but not necessarily wiser and thankfully not deeper in debt as one old song says. 

Thank you to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday yesterday. I was trying to keep it a secret!

As I share my birthday with my youngest granddaughter....she's 3........ I'm ancient.......yesterday morning we met up for cake and present opening.

By the time my next birthday comes round I will have gained another grandchild as Eldest Daughter in Surrey is due to produce a little brother or sister for 5 year old Jacob in September. Something else to look forward to. That will be five Grandchildren under 6 years old - what fun! I can imagine chaos when they are all between 6 and 12 and visit all at once.

With all those birthday and Christmas presents I'm glad I'm now old enough for my State Pension! According to the website everyone should get a letter but I didn't and with all the moving and address changes it didn't seem to worth chasing up beforehand so that will be on the job list if ever I get moved.

Talking of which, at one point during the week - Monday-  I thought it was actually going to happen by the end of next week. Then on Tuesday I got a copy of the email from the sellers solicitor which said it would be at least 14 working days from this week - so not counting weekends that goes right into May! (7 days for the Equity Release company to stamp forms ? and 7 more days for money draw-down?). So guess what, I've booked another 2 weeks in limbo after the next week  here in the caravan.....I'm going back to the bungalow where I was before - luckily it wasn't booked. (By the way, the sellers solicitors are going to be reported to someone(ombudsman/governing body?) for failing to respond properly to phone calls and messages).

Wish I'd have known how long it was going to take when I first thought about selling before the buying date was agreed - never dreamed it would be 9 weeks - with even that not being a definite.

Would you believe sometimes I feel I'm slowly losing the will to live!

But making an effort to look on the bright side.........................................

This week I have been grateful for

• Somewhere to live until May 10th
• 2 swimming sessions - so good to get back in the pool.
• Lovely birthday presents and cards from the family
  
• Some fine weather even though it's been a tad chilly
  

Back Sometime

Sue

Saturday 27th

It's the last Saturday in March and completion on the bungalow  purchase isn't going to happen next week after all. My solicitor has been offered a "tentative" date of 7th April. This is pushing things toward the last day I can be here on the 12th - 😟. I've contacted the removal company with this "tentative" date and they only have the 8th available  until the following week...... yikes......It's been "tentatively" booked. The hold up now is caused by the equity release company's (who are lenders to the bungalow owners) solicitors having to look through all the legal searches of the place they are buying in Kent.

So what have I been doing to fill yet another week pretending to be on holiday? 

Brother in Law brought my bike round for me once the weather was fine, hadn't cycled for 3 weeks so did the smallest loop for practice which is about 2½ miles. Then a bigger loop of 4½ miles which involved some up-hill bits and walks, just as I got about halfway it started to rain - which wasn't in the weather forecast - soaked me through! Glad the holiday let has effective heating and radiators to dry things. I've bought a cycle helmet as the roads are busier around here......been cycling for 55 years and have never bothered before ...but age is creeping up! I've only ever fell off a few times as far as I can remember. Once braking on a downhill black ice morning - nasty, once when out with family cycling and one of them touched my back wheel and once - unexplained - while just stopping and getting off!

 

On Thursday, seeings as there is loads of time to kill, I did a wander round Lidl in Stowmarket - I'd not been there for ages as it's not my favourite shop, before doing the same around the usual Asda - filled most of the morning!  

It's quite good to be able to walk to  a small shop from the holiday let although their fruit and veg is abysmal and their other things expensive - but I've been treating myself to a copy of the Radio Times each week. There's quite a lot of reading in it as well as all the TV schedules. Once I'm settled it will be a plan to take out a subscription to get it cheaper. That makes 3 treats to enjoy in my new smaller and cheaper home.............A regular bunch of flowers, a Radio Times and book purchasing without guilt! I'll probably share some of the house sale profits with the children too! 

 

Another benefit of walking in a village is spotting things out for sale at peoples gates - like this rhubarb at 50p a bundle.

 It was only after getting back with it I realised I don't have custard powder to make a Rhubarb fool or an oven dish and flour etc to make a crumble (In boxes somewhere in store!) I'll see what an egg custard is like without cornflour or vanilla!

There's a Silver Birch tree here, just over back fence by the road. I've been watching it slowly coming into leaf and there's often a couple of Blue Tits or a Robin sitting in it. I'm still thinking about some Silver Birch out the front of the bungalow even though my cousin said "don't do it!" due to the mess they make with their pollen and catkins later in the year.........Lovely bark set against the grey sky yesterday morning.

This week I've been grateful for

• Getting out on my bike
• Seeing the two nearest grandchildren
• Being warm and comfortable while waiting for my new home

Have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday

Sue

 

Even More Answers to Fill Another Blog Post

Susan asked ........................ I'm coming in late with a question but I wondered what you thought of "The Dig" Netflix film. I was nervous about how the Suffolk dialect would be presented. I thought Ralph Fiennes managed well.

ANSWER - Don't have Netflix so haven't seen it although I didn't rate the book at all. RF had tuition from a real Suffolk speaker for this film. I've been to Sutton Hoo a few times as we lived not far away.

Betty asked ............which room in any/all of your homes (past or future) will be the most important to you and make you feel the most that it is 'home'.

ANSWER - Once I get my things into the kitchen and living room then I soon feel at home everywhere I've lived

 Jeannie and Pauline asked.........If one was coming to visit Suffolk, what would be some of the places or things we'd be sure to see? 

ANSWER - Bury St Edmunds for the Cathedral and remains of the Abbey. The large church at Blythburgh- one of the favourites I've visited so far along with the tiny church at Thornham Parva. Framlingham Castle. RSPB reserve at Minsmere. Thorpeness for the quirky houses and the mere. Christchurch Mansion and park in Ipswich........ that's just for a start!

FB asked.......I have some questions, hope it’s OK to ask. 1. What are you most looking forward to in your new home?  2. Do you have any plans for changes/alterations to the new place? 3. Will you have time to grow some fruit and veg for the new season?

ANSWERS

1. Just getting in and getting unpacked to start with, I seem to have been twiddling my thumbs for weeks.

2.Probably yes - There are some patio doors that would be better as a window. And perhaps a door put in somewhere else. Might have a new kitchen too at some time 

3.The first thing I want to do is to get a greenhouse, then find someone to make me some vegetable beds, so not sure about this year. But anyway I need to work out the best places for the veg.beds.

EM Griffith asked .........Will I have a cutting garden?  

Quick Answer- No..........No spare room........... but I've decided to treat myself to a bunch of flowers much more often.

Back Tomorrow if I can think of something to write now all the questions are answered

Sue

The Ides of March

 Did you know that the 15th of March is a day that we need to beware of...... according to Shakespeare in his play.

The Romans didn't number the days of the month as we do now but used points in the month to divide each month into groups. The Ides were the 15th of the month in March, May, July and October and the 13th in the other months. The Kalends were at the beginning of the month.

 The Ides of March was the day when debts had to be settled and became so well known by us now after Julius Caeser was killed by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus  on this day in 44BC.

When you think about it  how amazing we know something that happened on a specific day over 2,000 years ago............... providing the Roman historians and Shakespeare got the date right.

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I was pondering, while hanging on the phone, how difficult it is to do some things when moving yet how easy it is to do others. BT took 3 phone calls to find out why they'd sent me an email telling me to ring them about my order. TIP - ring at 8am exactly on a Saturday morning. Then there was the hour spent trying to ring Eon last week to give them my final meter reading and sort out a query- No tips for getting through - just have to hang on.

Essex and Suffolk Water company was easy, all done online and the bill to pay the final amount came just a day after moving. The Post redirection was also simple. Fill in forms, take ID and form to any Post Office and pay and hey presto the post is straightaway transferred to the new address on the right day. Of course it will need to be done all over again in a few weeks time.

I'm avoiding changing some addresses twice which  hopefully won't cause problems or get me into trouble....guess I'll find out! 

Taking the car for it's annual service and MOT today, I expect my mates at the repair place will lend me my old car for the day as I'm a few miles further away. 

Back Tomorrow

Sue

" On Holiday?"

 I shall never ever again try and do all the business of moving by myself!

I'm knackered.

 It didn't help that just as the removal men were finishing loading on Tuesday, the postman brought me a letter from my solicitor requiring me to go and swear a declaration at a solicitors in town to say that I've never had any problem with using the lane to the house. (I've mentioned before that the track that serves the 4 houses isn't owned by anyone ). So instead of doing some hoovering and cleaning and then a relaxed 15 minute journey to the holiday let, I had to find a phone number, ring for an appointment and dash to Stowmarket for a solicitor, swear the declaration (£5 charge) and then get the signed thing in the post by special delivery (£6+ postage) so it got back to my solicitor for completion midday yesterday..... No idea who to blame for it being left to the last minute!

That meant that I had to go back earlier and for longer  yesterday morning to finish cleaning and read the electric meter before completion. 

It then took me an 52 minutes to get through to Eon to give them my final meter reading. I couldn't do it on line because I needed to query a couple of emails telling me I'd not paid my last quarterly bill 10 days ago.....even though I'd got a confirmation reference number. ( Is this all a sly plan to get me to have a smart meter?)

So after all that I'm now on "holiday" in a small bungalow in a small close of similar small bungalows in a small village 8 miles from where I was,  1¼ miles from Son, DiL and my bubble grandchildren and 4 miles back to where I will be. It's comfortable and warm and has everything I need for a months stay although the weather isn't exactly holiday weather ....with gales forecast and plenty of rain. But I finally got connected to t'internet, the TV is a smart TV so I can carry on watching all the crime dramas and I have books to read and puzzle pages to do but what on earth can I blog about?

Oh, nearly forgot...........Thank you to everyone who clicked me past that frightening 666 number! Hope you know I wasn't being that serious although I have to admit I love to see the numbers going up! 😃

Now to think of a topic for tomorrow.

Maybe Back Tomorrow

Sue

 

The Wrong Number

When I looked at the blog yesterday I noticed the number of followers is 666 - someone please press the follower button as I don't want to be stuck on that number for too long!

 Thanks for comments, I decided to take some things to the holiday let yesterday and the key to the Estate Agents, that will give me more time today and tomorrow.

Sue

Wednesday Catch-up

Thank you for comments since Saturday and  Apologies for not replying - my mind is as blank as my days and in a way I'm regretting packing so many boxes several weeks ago as now I've nothing to do except wait, in a home that doesn't feel like mine anymore.......it's very unsettling.

Consequently more TV has been watched than ever before and  my latest virtual journey with the  police has been to Italy.....mainly Turin..... with "Thou Shalt Not Kill". I wonder why the police in all these dramas always have "issues". They are never happily married or settled and so many of them seem quite unstable! I suppose like soaps.....a normal life would be boring. I've also watched the first two in a short series "22 Kids and Counting"... are they mad? - Well they certainly don't seem to be and Sue Radford, the Mum,  doesn't look like someone who's had 22 children. 22! Heck!

The owner of the holiday let asked if I wanted to go and look at what things of my own I might want to take as I'm going to be there for a few weeks. She has had to pare down the kitchen equipment due to covid and having to clean every single thing in the house between guests. I'm taking my breadmaker and will need a few other things - including (as Sue in Lancs. suggested) my own Big mugs.. I'm also taking my own bedding as normally she would come in and change sheets each week. The holiday let has a washer/dryer and no washing line which I'm not used to - I prefer to hang stuff outside whenever I can.

The 6 mile circular bike ride on Sunday was in lovely blue sky and sunshine.....and no wind.

  Despite good intentions I'd left it several weeks between cycle rides so six miles was plenty. One of the things about living in a relatively flat area is that it's easy to see the weather coming over the horizon. All the way round I was watching clouds that seemed to be building up in all directions.

 

 But thankfully the sun stayed shining for most of the day. It would have enticed me into the greenhouse for early sowing if I wasn't about to go off and live in limbo for a month!

 Back Tomorrow

Sue

Moving House

Moving house.............. Why, why, why is it so stressful?

Thanks for all the comments yesterday. I didn't really explain properly that everyone - even me- knew about the Equity Release that had been taken out on the property that I'm buying but what no one knew until Tuesday afternoon was that there would be a long delay. My Estate Agent said it might  be because of them having to pay a penalty for early repaying of the equity release? There might also be a delay because they are moving to Kent which is apparently notorious for very slow legal searches.

Some  of the problems are caused by the Government's Stamp Duty holiday which finishes on 31st March. For people who don't know Stamp Duty is a tax paid to Her Majesties Revenue & Customs on top of the house price..... The higher the cost of the house the more stamp duty the government get. The stamp duty holiday was done to keep the housing market afloat through Covid (and hence keeping all people like builders, carpet fitters etc employed) but it's just caused so many problems with everyone trying to get  all sale and buying completions done by the end of next month.

 I debated taking this place off the market but that seems silly when I know I don't want to stay as it's just too big with too much work (plus potential problems) and  I  have a buyer ready and waiting who I don't want to lose. They can't afford to move here if they have to pay another £15,000 Stamp duty on top of the purchase price.So I'm going into a holiday let for a month (at least) and putting the furniture in storage - all this is going to cost me a lot of extra money so it's a good job that I'm getting a really good price for this house.

My only worry is if the bungalow sellers decide not to sell for any reason or if the Equity Release thing is more complicated ................then heavens knows what I'll do. As my solicitor said "it's a risk selling without completing on a purchase". The removal man said "the most common reason for people having to put everything in store is due to house purchase delays".

At least I have a plan - 4 weeks in a holiday let  until after Easter to start with and if things drag on any longer then I think I might buy a static caravan and spend my summer by the sea in Felixstowe!

Back Tomorrow............as long as I've not given up the will to live!

Sue

 

It's All Gone Belly Up

 Would you believe it!

The owners of the bungalow I was right ready to buy took some sort of Equity Release thing on it as well as a mortgage and this can't be sorted until April at the earliest.

I agreed to buy it in November and they've  left it until now to drop that news to the solicitors.

In the morning I was told to sort out a completion date with the removal company and in the afternoon....... BOOM it all goes wrong!

The young couple are ready and need to move in here ASAP to avoid the return of stamp duty.

So......................I'm looking for something to rent, which I really didn't want to do as it means unpacking and packing boxes twice unless I can find a holiday let and some places aren't allowing that due to Covid ban on holidays and risking losing their licence. There's not much around to rent anyway which is difficult.

 I know nothing about Equity Release except what I've seen on the TV adverts so no idea how long it will take to sort out and I'm wondering if it would be better to pull out of the purchase and wait for something else to turn up.

All jolly good fun......................NOT!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

First Week of February

If the 21st of November(the last time I counted) was week 36 of  STRANGE TIMES  this  must be ....roughly week 47.......... so can't really be called Strange Times anymore - it's become quite worryingly normal. 

My week went like this.................

 

Monday................. I'm not a huge fan of Estate Agents - they always seem to have their own agenda (money and fear of losing their commission!) but it's difficult to sell without them. Mine rang me on Monday saying how worried he was that nothing seemed to be happening - he'd left messages with no replies - did I know anything as sometimes no replies to left messages signaled a problem.  The young couple buying here are desperate for things to happen and they keep ringing my agent. I rang the agent selling the bungalow and she said things were on track - Heavens knows what's actually happening.

I'll just carry on packing and hope for the best. There's 7 weeks until the end of the Governments Stamp Duty  Holiday and  in my experience there's always a hold up somewhere before it all comes together in a mad panic at the end.

 

Tuesday................Gloomy and dull.  Dull and Gloomy.  Lots of box packing and tidying, then I went to pick up my prescription meds from the doctors and got my Pensioners £3.50 Plaice and Chips. The sun finally came out at 3....for half an hour

I'm watching another subtitled crime drama - this time it's from Germany/Poland - no snow. I had to find a map to work out where the island was that seemed to belong to both countries....who knew there was such a place?..........amazing what you can learn from crime dramas.

Wednesday......................Guess what..............packing more boxes. Then a selfie hair cut - a 6 all over, it was much needed.

Thursday .......a very small first birthday party for youngest Grandson, being an almost lock-down baby means he's hardly seen anyone except his Mum, Dad, Sister and me since he was born. Everyone one in the extended family and friends made up for this by sending or delivering more toys than you would see in  a toy shop.😀

 

Friday...........Fine and sunny after rain over night. I nipped out to get a few things just in case we have as much snow as is forecast for Sunday and Monday. The postman brought me things to sign for buying the bungalow........... moving in the right direction albeit slowly.

This week I'm grateful for

• Time spent with 2 youngest grandchildren
• Some sunshine 
• Hopes of getting moved before the end of the month.
  

Today I'd better get my signature witnessed on the forms and get them into the post before the bad weather. Then home to watch the first games of the 6 Nations rugby.

Usually on a Saturday I say "Back Monday", but at the moment I've no clue for things to write about next week so may not be back until something....... or even anything happens...... the heavy snow forecast for Sunday will be fun...........?.

 

Sue