🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

This is exactly the issue Grammaretto. WHY are we moving?
I would like to be more rural but still want s.p.a.c.e inside- and a decent sized garden. Maybe ⅓ acre or even a little less... we currently have a very long garden for a terraced house but fairly narrow.

Modern houses have too small gardens - and if we are going to go "modern" I don't really want a "traditional" style one... Some mid century houses have pleasing shapes but oh my gosh the prices!

Another case of champagne taste but beer money
We are happy enough where we are - just a bit too busy.

Having had a drug dealer buy the beautiful, fully period restored and huge end terrace next door once 😬😬😬 with newly refitted stained and etched glass, my husband says he wants this next house to be detached.

So, detached, period, village with a shop, ideally a surgery not too far away, large garden, big rooms, space for a studio ... and cheap as chips???
Open to suggestions ladies!

Yay🥳

I've had an offer! It's a bit low so I shall think about it over the weekend and ask the family.

My family are scattered too NotSpaghetti
I don't think I will be moving nearer any of them. My optician I had an eye test yesterday showed me a pretty cottage on the East Lothian coast with its own beach.
Unfortunately it was already sold!
I ended up with driving glasses and no house 😕

I am inclined not to pursue the do-er upper. It really isn't worth exchanging this for.

I enjoyed the lightning show in the middle of the night. It was incredible and went on for over an hour.

The temperature has dropped to 19° which is lovely compared to where my poor DSis is @ 37°.

How are you Lobstars bearing up?

Moving is tricky isn't it... We are in a big house needing lots of things doing. We used to say we would move when retired - but then my mother moved to be near us and then we felt we couldn't move away.

Now we have nothing holding us here really. Although the family are fairly close we still get in the car to see them and once you've driven 15 minutes you might as well drive 20 and once you've driven 40 mins you might as well drive an hour

Now of course, having compromised when we came here, we are going to have to compromise differently if we want to be sensible as we age
The houses we like, of course, need work, are isolated, too expensive and sometimes are listed!

SO much sympathy Grammaretto

I hope the viewing went well, Grammaretto.
Is the fixer upper on a bus route? Perhaps you could point out to your DD the paucity of other houses in the area which would tick all the boxes. I'm sure this one has your name on it🌻
I hope your back continues to improve- how are your ribs, NN?

Relieved that our Strength and Balance group has been cancelled tomorrow too much worry about old dears keeling over, I would imagine.
I had planned to cry off anyway. No tea and biccies feature.

Roll on Wimbledon - more enforced sofa lounging👍

I’ve not heard of that either Grammaretto but I’m glad it’s helped.
Probably wise to wait for an offer and then have a good look around. I’ve said before it’s better to move into rented accommodation for a while than buy the wrong thing due to rushing. Hope you find the right place for you.

Summer has arrived at last. 26° here now.
I have a viewing in an hour. The EA has texted to say she sounded nice on the phone. 😯

I'm letting the dust settle literally on the doer-upper and trying not to see anything else until I have some offers.

My back has been very sore but my df gave me a therapy session of a kind I had never heard of,: KCR kinetic chain release therapy. I think it has helped.

Like you all, I must water my wilting plants.
A lovely rose has flowered. It's called Alnwick castle.

Wilting here, 100%.

Hopefully not the case for my 5 delphinium plants and 24 lavender plugs which arrived this morning.

Hey ho, something else to keep an eye on during this sustained heat wave.

Grammaretto it’s a difficult decision isn’t it. We bought a place that needed doing up. It cost us a fortune. Far more than you see on these DIY programmes. If you do take it on, make sure there aren’t any hidden problems as these can add to the cost. I’d love you to find the right place for you.
It is so hot here I can’t think of doing anything. I’m exhausted just sitting here
Notspaghetti i thought you were going to say you watered yourself in the garden.

I'm afraid I cancelled my yoga class - last time it was hot the "air con" was a "con" - I thought, defective.

I planned to go for a swim this evening - but I was saved by a new hosepipe delivery! Hooray.... and have watered the garden instead!

Mr Spaghetti is watching the football but went to the top of the house for a spare fan as the sofa and chairs are rather "snuggly" and he was hot. I'm surprised he made it down with the fan - just being up there long enough to test it made him look like a boiled tomato!

I realised he had socks on with his sandals and his winter jeans! He's now in sandals with no socks and has put shorts on. He said he was going to wear shoes (hence the socks) and he "hadn't realised" they were the thick jeans when he put them on
I confess I would not have started today in any jeans!

Well, he was very chirpy in his shorts - though I'm not sure what's going on with the footie as I'm elsewhere

NotSpaghetti. I think I will hold my nerve and see if in a few weeks it's still there and I still want it, I could offer less. I haven't sold mine yet and now the Summer has arrived even here in Scotland! people are on holiday and not moving house. 😟

I'm glad your house is cool.

I am having a very lazy day. Dead heading roses has been the major activity and wrapping a parcel and posting to DGS for his birthday.

I have the chiropractor later and then the final Gaelic class where she gives us all a quiz.

We are lucky here as our house is cool - if you don't go to the top floor...
😬😬😬
...which is NOT
😫

Can you simply offer less for the one you like Grammaretto?

I looked over the do-er upper again today with 2 friends.
They can both see why I like it but think it's too expensive if you factor in the cost of restoration.

Seeing as DD is insistent that it's truly awful, I may have to finally say goodbye.

When I came home I discovered that a cat had died in my garden. The girl who found it was quite upset. It had been sick and convulsing.
I wrapped it in a towel and took it to the vet who dealt with it.
The receptionist said someone will call me if they find an owner. It looked quite like the cat who likes my greenhouse but that one wears a collar.
Very sad anyway.

Sorry to hear it's been too hot to function properly Doodle. I would like it to warm up here but not that much.

That do-er upper must have your name all over it, Grammaretto.

What can you do to swing a sale?😉

Grammaretto it’s too hot for anything. Car is boiling if I get in it but far too hot to walk anywhere. There is no air. It’s just hot. Shouldn’t complain really but I find it totally draining.
Sat in my friends garden for a while this afternoon fully shaded but so so hot.
Ooh I wonder if that is a sign about your house. I don’t know what a note of interest is but it sounds positive. Hope it all works out for you.
Id never thought of putting my feet in a cool mat. Hope all the fluffy and furry friends are coping.

How are you Southerners coping in the heat I keep hearing about? It has missed us here. I am quite glad of that as sleeping is hard enough without coping with great heat.
My back is troublesome still.

I have had a note of interest on my house and the doer-upper is back on the market...
Much to worry about.

I have booked a roofer to take a look at the leak. My lodgers are on holiday so I hope to get it sorted before they come back.

I was at a lovely garden party yesterday amid roses and lush greenery. Such a great way to spend Midsummer.

When we had a cat, she would find the best places to sleep.

Ixion Strange you should say that as I was only looking at cool mats for cats last night! Apparently if cats refuse to use them they are very good for humans hot feet!! Did get our dog one but it was not received with any enthusiasm! Must admit Theo is coping quite well and searches out shady patches in the house or outside. Looking at them on Amazon last night I got so confused by all the different ones I gave up!!!

Much wilting here over the last couple of days, at least now with an end to end block of medical days, hers not his, I can look forward to putting my feet up. Today I have been armchair gardening. Filling, planning and moving tubs around and now waiting for the excitement of more plants to arrive.
Too hot for any craft activity.

I hope your ceiling is getting looked at prontissimo, Grammaretto. Can you distract your house viewers accordingly?

Another one who hopes we can connect with Kaimoana. We'll never give up when a DF has problems joining us.

Jan, does Theo have a cool mat? We bought one for Barney last year. He hasn't exactly fallen in love with it, but is obliged to sit on it when placed on his shaded garden chair. Failing that, Mr.I will sit on it - I don't know what his bottom does to the gel filling or what, if anything, the cooling gel does for his bottom 🫣

Thinking of - and missing - our lovely Dads on their special day 💐

DH’s birthday and Father’s Day today. Went to the hospice and had a lovely afternoon of memories of happier times with our family.
Hope all are surviving this heat. It makes me so lethargic

Oh Kaimoana this group wouldn’t be the same without you, We’ll have to find some way to keep in touch.
Grammaretto glad you had a nice day painting. Hope your Ds gets home safely.
Notsoaghetti and NFK thank you so much for trying to help Kaimoana we need to find a way.
Thinking caps on lobstars.

Wouldn't that be good if Kaimoana's. DS could help her to keep connected.
We miss her already 😞

The local art class asked to paint in my garden this morning. It was lovely. I joined in but not having painted for years, my efforts were dismal.

I enjoyed it. Our tutor is a Fife based artist who I knew when he was a baby but haven't seen since he was 2! His parents used to came to our Quaker meeting before they moved away.

I had another house viewing today but they didn't stay long. Their little children were very demanding. 😁

One of my first memories was tugging at DM's skirt and pulling her away from my kindergarten teacher with all the tugging power a 3 yr old could muster. I was trying to stop them talking. It didn't work but I was sympathetic today.

I tried to change the font to make it bigger, but it won't.

Kaimoana - get your son to have a look at this and see if it's compatible with your machine:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sensotec.knfbreader&pli=1

You are so sweet but the problem is my eyes and you can't change that. I can still, just about, see my special keyboard but not waht it produces and bigger is not better.
So I am resifning myself to giving up my PC.

This also means I cant pay bills, as I have for so long. My son is going to take over that duty but of course not this chat

I think I have pushed on further than I expected but I just cannot do it any longer.
I have loved and appreciated you all and what we have shared over the yars.
Much love, thanks and a few tears.
Lynda xxxxxxx

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202606/medium-1mejoi-1000025584.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202606/medium-6559fm-1000025575.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202606/medium-4vsydd-1000025593.jpg

I hope Kaimoana can keep connected. There must be a way.

Wonderful to hear that Jan and Nfk have met up 😊

My lodgers have just sent a photo of a leak in their bathroom ceiling! I can't do anything about it in the middle of the night.

My DS is caught up in an emergency at Edinburgh airport so his flight home has been delayed by hours. Poor chap and all the others.
It's caused by a stray abandoned rucksack I think. 😟

This is after I had a lovely day out on a bird watching trip in the Forth.

I wish for a quieter life.