Help calm me, house buying and selling stress. Part 3

It’s just been reported on the radio that soap is as good a sanitiser!

any alcohol would do, it is to break down the oily coat around the virus. Injection wipes, whiskey, surgical spirit. Meths is an alcohol ie methanol not ethanol. I have several times used meths with wire wool with bare hands,get my drift

Drat I have a flat tyre and have a class tomorrow. I used the electric pump just now, it was on for ages and will re-pump just before I leave for a tyre repair, luckily only 2 miles if that. I don`t know if I will make the class now, what with waiting for the tyre. My spare is one of those slightly smaller spares, for emergencies. I saw a nail in it, I carried a very heavy load in it yesterday, cannot have helped

I had to have a tooth out today. The Dentist has installed an impressive looking hand sanitizer dispenser which all patients are asked to use at reception.

But my nurse friend tells me the ones you can buy are useless as they don't contain enough alcohol.

Just back from a long drive to clear my exhaust which really smelt bunged up this morning due to my short hops since the bad weather and thought I'd check my post box at the station - yet another nonsensical letter from the tax man. I held on the phone for 40 minutes about ten days ago to get it sorted out and it seems it was all for nothing and 'Miranda' hasn't actioned my request to repay them over three years. Yet again I have a very low tax code. Heaven knows what I'll get in this month's pension, I've got a huge council tax bill for feb/march as well as a scary oil bill for both houses, I feel really fed up. Must also check the post box here, hopefully nothing worse!

Anyone else tried to get an alcohol based handwash today? Whole country is out of it according to my local chemist, as well as rubbing alcohol to make your own. Luckily Dettol wipes in the house which actually state coronavirus - although not this strain

Went I moved I had royal mail redirect for 3 months. Left a note in my old house telling them just to put any mail for me back in the post box after 3 months don't bother. Just recycle it. I was only here a few days and the postie knocked my door to introduce himself and if I ever needed anything to leave a note on the door. He also said he was making sure the post for the previous owner was sent back to sender. Thought you would only get this sort of thing in a village but Liverpudlian's are a special breed. Not met anyone yet I haven't liked.

my work clothes today: soft warm baggy old trousers with elastic waist and a big bum, soft button neck fleece top, soft pull on bra, an old sleeveless overtop. I finished and never want ever to do another one. They are beautifully engineered but if I made one slightly wonky join, nothing fitted. I did use my electric driver very very slowly for 3/4 of the driving, I could not have tackled the full screws today. I still ache

My forward planning involves these trugs and if ever needed then I will get gravelled areas around my various flowers and fruits on the ground. hopefully never, as long as I can use a hoe. I cannot cope without my own veg and fruit. Been growing for 40 years

My last 2 trugs will hold chard, carrots, marigolds, spinach lettuce, short mange tout etc it will be slightly shadier than the other two trugs. It`s lovely to think of these outside my door. I have aligned the two sets ie 2 trugs together twice and 2 different places

What now? No other aim today, maybe a nap is in order,nice and warm in here, definitely nap temperature

No postage if you simply readdress each envelope. Otherwise keep them safe so that if the previous tenant enquires they are available. Can’t understand anyone not paying the Post Office to readdress Mail, especially a business. Doesn’t cost that much!

I think they should get the hint when they receive the bundle I'm posting today but if not, I will remind them. Thanks.
I think latterly he was running a business because there is mail addressed to a company.

Morning all, lovely to hear about growing things! The young man that rented here said he had a vegetable bed and I went to investigate yesterday, it's one bed with one plant, looks like ruby chard. Might put some potatoes in, Homebase have lots still, they seem to have chitted in the packets. I think I'll buy some big trugs like you craftyone, although I won't be as disciplined about planning and building! You are marvellous, I do try but I know I am a bit slapdash.

Thanks for the reassurance about my cat, she will have to stay in longer for her own good. She didn't go out that much at the Station, I need to organise some grass now it's going to be longer. The trains are huge here, at the back of the gardens opposite, fully visible and much noisier somehow, she was scared when one went past. She's had sardines this morning and is now in her basket again. I hope when my daughter comes on Thursday she comes out to see her this time, rather than hiding.

Grammaretto you've reminded me I have two letters for the previous tenants, I'd better get them to the agent. Would you allow the tenants to come and pick it up? Posting large amounts will cost a lot.

No plans for today, I should be listing furniture to sell, I must do it.

Enjoy your day.

We have just come to the end of our 6 months mail redirection. I think it was around £50 for two of us. The shortest period you can buy is 3 months. I wouldn't bother forwarding more than 3 or 4 weeks, just scribble Unkown on the envelopes and post them back. Or just drop the people a line asking them to inform everyone they have moved.

My tenants have moved out but their mail keeps coming.

How long should I continue to write a forwarding address and post them on?

Our previous tenant's mail still comes occasionally and she left 3 years ago!

Does it cost much to have your mail forwarded by the Royal Mail?

Good morning all. Yes, it's a grey day today so having my hair cut falls well. Crafty, what do your work clothes look like? Mine are old loose trousers (not jeans), an old t shirt and most importantly comfy lace ups. When I lived in France the ladies wore a buttoned overall like apron over their nice frocks to do all the chores. I never saw them in "old" clothes as such.
Give your cat a bit longer Shandy. We knew ours were ready to explore new territory when they started scratching at the windows. Cats have minds of their own. We have always had cat flaps fitted as one of the first jobs but of course in rented properties you can't do that. It's a case of door duty.
You have all reminded me I had a beginner's bean growing gift for Christmas. I need to find it from the Christmas box in the loft. It certainly won't grow up there.
Have a good day.

I can buy seeds from a seed co-op or from our local allotments where the seeds are shared.
I left a carrot and a parsnip to go to seed one year and the huge plants became a fascination for visitors and fellow gardeners alike. Parsnips produce enough seed from one flower to plant a field.

Craftyone thank you. I'll have a go. Hopefully be harvesting some veggies this year.

whiff mostly from seeds and I have grown dwarf beans eg hestia, in pots. I intend to grow some in a trug with borage and trailing strawberries, trailing small tomatoes, spring onion, lettuces and so on, in one trug. DT Brown sell good veg plants but as always in amounts too big for my sole use. I have ordered tomatoes and strawberries but still intend to sow ferline tomato seed too, for a garden raised bed. Best way with runner beans is to carefully sprout on wet kitchen roll and then gently lay them in a half full small pot and cover. At least you know if the seed is viable. I use the same pack for 2-3 years if I can get away with it

Your cat hasn`t had enough time shandy, ours needed about 2 months but it was a test for your cat

I made another trug last night, it leaves me aching because it is so hard to screw so that the screws cut metal and there are 12 of these very long screws. I have to lean hard and turn slowly but the trugs are very solid and will never flop. I dare not use my electric driver, if I go wonky then I will not be cutting a straight hole. I need to plan my trug planting later, have done all the rotations for my raised beds and am aware that I cannot be planting eg spring onion in the same place twice

A dismal day ahead, looks grey all day but may well have no rain between 1 and 8. So I am getting changed into my work clothes again and will build the trug parts, ready to assemble outside later. I think I will keep the 2 big boxes to cut flat, to protect the bench as I need to lay it on its back for preserving, maybe saturday as I need a long dry stretch

Ellianne no wonder your dog and cat look happy what a sun trap.

Shandy57 sorry to hear about your cat. But at least you can keep her in. Do people walk cats on leads like dogs? Don't have pets and don't know if it's possible. A friend of mine has 3 cats and she hasn't got a cat flap. She is forever up and down letting them in and out. Is that normal ?

Craftyone when you grow veg do you buy the seeds or plants? Years ago I grew some runner beans from seeds and had a bumper crop. But the following year not a single bean. Think I would like to have a go at something this year but don't know what yet. Any ideas for someone who isn't green fingered.

Tried my puss cat out again tonight at 7.30 pm, deliberately didn't give her supper .... went outside with her with my dog on the lead, left the back door open so she could go back inside if she wanted to - and this time she shot off at great speed very determinedly in the direction of the Station. I gave her until 9 pm, then walked up to look for her - as I thought, she was in the garden. Luckily managed to get her in the basket without being clawed to bits.

She is 15 and has only known our old house and garden. I do feel mean taking her out of her safe territory and after doing some research see that this could be 'forbidden territory' here and is over the boundary she would normally have gone. We saw the tom cat today and he is huge.

I am not going to risk losing her being run over trying to go back to our house all the time, I'm going to keep her in for another few weeks whilst its cold weather and see what happens when I let her out again.

How lovely Ellianne, perfect positioning!

I'm going to keep the paperwork until I've sold, just in case amongst this huge pile there is a hidden 'deed' or 'convenant'!

Three boxes of paperwork done, another hour and it's my Crown reward time! Managed to watch the Great Throw Down on the laptop last night, I'm getting better at this techie stuff, although still find 'Adobe' hard to figure out.

I think it would be different for a business ellianne, 7 years I would think but residential is done and dusted.

Its a lovely day today, feelgood sunshine. More pottering done and now time to relax for the rest of the day

Oh Ellianne. what a lovely picture! They look so contented - I'm quite jealous. I love your chair. We've lived in a 4 bed bungalow for 30 years, kids been and gone, much too big for us now but we love bungalow living and can't imagine going back to a house now. We're doing it up while we're still working and if we get a bit skint when we're retired (no big pensions I'm afraid) we could let a couple of rooms on air bandb

All choosing their sunny spot for the morning!

Cafty have you disposed of EVERYTHING relating to your previous house? I can't remember the rules because several of our main houses were businesses and we had to keep everything for 7 years. Are residential properties over and done with at the point of sale? If yes, I'll go and look for my shredder too.

I am glad you are enjoying yourself Franbern. Have you persuaded anyone else to move to the west country yet?

co-incidentally this morning I shredded legal documents for my last house, the ones that referred to the land registry, that the solicitor sent. I need the shreds anyway, for the new tiger worms in my compost bins. They are digesting compost quicker than I can provide peelings

We didn't actually set out to choose a bungalow, infact we only viewed two amongst several houses and ended up buying this one. I think it was location that really swayed it but subsequently we have discovered many advantages.
It is of course easier to get out of bed, stumble into the kitchen for a coffee, go back to the bedroom to grab some toiletries, head for the shower, back to the bedroom to get dressed, into the kitchen for breakfast, back to the bathroom to clean teeth etc. etc. all in a few steps. That path must have a permanent trodden indent.
Then there's the sociability aspect. I know many of you live alone but while there are two of us it's quite nice to be closer together to chat as we go about daily chores and even when family come to stay it's quite funny and less formal bumping into people getting dressed or just pottering from room to room. And we're also hoping it will be cosy and compact for one on their own too and easier to manage.
Shandy the dog and cats love it too and find different areas to stretch out. In our previous house we used to have a stair gate for the dogs which was a pain and several times cats got shut in accidentally in upstairs bedrooms (even once when we went on holiday!) The garden wraps round the bungalow so they have plenty of exploring territory and pop up all over the place.
I could go on ........ the only downsides are that you get bungalow knees and it is actually just as costly to heat because the warmth has further to spread round more corners.
Franbern I know Edmonton IKEA was on a busy road but be prepared for a scary drive on the roads around the Bristol one if you end up on the motorway. Cribbs is equally frantic too. Luckily we have a lovely new IKEA on our side of the estuary just outside Exeter. We have joined the family loyalty card.
Have a good day everyone.

I think Shandy is a babe compared to some of us so maybe her next home won't be her final one.
I am thinking about my in-laws who kept trying different styles of living. The only thing they never did was to build from scratch. They restored 2 houses from derelict. Now they are in their mid 90s they have stopped talking about moving house!.
We had a lovely look through their photo albums yesterday, trying to work out who everyone was and to label them!

I do agree about having a downstairs loo. We had one put in.
How nice to see your old friends and haunts Franbern. It's not so far away.