Help calm me. House buying and selling stress. Part 6

I did `stuff` things away in the first weeks after I moved in, I never thought I would get straight when I was surrounded by boxes. I have just explored a base unit corner cupboard in my utility and found som things I have been looking for,was afaraid that I had thrown them out. Plus there were bits and pieces in there eg the free samples that came with my washing machine

I almost threw my storage trays away, the cheap ones from poundland but yet again they are being useful, small enough to get into the small corner openings and big enough to stand spares in, the spare cloths and sponges, which I will run down over time. All I have to do now is pull the trays out and not crick my neck looking for them.It really is a ltttle bit at a time and one by one I am exploring spaces that I don`t use often

Had a busy morning. Spent 3.5 hours in the front garden. Weeded the wall boarder and put down 150l of compost. Transplanted 3 shrubs from the back to the boarder. Completely knackered. Will definitely be having a nap after lunch. Very hot.

Looks like it is going to be another nice day. Didn't have a nap yesterday afternoon but started to watch Gardner's world next think I knew it was 10.45. At least I can watch it on iPlayer. Pond baskets and compost arrived yesterday so I can pot up my plant hopefully the other one will arrive today. Only ordered 3 Hornwort, lesser spearwort and a black water iris. It's not a big pond as it's made out of a large plastic plant holder . If it works might get another one. My dad made a pond out of our old avocado bath. He filled the plug hole with cement and put it on the second patio. Then built up a wall all round it from rocks so wild life could get to it. Had several water plants can't remember the names but he had 2 different coloured water lilies. Which where still flowering when we sold the house after my mom died in 2017. It had newts , frogs and toads plus various water bugs. It used to get that full of eggs he gave them away by the jar full to neighbours children. It was a source of many hours pond watching for me and my brother and our children.

Do any of you have fond memories you wish to share?

Hello everyone,

Hope all is well with each of you and things are going to plan for you.

The last week and a half has been spent sorting out Mum's things. I'm so pleased that we had a huge clean out 4 years ago when she went into the aged care place but it is amazing just what she managed to accumulate in the last 4 years.

Mum had for many years wanted to donate her body to medical science and had made all of the arrangements for this to happen. She had confirmed the details, so she told me, just a few weeks ago. However because of COVID19 the university is not taking bodies at this time. This meant we had to do some quick thinking and decide what to do. There is nothing we could do about the donating and Mum would have been devastated but she would have had to accept it as there was nothing we could do about that. Because COVID19 has blown up in Melbourne with more cases confirmed in the last 3 weeks than in the previous 3 months restrictions being reimposed mean there can only be 10 people at a funeral. We have decided to have her cremated and will store her ashes until we can have a decent celebration of her life when things are more normal.
Victorians have virtually been banned from travelling into any other State and it looks as though that will be the norm for quite some time.

We found out a few days ago that there was a case of CV in Mum's care facility, fortunately we don't have to worry about that now. Aged care places are seeing big numbers of infection among both residents and staff.

At this stage it looks as though we will be going into tighter restrictions in the very near future. This second wave is much harder to deal with and far more frightening.

On the house hunting front there is no joy for us I'm afraid. We have our fingers crossed that by mid September the market will pick up and we will be able to do viewings in a realistic way and buy.

morning and thank goodness for a forthcoming cooler day. Whiff you are becoming the pond expert, we shall look to you with questions

I tossed and turned a bit, thinking about trains and how to get around without a car. I have done a bit more research and `discovered` that there is a decent train station just 11 miles from here. I could get to Bristol by train after taking a taxi to the station. That is quite a relief tbh. I would have to put up with changes at various stations but at least I could get about

My freezer is full to bursting after putting my bread slices in, milk, bread and a ready meal out today. That will help a bit but I am making yoghurt ice lollies this evening and they will have to go in. I need to potter today, I emptied 2 x 18 litre really useful boxes yesterday and want to do another 2 today. I have needed to do this since I moved eg I have too much sanding equipment

I went out and did a good hour of garden stuff last night, lots of pulling out, composting and weeding. Maybe again today. This blasted covid has put so many things on the back burner, nowadays it is all about making something of the day

cross posted spice, what you decided. for your mum, it is thoughtful, mum would agree.

Good morning, well the poor fencers have finished the first part of operation ‘get a fence up’ poor chaps it was around 30 degrees by about 11am, they finished around 3 pm and as they had worked until 8 pm the previous evening they had hope to get away early out of the heat, sadly their boss rang and said he had a small job for them to do, lots of huffing and puffing, but they had no choice. We kept them well watered though, not much else we could do really. When they come back in October it will probably be freezing cold.

We had to water the veg patch 3 times yesterday, I’ll pop out later and see if the lettuce and chard survived. Craftyone the tomatoes were in new Grobags on top of all new bagged John Innes ( I split the bottoms of the bags so that the roots had more to go down into) so it all should have been virus free, but yesterday I moved all of the soil out from that part of the Polytunnel and put it into a bin to use for flower pot planting next year.
If we go ahead with the Annexe we won’t have room for the veg garden so a decision will need to be made soon, before we decide what to do this Winter in the (small) Polytunnel.
I feel a bit guilty, after I had a chat with the Apple tree, warning it that if it didn’t get its act together this year it would be for the chop, it is laden with Apples, sadly if the building goes ahead it has to go anyway....Along with the Walnut tree, which has started to kill off various plants including a very old Rhubarb plant, who knew they were poisonous for a radius of 50 feet? Especially tomatoes, apparently.

Anyway we are due to have a barbecue later let’s hope the clouds go before then. Have a good day and stay cool and rested.

Oopsadaisy, many years ago we looked at building a log cabin and went through all of the pricing etc. What we found was that what we were quoted only related to "from the floor up". In other words any earthworks or foundations would cost extra. In our case it was a significant amount and we decided not to go ahead. The thing that annoyed us is that the sales reps were not really up front with the information is was something that sort f eventually came out.

I'm not saying this would be the same in UK but it might just be worth you checking.

spice hi there, yes the rep came out last week, the price includes everything, slab, services from the main house to the Annexe, paperwork for the local council for a permit, it even comes with all of the furniture, (which looks lovely , by the way.)
It’s a bit more complicated than I have put onto this forum, but if we decide to go ahead then we will need to go and see the ‘show homes’ , we have also asked for names and addresses of former purchasers so that we can contact them about the build and snagging that they have had done.( assuming they’re willing) I won’t put the Company any name on here, but if anyone wants it they can PM me. We have trawled through hours of online websites and videos To try to find a good one that will last.
It isn’t a cheap option so we are being very cautious.
And if it doesn’t go ahead then the veggie garden and Apple tree are
safe!

Spice sorry about your Mum, my MIL died during lockdown, no funeral ,but a ceremony when the whole family can get together to scatter her and FILs ashes, family was too far and wide and not allowed to travel and most of us, shielded so we thought it best. We know that she would have done the same thing and I’m sure your Mum wold be the same.

Oops a stray comma in there, no prizes for spotting it.....

And a typo! What a good start to the day

So sorry to hear of those having to organise funerals at this awful time. I also feel sorry for those whose upcoming planned weddings can no longer go ahead, as of yesterday's announcement.
Cloudy here today. Formula1 from Silverstone on TV so I shall watch that. I'm a speed junkie and would love to drive like that or fly with the Red Arrows.
Have a good day.

Oh Ellianne! I hoped you were going to say your daughter had her house! Do hope this week is the week.
Spice we had a Zoom ceremony for my husband, it just brought a little closure for the family. Like your mum he had arranged to leave his body to science.
Enjoy the cooler weather everyone.

Nope midgey, no exchange yet, it's driving me crazy. Mainly because it brings back memories of our last minute traumas 12 months ago!
Unless you hassle them daily solicitors sit there thinking what's another week or two in the bigger picture. My husband, (call him a bulldozer), is good at badgering to get things done, we've learnt from experience and our jobs. Our daughter is young and more passive, (more sweet natured!), but I can see that in itself sometimes causes more grief and stress when you want things done.
Thank you for asking. Fingers crossed for next week.

This is certainly dragging out ellianne, You get to friday and sink a bit lower, knowing that it would be at the least, another full week of waiting and wondering. Been there, done that

I got myself stuck into garage sorting today, I think I had better call it workshop cum storage cum garden cum cycling gear, anything except a garage. One mess certainly leads to another and now the kitchen has turned upside down as if by magic. So far I have 6 empty 18 litre really useful boxes, by combining, passing on and getting rid of stuff.

Soon I will do the household box, packed full with brushes, tapes, ties, pollyfilla, you name it. All I want to do is flatten it a bit so I don`t need to force the lid on. Later again I will start on my wood and like house hunting, I will need to be objective ie what do I really want to keep. 6 boxes and 2 large full shelves. I need to halve that and next time will quarter. Much is sentimental from past years

Morning all, overcast and thundery feeling here.

Pinch and a punch for the start of the month! I was dismayed to find it getting dark by 9 pm last night, the best of the summer light nights are over.

The village is heaving with visitors, the local dog friendly cafe has reopened and there was huge queue. I am being very careful and wearing my mask dog walking now, people are coming so close.

Great to read all your news. Sorry you have such a sad task ahead of you Spice101, big hugs. Good luck and positive thoughts for your daughter Ellianne.

I've just written my packing list for Broadstairs, and now have to work on my budget. I've never been good with money but it's time to 'lockdown' my spending, I am going to write down everything I spend in my diary each day.

Enjoy your day whatever you are doing

writing down daily spending reminds me of 1984 ish, I had to do that for us to survive. It works, seeing it in black and white

I am getting a felt crafting kit today, need to be handy for dpd delivery. I signed up for a monthly kit but, now I am in saving mode, will cancel the direct debit. Every little does add up

Don't know about pond expert Craftyone. My other pond plant arrived today. Went into the garden. You would not believe how many stones and rocks it took. Fingers crossed it all survives. Put all my new plants in and used another 50l of compost. It's started to get hot again.

When weeding my mind wonders ,today it was about how many categories of clothes I've got. Best, house, shopping, gardening and exercise. Am I weird or does anyone else do that?

oh I do that all the time, nothing wrong with a wondering mind, its how we solve problems and sort things

I am cream crackered, haven`t stopped the whole day and must psyche myself for family zoom at 4. I think this one has themes but I said I will just watch, my energy has disappeared. Car is partly loaded, I am taking the bulk of discarded wood to re-cycling tomorrow. This is a very hard job, husband sourced most of it for his carving projects and there is now far too much as I added to it in moments of grief defined madness. I have to keep telling myself a bit at a time. It was easier to sort his clothes right away, than this now. I am not sad but it seems such a waste but I don`t want to hoard for the sake of it

The upside of my work is good, I now have many big good empty really useful boxes. Too good to get rid off but I will wait and see what the long term future brings. They still had their inventory numbers on them from my move

morning all, I hope you have a nice day today

I was up at 5 today and you know me, I cannot wait to get things done, I set to straight away to replace all the bed castors. They are heavy hefalump mattresses, even as singles so I am grateful to be still strong. All done after a few bad moments which a bit of oil sorted, I think as bad were the very heavy headboards, two of them to line up. Anyway its done, mattress 1 is due to be replaced in 2025, when I will swap for the 3 month used bed 2 and I may well get rid of bed 1 at that stage

I had to empty under both beds first, they are hypnos hideaway bases, the first bed was much better, I had de-cluttered that one a couple of weeks ago. Bed 2 had moth proofed storage below, all fibres and wool, nothing will go back under that one, I can assimilate into my de-cluttered cupboard in another bedroom. I think this is called reaping rewards, de-cluttering made space which is helping me now

It is like my loft, would be out of sight and out of mind, so I am not going to fill it

Mentally I want to get cycling today but doubt if I will have the energy or time. I am slowly garden-clearing, as flowering plants finish, they are composted. It ran rampant last month and at least now we are in quiet time for growth, then the september flush and then garden wrapping for hibernation

I have to go to the tip later and need a shower after my lovely yorkshire gold tea

You know, I thought I had de-cluttered for this move and I had de-cluttered a lot but no-where near enough when taking age and needs into consideration, the fact that I am basically living on my own 100% of the time

So in that frame of mind and as long as I can keep it, then I have more areas to de-clutter but in good time

Good moo ning. Here are some friends I met yesterday as I turned a corner! Luckily our dog is a gentle soul and takes no notice so there was no problem skirting round them!
Decluttering after a move isn't too difficult. I am telling myself if I haven't used things within the year we've been here, then we don't need them. Like some of you I have piles of bed linen and blankets that need to be sorted and discarded, so while it is a bit cooler at the beginning of this week I will do that.
I'm trying to take my mind off the rumours that Londoners inside the M25 could be put into lockdown, I assume to protect the economy. My DD needs to exchange asap if that is to happen. It is so stressful.
Have a good day everyone.

I had an early start to. Put lemons and limes on to simmer at 5.20 I want to make marmalade tomorrow. So much for pegging my washing out it's just started to rain. Hopefully it will dry up later and I can finish weeding the garden. Other wise need to finish off my cross stitch birthday cards and now my under bed storage boxes arrived need to sort out what to put in them.

Ellianne hope your daughter exchanges this week. It's a big worry for you all.

As usual Craftyone you have been a hive of activity again.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Just popping in quickly, as I have a couple of hours to myself/
Having a busy and lovely time,. My daughter drove all the way to Essex to collect a friend of mine and brought her back to stay with me for a couple of days. We had such a lovely, chatty, relaxing time. Went for a walk (me on my scooter), along the promenade and watched little children playing happily on the beach. It is such a long beach a WsM, that there is a great deal of room for each family to be well spaced out from the others. It is wonderful - no matter how much life changes, and technology comes in, children still get so much fun out of building sand castles, etc
My friend bought herself an ice cream at PJ's which is officially the second best ice cream parlour in England (But I think is the best!). On Friday (after breakfast taken on my balcony), we had intended to get the open top bus along the front to Sand Bay, but never made it. On the way down to the bus stop, we had a rest at the end of High Street, where the Council has placed a whole of lot of nice tables and chairs (which they clean each time people move off them), and treated ourselves to drinks (and cake) from a very nice Coffee House. Then sat there under the tree on the grass, chatting, and people watching. It is was fun, interesting and cool. Back home for lunch and then noticed my daughter had invited us to her garden for a BBQ in the afternoon. We had a lovely time there and my friend was so fascinated at how much those g.children had grown - she has not seen them for several years.
Then yesterday I accompanied them as my daughter drove her back home. Later this morning my youngest daughter will be arriving with her two little girls for a couple of days. She is staying at a local hotel, but will spend all waking hours with me.
By the time they leave, think I will be grateful for a restful few days.
My curtains looks gorgeous. (Still waiting for tie-backs and matching cushions). Have the old Living Room ones all ready to be advertised, when I get the time.
We are supposed to be in for a good August weatherwise - going to be hot by next weekend again. Take it easy everyone, and enjoy this last month of summer.

Morning all, sunny again! This sunny/rainy weather seems to be bringing out the mozzies, I've got bites everywhere.

Great to read all your news.

I am getting a bit concerned that my travel plans will have to change because of new lockdown rules, just keeping my fingers crossed. I am nervous to plan for a third trip yet, so may just focus on Kent and Devon.

I couldn't face my budget yesterday, so it's crunching numbers for me this afternoon.

Enjoy your day