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

Loopyloo, yes indeed acres from the sale of one small house in London.
I had planned optician visit for April, when I go every year, but of course have only just been. New lenses in varifocals, new lenses in long distanced driving specs, and a new prescription reading glass (to replace the ones i lost a year ago). All so much money, although definitely cheaper than I would have paid at my London optician. I do make a monthly allowance for this, so are included in my detail of expenses.

I knew I would need new curtains when I moved. Left all my ones at the house 'in situ'. When I was choosing the material, I decided that this is almost definitely the very last time I will have new curtains, not even to bother to ask price of fabric, just choose what I liked. So very expensive - BUT (as my kids keep telling me) that is what my savings are for, not to keep in banks. At least now I do not as I have done in the past always say I needed to keep a large sum in case something big occured, like needing a new roof!!!

Been such a busy day. By the time the curtain people left, I finished off the bread, started off some Belgium buns -my daughter we are visiting loves these, Then my other daughter arrived as she always does on Tuesdays for our time together (no children). she helped move the tv and stand further back as the curtain people had slightly moved my cupboard with all my DVD's and CD's in it and there was not room to open it. New curtains go a little further over the wall than the previous ones.

She also helped me prepare to spare room bed ready for my guest coming on Thursday. So much easier making this up with two of us. Between making us our tea, finished off the belgium buns, clearing away and making a packed lunch ready for tomorrow, I have only just now at 7.30 been able to site down to relax. All good and successful though. Will take some of the buns with, but keep a few back to have here.

Many , many years ago, I used to make bread when the children were small - totally by hand. But have not done much yeast cookery for a very long time. Twice have tried bread makers and never found it them successful. Now I just use the dough hook on my small Kenwood, and find it all works very well, without any hard work from me. A skill I have developed and mastered during lockdown.

Expensive afternoon. Went to the hairdressers, very safe and careful then a quick espresso then to opticians for eye test. New specs ordered. As am very short-sighted the extra thin glass is an arm and a leg. But it was less than our recent garage bill. Bread and cheese for dinner tonight.
This is the thing. Not spending any money all through lockdown now catching up.
The metal collector is coming tomorrow am to help get the RSJ to the road. Must admit it's quite easy to move on the rollers. Like Stonehenge.
If we sold our little ex council house in East London, how many acres could we buy in the countryside?

Everyone's been busy again. My daughter and grandson took me to Dobbies garden centre. I was able to get a lot of plants and got some violas out of the sale part should have been 3.99 got them for 79p . There where 10 plants in each pack. My heathers arrived from eBay today so I put them in the front garden. Got compost etc coming from my local DIY store. Delivering in the morning. Only ordered the things at 4. That's what I call service. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow so I can go into the garden.

The window dressings sound very nice Franbern. Window dressings were never something that I factored into moving house but they are so very expensive

Shandy that dog should have had a car restraint on, they were breaking the law, I am glad your vet jumped into action

Productive so far today and still waiting for a call, unusually I am having to walk around with my phone. Hate that, I am not at all tied to my phone, can barely remember my own number

lots of cooked wholegrain rice portions are now in the freezer, cooked in my rice cooker and cooled very quickly on a tray balanced on freezer packs. We need about 30% carbs per day and I prefer to use one lot of electricity

Rest time now, will be knitting and watching escape which is in s wales, I lived there for 30 years and very happily, lots of horse riding there and cycling.

Loopyloo, do take care with moving that rsj. I also feel that I have, at the most, ten more years, but each year at present is a bonus.

My curtain lady has been , new track all fitted along large window /patio door, all ready fior her to hang the new curtains there on Thursday morning. Roman blind and matching new curtains hung in my bedroom. They look lovely,. I have also arranged for her to quote me for having new vertical
blinds in the Living room. The ones thee are a greenish colour which matched the previous decor, and I want bright plain white ones.

Have made two small Cholla loaves, one to take with tomorrow when I go down to Devon. Do love this bread and it is so easy to make.

Shandy, sounds frightening with that dog - surely the owners should have better control of him. For everybodyl;s sake.

Nice bright day here, forecast is very hot weather for the end of the week. Hope that it stays warm when my two young g.daughters are here at weekend so they can go on the beach.

I am hopping back and forth today, waiting for the car dealer to ring me about them collecting my car tomorrow for service and mot

veggies now picked for lunch, all fresh as can be

I also am prepped for 2 long fermentation loaves, will leave to ferment slowly in the fridge overnight and then final quick knead and bake around lunchtime tomorrow. I shall slice with my electric slicing machine, I almost always use that when I make sd loaves as the crust behaves better. Then I will freeze in small packages in 2 bigger zip lock bags, freezing will change the starch to resistant starch, much better for digestion

I would go for a good cycle ride today but must wait for a phone call and then also wait in tomorrow. I may use my indoor exercise bike or may set up my rebounder again, in the garage. I can sort of sniff early end to summer in the air, tomatoes etc are all fighting to get their fruits ripened and beans are producing like billyo, borage is starting to fade down and courgette leaves, the lower ones are getting that fine white coating that says it is nearly time and they would certainly like to produce marrows but I don`t let them

Hello everyone, I am glad I have you to talk to.

I was standing outside talking to the vet with my dog, when a car spun into the car park making the gravel shoot everywhere. A man got out, opened the boot, and a labrador shot out and ran out, running around the car park frantically, it is open to the very busy main road. The dog wasn't wearing a collar, and the man seemed frozen to the spot holding a rope like lead. His wife had got out by this point and was also standing like a statue. Luckily the vet was alert and ran after the dog and managed to get him into the building. I was really angry at their complete lack of awareness, neither of them was masked up either. Was very glad not to witness an RTA. Have to pick my dog up about 4 pm, they are also going to take a sample from the lump on his back. I do miss my little mate, but managed to have a good mooch about in the second hand bookshop, and had a sneaky bacon sandwich. I haven't eaten meat for ten years, I won't again, nearly choked me!

Very good advice Franbern about living in the present. The other day I thought if I am lucky I might have 10 years left and I would not want to get there and realise that all the things I worried about had not happened and I might as well have enjoyed myself!
Now I have decided to have an achievement day today by getting some things done.
On the list is moving a 13ft rsj to the front of our property. It's on wooden rollers so I can move it bit by bit. Then hopefully the metal collectors will pick it up. Then will start working on the second one.
Then will pick blackberries.
Have a good day everyone.

My children were ecstatic yesterday, what I have done is given them the freedom to make their future housing choices, we will end up living much closer to each other with good public transport to them. So that is why I did a little research and an equivalent house to this would be 50k cheaper in and around the area that we used to live in. I have no intention of sitting back and waiting, they needed to know, I have a very open mind to the future. My ds was pretty well whooping with glee on the phone yesterday, it was heart lifting

Anyway I have settled down again and am liking the slightly cooler weather, still t shirt though. 2 traybakes in at one time in the oven, I still have some freezer space. A beautiful day outside but soggy ground

My daughter text me last night to say that the very large 3-bedroom flat at the very top of this block is on the market. (She tells me off for watching Rightmove!!!

I knew it was there, and knew it was 3 good sized bedrooms, but it really is very large. More spacious than very many 3 bedroom houses Enormous Kitchen./Diner and the patio area (across the roof) is a really good sized garden - greenhouse and all. quite pricey though. Hope it sells quickly - be good NOT to be the 'newbie' here.

Oh Craftyone, - just a word of warning - really kindly meant. Try to live in the present, and not some future that may never happen.

Who knows what the next seven or so years will bring any of us. Surely, this strange year we are going through at present show that no plans can really be put in place so far ahead, and so dependant on other people.

Do not think money is ever wasted in spending it (provided you have it), on making your own existing home more comfortable and easier to run.

I loved the fitted bedroom in my last house, did mean when I moved that all I could bring with me was my bed and a couple of bedside cabinets. Was fun then to sort out my new bedroom. Fitted furniture not only gives so much more space internally, but cuts down on housework (always a good point in its favour)!!

Adult childrens' lives can change a great deal in seven years, as, indeed, so can yours. If.....and it can be a very, very big IF....such a move becomes desirable at that time, then fine. Probability is that is may never happen - so carry on making your NOW home as lovely as comfortable and as beautiful as you wish.

The thing is that I may never go, it depends on dd and her family but I wanted to explore the potential, I didn`t want to get that announcement in 7 years and be flummoxed. It sounds like a long time ahead but it isn`t and really I wish I had not done certain things in those last 7 years in my other house eg all that money on a gorgeous kitchen

Now I will sit back and enjoy all that my house has to offer and certainly no changing the bath to a big walk in shower etc. Little by little I will be using up fuel stash, craft stash, garden and food stash and so on. It crossed my mind last week to get a fitted bedroom, that idea has gone. We did that once before and never had our money worth from it.

It does mean to me that the future is still exciting, that there is still scope for change. DS and DD are very excited and pleased that I would move. I wonder if this thread will still be running then?

Morning all, sunny today.

Interesting to read of your future move craftyone, I didn't expect that! I've only been to the Lakes once. Very beautiful, hope you can get somewhere 'with a view'.

Up early because my dog has to have a dental clean today, I feel so sorry, he's sitting by his water bowl calling me because he's hungry. My cat is sitting next to me clawing me too as she wants her breakfast. I don't have to take him in until 9, taking him out for a long sniffari in a minute then driving straight to the vet.

Enjoy your day

yes I love where I am but I love my dd family more and we will need to be close enough. I have already been browsing RM, just to get an idea of current price comparisons, so that I don`t get a shock later. Amazing, there are direct trains to my preferred area from glasgow, so I could see ds much more often, only a 2 hour journey. Prices in the area I would rather go to are kinder than here. For me it would be south lakes and not n lakes, the area that dd fancies is very prone to bad flooding, if I went up that far we would both have to live on hills but they would get more for their money in s lakes

So I am not apprehensive or overwhelmed and if it happens, that dd and family do decide to move up there then I will soon follow. Life has twisty roads and now I am ready to follow that path, whatever it might be. It will not take me by surprise which is a good thing

Craftyone, long term plan for you for the future. Thought you were settled in your new home. Hope it all works out for you. Yes you are correct about my age, and you will need lots of help with that move. I was surprised how much I need at the end of last year. Think as you move up your 70's you do really start the aging process.

I will never move again, and am very settled into spending the rest of my life here.

After early heavy rain, it did clear up this afternoon and now in the evening can even see some blue sky. Supposed to be very hot towards end of week. Too hot!!!

Got a lot of cooking to do tomorrow, and curtain lady coming with her rail fitter.

Its always nice to plan a head Craftyone. When I go ill my husband said right we change our way we live to what we can all do together as a family. After that we always planned 10 + years in the future. After he died I still plan like that. That's why I have had so much done to the bungalow . All the things I've had done won't need doing again apart ,from decorating in years to come. Since he died having a routine and future plans helps me get through each day. We all need ways to cope with life. And everyone's ways are different.

It seems as though I will be heading up north in the future. Dd and her husband will be heading up to the north lake district when the children have left school. I would quite like to go back to the lake district anyway, so this will not be my forever home, here in the sw. That is ok, at least I now know not to do anything expensive to this property

I will also be closer to son in glasgow and have better access to my sister in the nw. Wow, I kind of expected something one day but I knew that this would be after the children have left comp. I decided to ask what their plans were for the furure, we were discussing mortgages etc and it was a good time to ask. I calculate that I will be 79. Franbern same as you, I think

So now I am going to forward think for a `what if` situation.I will save up because I have spent too much cash and need to replenish. In a way it is good to have a long time to prep, my last house was a 10 year occupation and that went very quickly. Naturally I will not do anything until they have actually moved but it is certainly good to be able to tentatively plan ahead because next time will be the very real downsize

It's so very rainy today, I think I'll buy a boat!

back for another very short time, family are coming for lunch

Back in the 70s/80s when we lived in the lake district, sedgwick a village near kendal, we beonged to a suma wholefood co-operative, We took turns packing so never got to meet everyone. It was a wonderful way to get good food cheaper and I believe that we were in at the start of the wholefood revolution. I have always used wholefoods when I could, ever since.

Shandy, photos of properties!! Used to really annoy me when flats would have say, ten photos, but five or six of those were of the view over the beach. What I wanted to see were the rooms, etc. You do sound as if you are treating it all very seriously now.

Craftyone, when we moved to Chingford in 1976, I got friendly with a largish group of young, broke, middle-class professional parents with young children (similar to us). We formed our own co-operative - for about three of four years in the late 70's these became very popular. Although we had supermarkets, could not then purchase bulk quantities of items. So, a few places set up warehouses, where this could be done. Each family in this co-op had to put in a sum of money. Then once a month we met up to decide what we should purchase. Dry foods were popular, rice, flour, etc. dried fruit. toilet rolls, etc. Wish I had kept some of those sheets we worked from - can well remember it would often say 'may contain live elements' in some of that dried stuff.

Then two people with the largest estate cars would drive over to make the purchases and on the Sunday we would all meet up at a particular house which did have lots of spare room, to share it all out. My older children can really remember those Sundays, as the house had a house in the trees. Only time it went really wrong when we decided to get a large drum of honey. Those who wanted some took their own clean empty 1 lb jars. Think a message went out to every Bee and Wasp within a 20mile area - and it was a disaster. Never tried that one again!!

I am now, as usual on Mondays, back home from my shop, all put away. Big shop this week, as am being visited firstly for a couple of days staying with me a friend from Loughton, and then my youngest daughter and her little girls - although they are staying at nearby B&B will be with me for all other meals.

I continue to marvel at how empty my large Sainsbury is early on Monday mornings. Love going at that time, so few of us in the store.

shandy, priority. You will need to take paper evidence of the cash you have available, or a signed statement from your solicitor to that effect. Don`t forget because the EA will not accept any cash offer without the written evidence

Got to run but have very much enjoyed the latest posts

Morning all, raining today.

Great to read your news. That's a nice childhood memory Whiff, he'd be glad to know you still make jam and preserves

Not sure what to do with myself this morning, I have the electrician's coming for four hours. I've walked my dog but think I'll have to put him in the car while they are here.

I've now emailed and asked to see three bungalows and two houses, whether they are still available is yet to be seen, I have phoned about three others and they were under offer. Either the EA is slow to update Rightmove, or it's just happened. Now I am looking carefully I think it is time for EA listings to be standardised. Some listings only have three photos, some have ten and four of them are the same - it's very erratic. The listings are also lacking in detail in some cases. At least I now know what sudg means!

Enjoy your day whatever you are doing

Franbern that was a journey and half. Hope they haven't got the rain we have at the moment. It's like a waterfall.

My dad was a factory worker he did 3 shifts. . When his shifts allowed he would go to Kidderminster. Every Thursday there was an indoor product auction and outdoor household market . Dad loved to go and bid on fruit and veg . I went with him in my school holidays. Dad was a crafty bidder you never saw his sign . The auctioneer always did. It used to drive shop owners mad when dad out bid them. I remember him buying crates of various fruit and veg always in season usually 20 crates or sacks of each that was the usual lots. Caulis worked out at 1p each, Bramley's the same, damsons 5p a pound, carrots 2p a pound etc. I used to stand with them while he got the car and there would be a queue of people waiting to buy. He always had bags
and scales in the car. He always made a profit. He only sold a small amount there. Once home he set aside what we where to keep. And then the neighbours would come . He also took stuff to work as his work mates would have given him a list from their wives . Once asked him why he didn't have a shop. He said he would have to charge to much to make a going concern and it wouldn't be fun. To him this was one of his hobbies along with wine, jam and perserve making. He was a brilliant gardener. Don't know why that popped into my mind this morning.

Hope you like my memory.

Back home now. Was very pleasant, small car boot sale. It is new, not there in previous years, so just in its third week, But very pleasant, did get some nice hand cream , had a long chat with the LGTB people at the stall they were running. My daughter has long been involved in this organisation locally (indeed, was awarded a special award by them a couple of years back).

Back to my daughters to discuss food arrangements for the next week - very busy one. Had lunch there and no back home.

Last night my eldest daughter phoned me to say she had safely arrived in Bideford, Devon for holiday. Whenever, any of mine are travelling far they know I like to hear of their safe arrival. Have been like this since the death of my youngest son!! Sounded a dreadful journey as the M4 had been closed and they had been directed all around different A roads. Does seem a little daft to shut a major route westward from London on a holiday Saturday,. This was a planned closure to put up some bridges. Thought they would have done this at night only - her journey, which she had timed for 4 1/2 hrs maximum, took her nearly 7 hours. But at least they are safely there.

Missed out Franbern