Help calm me. House buying and selling stress *Part 9*

Spice101

We change our smoke alarm batteries at the change to and from daylight saving.

Twice a year. At the start of daylight saving and again when it ends

Ahh, the guidance here is 12-15 months. I have the batteries and found the easychange tool, One more wash to go out and then upstairs with the ladder

The 4 batteries cost me £15, they are the good ones, so will last the full course

finished and nearly deafened because I did a test and all the alarms went off. The one in the livig room is different and does not have a replaceable battery. It is actually carbon monoxide and heat, reassuring, the sensors will degrade over time and then the whole unit will have to be replaced. I think 10 years and paperwork should have been left here

The one upstairs had a varta battery, not what I usually buy so I am thinking, maybe I never replaced that one last year

Before doing the job, switch the electric off via the small switch marked as smoke alarm. It was not difficult

Glad it's all done karmalady, perfectly safe now. I was disappointed when I moved in here. No keys for the windows were my first outlay, then the wired smoke detector and heat detector were two years out of date. Had to change the battery in the old kitchen heat detector first week I was here, glad the new one is rechargeable now. Luckily my electrician is very reasonable, I think I told you I also had to pay for 17 spotlight transformers, wouldn't work with LED's.

Put a notice on our notice board to find out if anyone else in flats had problems with TV reception - and yes several did. So, the problem was not just something to do with my 'spaghetti'.

Discovered that the aerial that feeds all the flats is situated in the open joined to the edge of one of the roofs, and I have been told that during that heavy rain, water cascaded over it - so that was what caused the problems with reception. So, when the engineer does come this afternoon, will take him to look at the aerial ( which has been there for a very long time_) and ask if something more up to date and less likely to have problems can be installed.

Just back indoor from my last stint at the library for the Summer Reading challenge, will miss this - definitely hope to be able to do it again next summer. One of my g.children is now employed there so before I volunteered this year I did ask her Mum (My daughter) to check out if she would mind me being there so much - fortunately, she did not and even came over each time to say Hello to me. Always so concerned about embarrassing teenagers!!!!

Beautiful bright sunny and quite warm day today. Will spend afternoon waiting for engineer and trying to sort out the e3ffect of that train cancellation will have on me.

I am so happy that I have so much recorded on my Himax to watch - am giving all main news channels a total miss at present.

Just before waking, when thoughts go through my head. That alarm and what if, I would have grabbed my small suitcase containing all my papers and some money cards. Then I realised that I do keep cash in a pocket in the bag, just a place right now, to keep some cash but what a useful thing that would be in an emergency like that

It makes sense now for me to get a bag together with undies etc. I have a small bag that would be ideal. Undies, light trousers, couple of light tops, very light packamac in a bag. Basic toiletries.

What would be missing would be passwords, the book all that info is in is quite big. I am assuming I might not get to my laptop and would have to start afresh. So that and the small bag are things I will gather on a rainy (boring) day. Info to transfer into a very small compact notebook and keep in my case.

Car key and purse are already together and handy to grab

Looks like a nice day ahead, I have heavy garden stuf to do

No engineer turned up or made any contact with me. Oh well, everything is working back to normal now. Think this is something to be kept in mind for the future.

Looks like it is going to be another dry, warm and sunny day. I am planning to have my daughter accompany me on a short trip on a bus, using my new wheelchair. I really want to do this accompanied the first time before i will be brave enough to do it by myself.

My son phoned me yesterday slightly concerned about my visit to him next weekend. I will now be returning on a Bank Holiday - so hopefully it might mean less crowded trains, although I have already received an email from Aventi informing me that they have re-scheduled their time-table for the autumn/winter so the train I am booked on for the first leg of my journey home no longer exists. I have chosen an alternative, but need to contact Passenger Assistance to make amendments to arrangements. Amazing how companies can just do this long after accepting bookings.

The new arrangement will mean that I will have to wait at Birmingham for well over an hour, but it will be
the lunch time so will find somewhere there to treat myself to a nice lunch and (with my kindle) the time will pass quite quickly. Will still be back home mid-afternoon.

Before that I am looking forward to the first few days of next week to take life a little easy - I have been extremely busy over the past couple of weeks, and think I need to sit back and unwind.

I thought of you yesterday Franbern, my internet connection dropped off twice yesterday and I spent over thirty minutes with a TalkTalk chat person - I think, I'm not sure if it was a robot, kept asking the most peculiar questions! Didn't resolve my query so I'm going to buy a new filter on Amazon, I've had the same router/filter for years and asked three times for a new one, request was ignored. The laptop is still my tv at the moment and I'm looking forward to watching 'Capture' tonight, would be upset to miss it. Sorry the train wait is so long, good you have plans for the wait.

And do take it easy, I think I've been overdoing it for 'my age'. I've woken up feeling most peculiar, light headed and a bit dizzy, so found my blood pressure machine. I had been to the doctors about this a few years ago. High readings but I hadn't been back from a dog walk for long, taking them again later. Couldn't believe it, the batteries needed changing, luckily I'd bought some AAA's recently but didn't expect to use all four at once! I have just started adding salt to my food again, must stop Just love eggs with salt, cutting them out again.

Warm and a bit sunny today thankfully. I've managed to get my wooden clothes horse into the bath to take my wet coats, I'm going to shop for a metal 'over the bath' wrack so I have a system for the future. I was going to get my sheila maid installed but don't think the false ceiling will take the weight.
The window is always open a crack for ventilation and I've got an extractor fan too.

Have a good day everyone.

plusnet sent me a new router and filter. I hope you are sorted soon, both of you. Get on the beetroot razz

I am absolutely shattered, have been working outside since 7.30, it was a lovely day but each thud of my gorilla bar took a lot more effort this afternoon. My hands are feeling it now. Two tip runs laden with bags of unwanted plants and stones. Big mistake planting all that asparagus when I did, it overwhelmed my little garden. Ginormous very deep roots too

Trying hard to not nod off this evening. I am going to get ready for bed early

Cannot praise Passenger Assistance enough. Phoned yesterday to amend my arrangements due to trains being cancelled, etc. So helpful. They quickly made all the new arrangements and booked me seats on the new time trains I will be using.

Bus journey success was mixed. I was concerned that there is always a small gap between pavement and bus (here, all bus stops have raised kerbs to be level with bus entries), I did not know that they also housed a ramp. Using that no problem about getting on and off. Had a little problem when trying to manouvre the chair to turn it round to get off - but that will get easier the more I do it.

Going to take this chair with me on the trains this weekend. Will probably get out of it to get on and off train, and will let the PAssistance people take it either up and down the ramps, or they can lift it up when folded without a ramp. (I practised folding it and unfolding it yesterday whilst daughter was with me. It is very simple and quick - folds to the size of a large suitcase and can be wheeled along when folded).

Hope you got your internet sorted out, Razz. I use BT which have a special priced one for people, like myself, on certain benefits. So grateful for it. Had the same hub since I moved in, no real problems with it.

Do hope that all my normal u3a groups are continuing this week. Think we all need a good piece of normality in our lives. Be good when BBC return their schedules to normal also.

Morning all, I'm number 12 in the queue for the doctors. My dog was poorly in the night and I can hardly stand, my balance has gone. I was out in the front garden in the wind with him at about 3 am, wobbling from side to side, feeling very sorry for both of us.

Glad you got your passenger assistance sorted Franbern, that wheelchair sounds fantastic. When I went to see my daughter in Canada we caught the bus to Niagra Falls, about an hour on the second bus. Each time someone at the bus stop was in a wheelchair the driver put a big ramp down.

Number eight now. Keeping my fingers crossed my signal doesn't drop and I get an appointment, I do think it's my blood pressure.

Have a good day everyone

Razzz if it is bp then it is easily treated. It is called the silent killer. My very high BP was only discovered when I went for a pre-operation check up at the hospital where I was working at the time. They tried everything to bring it down to somewhere close to normal, even leaving me on a bed in a darkened room for twenty minutes. To no avail. Would not let me leave there before they had heard me making an appointment that evening with my GP. Did take sometime to get suitable meds sorted out for me as the first ones they put me on gave me the most dreadful wracking cough.

But the combination I am on now works very well, I no longer get concerned when my bp is taken by any medic for any reason, knowing they will get a good reading. I check mine at home every so often.

35 minute wait on the phone and I've got a telephone appointment this afternoon. Just taken my blood pressure again, 164/96, heartbeat 93. There are plans to build another 100 houses in the next village, without any increase to the infrastructure here, we'll have to resort to home remedies and leeches as in medieval times

Razz you really should update your router, it may work but the new ones have much more security. BT should send out updated ones with new contracts but I don’t know about other companies. Well worth chasing up.

Razz, come back here when you have been, wish I was up there to keep an eye on you. You must absolutely tell your doc about all the mould you have been living in and the stress you have been under. It really is not as simple as diet or age

I have been busy again, evolving work as almost always. Went into my disgusting garage to tidy and vacuum and on the way back out I picked up that tin of silicone spray. I thought I would just be spraying but oh no, the spiders and other insects had stick inside the patio door hinges like glue and all that detritus all around, on the cills and door frames. I don`t notice stuff like that most of the time

The stuff on the hinges was sticky ie stuck on and I used a pressure sprayer with a soap solution. The top hinge splashed back all over my face. Anyway job done, two double patio doors, 4 narrow windows and a utility door at the back, the hinges and the locking mechanisms and the keyholes and the sliding stays at the top.

So next job was cleaning outside downstairs windows and frames and cills, was definitely not a difficult job as I have all the right equipment ie ungers. Just a boring job ie the nooks and crannies that spidrs hide in for winter

I could not leave it at that so cleaned and lubricated outside and inside front and sides too. It all involves a set of steps inside and moving some furniture. So downstairs is completely finished, definitely next clean will be late spring inside at the earliest

I am not doing upstairs today but I need to keep the equipment handy on the landing upstairs or I will forget, or put off doing it. Lunch first and a break and then a relaxing garden potter with a hand hoe and in the meantime will be thinking of you razz

Morning all, cool and sunny today.

Good you are all creak free for winter karmalady.

I, on the other hand, am creaking - doctor said he thinks I have vertigo. I have said I have vertigo in the past, because I feel unsteady with heights, I hadn't realised it was possible to feel it in your body whilst walking around the house. He has diagnosed a travel sickness pill containing cinnarizine, which can cause drowsiness, so no driving for a few days while I see if it works. I did go to the beach with my dog last night, before I took the tablets, and had to leave, too wobbly.

The box mentions Meniere's disease, disturbed balance. What a PIA to get this now when I'm all geared up to do the painting. He recommended I continue to take my blood pressure this week and if it continues to be high, to contact the doctor again.

Have a good day everyone

Sitting in the garden and my dog's licking his foot - poor boy has got another cyst. Very luckily the vet have just agreed to post the drugs to me without me taking him in, he gets them so regularly.

Oh dear, Razz, vertigo is horrible. Do hope the medication will help quickly, Also it is your own body telling you to take things very easy for a time. Don't try to fight it. Painting, etc can take place a lot later.

There are some little muscles and tendons at the back of the neck, some simple neck exercises may well work wonders for vertigo and consequential dizziness. Look up on youtube dizzyness treatment and click on dr jon saunders. Really easy, very gentle and very effective, I had a bit of dizzyness the other day due to sustained work, the exercise stopped it. He is a chiropractic

I spent a good hour on maintenance and cleaning this morning. Enjoyed it tbh. Love the autumn prep and am almost ready for lovely crispy autumn walks and snuggly winter hobbies

Still a little dull here but I am going to get ready for some cycling aerobic exercise shortly after several days of muscle building via garden work. Just shows how having a garden is so good for health and well-being, the work as well as ambience.

Morning all, I'm not as wobbly today after a day on the tablets, and it's making me aware of eating three times a day, as they have to be taken after meals. Apart from the flu when I was just weak and achey, I've never been unable to walk confidently before, it's given me a bit of a scare.

I'm waiting for my friend's son to come and replaster around the bedroom plug where the fitted wardrobe was. He's also going to fill the wall holes, and repair the concrete floor edge that was smashed. Fantastic to get a small job done without expecting to!

Have a good day everyone, I'm going to catch up on Bake off.

Razz regular meal times are something we should all aim for. Really good for your health. Pleased to hear of you being able to get a friend's son to do some plastering for you - how nice of him.

I do regard plasterers as magicians, no idea how they get that wonderful satin finish. I did a DIY job in my spare bedroom, when I had the radiator moved. No matter how careful I was, and even sanded down the final result is 'bumpy'. At some future time will put up lining paper on that wall to hide my bit of plastering.

As can be seen from my posts on other threads, myself and all my family and friends are republicans. So I am delighted that I had the foresight to have arranged a long weekend away this coming one. Visiting Son and DiL up north (Cheshire). Three trains there and three trains home. And it does mean that on Monday I will be spending most of that day travelling. By the time I do arrive back home mid-afternoon, and unpack I will just relax in front of tv watching some recorded programmes for a couple of hours. Hopefully, by Tuesday the whole country will return to normal.

At present, I am happy to report, everything in my home appear to working properly. Even that sticky key on my laptop is now 'unsticked' - no idea why, did not do anything to it.

My daughter and SiL living near to me had an offer accepted on a flat (they are starting to downsize as their older children leave home), a week later, they were told that it was no longer accepted as a higher offer had been put in. Fortunately, they had not paid out any money for Solicitors, etc. and have no intention of entering into any sort of bidding war. Just, once again , more proof of the very bad system in England.

I have no idea how my other daughter's home move is proceeding. So nervous about asking - I hated it when people kept asking me that when I was in that process. The Lady at my knitting group was so certain that by this week she would have confirmed her moving date at end of September, finally got told by her solicitor this will NOT be possible, no reasons why.

Still waiting for the completion on a flat in this block. People waiting to move in are packed and ready, flat is empty. Only reason for delay is Solicitors.

Morning everyone, good to catch up on your family news Franbern, good luck to your daughter and SIL house hunting. My son has just told me his girlfriend's father would like them to buy the house from him - fingers crossed my son uses our solicitor, I trust him implicitly.

Feeling very sorry for myself as I've woken up as off balance as I was on the first day on Saturday - and my dog is showing increasing signs of his demise, I'm so sorry I can't take him to the beach if this is his last week. I went to a meeting last night to organise our Macmillan Coffee morning, not a long walk, I walked the dog afterwards. Maybe I have overdone it.

Have a good day whatever you are doing

sorry about the bad time you are experiencing right now razz. I think your body is telling you to rest, you have been through the mill during tha past few months, culminating in that huge amount of physical work. It is not surprising that your body is protesting

Thank you karmalady. I've only ever had flu where I couldn't walk before, it's been a shock for me to be so incapacitated. I've done a big Tesco on-line shop, lucky to get a Saturday night delivery (oh for the old days when I would have been out dancing on a Saturday night!). I went back and added some expensive ice cream as a get well treat to myself.

I had promised to deliver some fliers for the coffee morning this afternoon, so took my dog in his buggy for the walk. I hadn't realised so many people on the new estate had their letterboxes at the very bottom of the door.

If they have a 'ring doorbell' some of them will have a recording of me on my knees on their doormat, I couldn't just bend to put it in! I was so pleased when there was a letterbox outside