General Chat

Good evening all

Its been a rather quiet day here with just me spending half the day on the phone dealing with things re the sale of the flat.

As from April, new rulings on empty properties come into force and we may have to pay double Council tax until the completion!! So I explained where we are and the lady made a note on the account. Once we complete, I can email them the day along with the names of the buyers so our account can then be closed. I waited another 45 minutes in a queue to deal with that.

Had gas bill to deal with as well as other things.

Finally got my little bro into sol office to sign contracts and deed transfer papers. Ive been asking him a few times as has my SIl. All sorted now but why does it take so long grrrr.

Linda, so glad you got the WiFi working. Tick that off your list :-D

When you ordered the new toilet etc, why didnt it say sold out??? That is so annoying. So you could be stuck indoors all day on your birthday, thats terrible!

I'm sure you will get use to the new layout of the supermarket after a few weeks. I get cross when they move things around and iit takes longer then to find things lol.

Joan hope you are doing alright?

Tonight after a few calm days, the wind is picking up to gale force and we may get 70 mph here tomorrow in the West eeek.

I made a dish for tea and what a waste and such a disaster. Daughter had peeled a pan of veg with chopped pots, carrots, onions but then decided she was going to have something else! So I thought I would cook all the veg, then add mushrooms and stir fry. Defrosted some white and yellow fish that needed using and cooked.

I cooked rice and mixed the stir fry together with some sweet chilly sauce and flaked up the fish. But oh my, the chunks of potato were like mash and for all the seasoning, it tasted bland and pretty awful. The frozen fish i will not buy again, tasted of nothing!

So ate 3 spoonfuls and it went to waste. I was pretty annoyed at it being wasted but it tasted horrible.You live & learn I guess.

Well not much on the tv tonight and no Corrie!

Hope you have a better day tomorrow Linda.

Nite all

Florence in the hebrides

Another rainy day here. I felt sorry for the builders today as they were working outside on their last day here. One of the jobs was building a step outside the back door as the drop was too high. I can manage now, but as I get older it would have become more of a problem, so best to get it sorted now.

Good news is that the WiFi was working this morning. The phone line is odd because it has been working ever since we moved in with the previous occupiers number. We were told that we would have a new number supposedly from today, but when I tried it ringing it this morning, it still said that it wasn’t connected, but the other one was. By mid afternoon the old number had been disconnected and the new one sounded like it was ringing on my mobile, but the actual phone in the house wasn’t ringing and the display on the phone says “ check the line”. I have no idea what is going on there, but that can wait until tomorrow

I had an adventure this morning to find the large Asda supermarket because Esme had nearly run out of her favourite Crucials garlic mayo which she puts on everything. It would be a disaster if she ran out. Round here, only Asda sell it. Also quite a while ago my daughter had taken Eve’s posh frock to the dry cleaners there, but hadn’t got round to collecting it. So I got that as well. I did a large shop, which took ages because I didn’t know where anything was.

We had two major gripes today. We had ordered quite a few Venetian blinds, some of which are the perfect fit type which clip into the window frames. Most of them are fine, but when OH picked one of them up lots of the lats fell off because the tensioning strings hadn’t been tied off properly in the factory. He had a go at restringing it last night,but couldn’t get it right. Also one of them was missing the plastic rod you use to close them. So we rang up and they are going to replace the damaged one and send a spare rod . Later on, OH had another go at the broken one and actually managed to restring it. I hoped that meant the replacement would fit another window, but annoyingly it won’t.

Our second gripe was when ordering a new basin and toilet for the downstairs loo. OH has to take the fetching peach coloured ones out so the new flooring can go in, but he wanted a plumber to put new white ones in. Amazingly we managed to find someone who came today and could do it in between other jobs. So OH ordered the new toilet, basin and vanity unit on line. Only after we ordered them did we get an email saying they would be delivered on April 12th. That is ages and on contacting them it is because they are out if stock. It didn’t give any indication of that before we paid :-|
He has just decided to wait for them because he has been searching for a vanity unit which will fit and this was the only one he could find at a reasonable price. I am not pleased because the proposed delivery day is my birthday, so I get to wait in for a toilet instead of having a nice day out
:-|

To be fair Florence, he only ate a tiny bit of dinner and left the rest of it. He has a problem with his gall bladder and is in a huge queue for treatment. He is supposed to avoid fatty foods, so what did he choose for lunch - burger and chips. Serves him right.

The builders came back this morning and painted the new plaster on the lounge, dining room, hall and cloakroom. They did a watered down coat and then a second coat. They were so quick and didn’t make any mess. OH is going to do all the rest of the ceilings in the house, but he will take his time doing one room at a time. The most important thing was to get the ceilings done in the rooms where the new wooden floors are going to go down.

This afternoon the fireplace people turned up and installed the new hearth, fire surround and electric fire, it looks very good I have unpacked all of the ornaments, so it is starting to look more homely. We need to put up the large mirror over the fireplace and all of the pictures. I don’t know if he wants to wait until we get the walls painted before he puts them up. The current mushroom colour is really dismal, but the new curtains haven’t arrived yet and I need to wait for them before deciding on the walls

This morning we also went to the kitchen showroom to alter the initial plans they had sent. The revised plans should be done later this week. We will then have an idea of the cost. I am dreading that as everything else we have done has been far more than we thought. The problem is my brain is back in the seventies, but prices have moved on since then :-(

Afternoon all.
Glad you had a good day out Linda but children do tend to whizz around these type of places and never want to stay for long!

How uncanny your SIl had a sore stomach! Hmmmm How very convenient. Was it better in time to eat with you for the evening meal though?

Enjoy your afternoon tea when you get the chance to go, I'm sure you will enjoy that.

Well the rain has arrived and it was bin day but thankfully no gale so i got lucky today.

Had some bills that needed my attention and a few tel calls that had long queues I waited 45 minutes before I got through to 1 dept but all sorted now.

Tonight, there is a meeting that I'm going to with a neighbour and hoping it wont be a 2 hour one as simply can't sit still for that length of time! We shall see.

Hope everyone else looking in is well and ok.

Florence in the hebrides

I have had a nice day as well Florence. We went to the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds. Being a national museum, it is free, but they make up for that in the cafe. We had lunch there and as well as being expensive, the food wasn’t very good at all.
I have been a couple of times before and it hasn’t changed much. It is pretty difficult with Esme as she zips around, so it is difficult to read the displays. They had various shows which she enjoyed watching.
We then went back to my daughter’s house for dinner. Oddly SIL declared he is stomach was hurting, so he needed to lay down, so he was unable to make dinner :-|
Never mind, the rest of us mucked in and made it then washed up afterwards.
I got some nice flowers and a voucher for afternoon tea at one of the large Harrogate hotels, so I will look forward to that .

Happy Mother's Day to all.

I have been well & truly spoilt with flowers, chocs and numerous other gifts I didn't expect. My lunch was a cold buffet with smoked salmon, various salad items, dips, crisps, fruit all very yummy.

I hope everyone else has been spoilt today in some way.

We fondly remembered my dear mum today as my youngest brother went and put flowers from us on her grave bless him.

Bit of a change in the weather as its bright enough but bigger clouds in the sky and very cold. Think rain may be heading this way soon.

Hope all is well with everyone

Florence in the hebrides

I am glad that you had a good evening Florence, it is always nice to catch up with friends.
We bought a couple more lamp shades this morning, then OH spent most of the afternoon in the loft tidying up all the mess they had left and sorting out the tv Ariel’s. He removed some old wardrobe doors which they had put down to stand things in. They had a melamine back, so were very wet underneath. We now need to get a lot more insulation put in - more expense :-(

Tomorrow we are going to the National Armouries museum in Leeds with my daughter and the girls , then we will have dinner back at their house. Maybe SIL. will cook it as it is Mother’s Day, probably not, so I will help my daughter

Good morning chit chatters.

Well yet another sunny but windy day . No rain now for several days and whilst this is a nice change, some of the plant pots outside will need watering as are very dry!

My night out last night proved very lucky for me as I won a line and a goody bag.
When I opened the bag later at home, there was a candle which smelt of toffee!! It was salted caramel & pistachio, a large bath bomb and.... a bottle of Drambuie. Sadly i don't drink so it will go into the cupboard until someone has a special birthday or I can donate to another raffle etc.

The evening was well supported this time with around 60 people and the caller was so entertaining we were in stitches.

I also saw a few friends and caught up too which is always a bonus.

Today, I have been cleaning away the walls above the cooker and work surfaces. The toaster was full of crumbs which went everywhere when I tried to empty the trays underneath so that actually created a mess lol. I've also been wiping down all the cupboards. They are never dirty but little splashes here & there need wiping off.

Linda, it must be exciting designing your own kitchen from scratch. Glad the plasterers have finished so that's another job off your list. As for your garden, it almost sounds like a blank canvas so you can plan whatever you like. At least you don't have a "jungle" of weeds etc to remove.

Joan, hope you are keeping well and hope you have been able to go out in your garden where it will keep you busy.

The shredding basket is looking at me as it it's overflowing but I don't have the interest for that today. daughter can do that tomorrow if she's bored lol.

Right off to get a coffee and then get the vacuum cleaner out.

Have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides

I am really pleased that you are feeling better Florence.
Your garden renovations sound good Ann, even if they seem to be on a mission to kill your plants. The new garden here is much smaller than the old one much to OH’s satisfaction as he was getting weary of keeping on top of a large garden. To say that the previous owners of this house were not keen gardeners is a bit of an understatement. The front garden is just a square of grass with not a single plant in it. The back has a rockery with a few straggly plants in it and the rest is just grass. There is a narrow border next to the fence, but it doesn’t have any plants in it. We will have to take it in hand and design it as low a maintenance space as possible.

The builders finished plastering the last if the ceilings today thank goodness. They will be back for a couple of days next week to paint them and do another couple of outstanding jobs.

The kitchen designer sent his plans last thing this afternoon, it is very clever to be able to see the mock ups of what it will look like. I can already see things which I want altering, so we will go in to see him next week and have the changes made. I dread to think how much it is going to cost, never mind, we can’t take it with us

:-)

Lol, I should have put it a bit clearer sorry if I confused you.

People think when you inherit property its a great asset which it is once its sold and you get the proceeds but whilst you own it or are an executor, all the bills have to paid until the property is sold and its a costly business even though the property is empty.

We did get 6 months exemption on the C Tax but I have just paid the last one for this year. Its 2 years in Jul since mum passed. Not sure where the time has gone!

Just waiting for daughter to come home and then its teatime before getting ready to go out at 6.30. Hope one of us get lucky tonight ;-)

I might have known there was a simple explanation!! I'd forgotten you have two houses at the moment. :-) :-) :-)

I did have to chuckle at that. :-D :-D :-D Andy's mum.

Down south both the drinking water and waste water are all under Southern water but there are standing charges for each! But even though no water has been used because the property is empty, they still charge.

Yes my own bill like you is included on the C Tax bill.

Florence in the hebrides

Andysmum, this isnt my bill for my house but for mums flat down south :-D :-D

Florence, why do you get a separate water bill? Ours is part of the council tax. Also, I am very intrigued as to how you manage not to use any "drinking" water - where does the water for your shower come from? :-S :-S

Hellooooo yes Im here everyone.

Yesterday i was ill all day as had woken with a really bad migraine and was feeling sick. i also had auras in my eyes so couldn't see that well either.

I felt so retched, I couldnt do anything but sit and rest with my shawl as was shivery and dozed on & off all day. managed to sip some water but no coffee and didnt risk taking my meds either for fear of sicking them up .

However by the time i went to bed, pain was easing and I managed a good sleep but never got up til after 9.30am! I was just having me brekky when daughter said we got a visitor. I was mortified as was still in my dressing gown but it was my good friend whom i had asked to call this week to witness my signature on some documents.

I said, excuse my attire :-D She just laughed and said doesn't matter and at least we know each other very well. So we sat in the kitchen and signed all the papers and had a natter. Before I knew it, it was nearly lunch time eeeek. So hot footed to the shower and washed hair and now I do feel so much better and back to normal which is just as well as we are off to a small charity bingo tonight in another village a few miles away and looking forward to going out.

I have hung my clothes out all ready for later so organised etc.

Well Linda, you really have your hands full. Im not sure how everyone would cope with all that you are having to deal with. As it's Friday, make sure you have a glass of something later and chill out if you can.

I have just received the latest water bill as they are only sent twice a year. Zero water used yet 2 sets of standing charges, one for drinking water, one for waste and been charged £45.00!!! I tel and spoke with a very helpful young man who explained even if no water is used the chgs still stand sadly. However we are still £105 cr because last year there was a huge burst in the area and they gave all householders a credit of £250 so really shouldn't be complaining.

Ann, whenever tradesman come, they always seem to do the jobs well but as for clearing up it's almost as if it's not their job! My old electrician was great at his job but if you offered him a coffee first, he would sit for an hour and then start his job. But when he had finished one day, there were bits & pieces of wires all over and he said "sorry about the mess, but you are probably better at clearing up than me."

If he hadn't been such a good electrician and fairly cheap I would have made him clear up.

My appetite isn't quite back to normal so I think a jacket potato is all I shall have for tea as its dry and non greasy so may settle my stomach.

Any Apprentice fans on here.? Watched it last night if only for the entertainment :-D

Joan, hope all's well with you and you managed to get the Pension sorted out.

Another beautiful sunny day without any rain all week but its very windy and bitterly cold so very deceiving looking out the window.

Well I have 2 phone calls to make so now its after 2pm, I shall try again.

Have a good weekend all

Florence in the hebrides

Goodness Linda it is hassle upon hassle when you move these days. Technology was supposed to improve things but when we last moved 32 years ago we didn't have half the problems that people have now.

It is lovely and sunny here at the moment but very windy which is not pleasant for gardening. Having had the two men team here yesterday pressure washing two patios and redoing the wooden edging on three places, I have just spent half an hour in the garden, I cut the small piece of lawn that is left but it was well trodden by their big feet and, as it was already damp the grass is a bit flattened. Still I tidied it up. Then I went round the garden picking up my tools they had borrowed and not put away and discovered a bit behind the smaller patio where all the gunge has been swept by the water onto my slate hosta bed and that is also where they moved pots to and have not put them back. so an email has been sent to prepare them for what needs doing when they visit to finish off the patios with sand next week. They are very good and have done a lot of good things in the garden but they seem good at the hardware heavy stuff but not the more delicate jobs. they are self named (I think) landscapers but not plants men. Still they are willing and work well, don't take lots of breaks etc. And the garden is mich easier to manage now.

Hopefully your new house will be gradually coming together Linda.

I wonder where Florence is? And hope Joan is OK.

No one around?
We had quite a day out yesterday. OH had to go for his eye test, so we changed branch to the centre of Harrogate, luckily he didn’t need new glasses.

We went to a specialist key cutters and got another two keys for one of the garage doors, we had tried in a more ordinary place, but they could do them.

We then drove to a retail park about forty minutes away to spend a small fortune on lots of light fittings. To be fair because it was an outlet store, they were cheaper than they would have been. I also bought a complete set of new pans. My current ones are not compatible with induction hobs which we are going to have. That is sad because the old set had a twenty five year guarantee and I have only had them about twenty’s years :-D They are still going strong, so my sister is going to have them.

We then went to look at a large bathroom show room in Harrogate- talk about footballers wives- we decided that the silly prices were not for us. I think they decided that we were not their type either. So now we have contacted a local plumber to see if he can help. No one ever phones you back though when you leave messages.

I chased up the bathroom company yesterday as well as they haven’t sent their design yet. Apparently they were short of staff last week and have been at a trade show this week. All very well, but if they don’t get a move on, we will be looking elsewhere :-(

The most annoying thing for this morning is the council tax. There were several different district councils in North Yorkshire but in the middle of last year they were all amalgamated into one super authority. When we were moving I went in the new website and filled in the change of address form for the council tax. Even though they have amalgamated they are still working in their individual departments. We got an invoice for the new address to cover us from the day we moved in until the new tax year starts in April.They wouldn’t answer their phones, so we just paid it.
In the middle of last night, I suddenly realised that in effect we have already paid for this time at the old house because the bill was paid in ten instalments, so we should be getting a rebate. I rang up the old place and they answered straight away. I was amazed when she said that they have no record of us having moved. If I hadn’t realised come April they would have been taking payment by direct debit on the old house as well as the new one. The woman sorted it out and was very apologetic about the fact that the different council systems can’t “ talk” to each other

I hope everyone is well

Well, lunch was very nice, apart from the fact that OH was seduced by the scone of the day. He is boring and usually has soup, tea and a scone. As well as normal sultana scones, every day this place always has a different speciality scone. Today it was rhubarb and ginger, so he tried that, but wished he hadn’t :-S
We ordered the footstool, I had taken the paperwork for the original order, so it was very easy for them to find the details and match the leather and base to the sofas. The saleswoman was muttering away and said something about giving us a discount. When we looked she had taken off a managers discretionary discount of £178, which just shows how much mark up these posh furniture shops make. Even with that taken of, they will still be making a good profit. It will take eight to ten weeks to arrive as everything is custom made in Norway. I think the original sofas took twelve weeks.

We then went to a nursery to look for some evergreens to put in some planters which I have bought which have trellis up the back. It was quite a good place, a little family run business, but unfortunately they didn’t have what we wanted, but we will go back again. We bought the plants from Morrisons of all places., I had seen them yesterday, but needed to measure the size of the planter to make sure the pots would fit in it.

Good morning everyone lt is dismal and drizzling here.
The builders are plastering the kitchen and utility room this morning, so we will have to go out for lunch- what a hardship :-D. We did have lunch out yesterday as well, but that was Morrisons cafe, so that doesn’t count.
Today we are going to look at a plumbers showroom which has a bathroom display. We need to find a new toilet and vanity unit for the downstairs cloakroom as the current ones need to come out before the new flooring goes in in a couple of weeks. All the bathrooms need redoing, but they are a little bit further down the list. At the moment they are all a very fetching peach colour :-(

We are going to a very nice furniture shop which has an excellent cafe, quite posh food, but we are worth it :-D
A couple of years ago we treated ourselves to two new Stressless sofas, but didn’t buy a foot stool as it would have been in the way all the time. Here there is room, so I am going to gulp at the ridiculous cost and order one so I can get my feet up high. At the moment I only have a little cane topped stool which is too low.

Joan, I always consider a trip to the supermarket a joy not a chore as its when I meet lots of people haven't seen for awhile and we get to blether awhile. My daffies are not quite out yet and yes I hope the wind doesn't bash them here too.

One of my friends has offered to give me a day out soon to town. So love it when we do a "road trip". No pressure of time either. We wander, browse, have lunch somewhere and lastly do the shopping. A change of scenery is always a morale booster.

This Friday my neighbour is taking me to a charity bingo a few miles away . Love bingo and its for a good cause too so whats not to like.

better go as I can here my phone ringing..