General Chat

"a luxurious area like Staines"

Dear John do tell me where the luxurious houses are in Staines I will rush to the estate agent and register ... obviously you know the area well. FYI it is impossible in most of SE England to buy a family house for under £ 250 K and it sure won't be luxurious. In Fulham you'd be lucky to get a 1 bed flat for that. The owners of these luxurious houses are currently doing their best to commute on what is left of the railway service so as to pay huge fares, huge mortgage and heavy taxes so as to ensure the flat broke principality of Wales can go on living in a style way above what its GDP justifies. No wonder the name of the country is in itself a term of abuse in England.

Like many people the last two months have caused myself and family a lot of hassle (flooded roads) , lost rental income (flooded property), fear ( sea gone crazy ) and a lot of lost income. It just does not seem worth posting here where either (a) people understand the issues all too well or (b) they ain't got a clue.

The problems with low lying areas such as the Somerset Levels, the Fens and parts of Yorkshire seem to be beyond the ken of Westminster politicians and TV nature media people who just want to turn half of British farmland into a bird sanctuary. Farming is not a sinful activity.

:-0

Hi Maryanna, please don't feel the need to justify yourself to anyone because you don't have to. Least of all to Graham who at the moment is presenting himself as bad mannered and incredibly rude about someone he knows nothing about. I realise that he probably has a lot to contend with at the moment but that is not an excuse for such nastiness on an open forum, or anywhere else.

The expression sour grapes comes to mind. I wonder if Graham was to inherit a second house if he would refuse this bequest.

Good luck to you Maryanna and to everyone else who is effected by the flooding. I previously lived on the fens in East Anglia where flooding is always high risk.

Wendy x

(Owner of two homes as a result of bloody hard work by my late husband and myself, which will eventually be inherited by our children)

Wales has been hit badly as well though, hasn't it John ?

We have some friends who live in Porthmadog, they had terrible winds there a few nights ago. Lots of structural damage.

On the news they keep showing one of our sons' seafront halls accommodation in Aberystwyth,

There was never weather anything like this in the four years he was there, he was learning about flood defences as part of his course too !!

The disruption and cost to places like those businesses as well as homes as well as The Devon Coast and the South coast, Somerset and around the Thames, is going to be shocking. Let's hope most people have adequate insurance, but I know that we most certainly do not have new for old, my husband wouldn't pay out for those premiums. But I think in the long run we are all going to have to bear the brunt of some of it, whether we have been affected or not.

M

Not been to Staines have you John?

I have two homes (one in Valleys of Wales in a craigy and mynyddy area, other in North Wales about 200m from sea) and together they are not worth as much as a slightly above average house in a luxurious area like Staines under Thames.......

I am intensely jealous of people with a house worth more than £250k with a household insurance policy up to date that includes compo (new for old) for returning a house under the Thames to above it.


Oh!! :-0 :-0 Just seen DET's post. :-( :-(

Just been out for a walk to see the state of the streams and Thames and was surprised to see an E A truck go through the village, Did they take a 2 second divert to se the state of the River Meadows (well down at the moment) no!. Did they stop to check the height of one of the small rivers under the road bridge, - no! So presumably they didn't check the other one which is hitting the lower bricks under the road bridge - that one is making me nervous!

Hope Maryanna's sister in Chertsey stays dry and safe. A poster on another thread has said that their mother is staying with them having been flooded out in Staines.

And before anyone starts on the apparent 'wealth' of Surrey home owners - property prices vary across the country. What would buy a 3 bed detached in one part would only get you a one bed in a more expensive area. For many people their money is tied up in their home - you can't eat bricks and mortar.

Even Renters would be financially hit - the loss of their goods and chattels; everything that makes a home including photos, the finger painting made by Little Johnny at playgroup etc. They can never be replaced.

Once the recent heavy rain has moved down stream, we are at last promised a quieter weather spell for next week.

Just seen Johns post......made me laugh too, very good John ;-) ;-) :-D :-D


jude

Morning everyone:)

We had a frost this morning, and the river is still down....yehhhhh

MaryAnna.....hope all is well with you..did you get the high winds the other night, we had them Fri night and the water board men coming and going, which meant head lights shining through the curtains, just as we got to sleep at 1am....but obviously doing their job.
We have to open the windows to let fresh air in and we have a humidi thingie (when windows shut that is), but that come with the territory in these houses. We are ok though, but one neighbour must be in an awful state, they have been flooded on ground floor for a couple of weeks now :-(....they know we are here if needed.

Take care everyone:)

jude x

My brother left my sister and I the house in Somerset, he had been left it by our grand parents. It was considered to be a suitable home for him as he was severely disabled. Injured as a child in an accident on a farm owned by relations in, well, the part of Somerset now under water.

When he died age 48, my sister wasn't interested in keeping the house so I bought her out. She bought a flashy BMW with the money. Now long gone to the great car dump in the sky. The money I used had been left to me by my Mum who had died just age 62, of Altzheimers.

The house means a lot to me, we spent a lot of time there as children with our grandparents as mum was showing signs of her illness from a very young age. But believe me I would just as soon have her and my brother back here with us fit and well.

I am also sorry that this thread has been dragged off course from Sharrons original question which was about the devastating flooding and awful weather, around the country.
M

I used to live in a Tied House ( went with job) we also had what some would consider a holiday home.

Guess which meant more to us - yes - the little cottage we owned. Both properties contained things we would be upset about losing. If we still had that cottage we would again let friends use it in emergencies - but Grahams attitude.................... well it would put us right off.

Edit: I currently live in a Thames side village prone to flooding.

Would anyone want to see a house/business flooded - whether it was rented or owned?

Just my personal view, with a bit of help from my dad's religious view.

The fact that Maryanna has her original family home, that happens to be in Somerset, and not flooded, should not invite vitriolic criticism.
Is it her fault it is where it is?

Get over yourself Graham.

Plus the fact, given the choice I would sell up and live permenantly in Somerset. Up until now it has been my most favourite place, where my family originated.

Just how much under water is your house ?

I hope I don't bump into you next week, when I visit my many friends who live around Glastonbury and the surrounding, very wet area in their flooded and ruined homes and farms.

Funny none of them resent my lifestyle and that is exactly what it is MY life but it is the only way I can fit in working and being with two of my children and grandchildren as much I want to.

I didn't ask anyone to feel sorry for me for having a soggy patio, it was, as Sylvia said, just my story. Perhaps we should have left it to get higher and let it flood the house, make you feel happier that the woman who dares to let her daughter and family live with her so they save for a home of their own, in what you assume is a typical Surrey mansion, gets her come uppance.

By the way you are actually assuming a lot, for all you know I could be spinning a complete yarn and actually live in a caravan which we tow up and down the A303 weekly.

M.

I too think Graham has been very rude to Maryanns. His attack on her was most uncalled for.

And John, for the first time ever there you made me laugh!

Not at all Sylvia. Everybody has the right to express their opinion. Whatever country they are in.

graham this is not the time or place if you cant see that STAY OFF THE THREAD it does not matter how many houses people have they still suffer as the rest do. so do one :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P

Personally, I think Graham has been incredibly rude to Maryanna, and she deserves a very sincere apology!

Plus, removal of all Graham's posts.


She was responding a thread that asked in general about how people were being affected by the flooding in various areas ............ and gave her story.


I certainly did not see it as boasting about having 2 properties ............ or about being in better shape than anyone else re the flooding situation.


Graham ......................

Better keep your opinions to yourself in future re this type of thing.



Am I about to be slated because I live in another country, and yet dare to comment on this thread? :-)

I wonder if anyone thinks that Graham is NOT incredibly rude. Can you not stick your tongue in a dyke, Graham? It would at least be useful. :-D

It doesn't make any difference where your two houses are. The fact is you've come on here saying "look at poor old me. I've only got two houses and one them has a wet patio. How am I going to cope?" whilst there are people who have nowhere to live right now because of the floods. Take a good look at yourself. If I had two houses right now I would not be rubbing peoples noses in it. You are in no position to be calling me rude! :-P :-P :-P :-P

Well actually, I haven't mentioned this before but my sister lives in Chertsey and we are on standby to go and help her move stuff upstairs and take her and her family in here with us if necessary.

But I suppose that is all her own fault for choosing to live in a house by a river in Surrey.

M