General Chat

Afternoon everyone and so glad all is well with you Joan but poor you last night. In the dark its a lot worse as you said because you cant see what is flying about outside and the banging noises are scary too.
So glad you didn't lose power, that's a blessing so at least you have warmth with heating.

JustGinnie, i forgot to say, was your new drier very expensive? Such a pain when that happens. i initially bought a cheap one for about £140 but it didn't have reverse drying like my previous one so last year, I sold it for £60 and bought a reverse action drier. That way the towels didn't get rolled into a bundle and dry quicker.

I tel our sol today and was told as they came recommended by the estate Agent, we cant continue to use them!! So now shall have to find another one. I suggested to bro that we use the local one we used for probate near him as they are opposite the estate Agents and that would make life easier.

So Linda like you, we shall have to start from the beginning and upload the ID all over again which seem to take me hours to get it right bearing in mind, once I had uploaded all the things required, I then had to fwd the link to my brother for him to do the same arrrghhh!

Oh yes such stressy times indeed. However the young lassie at the estate Agents was so helpful, I have a better feeling about this already. She was genuinely pleased to assist and go the extra mile for us. I'm also happy to give our business to local businesses as well as in these times, local places need support to survive.

Shall keep you posted when i get news.

On a lighter note, I have some wire rings used for wreath making left over from years ago. So today for another project, I have ordered some scrapping assorted material with xmas designs and hopefully will make some xmas wreaths and if they are good enough, then shall sell them.

Right better go and make a cup o soup and slice some of my bread i made yesterday as tummy rumbling.

Its still very windy here and not going to subside before tomorrow afternoon so the storm hasnt gone away yet but its dry and sunny.

Take care all

Florence in the hebrides

I am glad that you are OK Florence, I hope Joan is as well. The rain is lashing down here and it is very windy, the lights keep flickering, but have stayed on so far. I have had a record quick shower and hair wash in case the power went off while I had a head full of suds.

We were supposed to be driving down to near Leeds, just about forty minutes according to google maps because I need to get certified :-D :-D :-D

We had to send three lots of proof of identity to the conveyancers so we could prove we aren’t money laundering, OH passed, but mine didn’t. They said this happens all the time and they never know why, just that some people aren’t on certain data bases that are used to run the checks. I need to take my documents to a solicitor or a financial advisor etc to have myself certified. They would charge for that of course, or I could take them into the conveyancers office and they would do it for free. We decided to choose the latter option and we’re going to combine it with a shopping trip, but it would be really silly to go today, so we have put it off until Monday.

We viewed a house yesterday and have put an offer in this morning. I didn’t sleep last night worrying about it, I was still awake at 4.30 am, OH was fretting as well.

We have realised that we are never going to find another house in as nice a position as this one, we are really private, not on an estate, on the edge of the country side, but just a few minutes walk from the market square. Unless we win the lottery, we won’t be in a position to find something as nice close to my daughter. The reality is that we will have to downsize and be on some sort of estate if we want to be within reasonable walking distance of the town and close to a bus route for when we can’t drive.

We could just stay here of course, but it is a thirty minute drive to my daughters and it would be up to us to go there as she is working and has her hands full. When my parents were old and needed my help, I was a thirty minute drive from them, but at least I was retired and had the time to go. Even so, it would have been nice to be able to just pop in to keep an eye on them when they were ill. The house we have seen is just an eight minute drive from my daughter, so it will be much more convenient.

We might not get this house of course, especially as the vendors haven’t even started looking for somewhere to move to, They have lived in the house for nearly thirty years since it was new, so I don’t think they are up to speed on the concept of chains. Obviously you can’t have an offer accepted on a house until you have accepted an offer on yours, but in the meantime you should have been viewing properties and have somewhere in mind. When we explained our situation and that we needed to move quickly, they said that they had somewhere they could go and wouldn’t hold us up. I suspect that was because their son who lives with them is just buying a house with his girlfriend. I don’t think they understand the reality of what they said. The double garage was rammed packed with things including three motor bikes and I suspect the loft is full as well. It is such a stressful time, but on the plus side, I have lost some weight this week.

I feel for you Florence with the estate agent problem. We have one in the town who is notorious for putting things on the market at too high a price and then having to reduce everything. On the other hand, you don’t want to go too low. We have five estate agents in town. Two I would describe as the major ones. One we went with, but the other one was very disparaging and wanted to market it at 50k less than we have accepted , thankfully we didn’t choose them

Edit, you posted Joan while I was typing. Poor you, having had such a dreadful night. Hopefully it will pass and you can have a good sleep tonight

I'm glad you're OK, Florence and Joan.

Storms do always sound worse when it's dark.

We got off very lightly here, after all.
The very high winds were supposed to continue until this morning, getting worse before they got better, but in fact the wind had dropped to a normal strength by late yesterday afternoon.

The garden, and roads in the area, are littered with leaves, twigs, and small branches - but I haven't heard of anything more than that.

Hope everyone is safe, I have been watching some of the news reports and it looks awful in some places.

Florence I was wondering if you would change to another agent with the usual method of selling . I know nothing about the auction method your agents use but it certainly isn't working for you and they don't seem bothered . It's a lot of money they are asking you to reduce by. I do hope you get better luck with the new agents.

I had an email from the solicitors today to say the HMRC and the council have finally sent the correct paperwork and refund that was due to my sisters estate. The end is in sight at last.

Have been looking at baking with Almond and Coconut flour so OH can enjoy puddings and cake every now and again and more so at Christmas when the rest of us are tucking in. We don't eat cakes very often but the low carb ready made ones are so expensive . Any one baked with these flours before and maybe have a recipe they like and would share ..

Stay safe all.

Ginnie.

Hello to all, I hope all is well with everyone.

What a dreadful night last night, the wind was horrendous, after a windy day it really whipped up later in the day & once darkness fell is really had a go, as the night went on it became unbearable ( for me at least ) the banging against the house was frightening.

I spent most of the night constantly checkking on hubby or cowering in a chair in the corner of the bedroom I was soo scared, if it hadn't been dark I'm think I would have coped better, being able to see what was going on outside !
I have experienced a lot of storms & fierce winds in my area but last night was really scary & it is STILL very windy.

I can't believe the power is still on !!
From the window I can see my garden seat/glider has been tipped forward & it is strapped down.
I am not venturing outside until the wind has abated, just too dodgy to do that at the moment.

No flooding for us Florence, too high up, we didn't have much rain through the night.

What a carry on for you re your mums house Florence, such a stressful time for you & your family members, let's hope new estate agents can do a better job of things.

Oh my the sun has just come out, makes things look a bit better, just need the wind to stop now, I'm so fed up of the noise.
Take care everyone.

Joan.

Ty Belle for your message.

Brechin seems to be the worst flooded area and some people are trapped in their properties upstairs!!!

Although stormy winds here, we didnt lose power or have floods thankfully.

Just been looking at the pictures of the devastation that Babet is causing in parts of Scotland :-0

Stay safe all of you that live north of the border :-0 <3

Morning all.

A sleepless night due to the howling and gusty wind but all ok. 3 flowerpots are not where they were last night but when the wind abates, I shall go outside to investigate!

We didn't lose power but an area of the town is off this morning.

Joan I hope you and hubby are safe and not flooded out or without power. If you can check in later to let us all know you are ok please, that would be reassuring.

Daughter is supposed to return today and due to some family stuff going on I expect I shall have to try and keep her busy, divert her attention for the next few days.
I sometimes feel, my head is so full of other peoples problems, there are no room for my own and that it will just burst one day!

I shall find some more craft things to do and that will keep us busy.

AG, crikey cutting the grass when damp must of been a real chore but I know what you mean. They stopped cutting ours mid Sep and now it has actually grown quite a bit!

I received an awful email from the selling team re the flat yesterday saying if we dont reduce the price...again to attract buyers, then there is no point having it on the market!!! I was furious as you can imagine.

So I tel a local "traditional" estate agents near my brother and explained and we are giving notice to remove the property from Wards and get it revalued and then it will go on with the new estate Agent. They told me that had had 2 clients who were also unhappy with Wards and tf to them so that made me feel a bit better.

There will be paperwork again to complete but if it helps us to sell by moving, then that's fine with me.

I have to give 21 days notice to quit but the contract was only for 60 days and we are well passed that now which is good.

Well I have drank me coffee so off to shower and get dressed now.

Will be back later on

Florence in the hebrides

Oh my what an awful day, it was windy through the night but by 8-00 am the wind had fairly whipped up & now it's gale force.
Our bird feeders have been blown over, even though they are weighted down & tied to supports, the rain has since started but it's not touching the ground due to the fierce winds.
We have also got our fingers crossed that we don't lose our power,, it gets so cold without the heating & with hubby being not well he feels the cold, even with a HW bottle.

managed to get the weekly shop done this morning, but Morrisons had a lot of produce missing from the shelves, NO spuds or carrots or tomatoes at all, & very little other veg,

I hope all is well for everyone,take care.

Joan.

Stay safe all hope the storm isn't too horrendous for you folk in the north.

Cold and wet here with some sun.

So far today it is lovely here 17 degrees so warm and sunny with blue skies and fluffy white clouds, no wind at all so far.

Stay safe those of you up North. <3

I hope your electricity supply (and mine!) holds up, Florence.

Very windy here, roaring past the house, and grey skies, but no rain so far.
Clouds of leaves flying off the trees, which are suddenly almost bare.

We're at the southern edge of the Yellow Warning area, so it will be worse further north and east.
AccuWeather says the wind is twice as strong with you as it is with us, Florence.

On the plus side, after a couple of dry windy days, yesterday the grass was dry enough for me to give it its final cut for the year.
I had given up hope of that, as it's been so wet and soggy that I haven't been able to get at it for several weeks.
Yesterday it was long and still slightly damp, and therefore very hard work - and slow, because I had to keep stopping to unclog damp grass from the underside of the mower - but I'm so glad to have done it at last.

Morning all.
Thought I would pop on here whilst we still have power as there are a large number without in the North and West of Scotland. You can see if you go on:

SSE Power Track map

Its over 50 mph here but sunny and dry. One of my little flower pots has moved but im not venturing outside to get blown over!

So not sure what to do today??? Knitting, strip bed, family tree research maybe...such choices lol

Anyway, hope everyone is safe wherever you are if you are in the path of Storm Babet.

Take care
Florence in the hebrides

Well done Linda and so hope you do find somewhere quick as I can see you strangling a certain person if you you don't ;-)
Ii have been cutting my hair for years and now as i'm housebound, I don't have any choice but my old hairdresser always said I actually did a good job. I did buy some proper hairdresser scissors.

Well the wind is now picking up and blowing hard so shall keep me torch handy for later.

Joan, I shall be thinking of you and hubby. Hope you have a supply of candles!

Well better cook something quick and fill the kettle now.

Stay safe everyone

Florence in the hebrides

That's so quick, Linda! Congratulations!
Houses here were flying off the shelves, as it were, during the summer, but since the mortgage interest rates went up, it has slowed right down.


I'm so envious of people who have buses "only" every two hours.
Only two buses per day here. A car is essential.

But swings and roundabouts; pros and cons!

The forecast looks dreadful, so please be careful up north. I don’t think you will have many leaves left on the trees after this Joan.

You are brave cutting your own hair Florence, I had mine cut yesterday as well, but it is shorter and layered, so not a DIY job. Having said that during the lockdown my daughter cut mine for me. I bought some proper hairdressers scissors and she watched a video on YouTube. She did a good job, I sent a photo of the back to my hairdresser and she was very impressed

We formally accepted one of the offers on the house yesterday and I sent off all the forms to the conveyancer so it is starting to happen. Not that we have anywhere to go. We have decided against the house we saw a few days ago as it is too far out of the town and only has a bus every two hours. We are going to see two tomorrow, one I am hopeful about. It does need work doing on it, but nothing immediate. Fingers crossed it will be suitable. If it isn’t , we are going to have to move in with our daughter, but we really don’t want to do that

This morning, I went through my wardrobes and took out lots of my clothes for the charity shop. They are all piled up on the spare bed as I had to stop to take OH to the hospital for his annual eye check. It was fine, but as they put drops in, he needed me to drive back. While he was there, I went shopping and managed to buy a pair of knee length tan boots. I am very pleased as last year I left it too late and couldn’t find any anywhere. I have some black ones, but the brown ones are harder to get. Plus I have wide feet, so that doesn’t help in finding any.

I have just had coffee, so had better go and pick the clothes up and get rid of lots of coat hangers.

Hello, well it's a bright day just now but the wind is beginning to get a look in, I worrry a lot when high winds & storms are forecast, I hate wind at the best of times but seeing the forecasts when a storm is brewing scares me silly.
I am not going outside Florence, not worth lifting leaves for a couple of days at least.

I was sooo cross with myself re unpicking the wrong section on my crosstitching project, it takes such a long time to unpick or frog as it's known as, lol.
I was on the verge of removing the whole thing from my stand & not doing anymore to it, but I have done such a lot of it, it would be wrong to just scrap it.


Lentil & Bacon soup for tea today, there's a nice smell coming from the kitchen.

Joan.

Afternoon everyone.

Well the wind is already picking up here and the rain has started. Pretty awful forecast for the next few days with Storm Babet coming. The north of Scotland is set to get it worse so for all of us in its path, please be prepared and take care.

Joan dont be outside sweeping any leaves! What a pain you had to redo some of your cross stich, how very annoying!!

I am going to get a small basket of ironing done and dry off the load from the washing machine before it gets any worse as we may lose the electric.

Ferries are on amber or cancelled.

Home alone again until Friday or next Monday so very quiet here but Im getting things done at a gentle pace. i just showered and washed hair and then decided to cut 2 inches off all round. I checked with my small mirror to make sure the back was straight and it looks fine.

Well off to make a cuppa before ironing and then lunch.

Shall look in later.

Take care all

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon.
Another lovely sunny, calm & not too chilly day for us.
I did venture outside but only to empty my 3 garden sacks of all the leaves I have lifted so far, I couldn't be bothered sweeping up the leaves from the front garden, just not in the mood for taht job today.

I wanted to get back to my crosstitching project which has been ongoing for a looong time, it was put to one side about 6 years ago when I had a nasty fall & then took ill & unable to stitch.
I recently made the effort & took it up again but after a few hours of stitching I realised I had made a BIG mistake & had to take out 200 stitches !! not a happy bunny having to do that as it takes a long while to do it, & carefullly.

Anyway I am now back on track & now following the correct sheet (9 sheets altogether ) & looking as it should.
It's a large picture (Edinburgh Castle) & if I hadn't had to take such a long break from it it should have been completed by now.

Good luck with your house sale etc Linda.

I hope everyone else is having a nice day,

Joan.

Good afternoon all.
Lovely sunny Autumnal day here an dry!

I have a line of washing out and the breeze is enough to get it all dry but oh my it is chilly. I have a thick cardigan/jacket on and I didn't hang about very long as felt the artic air.But it's good to get the washing out and save the drier.

JustGinnie, I wrapped all my gifts I have bought so far yesterday and also wrote out about 20 cards. it really does pay to be organised! I still buy my son a selection box and he's 28 lolI he kinda expects it so if I didn't buy one he would wonder why! As for socks, they are always a good present for men as I find, they don't go out and buy new ones very often.

Joan, you will have a full time job there with the leaves for awhile, just don't overdo it and take breaks.

Linda, are you sure you want to move into a house that needs so much doing to it? The house you saw sounds like a really old house that hasn't been updated for years and will be a huge job. Even at my age, I think I would want a fairly modern house and not need major overhaul, I wouldn't have the patience or the energy now.

Anyone watching the Long Shadow about the Yorkshire Ripper? It's every Monday ITV1 at 9pm. It's very interesting how they went about finding him. And I noticed that the policeman in them days smoked far too much!

Well I'm off to check the washing as some may be dry by now.

Hope everyone else has some sunshine :-)

Florence in the hebrides