General Chat

Aw Linda, don't you overdo it. Surely SiL needs to lead by example and sitting on PC all day def wont help his back!

Yes keeping off the IPad is a good thing, its all about balance I guess.

Just waiting on last load in the dryer and then bed at 11 as will be up at 5am. taxi coming at 6.45. Lets hope plane is on time and no delays!

Written out a list of things we are hoping to buy and the shops as this cuts down the time rather than wander around looking in every shop. We shall probably have 2-3 hours at best including having lunch.

Doubt I will sleep though, never do when going away early as frightened I wont hear the alarm and that would be a disaster all round!!

Was a rainy day today so never went outside. made some cards with daughter and did the usual chores in the morning. She did the massive pile of shredding and it filled a black bin bag but it all went in the organic bin, without the bag!

Hope everyone well today

Florence in the hebrides

Oh great, another teachers strike tomorrow, so I get to play with Esme again( she was off yesterday as well). At least I had some respite as she was at school today. Or at least I should have if Eve wasn’t taking her fathers challenge so seriously. She got an Apple Watch for her birthday last week,so now we all have them. Her father has challenged everyone to a weeks fitness challenge. Why I don’t know as he just sits at his computer working all day then lies down on the bed when he finishes because his back is hurting. The fitness app has three parts. You have to complete a certain amount of exercise, you have to complete a certain amount of movement and you have to stand up for a few minutes in twelve separate hours. The app works out how much you should do based on your age, sex, weight and height. I have taken her to the local sports track yesterday and today. I have to do thirty minutes of raised heart rate exercise. It takes me thirty minutes to walk quickly round the track one and a half times. She went three times round in the same time. She also went out for a walk with OH this morning, she has done over three times the amount of exercise she needed to do, but you earn points for doing extra and she is determined to build up a large score.
I am tired and have only done two days so far.

Still it is getting her off her iPad, so that’s a good thing.

Yes, chain free is an asset :-D

It sounds like a good buy for someone - fingers crossed the right someone comes along soon!

The fact that there's no chain involved (at least as far as that flat's concerned) should be an advantage.

AG, we got an exemption for 6 months, that expired in January this year. The new C Tx year started in May. However mum had a credit of £150 on her account so 1st payment in May was only £55 I think then Jun was £142 etc until sold or next year.

I did ask if there was any other discount but was told, no,! This is Kent CC

We are lucky mum had a healthy bank balance which is covering all the bills otherwise it would be down to myself and brother as Exors to pay out of our own monies until property is sold! We have had some extra solicitor fees to pay upfront already.

We completely redecorated( all white so fresh) and laid new carpets and lino throughout so is in excellent condition and ready to move in. Just not great now the interest rates have got up unless we get a cash buyer, here's hoping someone will snap it up quickly.

Florence -
as your mum's flat is unoccupied, unfurnished, and actively on the market, can you apply for Council Tax exemption, or at least a discount?


Rules can be complicated, and vary from one council to another.
For instance, Highland Council says:

"Exemption can be awarded if less than 6 months has elapsed since the property was last occupied for a period of 3 months or more. Maximum exemption is 6 months. This exemption applies to the property. If you become the owner or tenant of a property that was previously unoccupied and unfurnished, the 6 months maximum exemption may already have been fully or partially used. If the property remains unoccupied and unfurnished 10 per cent discount will be awarded for a further 6 months. When the discount ends a 200 per cent Council Tax charge will apply.

However, if the property is being actively marketed for sale or let 10 per cent discount can be awarded for a further 12 months."

Afternoon everyone looking in.

Well the day started off dry with a breeze and so stripped daughters bed and just looked outside to see the rain starting. It was virtually dry and only needed 5 mins in the dryer.

Clouds are very heavy looking and I think it will downpour soon.

Linda, I made your tomato soup recipe and have to say, it is delicious and was so easy to make and yes it tastes just like the Heinz one! I have some par baked baguettes to cook and have later with the soup for tea.

Such a nuisance with your daughters new house! The man who viewed mums flat has been messaged 4 times by the estate agent and he hasn't come back so really disappointed with that,

Today I paid the 2nd council tax of £142.00 plus the gas bill although only 5 units used! The service chg is more than the units lol

Joan hope you & hubby are doing ok and your weather is better than mine so you can get into the garden and be busy.

I'm having a wee rest now for an hour as have been on me feet all morning and started swaying feeling lightheaded, just overdone it today.

Florence in the Hebrides

It appears that my daughters completion isn’t happening tomorrow :-(
There are only three of them in the chain, but the bottom one is a cash buyer and the solicitor has suddenly realised that they need to do money laundering checks on the cash. Apparently one of the bank statements is in a foreign language, so that is holding things up.
We got new neighbours a year ago. They are a couple in their late sixties who had just met a few years ago and were buying their first house together. She had sold her house, but his house sale fell through at the last minute. They didn’t want to lose this house, so he borrowed some money from his mother. She had sold her house and was in a home. She was perfectly happy to lend him the money until he got a new buyer. His sister was happy with the arrangement as well, but on the day before they were supposed to complete the solicitors realised they hadn’t done the money laundering checks. They had a mad dash to get some sort of affidavit signed by his mother in the presence of a different solicitor to prove the money was legit. Luckily his mother still had all her marbles so could sign it. I was pleased that they did get the house because they are very nice neighbours

Afternoon all
Well the rain has finally stopped and the wind is now reduced to a small breeze, thank goodness.

I actually went outside for some fresh air as felt stifled indoors last few days.

I noticed in some of my flower pots that the Alyssum this year had died off both the pink and the white and not sure why? They are in indifferent pots with other flowers like marigolds and petunias and they are all ok. never had a problem with it before and quite disappointed.

Have spent most of the day going through expanding folders and taking out old paperwork, sick notes, old contracts etc so now have another huge pile of shredding and 4 empty folders. But it has cleared a space from the filing cabinet and 2 boxes.

My next task tomorrow is to go through all the family trees paperwork and reorganise it. I have plenty of A3 files spare to fill just need to reduce all the scrappy bits of paper!!

Not sure about tea tonight as not feeling terribly hungry today so maybe cheese & onion toasties perhaps, something quick anyway as not feeling the need to cook much lol.

Linda, hope all goes well tomorrow for your daughter, keeping my fingers crossed for them. Yes my lounge is all back to normal and everything back in its place, exactly as before lol I have a photographic memory!

Hope everyone looking in is well and ok

Florence in the hebrides :-D

It is very windy here, but we have had some rain today which is welcome.

We have a double garage and we gave up one half of it so my daughter could store all of the boxes of household goods in it, but we could still get our car in the other side.
This afternoon a large van arrived with the rest of the stuff from their London house in it, so we are going to have to keep our car outside now. The completion for the London house was supposed to be today, but it had to go back a couple of days as one of the solicitors in the chain wasn’t quite ready. So keep Eve crossed that it will all go through on Wednesday.
All we need now is for them to move into their new house. When they agreed to buy it, they were under the impression that the people were moving out in mid July, but now they are saying September. My daughter isn’t having that, so they are trying to settle on the 22nd? Of August. The couple who own the house are Americans who have been working at Menworth Hill, the hush hush early warning station, they are going back to the states

You will be pleased to get ever over with Florence, all that effort to get things back to how they should have been in the first place

Good afternoon all
Wasn't on over the weekend as was busy emptying me lounge and so disconnected computer and internet etc. My kitchen was crammed with the tv, computer desk, printer desk plus office chair and you couldn't swing a cat lol

My bed and chest of drawers were full of boxes etc as well.

But there were here before 10 and away before 10.15. I watched them lift up the sofas and work round them and boy so quick too. But we have just finished now putting everything back the way it was and all looks grand again.

Just the small hall carpet which will be a doddle compared to the other rooms as only 2 bookcases to move. A lady is coming for lounge carpet tomorrow eve hopefully as I have already managed to trip over it!!! I struggle to lift leg leg and dint quite manage to step over the carpet so banged my toes but nevermind.

it has poured torrentially for 3 days now and I know we need the rain but along with gale force winds, i thought summer has gone and here we are in winter again :-D :-D

It supposed to improve as the week goes on. My potato plants were smashed beyond repair :-(

So how was everyone else's weekend?
JustGinnie, hope you got on ok in the garden? 54th anniversary this year, wow thats amazing <3
My pigeons are not scared of the cats or the seagulls, they are brave wee things lol.

Better catch up on a few more emails etc

Florence in the hebrides

Well weather has changed today, it is cloudy and temp. has dropped but the rain seems to be missing us except for a few spots here and there.

Got to do some tidying up in the garden and I have some new plants ordered 2 Acers, 2 Ceanothus (California lilacs) and a Fig tree.

I have to agree about time flying my eldest grandchild is 28 and the youngest 20, this year will be our 54th wedding anniversary. How did that happen ? :-D :-D

We don't get many birds in our garden, too many cats around for them I think.
Pigeons and Magpies come though and there are usually some gulls flying about looking for food.. The squirrels like to run along the fences at the back and daughter said she sees foxes early morning when she goes to work.



Have a good weekend everyone

Ginnie

Ah what a lovely day for you all. A teenager, wow where do the years go to.

Diet starts tomorrow then Linda ;-)

Today my oldest granddaughter became a teenager. She has already finished school for the summer, so her mum took her with three of her friends to York where they did an escape room experience. They seemed to enjoy it, then they went for lunch.
Esme was at school, she doesn’t finish for a couple of weeks yet.
We went out for dinner as well, then had birthday cake, so I have had far too much to eat

Afternoon chit chatters.

Well we needed rain and we def have had lots of it and already had another downpour today. Sadly daughter was waiting for the bus outside and then the heavens opened so she was soaked bless her.

For now its stopped and a little sun poking through but the sky is very cloudy and heavy looking.

Joan, if you have had heavy rain, hope it will fill your water butts for you.

Well today I noticed 3 tomatoes on my plant in the lounge window...Yay :-D :-D

Dead chuffed and several more just appearing.

My lounge is looking bare as now no bits around just the furniture but actually looks so neat & tidy, minimalistic you could say but I prefer a more homely look. Bare looks so clinical!

I have dusted and polished today so everything all shiny and gleaming.

Hope everyone looking in today is well and ok

Florence in the hebrides

Joan, when my brother came to visit in April, he brought all my mother's photos, many many boxes! But I went through them all and made 3 piles and brother took 2 home and gave 1 to my middle brother.

It was lovely seeing us as kids on family holidays etc. I just wish that my mum , bless her had written some names of the cousins on the back!! Writing this" doesn't mums cousin look like her."???? Nanna had loads of cousins on both sides and I have no idea now who it is and no one to ask which is a bit sad.

Its still raining hard here but well needed as the loch's water level is low now and we have been put on the 2nd highest alert for water scarcity! Not sure in view of that why hosepipes haven't been banned to conserve water yet. We just use a small jug so none goes to waste.

Decided on a cauliflower cheese grill, small roast potatoes and peas. The little pots have been on the bottom of the freezer, so need to use up and make space. The grills are very tasty and only recently found them again.

I've also been trying to trace some DNA matches on my family tree but its proving a long task!

Right better check the oven now or it will be burnt offerings and we cant have that lol

Yes Linda, def better for sleeping being cooler, very much so.

Florence in the hebrides

It has been raining all day here as wellFlorence. Not torrential, just a steady drizzle, but the soil is getting damp.
It is certainly a lot cooler, only nineteen degrees, it was certainly much better for sleeping last night

Well the heavens have opened and the torrential rain hasn't stopped all day! The garden will def get a good soaking and the newly cut grass will get a well needed water too.

Just been tidying up and gathering all the candles and photographs and put into a box ready for next Monday when next carpet is being laid in the lounge. Beneath the tv unit are all the photo albums which are very heavy so they need to be lifted one at a time and boxed.

Not sure about food tonight as not feeling too hungry however some comfort food is calling so maybe a pasta dish?

Hope everyone having a good day

Florence in the hebrides

Linda, that is so annoying your plants didn't get free rain!

Well my grasscutters came and the lawn looks much better now after no cut for a month and the bit of rain we had.

I am sitting after getting hot & bothered thinning out my carrots on the kitchen table. Daughter not back til later so I couldn't wait that long. I managed to drag the 2 rectangular boxes to the front door and then put an old blanket underneath and dragged them 1 at a time through the hall to the kitchen.

Took a deep breath and lifted them up onto the kitchen table. Not sure where I got the strength as they were mighty heavy but I did it with a few huffs & puffs.

So I filled another box and now have 3 with 15 plants in each box. I forked out the strongest plants and threw the rest as some were very tiny anyway. A few are already decent and a little orange carrot has formed.

So cleared up but daughter will have to put them back outside for me as I did nearly fall getting them in but shan't tell her that!. I am very independent and its only when I really cant manage, I ask for help.

After a showery start, its now bright, sunny but breezy and quite warm at 19 degrees.

Hope everyone looking in is well and ok

Stomach is just about ok today and the culprit was def the orange juice!

Florence in the hebrides

It was really odd this morning, I had gone to my slimming class and it suddenly got so dark that we had to put the lights on, then there was a torrential downpour. When I cam out the car and ground were very wet, but I had only driven a hundred yards and the ground was bone dry. There hadn’t been any rain in my garden either which was annoying