Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

Davesnave

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's weird though, living in a house where somebody's died..... it's like it's not sunk in yet, they're still around.... because nothing's really changed except they're not here.

A chap died in the barn complex behind here a few months ago. He went on the Sunday and by Wednesday morning his family from 200 miles away had removed everything with indecent haste. Trouble was, they piled all the stuff up outside our house in those thin bin bags which fall apart, then the crows went into them and strewed the contents all over the road and our drive. By then, the relatives were back in Kent.

We rebagged all the stuff in fertilizer sacks, but it was heartbreaking. Nothing had been retained. The guy's wedding album, birth cert, marriage cert, framed photos of grandchildren .....everything had just been hurled, willy-nilly into those sacks. We recycled what we could and retained that album and the 'more important' looking papers, just in case someone else showed up. As far as we know, no one did.

The saddest thing of all was that few people in the barns seemed to know this guy had been living among them for 6 weeks. He had health issues, including mental health, so it was madness that social services had seen fit to place him in such an environment. He was at the same stage as my Dad had been with dementia a few years ago; messages written to himself in about half a dozen different notebooks, even down to the same capital letters and clipped phrases. It brought it all back to me. However, the chap wasn't 95, he was just two years my senior.

No harm in leaving it for a little while Pastures. I think change should come at a pace you're comfortable with. There's something not right about changing everything immediately. I'm afraid we gutted Dad's bungalow not knowing he was going to die, but after he was gone, his garden carried on the same as it had always been and we didn't change it at all.

PasturesNew

Imelda wrote: »

I know it might cost a few ££ but have you considered getting a professional in to sort the will etc? I only ask because it's a big task and one that takes a lot of dealing with people- if you're not up for it, it might save a lot of hassle? I am sure the NP could find someone reputable?

Sounds like you have enough to do just sorting out the remaining old- can you delegate anything to siblings? Who are the executors?

We are ... but I still need to sort the stuff out/understand it/do things. First is to decipher it .... which is tomorrow.

lostinrates

PN, fwiw it can take a LONG time to sort out completely. Too long to put your life on hold for. But that's a little down the line...


Its dull as possible weather here, still and dank and ''wet'' air, oh now its started with that very, very light rain. Autumn really is here.

misskool

boo, it's raining and i was working from home. want to go to the office now as it'll be warmer there.

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

Its dull as possible weather here, still and dank and ''wet'' air, oh now its started with that very, very light rain. Autumn really is here.

Which means Spring is here. We've had some lovely days here this week and today a pair of kookaburras have taken up residence in one of the trees outside the unit. They're lovely but they don't half make a racket!

I suspect they'll move a bit closer to the river tomorrow. We're just a couple of hundred meters too far away for them to be happy here.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

PN, fwiw it can take a LONG time to sort out completely. Too long to put your life on hold for. But that's a little down the line...

Its dull as possible weather here, still and dank and ''wet'' air, oh now its started with that very, very light rain. Autumn really is here.

Bloody cold too at 06.15, when I went to let the hens out, but very pretty, as the clouds are passing through at varying heights, so different parts of the hills and valleys are going in & out of view.

PN, when dealing with the winding up of Dad's affairs, I found most institutions, like banks, were more than usually helpful

...... except for Lloyds, who screwed-up royally by paying a cheque for £1750 from the 'frozen' account.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Bloody cold too at 06.15, when I went to let the hens out, but very pretty, as the clouds are passing through at varying heights, so different parts of the hills and valleys are going in & out of view.

I could only see the botton of ''the hill'' here. Right now one of the cats is on the windowsil in the drizzle cleaning her self in the rain. She's going to come in (up the roof and through the bathroom window, on to the sink with filthy paws then down the stairs) soaking and treading on as many items of non-washable soft furnishing as she can.:D

Its suitably dismal for me to have decided to make dh a steak and kidney pie for supper. Last of the miserable peas...which are starchy and big now, and some potatoes, then probably stewed plums. I might get some brioche over the weekend and make a fruit charlotte. Would that freeze and defrost well I wonder?

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

a fruit charlotte. Would that freeze and defrost well I wonder?

The outside would probably dry out a bit but it would be fine apart from that I think. You could 'feed' it with a little bit of booze after defrosting.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

The outside would probably dry out a bit but it would be fine apart from that I think. You could 'feed' it with a little bit of booze after defrosting.

Yes, that sounds a good plan. DH'll love that.


We're thinking about tackling our technophobia and trying out lovefilm online this weekend. If it works the subscription might be worth it over the colder months.

I'm also wondering if I should buy some ore pig lamps......for the house!:o:o dog-dog was shivering this morning.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Its suitably dismal for me to have decided to make dh a steak and kidney pie for supper.

This is where I get my S&K pies from. (Home made, huge, and only £3.60 )

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_millar/4353366375/