Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

Better_Days

Dave, Ahh...now I know the type of lawnmower you mean. Didn't realise there was so much to lawnmowers but having a check on ebay round here - there is a spares or repair one for £89 BIN and a working 5hp pro for £120. Not bad prices for what some would call 'old technology'. Still there is no point in re-inventing the wheel - and good design wins hands down any day.

We had a Peugeot 205 for years and kept it because it was such a well designed little car. And it was like a tardis - amazing what we managed to stuff into that car :cool:

Davesnave

Better_Days wrote: »

Dave, trying to understand the relay thing. Do you mean that if you relay for one person that obliges you to to relay for anyone else who would benefit from it too whether you want to or not?

And sorry if I've missed previous discussions - but what are you doing with your barn? Or is it a secret or undecided - apart from a new roof???

As I understand the relay thing, we would only link with A.N.Other, which would be fine, but then A.N.O might be asked to link to Person 1, who might then link to Person2, and so on, creating a chain.

If A.N.O moved away, our link would still be needed, and legally we'd have to provide it, but Person 1 might be one of the awkward so-sos down there who'd never give us a penny. They are always having problems getting management charges out of a few of them. Not going there!

The barn? It's done, although I'd like to put a loo in there this summer. It's the garage we're having re-roofed next month, and we're going from flat to pitched.

The garage is joined to the house, and as changing its roof is all part of our planning permission, we shall have started our build, even though most of it is scheduled for 2015.

We asked 3 people to quote for the work, but it's the usual story; the two local firms didn't get back to us. This is why we probably won't be asking any firms in the village to do the big job.

Davesnave

Fab to hear from you rozee. :hello:It won't be long now before all that caravan living is just like a bad dream, and it'll all have been worth it anyway. :dance:

Even experience doesn't protect owners from hen problems. When the source of the trouble can be identified, it's possible to learn, but often the exact cause is a mystery.

We have some really stubborn broodies ATM....in fact, just an hour ago, DW said, "We must get heavy with these two!"

Just to bring you up to speed, we ditched our plans to extend and revisited the design process, working within the exterior walls we already have.To our amazement, we came up with something that we could agree on.

Not quite sure why we didn't see it that way first, or even second time around. Maybe I have been studying sold prices for this sort of property! :rotfl:

rozeepozee

Davesnave wrote: »

Fab to hear from you rozee. :hello:It won't be long now before all that caravan living is just like a bad dream, and it'll all have been worth it anyway. :dance:

Even experience doesn't protect owners from hen problems. When the source of the trouble can be identified, it's possible to learn, but often the exact cause is a mystery.

We have some really stubborn broodies ATM....in fact, just an hour ago, DW said, "We must get heavy with these two!"

Just to bring you up to speed, we ditched our plans to extend and revisited the design process, working within the exterior walls we already have.To our amazement, we came up with something that we could agree on.

Not quite sure why we didn't see it that way first, or even second time around. Maybe I have been studying sold prices for this sort of property! :rotfl:

With the experience of our build, I would do the same in your position. Once you start knocking walls down and rebuilding things, the costs sky-rocket. I still struggle to comprehend the cost of labour and materials of building when you look at the cost of built houses. Are new builds so shoddily built and that is how the developers make a profit? Or is that the reason new houses/flats are like shoe boxes these days?

We have spent a phenomenal amount doing up the house. And we're still not finished. Although, I believe that if our plans work out, we will recoup our money, if we had to sell up in the short term, I think we'd struggle to. Because we are in our forties and looking at this as a twenty year project, it makes sense. I am thrilled with our extension, there are so many benefits it gives us (space, a light atmosphere, open plan living, ambient heat, and probably the best thing for me, a view right up our land which means, not only a great view that was previously lost, but I'll be able to keep an eye on the children while they are out playing, and they don't have to be restricted). The down side is, we are going to spend years now re-building our savings and we have lost the feeling of security that comes from having a comfortable savings cushion banked. Still, at least we have not borrowed (which is why it's taking so long! )

I have been glad to wear the hair shirt in a way. I think I feel more grateful for the outcome, it being a struggle and having to wait to achieve it.

And I'm going to be even more excited once we move in because once the building phase is complete, we can move onto looking at the land. Pigs and Polytunnel will be the title of the next stage of this adventure

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

With the experience of our build, I would do the same in your position. Once you start knocking walls down and rebuilding things, the costs sky-rocket.

We'll be knocking down walls, but only internally, and there won't be any messing with stuff like drainage, which would happen if we tacked a bit on. Even design details like ensuring the main circuit board stays in situ has saved money.

We looked at this place so many ways.....To get a significant improvement over what we've plumped-for, we'd have had to add a minimum of 22m2, which as you'll know, is about £25k.

But I was also unhappy with our second design, which put the kitchen at the back. On warm days it would have been overly hot, whereas its current location is perfect (and we can keep an eye on life beyond our boundaries! )

You're young and we aren't. What you've done will stay with you a very long time and be that 'forever' place.:)

I'm not convinced we will handle all this when we're 10 years older.

rozeepozee

Davesnave wrote: »

You're young and we aren't. What you've done will stay with you a very long time and be that 'forever' place.:)

I'm not convinced we will handle all this when we're 10 years older.

I'm already looking at the tiny detached cottage opposite our field that has been empty for years and wondering about downsizing there in 20 years time :rotfl:

lostinrates

Ok, we are now a three quince house hold, I definite don't need any more. The baby this year, the one that probably will never fruit on order and the common old vranja with fruits on it that jumped in to my car when I pulled over at a garden centre on the way home from hospital today.

Its got two tiny root stock suckers, I need to cut them out, because they are good for nothing, I think?

We also have ONE crab apple on this years newly planted HArry baker. Which is one more than I hoped for . I saw one of them at the same garden centre, laden with fruit, but free times the price of mine.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Ok, we are now a three quince house hold.

Posh alert! :rotfl:

Just had a look at my one, un-named quince. Although it began well and flowered a bit, it looks as if it will succumb to the ravages of quince leaf spot, as usual.

According to the RHS, there's no cure. Horse Woman has one nearby which is similarly stricken, so no chance of a clean start with another either.:(

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Posh alert! :rotfl:

Just had a look at my one, un-named quince. Although it began well and flowered a bit, it looks as if it will succumb to the ravages of quince leaf spot, as usual.

According to the RHS, there's no cure. Horse Woman has one nearby which is similarly stricken, so no chance of a clean start with another either.:(

They are such a useful fruit! A bowl is as good as a bunch of flowers for fragrant ing a room, good for puds and cheese and I make a beef stew with them that makes me weep for joy at its beauty in my mouth. Its one of the meals I look forward to most each year.

This leaf spot doesn't sound good. I saw some spottine on a leaf of mine. Grump I better look it up.

It seems we are hit by EVERY spot and blight this year. Weather is of course hideous. I KNOW there are no quinces within at least a mile or so of me in any direction, though I am certain the villages will have some. Grump, grump, grump.

Bearing in mind there was NO garden but for the lilacs and apples and dog roses and snow drops and a very few other things here for over thirty years before these things if they have been here have bloody well hung on well.

alfie_1

hi all

well my car has gone to be fixed at last, hire car ensconced on the drive.. NEW toyota yaris [164m on clock] which makes me go :eek::eek: at the thought of some other idiot playing bumper cars with it !! me finks i will use the old van and keep above for special occasions i only took it so's her insurance had to fork out :D

ive washed all 10 welsh blankets i got from CTC and ive filled my cabinet in the antiques/collectables centre with lots of wacky and wonderfull bits

one particular lady in there [lets call her G] was poking her nose in saying "oh is that what you are going to sell now?" ... [she sells vintage but is leaving next week!] i said "yes, why?" and she cheekily said well thats what she sold .... but as i pointed out ,she was leaving? she had asked me to get her some 20's dresses if any from CTC but she proffered no money so im not daft....

its been lovely weather here but im not holding my breath it will remain...:cool:

i want to dig over my veg patch but time keeps escaping me....:o
i need to take a week off and just sort the garden. BUT i feel guilty to the people i work for ... i hate not doing what i feel are my duties.. all the people i work for are soooo nice
they dont mind AT ALL, they TELL me to have a holiday... [i would get paid] i havent taken time off for 4 years !!

LIR.... love the rose pics