Mooloo's little tapestry of life, 2016

dktreesea

it's great you had a fun break. Back in freezing cold Britain, being warm, imho, is really important. Especially waking up to a warm house. Even if you just keep the heating on minimum overnight, better still all day, you'll do wonders for your condensation/mould problem and maybe feel better within yourself. And won't be breathing cold air all night.

I know it seems like an expensive indulgence, but just to put it into perspective, our electricity bill is £260 a month, worth every penny. Over a decade ago, living in another country, I had a gas bill, just the gas mind you, that was more expensive than that over winter.

I've lived in a house with condensation/mould problems. It can be structural, so hard to fix. At least having the heating on will fix it a bit.

Savvy_sewing

My fuel bills are low. I only pay about £58 a month. Dual Fuel.
I think the insulation on this house is the problem. It's not allowing the rooms to breathe! The mould is getting worse down stairs especially the bathroom, the kitchen and by the front door.
The Windows always run with water from the fact the radiators are directly under the window. It's all very frustrating.
I usually have the heating on about 20 when I am in and turn it down to about 10 when I go out.
I shall put it on 15 and see how that works.
( another problem in the bathroom, dispite the extractor fan is on permanantly, is that my cold water comes from outside, straight from the mains, and as its so cold when it hits the porcelain of the loo tank it makes condensation that runs all down the tank onto the walls and the floor. Making the black mould damage that wall so that it is all ridges and broken plaster.).

It was a good day at work for jobs coming in, and I managed to work on 12 pairs of trousers.
The shop is looking good, except for that outside sign that's a work in progress. Staff rang and came in so I wasn't on my own anyway, and the pair of us were kept busy all day.
The takings this month are ofcourse low as we have been closed etc, so I have my work cut out for me to get some money in ASAP so I can pay wages and rent.

dktreesea

With the mould, have you tried your environmental health officer at the local council? They are really good up here with getting private landlords to make structural changes to fix problems with mould.


Though, having said that, our " really couldn't be bothered doing anything until he had to" (the council served a notice on him)landlord's solution was to re-tile the bathroom without actually properly addressing the mould problem. So we're still treating it at the places where the bath, taps and tiles meet.


Failing that, a dehumidifier might be worth the investment. They don't have to be too expensive - it's possible to get a portable one for £20 to £30.

Savvy_sewing

I had been treating by scrubbing with bleach. When I had painted the other year we had used a mould surpressing paint, but it didn't really work. With the way the loo runs ester on the outside it is a problem. I had called the housing out once a few years ago and the gentleman who came said it would be treated etc but they never came back, my housing officer died, don't know the new one, but I suppose I got too busy with the shop to take time out so battled on. But I am beginning to hate this house so I really need to get the niggles sorted out!

dktreesea

It's hard to fit everything in, especially when you work full time and then some. But a nice home to come home to at night is so important. I hope you find time to get onto your housing officer and get the mould fixed, or at least under control.

Savvy_sewing

It's time to make a few priority changes, and as long as I keep the business focused and give DGD her time, then my adult children will have to continue to fend for themselves more and more and free me up to focus on providing DGD a good home and me a relaxing and comfy home.
All my life I was on the move, my Dad was in the Air Force, we moved constantly. Then when I got married we constantly moved for work, this house is the 40th home I have had. Finally I realised I have lived here longer then anywhere in my life. Maybe I'm starting to put out the odd root, as maybe my brain is saying time to make it a home. Although admitting that I probably will never own my own home is a tough one.
However I need to accept that I probably will not be moving and that I can allow myself to make this a home for life is a huge mental shift for me.
It's time to make this my home not just a rented place that I can put up with. But that's so hard. I have chosen 2 houses in my lifetime. The first because it was the only empty house ready to move in to in my price bracket in 1987, and the next one I bought nearest my parents in 1990 that I had so many plans for but my marriage failed and with bad advice my husband let it be repossessed to spite me and make me and four children homeless rather then sell or let me buy him out.
After that it's been rentals where I couldn't decorate, etc or make mine.
I spent £1200 a few months ago on the front of my council house, and expect to pay double that in March for my off road parking☹. It's a big gamble as its not my home, but I suppose my frustration over the parking out costed the fact that I'm spending money on someonelses property.
I guess it's time to make the house my home. ( but I hope that's not a bad omin as in the past as soon as I started to spend money on somewhere I had to move for job or children reasons).
If I had a magic wand, I would make a rule that councils and housing associations had to use the rents paid, minus running costs to invest in new properties, and that rents paid by a tenant were referenced against the value of the property, and once they had paid that value in rent they had the right to own it. And the housing had to use that money to maintain a stock of properties. I.E. To reinvest in new builds etc
But I am no politician or mathematician so I guess it can't be done or it would have.
I fear that as I have a spare room there will come a day when I will be told I have to move. (I see logic in that etc), but I won't want to move if I spend lots of money (as I am doing) on something that will never be mine.
That the powers that be could take my home and make be move.
So I can't change the world, don't know how to change my own life, never mind much else.

Savvy_sewing

Was a bit philosophical last night. Too much time on my own after DGD goes to bed.
Time to get up and get ready for work and the school run. My phone tells me it's minus 3 at the moment, so getting up out of bed is even harder, although I did leave the heating on last night, so it's not cold in here. I've had my cup of tea, faffed about on my phone and still sat in bed instead of getting up. Going to bed after 11pm is not good for me! I need more sleep, although my internal clock still woke me at 6am and I gave up trying to go back to sleep at 6.27 as my brain was too crowded. Need to get that mindfulness stuff started again.
Now I really must get up!!

jackyann

Mooloo, just to say that I totally agree with your magic rule. Politicians who talk about "community" and the related "family" never seem to realise what is actually needed to make these cherished institutions work.

Eager_Elephant

Mooloo wrote: »

If I had a magic wand, I would make a rule that councils and housing associations had to use the rents paid, minus running costs to invest in new properties, and that rents paid by a tenant were referenced against the value of the property, and once they had paid that value in rent they had the right to own it. And the housing had to use that money to maintain a stock of properties. I.E. To reinvest in new builds etc
But I am no politician or mathematician so I guess it can't be done or it would have.
I fear that as I have a spare room there will come a day when I will be told I have to move. (I see logic in that etc), but I won't want to move if I spend lots of money (as I am doing) on something that will never be mine.
That the powers that be could take my home and make be move.
So I can't change the world, don't know how to change my own life, never mind much else.

Up until a few years ago any money councils made from council homes had to be sent to Central Government hence there was no money to build new homes.


Then the Government introduced a new scheme where councils could 'buy out' of that agreement and keep all the rent money for themselves and then they would be able to build new houses.


A lot of councils in Suffolk have done this and we have council houses being built for the first time in 30 years.


The ' buy out' cost quite a few million but I guess the payback over time is immense hence it was worth doing.


I am all for buying your council home but if they allowed rent paid to be used against the price then surely there would be a shortage of council houses for people who really need them as everyone would gradually go from being a tenant to a home owner. Also would Housing Benefit count towards this as it would not seem right that tax payers are helping people on benefits own their own homes?"?
I like the Right To Buy scheme where you get a discount the longer you have been a tenant which I think is quite fair.



Just my opinion of course.


Under the 'bedroom tax'/social size criteria no one is being told they have to move, instead if you can afford to pay your rent then you can stay but of course if you can't then people should downsize.
I can't see them introducing a rule that people can be told to move as that is not how council tenancies work.


I think as you are fine where you are as long as you can pay the rent - I treat my council house as my home and rarely even ring for a repair, instead we do a lot of the minor work ourselves (we are hoping to buy ours in the next few years)

Savvy_sewing

EE I was just fantasising. The council sold out to an housing association, so I am not sure if we have any right to buy schemes here or not.

I'm tired today. Have a headache, so staying up late is not a good idea.
Biggest of Mooloo popped in to the shop to collect the wool her ex mother in law had left with me, as she needs it for her knitting club she has started. So I got a cuddle of DGS4, and a chat over a cuppa. But I didn't get much work done today as I was up and down serving customers all day, only time I had in interrupted was between 1-2 when I was teaching sewing.
That needed concerntration as lady is Russian with little English.
But we managed.
I was supposed to have tomorrow off, but I will need to go in for a while as I am so far behind schedule now.

Dinner is a healthy eating ready meal out of the freezer, that was a 24p whoopsie before Christmas. So dinner for two for 48p cant be bad!