Watty's Awakening

Watty1

PPH's claim on the land does not expire until October 2031 - pretending we are in 2025 means only another 6 years. As the local council are just surveying the part nearest the road and have not yet put in for planning permission - if - the plans to build a garden village on our hamlet go ahead - I think I can delay signing anything for a few years so PPH will not gain anything.   

I've thought long and hard over this, had he been fairer to me I would be fairer in return but he wanted everything he could and was prepared to drive me into the ground.   If I hang on 6 years then I will be free of his claims.

Watty1

Another diary inspired me to think about the year ahead.  I have booked tickets to hear someone speak on regenerative land management and re-wilding at a farming event. The tickets were free and also booked tickets for a vintage farm machinery and tractor auction (again free) This later one is curiosity as my tractor is vintage but currently unusable as only has one of four brakes working (ok, so I use it here but I'm not sure I would take it out of second gear anywhere LOL).  My plan is to try to do at least one thing a month plus try to have a date night once a month with the VNM.  This year has been lost in a blur of "his mother care" and "work".

I've marked up my planner and entered my 2 fun things on, and the two that came to stay for 5 nights are coming back next year, so that is in the planner and a linked bank account is open for "social and entertaining" and I will start from next year to save into that each week/month.  I've tried to look back to see how much I've spent this year but my records are a bit suspect I think   so I'm going to start with £20 a week and review as the months go on but I'm hoping this will give me a surplus as a lot of my events with girlfriends are local and cheap.

Watty1

The VNM has braced the back gate so it will be usable. I'm undecided what to do.

The current gate is set back from the driveway but this means that people use it as a pulling in and/or reverse spot (in some cases they even park there!) and people come onto the drive and see/greet/annoy WattyDog depending who they are.  That is the downside. The upside is I can park on my drive even when the gate is padlocked shut if I want to drop something off (I climb the gate).  

After a lot of research I might like a barrier gate at the road and then leave my gate where it is.    Barrier gates seem to be very expensive and it might be a bit of a faff to have to open two gates for people / self / horses.

I don't think it is an option to move the whole gate because it is useful to be able to park that side of the gate if I've forgotten to unlock it for people using the back of the property so whilst that was the original plan having stood out there in the rain and thought it through, I think the broken gate should be replaced in current spot.

The current gate has been at the property for years so I think it is rare an idiot will drive into it (they must have been reversing in the gateway).

If money were not an option I know what I would do   A lovely large electric sliding gate with the name of the cottage on and powder coated dark green and a press button entry system

Slinky

Could you have a couple of posts nearer the road with a chain between the two to put people off using the drive? You could just have the chain hooked on the post so that anybody can actually drop it to drive over it, but it stops the casual usage that probably led to someone hitting the gate.

debtfreewannabe321

Just catching up watty 😄 love the plans for next year, fun things are needed I think so we've always got something to look forward to. I'm starting a date night/ fun money pot on top of our pocket money pot. 

Regarding PPH claim on the land, I also would hold on until '31 so he cannot claim on it. I think he's taken enough from you already. 

savingholmes

I would wait if it suits you on the house but at the same time avoid letting him dictate your life choices if fir whatever reason it suits you to do something earlier. 

Glad you had a fab time with friends 

WelshmansDaughter

Perhaps just a parking cone for now until you decide re gate?

Watty1

Slinky said:

Could you have a couple of posts nearer the road with a chain between the two to put people off using the drive? You could just have the chain hooked on the post so that anybody can actually drop it to drive over it, but it stops the casual usage that probably led to someone hitting the gate.

Excellent idea. Very doable.

Watty1

WelshmansDaughter said:

Perhaps just a parking cone for now until you decide re gate?

ohh, another excellent idea!

Watty1

Gate decision shelved until next June unless gate becomes unusable.  The patch job seems good enough until then.

Lovely evening, when to the local tractor light up - about 50 tractors decked out in fairy lights and festive cheer. Fabulous.  A local church was doing hot drinks and mince pies for a donation and the VNM and I had a lovely time.  I realised that if I picked the village no where near PPH and given a total of 15,000 were to attend, that would be 4000 in one place I was hardly likely to bump into him and I never gave it a moments thought. 

Progress on many levels