Watty's Awakening

daisy_1571

Am i right that the two padlocks lock to each otger?

Before the care team get here would it be helpful if you undo the chain, measure the bit you have to chain.  Lie the chain straight on the ground with their padlock at one end.  Measure it and compare to the measurement you need.  Find the length that combined with the width if your padlock is 'neat' and cut the chain to that.  Then cut a link out 3 or 4 away from the end.  Now you have a chain, their linking padlock, another bit of chain a couple of links long and your padlock will complete the circle.  Now you can never lock each other out as each padlock only unlocks two ends of chain.

daisy_1571

Nobody nobody should be able to use one padlock to draw the chain tight enough that they can bypass the second padlock if the chain is just the right length? 

LadyWithAPlan

Loving the veg rotation and chain conversations going on over here.... Glad you feeling happy and properly at home where you are 

Suffolk_lass

That's a little bit brilliant @daisy_1571! Great plan!

Watty1

Loving the conversation too   thank you all for dropping by

@daisy_1571  You were absolutely right and your suggestion is excellent.   Really perfect solution.  Thank you so much.  I will get an appointment for them to bring their own padlock out and do exactly as you have drawn.   Easy no cost solution just need the appointment from them to fix their padlock.  (Might need to take the chain somewhere to get it cut as bought a very expensive chain impervious to bolt croppers due to uninvited guests but that is a doable thing goo).

daisy_1571

yes, I did wonder if it would be impossible due to chain bolt cutter issue but hopefully it might ease the situation 

Dxxx

Watty1

A quick call to the place that sold the chain means they are happy to cut it if I pop in.  Solutions.  I love this forum

Edited:   To say the chain has already been cut, is in place with the 2 padlock solution from  @daisy_1571 and now just need the UK Power People to come with "their" padlock and I will remove one of mine so they can add theirs.   Fantastic and simple solution to a very frustrating issue.  Thank you xx

Watty1

Have had a very thought provoking 3 days.    A friend told me about a house she had seen in Cumbria, 10 acres, nice small house, nice location and for a lot less that I would get for mine.   Ever since I left PPH I've wondered about moving out of the South East.  I could probably get more of what I want (countryside to ride in) and free up some cash.
I have had a rumble around the internet and it seems there are a lot of options.     

Although I have no idea where I would choose.   I do love where I live in that I have friends and my sister is close by, I know where to go for things, I have a great farrier and vet and so on - all this would be an unknown elsewhere. 

But still, for the first time I really do have options.   And I need to think about the next stage of my life and what I would like that to look like.  This is quite daunting. 

Added to this, the business has outgrown my office.  Since leaving PPH the business has really grown, which I think is  the Universe gifting me the opportunity to make back some of the money I lost.  I am so grateful for this (yes, I do work hard but I have always worked hard and this growth is a lovely gift for that hard work).

Two people in my office means we are falling over each other.  There are boxes in one of my beautiful spare rooms, stationery in the living room and the stock I recently ordered to sell will also have to go in the living room.  Now, I'm not complaining because all of this is just wonderful - but - I need to think about options.

I'm putting this here because I know some of you who read along are very creative.   I've considered getting a shipping container and putting it behind the stables as a temporary storage solution, getting a granny style annex constructed in the back garden to use as an independent office.

Then again, I could put up with this and progress the idea my accountant came up with to sell the business as a going concern. 

All of this involves some serious though about my future and I've no idea where to go with all this ideas that have been rattling around since taking myself off to the local country house for an afternoon tea on Friday.    I've spent a lot of the weekend thinking of options and realise that it comes down to really making decisions for my future and I'm not really sure what that looks like.

Suffolk_lass

We have looked at other houses with land, over the last nine years and concluded in the autumn that it was this place where we want to live. We had offered on a derelict farm and lost it because this thatched place had not sold, quickly enough. And then found a lovely 18th century do'er upper with an acre of land, but were not in a position to offer.

We plan to build a garden structure to replace the (permanent building on the deeds) pig shed, to have room to store our bee stuff (along with the existing garden equipment) and a hygienic honey room, for extraction and processing. It is the cheapest way to get the extra space. With water and electric in it, and a few solar panels on a mono-tilt roof, it offers the next person to live here a decent annex option. If we can have it on two stories, amazing. It will separate two hobbies, and give me a workshop space. If not, still enough, and removes the fear it might fall down.

In the meantime, we reflected on what we have here, our age, familiarity with it, friends and family, and decided this is the area, unless we win a house or money!

Slinky

How would your situation with the VNM work if you moved away Watty? Would he move with you?