Watty's Awakening

Watty1

PennysIntoPounds said:

I like it, bit of roof on, some nice curtains, make the bed, happy days. People pay loads of money for that stripped back look and you don't need to lift a finger! Double dare you to put in a super low bid 😁

Ohh the temptation.  I tried to get the VNM to work out what we could raise in cash to buy it even though now is not the right time    I also need to remember I'm not in my 30s any more and houses like that are always more work than one thinks they will be.

I think Daisy is right to wonder what it will fetch at auction. I suspect A LOT over the suggested price

Watty1

£10.60 spent on something that seems entirely frivolous but turned out to be worth spending on.   My neighbour sort of talked me into having the bins "cleaned" and I went along with whilst thinking that I could just wheel them to the yard and blast them with the pressure washer.  However,  I have not done that, the black rubbish bin smells and has "stuff" rotting in the bottom and the food bin had maggots after the long hot summer so I went along with the plan.

Yesterday the man came with a converted van that sort of takes the bin inside turns it upside down and washes it.  He scraped all the muck from bottom of black bin and bagged it up, and washed the bin so it sparkled.   The food bin equally sparkles.  No smells just delightfully clean bins.

I am left thinking I may need more in my life if I get so excited about having a clean bin   I was so pleased I sent my neighbour who is on holiday in Italy a picture of her lovely clean bin too

greenbee

There are some things that have a disproportionate impact on quality of life = bins and drains are often neglected or overlooked but if they’re not looked after can have a significant impact. 

The bins were vile when I moved here (I was almost sick when I cleaned them out after they were emptied). The drains are an ongoing saga, and I see far too much of the drain engineer as the previous owners made a mess of the drainage when they (over)extended the house. However, yesterday he told me to have more baths ☺️. If that fixes at least part of the problem it’ll be nice.

Cherryfudge

Watty1 said:

Actually they would be fine,  Fell Pony was born on the Cumbrian Fells and lived there outside for the first few years of his life, Most Handsome is partly Welsh and Charming Cob could really do with keeping his weight down and southern softy grass is not ideal.     Plus there is so much of it, they could happily wander for hours looking for the "best bits"

Love you saw that as the only drawback and the small amount of work never crossed your mind

Well in that case, yay for native breeds and those hillsides would help keep their legs strong. What are you waiting for?  

(There is a little work to be done perhaps - but it would keep your readership endlessly entertained and you could even put up tents in the barn and charge for 'working farm holidays' for unsuspecting willing helpers).

PennysIntoPounds

Watty1 said:

PennysIntoPounds said:

I like it, bit of roof on, some nice curtains, make the bed, happy days. People pay loads of money for that stripped back look and you don't need to lift a finger! Double dare you to put in a super low bid 😁

Ohh the temptation.  I tried to get the VNM to work out what we could raise in cash to buy it even though now is not the right time    I also need to remember I'm not in my 30s any more and houses like that are always more work than one thinks they will be.

I think Daisy is right to wonder what it will fetch at auction. I suspect A LOT over the suggested price

If I may be the voice of unreason, there's never a right time, not being in your 30s gives you more experience, ability, and knowledge, and all homes are more work than one expects but with that beautiful building you only need a small bit functioning and lovely while you enjoy plotting about the other bits at your own pace.
And you never know, while all the outbidders argue amongst themselves and drive the seller crazy, the seller might just be like 'sod this for a lark, let's sell it to that lass with the horses who put in a bid of 100k lower'...

Sorry, that's a bit mean of me but I'm very much living vicariously here 😂

Watty1

Pip you are incorrigible !

Cherryfudge's comment "there is a little work to be done" is possibly the understatement of the year!

I will admit to temptation but now is not the right time. I have steps to my goals marked out and suddenly buying 40 plus acres and a house without a complete roof and outbuildings in various states of dis-repair will get in the way - although "plan create and live the life you love" is on the vision board as a slogan.

Watty1

In the more mundane the last two windows got their rails and curtains bought yesterday and then around 1 am I realised I had bought the wrong size curtains and indeed I have!  Will need to order the right size today.

VNM finally agreed the log pile needs dealing with.  Was going to try and find someone in to cut the wood but he said he would do it thus saving us quite a bit.  He has been saying this since the start of the year but finally tackled it yesterday and it has reduced in size by about a fifth.  (I told him significantly more to keep the motivation going).  This is one of the last really big jobs to do.  The wood was scraped into a pile by people working here but half is actually fine to use on the log burner and way to good to be used on a bonfire.  Should provide wood for this winter.

He did say over dinner last night that the blade on the sawbench may need replacing. I was planning on selling the sawbench but given the somewhat uncertain plans ahead, will now keep and have asked him to research buying a new blade. 

beanielou

A VMM indeed. 

greenbee

It's nice when people who offer to help (and stop you organising other people to do work) finally get round to dealing with the things they said they do Maybe the motivation of wood-burning time coming up helps? And good that much of it can be used as is.

I have a lot of log sorting/cutting/splitting to do here and at my mum's at some point. But another tree is due to come down in a couple of weeks, so it'll be even more chaotic. I know I have enough seasoned wood for this winter, so just need to make sure that it remains accessible. 

Watty1

The saw bench needed fixing as so much of the equipment around here does so log cutting only started about 15 mins ago.  To his credit he has taken the tractor and bench there and started and thinks he can get a couple of hours in.

I have begun on the orchard.  All the wooden furniture has been pulled out   It could be restored but I have the gorgeous painted metal furniture now, my mum's bench and the purple bench ends in progress.    I dragged it all out, looked at it and asked myself the question would I move it to Yorkshire with us and the answer was no.  Might see if anyone wants it on face book but with the inevitable faff of collecting might be easier to burn. 

Have cleared all the rotten windfalls and pulled off a lot of the fruit with brown rot and put in the skip.  Some old metal has been put in the skip and a little more clearing at one end needs to happen but I need to find robust gloves for that.  There is some excellent seasoned wood there under a tarp for burning (needs cutting up)

The Elderberry Tree at the very end has been looking unhealthy and did not sport its usual fabulous blossom and berries this year and today I noticed it has a very unattractive black slug like fugus on the trunk so I think that might need to come down this autumn.  Have interviewed google and cannot work out what it is.