Month: May 2017

Thinking of a special friend this morning whose wife is going for her first chemo. All the best to you both, be brave.

Mal was working again, only for the morning, a very easy job at the College so I dropped him off at Canterbury station again. He couldn’t turn it down, they pay him for a full day.

From there I drove round to the Cottage with Ellie, took her for her walk and then continued with the final clean of the cottage.

There is still quite a bit of tidying of the garden to do so Mal went round there in the afternoon. It’s crazy the things they insist on in the contract, eg borders must be edged, not enough to just do the weeding! The final inspection was the following day. We will both be glad to hand the keys over and get our deposit back. I am sure it is now cleaner than when we moved in!! Having  had my career in housing I wish some of my tenants has taken such care!

I went back and the plumber arrived to mend the upstairs WC. I hadn’t realised he worked for Preston Court as we have often chatted to him on dog walks.

I did go back to the Cottage later to collect loads of bags of garden waste which we then took to Mal’s allotment.

We heard from the Estate agent in Cyprus and we had two offers from our viewers, two thirds of the asking price!! Chancers.  No, we are not that desperate, in fact we are not at all desperate. We know many Brits are and they will sell at any price.

We will both be glad when tomorrow is over and we can start to relax and sort this house out!

Thought for the Day – “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” ~ Bob Marley

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I took Ellie over the fields at 6am. There were such a lot of greylag geese in all the fields, they always pass through this time of year.

I took Mal to Canterbury station for 7.30 and then came home to empty boxes. I was going to do more cleaning at the Cottage but I waited in for the workmen….all day! They didn’t come. Lorna was not impressed nor was I! At least I had the french doors open as it was so nice and sunny.

Mal was home by 5 and we took Ellie for her afternoon walk.

It must have been bell practice at the church in the evening, a lovely sound but very loud!

Thought for the Day – “Speaking a few kind words might be the most important thing you will do today.” ~ Mary Davis

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BT were unable to move our internet until Thursday so we are struggling, using our phones as a modem. The problem being we only have a slight signal if we are upstairs and almost hanging out of a window.  That’s the best we can manage at the moment.

What would I do without my boys?! Rhys and Lou came round and returned the van for me.

I think passers by wondered who had moved in with the Pet Rescue van parked in the drive. When they returned the  van they then cleaned all the carpets for us ready for our leaving inspection! They weren’t dirty but that is part of the deal, all carpets must be cleaned..

In the afternoon both the plumber and the electrician arrived to fix the brand new hob/oven and the leaking WC. The WC needed a new part and the hob is faulty!  Lorna (the owner of the house) is chasing them up to do it all asap. Meanwhile her daughter brought us round a halogen plate to use, obviously used for the upmarket glamping they do!

By 9pm Mal and I were exhausted and went to bed! Also the agency were desperate for someone on the following two days which Mal said he would do. Better than unpacking I am sure!

Thought for the Day – “Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind but great actions speak to all mankind.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Another early morning with dogs walked first thing, straight out of the door and over the fields.

And this is how Springers (one of Torin’s dogs) get their name!! Millie loved jumping around the fields. One minute you couldn’t see her and the next her ears popped up.

One more load and then Torin and Jack had to go home as he had masses to do. I couldn’t imagine that we would have managed to move so much so quickly.
I drove the van round to the Cottage and we emptied the shed and the greenhouse out. This was another full van load. How do we manage to accumulate so much?” I started the cleaning too.

For dinner I couldn’t even turn one ring of the hob on without it tripping the fuses again so we resorted to food via the microwave again.

Ellie seems to have settled in well!

Thought for the Day – “Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.” ~ Mother Teresa

Moving day!

We were all up early and started the rest of the move. Torin doesn’t stop which was a bit hard for Mal who I knew was wanting at least a cup of tea. Torin definitely was the muscle, said he didn’t need the sack borrow as most things he lifted without it! We did all stop for lunch by which time I was exhausted so they sent me round to our new address to start sorting there. Torin did another load on his own while Mal and I had a drink, he just kept on going. Jack wanted to help too and was really good filling boxes and collecting things.

A beer at the end of the day

These are my two weary removal men!

Of course by the evening, beds were in place and made up which was the main thing. We were going out for a meal and then everyone decided we didn’t have the energy so I cooked, or at least tried to cook. A brand new oven and hob has been fitted. Half way through cooking the fuse tripped. Thankfully I was able to finish most of the dinner off in the microwave as every time I tried the oven again the fuse tripped.
We were certainly ready for our beds that night!

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Mal and I were a little peeved that we really should be in Stratford upon Avon. We even paid the extra £20 for Ellie. I booked it a long time ago and it was non refundable. Instead onwards and upwards for a very busy day. We took Ellie out for her walk at 6.30.

We collected the keys at 9am and took three  car loads round. We had arranged for Rhys and I to go to Broadstairs to collect the van from Mal’s sister. She runs an animal rescue and it is their van which we borrow for a donation. However, she couldn’t find the keys.  Rhys had a school run to get back for so it was all a bit manic. Debbie found them in the end.

Mal and I took one van load round and took Ellie for her first visit to the house. She seemed to like it running up and down the stairs and around the garden.

Meanwhile as soon as Torin finished work he started heading down as our “muscle” for the weekend. There was a bad accident on the M25 which delayed him considerably.

He eventually arrived at 10.15. Jack came with him as he wanted to help Nanny and Grandad move!

Thought for the Day – “If speaking kindly to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking kindly to humans can do.”

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Today BBC’s weather was correct for a change, so we were out walking early to avoid the rain. It started 10 minutes after we arrived home. We don’t have to bother going to vote as we were away last election and applied for a postal vote and they sent us a postal vote again, so that is all done for us.

More packing and Mal was moving boxes from the up stairs bedroom to the one below. The stairs are horrific so I left all that to him. It’s the room the littlies sleep in, nice and cosy but I can never see an adult sleeping up there. We will have three proper bedrooms in the next cottage! I am also looking forward to the view from our bedroom. We will be able to watch the weddings held on the island.