tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47252423619698277602024-03-19T02:54:48.393+00:00Selling A Home, Raising A Child, Starting AfreshTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-2913897301403784882014-01-12T11:09:00.001+00:002014-01-12T11:09:50.469+00:00A new blog has begun!We've sold the house, got mostly out of debt and continue to raise our child in our own inimitable way :-) Think homeschooling, co-sleeping, toddler breast-feeding etc... all those highly emotive things! For more, head over to Cocoon Revolution.
Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-12614041182472789392012-09-18T12:38:00.001+01:002012-09-18T12:39:09.948+01:0029 Days LaterIn the last 29 days, we have:
Goodbye, MINI!
sold the Mini
bought a van & a super bike (of the cycling variety)
lost and found the van key at Cineworld (that was fun!)
sawed a sofa into a bits1
visited Hull (and by extension the Deep and the excellent East Park)
learned over 30 new words2
walked a LOT
discovered Tumble Tots
got permission to put in a water meter
bought a trampoline
Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-47722645257510143702012-08-20T13:03:00.000+01:002012-08-20T13:03:03.661+01:00Sneak Blog!We've finally moved in! The furniture didn't fit! The fridge DID fit but we couldn't open doors. So Granddad shifted everything round and now we can. We had an incident involving wet nappies and the laundrette but that was solved quickly. We are living out of boxes and just spent two days trying to find our passports (found!). But we are loving it, loving it, loving it! Our neighbours are lovely,Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-74018646250029470452012-08-12T12:48:00.001+01:002012-08-12T12:48:32.089+01:00Mini adventures and the MOVE... and it is stressful, scary and all those intense words starting with "s".
As we will not have internet connection from tonight for at least "five working days", I thought I'd better get a few words in before then1.
Remember the Dead Car Dilemma? Well, as of Friday, there is now one less Dead Car. And what an adventure that was getting it gone.
First the wherefores: the car in question is aTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-54491231432478762922012-08-06T23:38:00.000+01:002012-08-06T23:38:50.711+01:00Everything (well, some) went!
Four days till we get the keys to our new digs. Eight days till we fully vacate our old place and leave it in a liveable state.
Are we stressed? You betcha!
Still, we are all healthy now1, we have lots of sturdy boxes2, and we have made a start3: we've given away our old faithful TV (CRT, 4:3!) complete with stand, sold the nursing chair, the mini hifi and a variety of things in our yard (har,Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-91947407555616073122012-07-27T01:06:00.001+01:002012-07-27T01:06:16.376+01:00Exchanged! Balls! Insomnia!We finally exchanged two days ago with a completion date that we could work to, yay!
The last few days have been a bit strained - what with buyers wanting to complete in less than five days, FBB getting a mysterious but rather painful and scary infection1, work getting increasingly pressured as we approach the end of month frenzy and to top it all off, Plate has now decided that bedtime is 10pm.Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-50985561123848080302012-07-09T22:49:00.001+01:002012-07-09T22:49:14.088+01:00A little bit closer...Today, I had the news that we are *this* close to exchanging contracts. So I am going to risk it for a biscuit1, and talk about the house we are going to rent.
It's a brisk 20 to 30 minute walk to work and a two minute walk to the pub, corner shop, laundromat and, oddly, the gun and hunting shop. It's a 10 minute walk to Plate's 'minder and probably 20 minutes to the high street. It also has Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-35500381218987747302012-07-02T22:00:00.000+01:002012-07-02T22:00:48.730+01:00Baby's first inhalerWhen I find the camera, I will take a snapshot of the baby inhaler Plate's been prescribed. Oh yes, plague is once more visiting our house.
FBB is bunged up and exploring the different decongestion remedies out there and my poor little Plate has a dribbly nose and a rattly chest.
Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-73422469307689184222012-06-25T22:55:00.000+01:002012-06-25T22:55:06.394+01:00Rent-a-HomeI haven't written lately because it's been a bit hairy around here and it's been all I can do to keep from melting into a little puddle of panic.
OK, quick catch-up: previously on "Selling a Home..." - the house sold for a good enough price, no one would give us a mortgage1, the Outlaws kindly volunteered to pay off our creditors via CAB2, and we've been looking for a place to rent in Ely.
AyahTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-23745266980388197732012-06-06T22:22:00.000+01:002012-06-06T22:29:23.660+01:00And now we are 40On Sunday just gone, FBB had his 40th birthday bash! It was meant to be a Disco Picnic1, but the weather rained on his parade2.
Fortunately, a few good friends braved the wet and windy and our little house was enlivened by laughter and good vibrations.
FBB prepared almost all the food by himself. There was tuna and sweetcorn pasta, rice salad with peppers and peas, and a LOT of jelly3. We alsoTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-38771776422359994702012-05-31T22:45:00.002+01:002012-05-31T22:45:34.526+01:00SOLD! And now the real fun begins...Just a quickie to say we've sold! Hoorah! But at £10k less than we hoped - boo! However, they're ready to go, bird in hand etc so yay! But we've no mortgage yet, so hiss! The owners of the house we want to buy haven't sold so they've accepted our offer - phew! But they haven't found a place to live dagnabbit! On the other hand, they've got their eye on a property with no chain - huzzah! So our Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-56066481405026536692012-05-28T23:23:00.000+01:002012-05-28T23:23:29.866+01:00Good tidings arrive with the glorious sunshineMy apologies for the slackness in keeping up this blog - but there is great news,
good news, not so good news and some random observations coming up, so I hope you keep the faith, dear reader!
The great news: we have no leak and we are due a little money back from Anglian Water! Yay! Turns out one the ladies I spoke to had misheard me when I gave my readings and thought we wereTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-58167062816073473732012-05-22T23:20:00.001+01:002012-05-22T23:20:58.814+01:00Still unsold, leaks & eruptionsSo the house has been on the market now for three weeks. We've had a few interested parties but sadly, no serious buyers. A rather intense disagreement is raging1 between FBB and I about whether we should drop the price or not. He has won. Mainly because I am taking the Taoist way2.
We also received a ridiculously high water bill and we are taking steps. I must say Anglian Water Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-75333210149131657512012-05-13T22:51:00.000+01:002012-05-13T22:51:18.597+01:00Panic! At the Disco
Damned mortage lenders. And estate agents.
So, the weekend was interesting.
On Saturday, there I was just finishing breakfast with Plate at around 10am - bits of cereal, fruit and milk EVERYWHERE - when the phone rings. The conversation went a little like this:
'Hi this is Z, just to say that I've gone back to the Ns to say that their offer1 has been rejected and I shall be chasing them on Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-56069872484254589252012-05-07T21:23:00.001+01:002012-05-07T21:23:41.632+01:00We wait. Tick follows tock follows tick.
I absolutely hate waiting.
It's been three days since the Vanilla People1 came and saw the house. According to the impressive Z2, she was excited about what she could do with our house and would like a second view. However, they wanted some time to think before making an offer. So now, we have a second viewing tomorrow night and we are once more ticked with nervousness.
Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-54110290516680932192012-05-03T22:32:00.001+01:002012-05-03T22:32:57.898+01:00Will they make us an offer?We had our first viewing tonight!
They were investment buyers and seemed quite excited by our house - they spent over half an hour here!
Willie H Brown sent a sales negotiator, Z, to show them round. I must confess, I was a bit sceptical1 about this, but I thought, since I am paying for an agent, I should let them do their job. Also, I thought prospects were more likely to be more open Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-39924217567648319952012-04-29T22:17:00.000+01:002012-04-29T22:17:04.172+01:00A ray of sunshine in the House of PlagueThings are moving at a tremendous speed!
On Tuesday night we made the list - texted Alex - who promptly made our offer to No. 11's agent - who then said they had to wait for the other buyers (?) - a few hours later, I get a call from Alex "Congratulations! They accepted your offer!" Big relief, happy, happy, joy, joy - 10 minutes later, I get a call from the Council, "No, your offer has been Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-76278565122602223422012-04-26T22:09:00.004+01:002012-04-26T22:10:30.359+01:00Love house, lose house, see another one!What a day. I feel totally wrung out, battered and drained. And it had started so well.
The compressed version: we had to withdraw our offer on the beautiful house. But at the same time, another house in the same estate has come up for sale, for about £9,000 less. We've made an appointment to view. Oh, and now Plate has a cold, the constantly running nose variety.
It's been a day of highs and Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-83088209519520711562012-04-24T23:21:00.000+01:002012-04-24T23:21:30.773+01:00Good vibrations!I am sick as a dog, but warm memories and good news is keeping the old tail wagging.
But first, I met up with an old friend, H, on Saturday. It was only for a couple of hours but we had a great time catching up on our lives1. She had also come bearing delectable and delightful gifts: bak chang2, a really beautiful jacket for Plate, a sarong for me3, bak kwa4, a selection of Chinese Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0Cherry Rise, Sutton, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2PW, UK52.3863239 0.109125852.3839009 0.1041903 52.3887469 0.11406129999999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-40612443762794258822012-04-20T23:03:00.000+01:002012-04-20T23:03:36.881+01:00See house, love house. buy house!We have found a house we both absolutely agree is just simply wonderful! But I am getting ahead of myself.
In my last post, I said our ex-neighbour wanted to have a look at our house. Well, he did and he actually made us a pretty generous offer. In cash! There was a hitch in that he was waiting for his dad to die - it sounds callous, but what he meant was that he was looking after his dad who Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-47681717596185901562012-04-15T23:12:00.000+01:002012-04-15T23:12:10.880+01:00Chimes in the ear and serendipitous meetings
So the last few days I have been laid low by a combination of a swollen eardrum in one ear, fluid in the other ear, engorged glands, an inconsiderate cough and a stuffed nose1, all of which resulted in a bout of labyrinthitis seconds before I was going to try hoicking my daughter on my back2. Luckily it was a very mild attack and I was able to slide carefully to the floor, ring my Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-13964598080705136772012-04-09T23:11:00.000+01:002012-04-09T23:14:22.393+01:00Look ma - shoes!Last Saturday, the Plate got her first pair of proper shoes1.
They're called Doodles by Clarks and she seemed to like them. Although I think she really didn't care what they looked like - they fit and she can walk (stagger? caper?) in them. She does have big feet - a whopping 5F. She'd gone up a shoe size in less than four weeks2! If she carries on like this, we may end up buying a new pair of Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-89995639041697583072012-04-01T22:20:00.000+01:002012-04-01T22:20:12.956+01:00Changing RoomsI can't believe it's been more than a week since I last wrote! I can only blame a combination of sun, exhaustion and frantic de-cluttering.
Yes, Operation De-clutter has accelerated a little. The DVD and video shelves have stayed off and their contents boxed up and lofted. The living room has been properly crushed by apricots and all that remains to be done is to get rid of the oversized Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-27235575109643196872012-03-21T22:27:00.001+00:002012-03-21T22:27:43.761+00:00Painting behind shelves and big hairSo the living room is now 90% complete - just need to paint behind the shelves. I know that sounds crazy but really it's pretty sensible. This entails taking everything off said shelves. Mama knackered. Going to leave it to the Men, methinks.
Looking at my posts, I spend a lot of time being knackered. I guess it comes with not getting enough sleep. Either that or the sofa casts a sleepy spell onTiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4725242361969827760.post-14668937642960395792012-03-18T20:38:00.000+00:002012-03-18T20:38:11.710+00:00A Whole Lot of QiYesterday, I had my first tai chi lesson.
Master James Wong of Shining Tree
It was most odd, in that, being of Chinese extraction and having been brought up in Singapore, I was now learning it in England, from a British-born Chinese man who was taught by a Scotsman who in turn got his training from a tai chi master in Hong Kong1. I didn't find it as life-changing as my husband, but my chat Tiger Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06600522113757683953noreply@blogger.com0