Reading my last entry I can't believe how much things have changed for the better. They say your worries this year are always different the next year and this has proved so true for us. For a start daughter found a house in April, and was successful in purchasing it after 4 months of trying. It's a shared ownership house in a nice area, with a small garden for the granddaughter. She has 2 double bedrooms, a downstairs utility space and toilet, nice bathroom, large lounge and kitchen. It's only 2 thirds of the price of private rented accommodation in the area so she can afford the mortgage and rent on her own salary. She has taken a permanent job in teaching 5 minutes drive from granddaughter's school which means only a 4 mile drive each morning of around 20 minutes. Daughter has settled well in her new home and is now much happier on her own without a boyfriend messing her about. Too many broken promises of getting a flat together, then he didn't want to, then he did  ......... He was a nice person but unable to commit to a long term relationship. I did like him though and he treated her and granddaughter well.
OH has now retired, he retired in May. We put this house on the market at the same time but didn't get an offer until the end of July. In the meantime we saw lots of houses and bungalows we liked in Devon but were unable to make any offers due to not having a buyer for our property. We rented storage near the caravan site and have slowly been taking various items and packed boxes to storage. The caravan is now on a seasonal pitch until the end of February next year so we can stay there as long as we like. This suits us well as with 2 dogs renting would be expensive and difficult. We have now found a house in the area we wanted which is in good condition and has a conservatory and garden. The actual house has been decorated throughout but the garden needs serious attention as it has been paved in about 8 different levels. This will be OH's project when we move and should keep him busy for quite some time.
Our buyer's surveyor came this morning, so things are moving in the right direction now after a few hiccups along the way. They couldn't proceed with their mortgage application as their solicitor's company only had 3 directors and the mortgage company needed 4! I always thought a qualified solicitor was adequate but apparently not. So they have 1 solicitor for selling their house and 1 for buying ours.We also booked our survey today on the property we are buying, but they can't fit us in for another 2 weeks.
At the moment we are at home packing slowly and sorting things here. I have cleared our bedroom and Daughter's room this week - washing down wardrobe doors and cleaning drawers. Also sorted out the bathroom cupboard and packed things we are taking but don't need for a few months. Found 5 bottles of shampoo all open and used once, a few things daughter left behind, nephew's hair clippers etc. all at the back of the cupboards. OH is still working on the garage but it is starting to look clearer now. He is one of life's hoarders so it was a mammoth task.
Today we spent the afternoon at daughter's home waiting for the plumber to come and connect up her new sink unit in the bathroom. OH fitted her new toilet seat and extractor fan so its just the towel rail and tiles to put up then the upstairs will be finished.
I think we will stay here for another week and then return to the caravan. I'm definitely more at home there than here. I have the caravan set up with everything I need, there is a swimming pool and bar on site, toilets and showers are good (also a bath), and I have a good friend in the area that we visit and go to lunch with. As my washing machine broke down last week we are not replacing it until we move but there is a laundry on the site which is handy. We had the grandchildren to stay for a week in the summer, first daughter and granddaughter, then the 2 other grandchildren for a week. When we move into the house they will have a proper bedroom so it will be a lot less crowded.
Bye for now - the peaceful retirement is getting closer.

IT'S ALL SYSTEMS GO HERE AND LIFE IS NOT EASY

Well just when you think all is planned really well things tend to go wrong! I'll start with the positives in my life and hopefully it will make for a happier blog page lol

Firstly, daughter is doing exceptionally well at school as a teacher and all her assessments during her NQT year have been very positive.

Granddaughter has settled into Reception Class at her local school and really likes it there - which she never did at nursery. Daughter spends time with her every night teaching her to read and write which is showing great benefits.

OH and myself are still very determined to move to Devon next year so hopefully the house can go on the market in the early spring. I may well move down to live in the caravan around February if we can get it sited onto a seasonal 12 month pitch.

OH has started taking lots of days off work and weeks of holiday. This is time in lieu he has been accumulating all year - the product of overworking (often 60+ hrs a week,)

He is definitely going part-time after Xmas or if 'the Boss' refuses his request he will resign in February.

So it all sounds good so far so why is life not easy?

Daughter's boyfriend walked out on her in early September as he wasn't ready to commit to living with her and her little daughter. This leaves her now trying to buy a house with shared ownership on her own. It is hard to find one as demand outstrips supply so she may well have no option other than renting.

Granddaughter, age 4, is obviously unsettled due to looking around houses, talk of moving, new school, and our home in chaos atm. This means that the tantrums and screaming episodes have increased which I find extremely hard to cope with. Daughter is also very abusive if I complain, which does nothing to help the situation.

Nephew is still here on the sofa, but does realise that he has to leave soon after Xmas.

OH has taken it on himself to empty the loft and declutter the house every time he has a day off. The dust is horrendous here from boxes and bags that have been stored for over 25 years. All the bags and boxes are stacked in our front room where nephew sleeps on the sofa. I have found toddler clothes from my 25yr old adult child in some of the bags and also all my adult children's primary school books and reports!! Even a college course that I completed 20 years ago. As I have dust allergy I am coughing worse and often sneezing with runny eyes. Living in chaos is not suiting me and I feel quite overwhelmed by the mess. As a result the house is generally quite dirty as I have all but given up. As usual daughter still does nothing towards the upkeep of the home here and all cleaning is left to me.

Back on a positive note I have sold various odds and ends from the loft on eBay and Facebook selling sites to the grand total of £100 so far in the last 2 months! Things like diving fins, ornaments, shoes, clothing, material for crafts etc. Also our local charity shops have really benefited as we have donated loads of ornaments, clothing, books etc. over the last few weeks. Also I found my son's teenage clothes which were in vgc (and he no longer wanted them) so we donated those to the homeless workers to give out. Hopefully the sweatshirts and jeans will help somebody keep warm this winter.

Bye for now All the best x

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING !!!

Well it's been over a year since I last wrote on this blog and so many things have changed in that time. Where to start - well I'll start with the car.

The insurance paid out and repaired the car so all was good for a few months. Then one morning I woke to a police note in the door. It asked me to contact the station as my car had been hit by a stolen car in the night. Apparently the thief stole an old Vauxhall Astra and went joy riding around the streets here and out on a ring road, reaching speeds of 90mph. Police gave chase and also the polie helicopter (I call it Budgie) was up following it. As he rounded our corner he bounced off of a car opposite and hit my car. Finally came to a stop after crashing into a garden wall where he was arrested, but not before punching the PC. And do you know what - I never heard a thing with all that going on in the street lol.

Our household has changed as we now have a lodger and a puppy. The puppy is 7 months now, a working Cocker Spaniel bitch. The 2 dogs get on quite well together which is good. The lodger is one of my nephews who has parted from his long term girlfriend and now has nowhere to live. We only have a sofa in the front room but until he gets more financially stable it suits him and is much better than cardboard city. Most of the time he stays with friends overnight so he's only here a few nights in the week.

My daughter is just finishing her PGCE to qualify as a Primary Teacher, and has managed to secure a 1year temporary contract at the school she did her placement in. She will be moving out around December / January time into a flat with her boyfriend and our granddaughter. The granddaughter is starting school this September. Time goes so fast when they are young - I can't believe she is nearly 4 already.

DAWLISH

So now for the biggest change for us. Me and OH have made a joint decision (which is a very rare occurrence that we both want exactly the same thing) that we are going to sell the house and retire to South Devon. We both really like the area between Babbacombe and Dawlish so next Spring or early Summer we will be off. I already have a good friend in Honiton who I see whenever we are at our caravan and OH has an ex work colleague in the area that he gets on well with, so that's a good start for when we go. We are at the caravan more or less every month now exploring the area and looking into house prices. OH will be working part-time after Xmas and retiring when we move. I really must make a good start on de-cluttering the house very soon as there is so much junk here!! Bye for now Sally xxx

Busy Few Weeks - Sad Little Car

Well it has been quite busy here at home as daughter has not felt at all well the last 2 weekends so we have looked after the toddler for her. We went to see the trains and had lunch there, and also OH took her swimming a few times which she loved. Daughter is still poorly and was off work for 2 days this week due to a stomach upset (really hope we don't catch it.) The trouble is she works with kids and as everyone knows working with kids means you catch everything lol. On a visitor front we have had my sister (Amy) here on Sunday for her monthly visit. Never see much of her these days as she tends to call in either monthly or every single day - definitely all or nothing and I know which I prefer!

At least it's not this bad lol

Had the flu jab at long last yesterday Monday. Missed it in the Autumn as I was unwell and then forgot all about it. Yesterday was a really bad day as daughter was very unwell so I picked up the toddler from the childminder for her. While I was parked collecting the little one a woman came and told me she had hit my car! Passenger doors both dented and scratched so not happy. Good job I was not in the car at the time with the toddler. She just said 'I pulled off my drive as he was letting me go and I didn't see it' Unbelievable! Very reluctant to give me her insurance details but got there in the end. She said she supposed she would have to pay for it but I somehow didn't trust her enough for that. So spent yesterday on the phone to insurers - they do go on and on and on. Then today I had to go to assessors bodyshop so they could see it and send a report to the insurance company. Really hope they don't write it off as although it is 10 yrs old it has really low mileage 44k and is in good condition. Car went straight through an MOT in December with nothing even advised. Repairs will cost around £800 so it will be touch and go if the insurers pay for it or not. They did pay me straight away for a new car seat for the toddler though, as it has been in an accident so can no longer be used.

Actually it was lovely!!

I went to the supper club on Sunday which was very nice. Kirsty hosted the first at her home. She cooked pastries with cheese and onion on top, chicken with roasted vegetables, and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Bella brought a rice and tomato dish with Parmesan cheese on top, Noel (the only man lol) brought 2 bottles of wine and a raspberry yogurt dessert, and I took the feta salad, Sangria, taramasalata and pitta bread. Considering we don't know each other, and have only met once for a coffee, the evening went really well and the conversation flowed easily. It was so nice to socialise out of the house as usually it is me hosting family here which gets boring. Real variety of people as Kirsty is a nurse, Noel has retired from the MOD, I'm retired and Bella runs her own cleaning business. Paula couldn't make it as she's not well but will be hosting the next one at the end of February. Really looking forward to it as I don't get out enough. Here's how I made the feta salad:-

Greek Feta Salad

2 large tomatoes cut in thick slices then halved
1/2 cucumber halved and thickly sliced
Tub of mixed olives black and green pitted
1/2 bag Mild rocket leaves
1/2 Red onion sliced and separated into rings
Feta cheese cut into dice
Garlic and herb salad dressing

Mix all salad vegetables in a large bowl with dressing. Put feta cheese on top and gently combine so as not to break it up too much. You could also use oil and wine vinegar dressing if liked.

Well that's all for now. Fingers crossed for my poor little KIA car.

All the best x

New Year catch up!

Wow such a long time since I wrote on here it was back in December! Well, Xmas went well and the toddler had everything she wanted and more. Her father never sent a card nor did any of his family so nothing new there. He chose not to see her, and his family all want nothing to do with her until she is an adult! At the family court they turned up with lots of 1st birthday cards for her with their photos printed on them and then her dad told the judge he had decided he didn't want any access, after applying for it, and all the family would obtain a restraining order against my daughter if she approached any of them about his daughter!! Lovely pictures appeared on Facebook of their cards a few days later, declaring their undying love for the toddler - but no presents have ever arrived, no birthday or Xmas cards since then, and no contact. Says it all really - all show and nothing sincere in any of them. However, dad does pay maintenance as daughter went to the CSA. Always hope at Xmas and toddler's birthday that they will send a card, or a gift voucher or a parcel will arrive with a toy for her, but nothing yet. Makes me feel sad that they don't care especially at Xmas.

Christmas was good here as daughter was here for the morning then went off to her boyfriend's parent's home for the night with the toddler. We all had Xmas dinner on Xmas Eve, so had a nice quiet Christmas Day here. I did a honey baked Gammon joint and a turkey crown for the dinner. We very rarely have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day as we prefer to just chill out in front of the open log fire and relax with salad and cold meats. This is the recipe I used for the gammon:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/traditional_honey-glazed_52289

January has started well as we have booked a trip to Scotland at the end of the month with the toddler  - in search of snow lol. We did have a very light dusting here but it melted in a few hours so no chance to build a snowman or anything. It's 4 years since we saw snow here that stayed for a few days. Daughter is off to Spain for a hen do so we have the toddler for a week anyway. It will be so much nicer than staying at home. OH is driving up as he thinks his 4x4 will be safer if the roads are icy, than flying up and hiring a car when we get there. We will stay in Manchester for the first night to break up the journey then on to Ayr.

I have joined a supper club which I'm hoping will get me out and about a bit. The idea is that each of us (there are 4 at the moment) all host an American supper once a month where everyone brings something to eat. The first one is next week and the woman hosting it wants a colourful Mediterranean theme! I shall take a feta salad, some taramasalata and pitta bread and a bottle of sangria. Don't know what she is cooking but never mind, I'm sure it will be good.

Daughter has started going running with her friend tonight to try and keep fit. A few of my nieces also go running so it seems quite fashionable around here atm. I can't run so I wont be joining them as my chest is not up to it. Will try and walk further though - I used to walk miles and miles years ago but I guess I got lazy with the car outside lol.

Bye for now All the best

Socialising and Facebook the Good and Bad

Saturday we all went to our local Indian Restaurant for a meal, which was nice to see both sons, DIL, and daughter all together. Really don't all get together like this often enough - would be nice to have a monthly meet up. They all came back to ours for tea and coffee. Daughter put the toddler to bed before going to my nephew's girlfriend's birthday drinks (women only lol.) I was invited but as it was in town I wasn't that keen - as it can get a bit rough on a Saturday night. If she had picked a local pub I would have probably gone.

Sunday was a quiet day at home with just me and OH, as daughter went to the arboretum with the toddler and her boyfriend. Had a lovely day here - it was quiet and peaceful so I caught up on the housework. OH took the grandson (8) to the cinema in the morning which was nice, and we are both taking the eldest granddaughter (4) to see Father Xmas next week.

Snow in the Cairngorm Mountains Scotland

Today I managed to find an old friend on Facebook that emigrated to Scotland a few years back. Was thinking it would be nice to go to Scotland and show the toddler what snow looks like as we haven't had any here for about 3 years - well not enough to make a snowman anyway lol. Can't believe she is still there living in the countryside as she was a definite city person here and always out and about in town. The health service where she lives is far superior to here as her kids needed an operation before she left and were operated on in Scotland in 3 weeks for their hearing problems - here it was a 6month waiting list.

Still on the subject of Facebook I read something truly nasty on there today. On a selling site a single mum asked if anyone had a spare Christmas tree and decorations so she could make it nice for her 2 children and she didn't have any money. Well people donated a tree, decorations, toys for the kids etc all free to help her. Turns out she was selling an iphone 7 on another site for £400 and was rude to a lot of the people saying things had to be brand new and a certain colour. Also her 2 children changed to 3 children and she started calling people who questioned why she only wanted new things fat pigs!! Obviously a scammer wanting to sell the stuff and not in need at all. Someone even gave her a karaoke machine for the kids and various toys. They all feel really used and so would I. Some people have no morals. This sort of thing will prevent people helping genuine cases asking for help and suffering real hardship. So sad really I hope she can be prosecuted for it as I think it is fraud.

Bottom line is that Facebook often does lots of good things eg finding lost pets, lost people, connects friends and shares lifestyles but there are some very dodgy people on there so never believe all that you read.
Bye for now All the best x

Pics from Google search 

An unsettled week

Well Saturday went well and the new lino (whoops I meant vinyl ) flooring was all laid nicely and finished in a couple of hours. The chap who fitted it lives a few doors away so is a neighbour. He is a fully trained carpet and flooring fitter, and works for a carpet shop full time, so we use him for ourselves and family members - and get a great job done for a good price. Moving all the furniture back in place and sorting all the rubbish is still ongoing a week later lol. Oh the cobwebs behind the furniture - it was horrendous!! On a positive note I have thrown away the hallway curtains and bought new (well second hand ) from eBay. The old ones were lined velvet but from 1976 and were already here when we bought this house in 1999. They were thick with dust and went straight in the bin. Really need the hallway, stairs and landing decorated soon as the paper is peeling off the walls (with some help from the toddler and dog ) and the paint is flaking off. Might get someone in to give me a quote next week while nobody is here - and break it gently to OH if it is a good price.

Wednesday this week I went to the cemetery with my sisters and nieces to attend the burial of my brother's ashes into my mum and stepdad's grave. This is what my sisters wanted so I went along with it. To be honest I would have just scattered the ashes on the 'garden of remembrance' at the crematorium, as it was quite expensive to open the grave and have the undertaker attend. Afterwards we went to the local pub for a drink and I went on to Mel's home for an hour or so as she didn't look very good. Her OH (my BIL ) had to return to work so it was nice to keep her company. My OH didn't attend but he did come to the actual funeral and cremation, a few months ago.

Today, Friday, started off early with the toddler (Ava) waking at 7.30am. I looked after her from 8am until 1.15pm and we had quite a good morning. My niece visited with her 3 year old (Liam) and then my other niece called in with her 2 year old (Rosa) This went down very well with Ava as she had other children to play with. Liam's mum comes most Fridays as she doesn't work on that day and just has the little boy so it's quite a regular playdate. Toddler is developing some unsociable habits though as she greeted me this morning with her PJ bottoms in one hand and her wet nappy in the other saying "I been wee I need a new nappy" lol. Happy days - where's the sellotape lol.

When daughter came in from work I left to pay a second visit to Mark (youngest son) in his new flat. He has everything sorted nicely there now as the white goods have arrived, the washing was all finished, everything was clean and tidy and he has painted the bathroom. Very houseproud is Mark and he likes everything neat, clean and tidy, This time I took the motorway and it was much easier. Coming home was much more straightforward and quicker but I don't really like driving in the dark. At least I didn't get lost or stuck in traffic this time as last week was awful. So peaceful there to sit and drink coffee, looking out of the window at the sea. Next week Mark will visit us as I have said it is his turn lol. Daughter was quite put out because I left while she was still trying on clothes she had bought.  I couldn't wait to go out tbh as I am not in the best of moods with her due to quite a few 'angry exchanges' this week mostly about the toddler. Let's just say that her ways and ideas of childcare are not at all similar to mine, so there is a lot of conflict as I am quite an outspoken person. When I got home OH was looking after the toddler and daughter had left to go to her boyfriend's father's birthday party. She is coming home tomorrow morning. Toddler had eaten all her tea which is a first for a few weeks now as she has been unwell with a bad cough and cold.

I am tired tonight because although I went to bed at 1am (which is earlier than a few months ago) I had a bad coughing fit until 1.30am. Daughter then started coughing until 2am. Really hope we are all better soon as it has been a long time now. I am aiming to get to bed before 12 midnight eventually but atm it is between 1am and 1.30am which is a good start. I do have a sleep problem but I am working on it so hopefully it will be better soon. My normal sleep pattern is to go to bed at 2.30 am and then get up at 10am which is not great really, especially when I have to get up Thursday and Friday to look after Ava at 8am.

Bye for now All the best x