Tuesday, May 29, 2007

We've moved!

Great to be back. It seems an absolute age since I was last able to post a message but now, thanks to the hard work of my bro-in-law on Saturday, we're back up and running. During our internet free time it was lovely to see Katie and Ben amusing themselves with good old fashioned play, rather than asking to go on the PC to fill their spare time. Things will be different from now on - (she says!).

Anyway, the actual moving day went very smoothly. Leading up to the move was a little touch-and-go and we were rather nervous that things would fall through as had happened previously. Our buyer promised she would purchase our house whether she'd get to look at any documentation (stuck on the desk of the previous buyer's solicitor) prior to completion or not (now isn't that just stuff of dreams!) and as she was off on holiday she really wanted things signed, sealed and delivered before she flew out of the country. Can't remember how much lead up I posted before, but basically, I had my mobile secured to my ear during most of a HE group visit to Stanwick Lakes on the Friday before our move trying to secure a removal firm for the following Friday (11th) to be suddenly told that our buyer would pull out if we didn't complete and move out on the Wednesday (9th) (as if a couple of days really made any difference!) We kind of knew she was bluffing but didn't want to take any chances. Back on the phone to find a removal company for the Wednesday (having been told that Friday was the only day any of the 5/6 available companies could do). By pure chance, one company had just had a cancellation for the Wednesday and I grabbed if with both hands and paid my dosh there and then! Buyer was very happy, naturally - she said her tenants were ready to move in asap. Needless to say P and I have been back to the house several times to pick up mail and it seems no one has yet moved in - typical. So, we all went to sign new contracts on Tuesday morning and held our breath until 3 p.m. on the Wednesday for exchange then completion and then move. Phew - all done now and the nightmare seems to be fading fast.

No more rabbiting, here's some piccies.

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Taken from the side of the garden looking down the lane.
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I love this view, sitting in the living room and seeing all the different greens outside. Love the wooden duck too, thank you sis and bro-in-law and family. The duck looks out on all the other ducks and geese that live over the road and visit us regularly for bread! He's also a spitting image of the long necked duck I posted about from our visit to Sacrewell Farm (see previous post).
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Kitchen, which is in the conservatory so either really hot or freezing cold - but it's lovely and bright during the day and has wonderful lighting during the evening so we like it.
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We have three, and possibly another two, working fires in this house and have tested out the three downstairs ones during this really cold wintery spell. P is having to keep on top of the coal and wood chopping to fuel them.
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Scots Pines apparently from Sandringham were planted in the garden in the 70's along with some Silver Birches and Hazel Trees which all have preservation orders - Katie's in her element, she adores trees.
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A good sized swimming pool in much need of repair. We've no idea of how to look after it, all the different chemicals, pumps, etc., and will need to save our pennies a bit before even contemplating updating this toy. We found loads of frogs in and around the area hopping about as we checked it all out!
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We have an active RAF practise bombing range very close to us - sounds terrible but actually we all love planes and are fascinated by this new regular attraction. However, the day we ventured out onto the sea bank to watch the air show, no planes or 'copters turned up - just our luck. This pic shows the village across one of the numerous farmers' fields taken from the sea bank.
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Allie has settled well and has made new feline friends very quickly - no fighting here, just nose to nose kissing.
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Billy has settled well too and adores his new freedom in the large run the previous owners left for him. Katie has been patiently teaching him to jump on command - from the photo she took it looks like it may be working (more like pure luck I reckon).Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

We're on the move - yippee yippee yoo!

Yep, we've done it - we're on the move. Once we'd received that long awaited phone call this morning to say our solicitors had received the completed paperwork from our buyer, we were off to their office to sign our side of the paperwork ready for exchange and completion tomorrow.

I thought the house looked terrible before with all the boxes everywhere, now it looks totally dire with all the additional boxes piled all over the downstairs of the house. Kids are loving sitting on top of them to watch telly! Can't believe how many more boxes we had to pack, and still packing - guess it'll come to a natural end when we have to actually close and lock the front door.

Will be back on-line (with piccies) once we've sorted out our a new broadband package.

Bye for now!

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Monday, May 07, 2007

OMG

Picked this up from Title for Life -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1752289.ece

Jaw dropping reading.


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Katie's been busy making "tags" - here's one of them (Zhoof being her online name)

Thursday, May 03, 2007

What is it with people?

So, on the moving front, just a quick update. Our new buyer pops in on the off-chance last night all excited and announces that she has a new tenant ready to move in to our house on Friday (yep, this Friday), and no doubt we were looking forward to moving out on that day too?! Ah, excuse, can I just pick myself up off the floor please? (Actually this was P, he answered the door, and truthfully from the loud noises and funny shriekings/yelps I thought perhaps they'd announced they were pulling out of the sale!). So, in she comes with her daughter/assistant looking a little concerned that she had all the money ready to go, papers all signed, so how come our solicitor (and others in the small chain) hadn't heard the good news and prepared us? So, she's not so impressed now, there she is with a tenant ready and waiting and thinking we wanted a quick move (yep, we do, but we'd like a small amount of notice to book a van)and now things aren't looking so rosie, especially as she'd kept her promise of getting us moved in 3 weeks and she so wanted this tied up by end of Friday 'cause of her holiday next week.

So with minds like wirlwinds P promptly phoned the guys in our new house to see if they'd heard anything (which they hadn't), got down to some serious last minute packing whilst planning who we'd need to call tomorrow (those who've done the moving lark will know the drill: solicitor, van, cable/phone, redirection, family - the list is endless), watched "Desperate Housewives" (sorry, had to have a break in all the mayhem) and then fell into bed for a(nother) sleepless night.

Then ... did the list of phone calls in the morning. Solicitor hadn't heard a thing, in fact new contracts and whatnot haven't yet been returned from the new buyer's solicitor. It seems there's a chance our buyer's solicitor is still waiting for our file of papers left over from the previous sale. When calling our buyer (who insisted I did when we talked last night) announced it must be "solicitor talk" and the tenants can wait anyway. Ah, what?!

Once again the balloon of joy and excitement (and the thought of moving for my birthday) has been burst once again. At least (I hope) we still have a buyer but why do people do this? Why couldn't she either say nothing or admit things were moving slower than expected. At least then everyone knows what's going on.

Grr! (a favourite noise in this house at the moment.

"Knights Kingdom"

"Green Bull gives you wings!"

Films

Katie and Ben have been working hard on producing new films using the digi camera to take (what seems like) millions of photos and having the patience to move their models a millimetre per shot. Both have come up with great movies. Rather than just to make the movie, we took inspiration from this website and actually did a storyboard and history sheet too. I should have taken photos of them as they were really well thought out, but I've gone and packed them!

Katie's film is called (Red) "Green Bull gives you wings" and she drew or used collage with writing to describe the film and its characters. Ben did this aswell for his Lego Knights Kingdom film. For the history sheet Ben looked into Medieval Knights, armour and shields and Katie looked into the Holstein breed of horse (as she used a Holstein model), Pegasus and the ingredients of Red Bull!

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Sacrewell farm

This is our new house ...
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no, just kidding! This is where we went today and this is the old Miller's house and very interesting it is too. There's a working water mill and you can go inside the house and view how it all works (lots of literature on the walls) - Ben was really interested in all this (because of all the gogs and gears). The house also has a few 1940's decorated rooms and again lots of relevant literature and hands on areas.

The reason we went here today was to really check out the educational facilities available for our local HE group to use later in the year. Looking round their huge new centre and discussing prices only took 10 minutes and then I was invited to spend some time in the farm only having to pay the entrance fee for Katie and Ben. As the weather was so wonderful, we spent the best part of the day here.

Apart from the mill there's lots of animals and the farm now also houses about 8 beautiful shire horses in its new Shire Horse Centre. We were able to stroke most of them, one was especially docile, he nearly fell asleep on my arm (I obviously have that effect on things!).

Here's some piccies.
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Feeding the lambs was lovely. Their bleats became louder and louder the closer the clock got to midday!
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Lots of waterfalls, brilliant for games of Pooh Sticks.
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This duck took a shine to us, along with some others. In the end we weren't sure if they were chasing us, or we were chasing them.
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Sacrewell has some lovely pathways into "secret" areas. We had lunch near here with a greedy goose for company.
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