That's some old saying, there is an implicit implication that somehow in all situations and all occasions there is an element of control, when in actuality things often spiral right out of your ability to exert any influence on them at all.
We knew it wasn't looking good but last night got the confirmation that our buyer for this house has officially pulled out.
Well he hasn't he and his family love the place really want to be here and really are trying to find ways around things.
But there are times when you are in the grip of circumstances and this might be one of them.
So today a lovely sunshine day we did really decisive things.
First of all we put the house back for sale to all those people who cannot buy a house and at a reduced price which is all academic. Someone who has bugger all will not suddenly have money if you wipe 50 k off the asking price. Instead of attracting buyers who don't have 500K you attract buyers who don't have 450...
Just get a lower class of tyre kicker...
So the going being tough and us being tough we got going, we went down the pub for lunch.
Didn't help mind....
Baaaaah houses.
Management is pretty low, me I just have this feeling that something good is around the corner. Yeah I was never a realist....
R
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
The stupidity of saving money.
We have, over the last few months been regularly cutting wood and even more regularly sharpening the chainsaw.
I was aware that we hadn't changed the chain in a while but thought not a lot of it.
Yesterday I had enough, a brand spanking new chain went on the saw and, bloody hell.
What a stupid thing saving money is. The new chain cut more wood in 40 minutes than we had in weeks. The management and I fair reduced the wood pile to matches.
Of course it all still needs splitting with the axes.
But we are a good way towards having enough wood to last us all winter.
We have never been this organised, usually we are outside freezing in a howling gale in February....
R
I was aware that we hadn't changed the chain in a while but thought not a lot of it.
Yesterday I had enough, a brand spanking new chain went on the saw and, bloody hell.
What a stupid thing saving money is. The new chain cut more wood in 40 minutes than we had in weeks. The management and I fair reduced the wood pile to matches.
Of course it all still needs splitting with the axes.
But we are a good way towards having enough wood to last us all winter.
We have never been this organised, usually we are outside freezing in a howling gale in February....
R
Monday, 20 October 2008
A change of day......
We seem to be rolling along slowly.
Had a bit of a morning with the chainsaw but it seems to get blunt every 5 minutes.
So we went to see our local chainsawologist who looked at the chain and said it was past it's best.
By the time we had sorted that of course it was raining so all operations were on hold.
But and here's the but, the buyers solicitor has been giving everyone grief about things not moving quickly enough.
This is a bit of a strange one for me the guy is not in a position to move but his solicitor wants us to jump through hoops.
Maybe he knows something I don't.....
I hope so...
R
Had a bit of a morning with the chainsaw but it seems to get blunt every 5 minutes.
So we went to see our local chainsawologist who looked at the chain and said it was past it's best.
By the time we had sorted that of course it was raining so all operations were on hold.
But and here's the but, the buyers solicitor has been giving everyone grief about things not moving quickly enough.
This is a bit of a strange one for me the guy is not in a position to move but his solicitor wants us to jump through hoops.
Maybe he knows something I don't.....
I hope so...
R
Sunday, 19 October 2008
End of weekends part the two.
Opening a decent red is like switching on a magnet.
Nano seconds passed and our mate Phil came down the drive.
We all agreed the Baron makes half decent paint stripper.
Phil of course being Phil knew how to use our sharpening kit.
The chain saw soon had an edge on it.
The fire is blazing, pouring heat into the world without warming the planet a huge amount.
I am feeling benign in the way only a glass of ridiculously dear red can make you feel.
Then again it would only be ridiculously dear if I bought it in the UK today, I bought it in Brittany a good few years back which makes it a lot cheaper.
R
Nano seconds passed and our mate Phil came down the drive.
We all agreed the Baron makes half decent paint stripper.
Phil of course being Phil knew how to use our sharpening kit.
The chain saw soon had an edge on it.
The fire is blazing, pouring heat into the world without warming the planet a huge amount.
I am feeling benign in the way only a glass of ridiculously dear red can make you feel.
Then again it would only be ridiculously dear if I bought it in the UK today, I bought it in Brittany a good few years back which makes it a lot cheaper.
R
The weekend ends.
OK so we have tried and failed.
The AGA is: Off.
The chainsaw is: blunt.
The fires are: out.
Only one thing to do;
management selected a bottle of 2001 berger baron rothschild
We are going to chill for the rest of the day
Mind you if I don't actually light the fire we will all chill, litterally..
-->
The AGA is: Off.
The chainsaw is: blunt.
The fires are: out.
Only one thing to do;
management selected a bottle of 2001 berger baron rothschild
We are going to chill for the rest of the day
Mind you if I don't actually light the fire we will all chill, litterally..
-->
Saturday, 18 October 2008
sharp as a chain saw.
Management is nothing if not inventive and, aware of our current high level chainsaw usage she has decided to move the chain sharpening operation in house.
This in turn eBayed our way a chain saw sharpening kit all of which has some exotic usage that I have not been able to fathom and a set of instruction which must surely make sense to someone but they sure as hell make no sense at all to me.
Checking online for guides to sharpening chains saws has succesfuly added to the air of confusion and as I speak management is filing with a determind look.
We will get the hang of this eventually and at least the saw is no blunter than it was.
R
This in turn eBayed our way a chain saw sharpening kit all of which has some exotic usage that I have not been able to fathom and a set of instruction which must surely make sense to someone but they sure as hell make no sense at all to me.
Checking online for guides to sharpening chains saws has succesfuly added to the air of confusion and as I speak management is filing with a determind look.
We will get the hang of this eventually and at least the saw is no blunter than it was.
R
Friday, 17 October 2008
At the auction - for gods sake don't wave!!!
I have one weakness, well oK maybe I have a few but anyway one of my weaknesses is an inability to pass a "to the auction" sign.
I have to go and look, so anyway with the kids safely at school off she went with me to the auctions.
Before I moved down here it was a bit of a standing joke as I would come home with truck laden with military surplus. It might have been a joke but all the neighbours made sure they came to have a look at whatever it was that I had bought this time.
I remember the time I arrived home laden with furniture, not MFI tat but ex military tables in solid African mahogany. I was trying to unload the truck but it was not making the house. Management was selling it, faster than I could unload it, and the punters were lined up around the block!!
Today was nothing as exciting, a general sale with a few gems hidden. This is managements territory and so she was charged with spotting the bargains and waving the card.
Meanwhiles I got on with the lesser tasks. Not a bad day, a wetsuit for a whole pound, an Ewenny jug that the dealers missed for 15, a new fire basket for Brittany and a 2 pound bargain bucket of tools.
That is my real weakness, when something goes for a few pounds I will often stick my hand up just for the hell of it.
At a ministry sale I once bought ten vacuum cleaners for seven pounds. Turned out they were big nilfisk industrial things, that absolutely filled my cavalier and sent her into eyes rolled back despair. Things got worse when I gifted management one to use in our then B&B. What we didn't realise was that these were hundreds of pounds worth and soon the local B&B's were lining up to buy them for 50 pounds each.
Of course life has not been one continuous triumph. There was the time I bought an ex army land rover trailer because it was silly cheap money. One of my mates asked if I had actually looked at it first. I noted the gleam in his eye and felt a moment of concern. When he offered to take me too it I sensed there must be a problem. Sure enough this was not any trailer, this was a special trailer this one had fallen out of a Hercules at 5000 feet and landed in the path of a challenger tank. At least that's what it looked like.
When I borrowed a trailer to bring it home the news spread quickly and kind friends were soon calling to offer sympathy, and lean against the wall in helpless hysteria.
There are still people who remember that, mind you many of them are sitting at mahogany dining tables when they tell the tale.
But anyway, I digress, everything was going well, the lots were clicking away. Each auction is different and you have to respond on the day. Today there were some bargains to be had some modern stuff went for absolutely mad money.
Then up came this wonderful dresser, 1800's maybe a really nice item that would sit wonderfully in our new house if we ever get there. Started at 500 pounds then worked it's way briskly to 1000 pounds. The bidding was lively I turned to say to her, then noticed who was bidding briskly. I suspect I went a little bit white, certainly I needed to sit down soon. So I did, it went eventually for a very cheap 1500 pounds but goodness was I relieved when I discovered it wasn't our 1500 pounds....
R
I have to go and look, so anyway with the kids safely at school off she went with me to the auctions.
Before I moved down here it was a bit of a standing joke as I would come home with truck laden with military surplus. It might have been a joke but all the neighbours made sure they came to have a look at whatever it was that I had bought this time.
I remember the time I arrived home laden with furniture, not MFI tat but ex military tables in solid African mahogany. I was trying to unload the truck but it was not making the house. Management was selling it, faster than I could unload it, and the punters were lined up around the block!!
Today was nothing as exciting, a general sale with a few gems hidden. This is managements territory and so she was charged with spotting the bargains and waving the card.
Meanwhiles I got on with the lesser tasks. Not a bad day, a wetsuit for a whole pound, an Ewenny jug that the dealers missed for 15, a new fire basket for Brittany and a 2 pound bargain bucket of tools.
That is my real weakness, when something goes for a few pounds I will often stick my hand up just for the hell of it.
At a ministry sale I once bought ten vacuum cleaners for seven pounds. Turned out they were big nilfisk industrial things, that absolutely filled my cavalier and sent her into eyes rolled back despair. Things got worse when I gifted management one to use in our then B&B. What we didn't realise was that these were hundreds of pounds worth and soon the local B&B's were lining up to buy them for 50 pounds each.
Of course life has not been one continuous triumph. There was the time I bought an ex army land rover trailer because it was silly cheap money. One of my mates asked if I had actually looked at it first. I noted the gleam in his eye and felt a moment of concern. When he offered to take me too it I sensed there must be a problem. Sure enough this was not any trailer, this was a special trailer this one had fallen out of a Hercules at 5000 feet and landed in the path of a challenger tank. At least that's what it looked like.
When I borrowed a trailer to bring it home the news spread quickly and kind friends were soon calling to offer sympathy, and lean against the wall in helpless hysteria.
There are still people who remember that, mind you many of them are sitting at mahogany dining tables when they tell the tale.
But anyway, I digress, everything was going well, the lots were clicking away. Each auction is different and you have to respond on the day. Today there were some bargains to be had some modern stuff went for absolutely mad money.
Then up came this wonderful dresser, 1800's maybe a really nice item that would sit wonderfully in our new house if we ever get there. Started at 500 pounds then worked it's way briskly to 1000 pounds. The bidding was lively I turned to say to her, then noticed who was bidding briskly. I suspect I went a little bit white, certainly I needed to sit down soon. So I did, it went eventually for a very cheap 1500 pounds but goodness was I relieved when I discovered it wasn't our 1500 pounds....
R
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