New Home News!

Six weeks ago to the day, we finally moved into our new home.  We picked up the keys on the Monday, having staged a sit in at the site office when our solicitor transferred our money to the developer and they kept saying it hadn't reached their account.  There was NO way I was leaving the office before getting the keys!  Anyway, we did finally get them just as it was getting dark so just opened up, checked that everything was ok and left the cleaning until the next day when the white goods; the fridge/freezer and washer/dryer were being delivered.  This gave me plenty of time on the Tuesday to Dettol-spray the kitchen, clean floors, windows etc and move a bit of the boxed up stuff into the house and to try to work out where to put everything.  The main problem is that the kitchen is about a third of the size of the one we left behind :/  but I'll explain all that in another post.....

Wednesday dawned reasonably dry and the removals van arrived early.  DD and G went to the new house to supervise the unloading while I stayed behind to clear up as the men loaded the van.  I vacuumed, polished and sprayed as they cleared each room, shed a tear as I locked up, and braced myself for the next stage of our retirement.....

The new home

Building work is still going on at the rear so this is the view into the back garden.  I LOVE the French doors which will come into their own in the Summer and, as this view is South facing, we might save a lot on heating bills....

The tiny garden is a bit of an odd shape. It slopes down to the left quite steeply (supposedly 1 in 15 but I'm not sure it's not more than that )  We intend putting a shed for garden stuff to the bottom right and a tree of some sort, perhaps a Rowan in the bottom left.  This will fill the space, help to drain any water and give us something pretty to look at from the living room.....

G managed to snap up this plastic storage box from work for half price as it had a bit missing.  He's replaced the missing bit and it's now perfect for more storage ( which we desperately need as we don't have a garage)….

As you can see, we brought our Shirley Valentine table and chairs with us, as well as a few pots, and we're really looking forward to eating breakfast on the patio during the warmer weather.

I have been busy sorting out the household budget, moving us straight away onto a cheaper tariff for gas and electricity (the temporary one was on an extortionate rate per unit: a total of over £54 for the first 10 days) We have now agreed a figure for monthly direct debit for both fuels with a much cheaper rate for both standing charge and cost per unit. Phew :/

One thing which concerns me is that we have 3 of these little guys......

There is one in the downstairs cloakroom, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.  They are all set to extract air on a constant trickle and boost themselves up if they detect moisture but, although I can see the value of having them, how much are they going to cost to run?  Do you have any experience of these things anyone?  I have begun to turn them off overnight at the isolation switches.  Should I be doing that ?

Anyway, that's all for now.  I made quorn cottage pie yesterday for tea and there is enough left for tea tonight too, with veggies and gravy added.  G is out for his walk so I'm off for a read with my feet up!

Stay safe everyone wherever you happen to be x