Upping Sticks

[GrandmasterP]

Well this past week has been a game changer for us here at Chez GMP.

We've decided to up sticks and remove from formerly 'deeply rural' to even more deeply isolated sea side.

The village next to us is expanding with a 150 home 'executive detached' new estate going up and there's even talk of a bus service.

The road by our place seldom saw three cars a day when we moved here now it's almost busy.

We've really noticed the 'noise' since we got back.

Making an offer on a 200+ year old fisherman's cottage out on a wind swept promontory tomorrow and this old pile goes onto the market on Thursday once the surveyor has done his best.

 

I left school age 15 and straight into full time coolie work followed by the army, just as soon as I discovered that manual work and me didn't really get along.

I'm 62 now and after 47 years at work have never yet developed any taste for it.

Enough's enough.

I shall become a Tao Beach-Bum.

Requesting talismans, spells, incantations, chants plus whatever else works for a speedy sale and seamless move.

( Ever the optimist).

[silent thunder]

Well this past week has been a game changer for us here at Chez GMP.

We've decided to up sticks and remove from formerly 'deeply rural' to even more deeply isolated sea side.

The village next to us is expanding with a 150 home 'executive detached' new estate going up and there's even talk of a bus service.

The road by our place seldom saw three cars a day when we moved here now it's almost busy.

We've really noticed the 'noise' since we got back.

Making an offer on a 200+ year old fisherman's cottage out on a wind swept promontory tomorrow and this old pile goes onto the market on Thursday once the surveyor has done his best.

 

I left school age 15 and straight into full time coolie work followed by the army, just as soon as I discovered that manual work and me didn't really get along.

I'm 62 now and after 47 years at work have never yet developed any taste for it.

Enough's enough.

I shall become a Tao Beach-Bum.

Requesting talismans, spells, incantations, chants plus whatever else works for a speedy sale and seamless move.

( Ever the optimist).

I applaud your path good sir.

My intentions are with you!

[GrandmasterP]

Much obliged to you sir.

Mrs GMP is in 'paint over any blemishes' mode in anticipation of the valuer coming.

She's regrouted a bathroom today.

Edited June 8, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[silent thunder]

Go get em!

[thelerner]

Good luck getting the cottage

Love to see some pictures of it.

 

edit> don't make the pictures too good though

I might fall in love and bid against you .

[GrandmasterP]

How do estate agents get a living and which jolly prankster in Government invented stamp duty tax on house sales?

So here's the deal.

The Estate Agent will sell our house and land for 1.4% of the total price we get for it which seems to be the going rate in this region.

He's recommended that, to get a quick sale; we offer to pay the Stamp Duty purchase tax which is generally paid by the buyer and is 3% for properties over £250K, ours is a lot more than £250K as it's a smallholding {truck farm/ horse property}.

On top of that the solicitor will take a fat wedge for conveyancing fees when we buy the seaside cottage but at least there's no stamp duty on that as it's on for £200K and we're negotiating for a bit less than that.

Daylight bleddy robbery.

I don't begrudge the Estate Agent and Solicitor their pound of flesh because at least they will be doing some work for us but the tax man is doing sod all but getting the lion's share for doing sod all.

Those tax dudes should be made to wear bandit masks as part of their workwear.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Edited June 12, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Apech]

Much obliged to you sir.

Mrs GMP is in 'paint over any blemishes' mode in anticipation of the valuer coming.

She's regrouted a bathroom today.

 

 

I hope you stood over her and checked she didn't miss any bits!!!

 

Good luck with the move ... enjoy it ...

[GrandmasterP]

She gave the ceiling two coats of paint as well.

It's like a new bathroom now.

My job's cleaning up afterwards.

 

Edited June 12, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Nungali]

I have a favorite cup , on it is a picture of stone fishermans cottage by a little quay, with two fishing boats .... its my dream retirement place.

 

Not sure about the windswept (cold?) aspect .... I like the idea of hearing lapping water and old boats clonking up against each other ( the time I experienced that I loved it ) ... throw in some night time mopoke owl hoots and I would be in heaven.

 

Good luck ... Nungali blesses you efforts

[GrandmasterP]

No quay as such as the sea goes out too far.

There's hard standing and they launch and take boats out across the beach using a tractor.

It is very windy for sure.

Loads of windmills just offshore with more planned.

Edited June 12, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Horus]

[GrandmasterP]

First viewing yesterday.

Lady and her old mum.

Coming back with the Mr for another look.

Talk about finding out about people.

The Estate Agent has put a gallows style For Sale sign up at the end of our drive but the hedge was hiding part of it so I went out there and was trimming it back.

Farmer neighbour pulls up on his tractor as I'm working and says to me...

" I hope you don't sell it to bl**dy Indians!"

Says I.

" Cowboys or Indians can have it whoever comes up with the money first."

Our place is about half a mile from his!

Stunted bleddy racist.

Edited June 17, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[silent thunder]

I had what was a nice conversation with our FedEx delivery lady last holiday season when she dropped a package for us.

 

Being heavily into her Icelandic Heritage, she was quizzing me on my ancestry which is Norwegian.

After about a 10 minute confab about how I should send my DNA to Iceland because if you're found to be such and such amount of relation to Lief or Eric the Red, you get 50k and a trip to Iceland... which was all interesting and fun, but then at the very end of the conversation she leans in and says "it's just so nice to talk to another white person..."

 

good feelings gone...

 

My face dropped and the conversation was over.

There hasn't been another.

 

wow... just wow, they're out there and I'm always thankful when they out themselves openly... saves so much time and effort on my part.

[GrandmasterP]

The clue has to be in the name.

Why would anyone choose to travel to ' Ice'land?

That said Bjork is a poppet.

 

Edited June 18, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[silent thunder]

The clue has to be in the name.

Why would anyone choose to travel to ' Ice'land?

That said Bjork is a poppet.

 

mmmm Bjork... she's such a pixie!

 

Just heard yesterday at work from a friend who went to Iceland, that heating in Reykjavik is free as they pump the natural water from the hot springs through the homes. He discovered this as he was sitting in a house that had all the windows open in winter and inquired why...

[GrandmasterP]

Apparently most of the population of Reykjavik all live in one huge block of flats.

[Apech]

I've been to iceland I got some frozen peas and fish fingers.

[GrandmasterP]

Yes, it can get cold of a winter there for sure.

[GrandmasterP]

Update.

House sold ( subject to contract) inside three weeks.

Magic that was.

Just waiting for respective solicitors to do the necessary now and we're off.

Removal guy been round to estimate and quote moving us.

Right now we're " life laundrying" and clearing out accumulated junk.

We've boxes of 'essentials' still unpacked from when we moved here in 2005.

Hence the 'law' is...

" If it hasn't been used or looked at for one calendar year.. Out it goes."

14 cases of books gone so far and about twice as many still to go.

College Library is having 'work related' books and charity shop the remainder.

There's just not the space at the new place.

Feels good to be clearing out.

 

Edited July 22, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Silent Answers]

Much obliged to you sir.

Mrs GMP is in 'paint over any blemishes' mode in anticipation of the valuer coming.

She's regrouted a bathroom today.

She did what?! I rarely get a cup of tea...

[GrandmasterP]

Yep she's handy about the home is Mrs GMP.

My approach with decorating has always been 'get someone in to do it' but she's gone all 'hands on' since she retired.

Certainly saved money and she's done a grand job.

I do the labouring plus fetching, carrying and clean up.

That works pretty well.

Edited July 22, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[silent thunder]

Yep she's handy about the home is Mrs GMP.

My approach with decorating has always been 'get someone in to do it' but she's gone all 'hands on' since she retired.

Certainly saved money and she's done a grand job.

I do the labouring plus fetching, carrying and clean up.

That works pretty well.

Mrs GMP sounds much like my Stepmom when she retired.

I never saw her sitting down unless it was time to eat or for her evening book time.

She was clearing trees, making gardens, designed and helped build her last four homes.

Good stuff mate. I'm so happy you guys sold your place and are upping sticks to the next chapter in your life.

 

Congratulations!

[Apech]

Be sure to send us a pic of all your belongings loaded up on the back of the electric bicycle.

[Aetherous]

but then at the very end of the conversation she leans in and says "it's just so nice to talk to another white person..."

 

good feelings gone...

 

My face dropped and the conversation was over.

There hasn't been another.

 

wow... just wow, they're out there and I'm always thankful when they out themselves openly... saves so much time and effort on my part.

 

Some people just don't have a guilt complex over their race or color, and are actually proud of it, and think it's cool to represent a particular culture. Do you know that the woman was actually racist just based off of saying that?

 

Not calling you out or anything, I just think the racism topic in our culture right now is ridiculous. People are extremely over-sensitive regarding it...the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction and people's reactions aren't balanced or sensible. But just sharing my view on the side here.

[silent thunder]

Some people just don't have a guilt complex over their race or color, and are actually proud of it, and think it's cool to represent a particular culture. Do you know that the woman was actually racist just based off of saying that?

 

Not calling you out or anything, I just think the racism topic in our culture right now is ridiculous. People are extremely over-sensitive regarding it...the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction and people's reactions aren't balanced or sensible. But just sharing my view on the side here.

 

You can have pride in your culture and race, without hating or denigrating anyone else.