22nd April 2014 - Neighbours update

Well all the worrying was in the end for nothing. The new owner put his property up for let, it went within 3 days and over the Easter Weekend the new tenants moved in.

We had a chat to them on Saturday and they seemed very nice. Mark is a postman in the area, Alex works at the hospital and they have a son Edward who is in year 7 at Springwood. Helen actually taught him a couple of times when he was at St Martha's.

They moved out of their last place after 7 years as the owner wanted to sell it, so hopefully they will be here for a while as well.

I know we are detached now but I still think it is important to have good neighbours who you can get on well with. 

Not so that you can be in each others houses all the time, no I would not want that, but just to be able to chat to when you see them, know their names and know that whenever they do something they are considerate to other people around them. By this I mean, noise, parking etc. Consider other people, unfortunately not everyone does, as I found out when in Enfield, but so far and from chatting to them I think they are considerate people.

Also its not just immediate neighbours either. I think it is nice that we know the names of those a few doors down either way and those across the road. That does not seem to happen much these days. Some I talk to more than others but a wave if you see them in the the car or a hello if you pass them in the street or see them in the garden, is just as good.

Over the road is Sally and Doreen, I talk to them a lot, as I do John who is just to the side of us, others like Ray I have never spoken to, but he smiles and waves if he see us. The young couple Tracy and Daniel, also over the road, are not around much, but will always acknowledge you if you see them.

We have Dave and Sheila beyond our fence at the bottom of the garden. Due to losing a few fence panels during the winter winds I have now got to know them, I had not previously seen or spoken to them in the year and half previous. So that is nice.

Some people may not agree with me but I think that is how it should be, I like where we live, and  I like the people around us.

17th March 2014 - Neighbours

Our neighbours are moving tomorrow and it is all a bit worrying because of my past experience in Enfield. 

They had been looking to move to a village for a while now since their children had left home and they found a place around Xmas which they mentioned to us. My problem is not with that, although they are nice neighbours and it would have been nice if they were not moving, my problem is who is buying the property.

When we lived in Enfield, our lovely old neighbour Jean passed away, and her house was brought by someone who was not going to live there but rent it out. This can of course be Ok, we rented for a time and consider ourselves to be nice people to live next to, however it does mean that you can also quickly have different people renting who may be worse or better. There is of course the other problem that we encountered where we had a family move in who both did not work. The rent was paid by the council, they had no interest in looking after the house or garden and soon fences were broken down, the garden not kept well, noise from the occupants including loud music whilst I was trying to work next door, very strange people calling to the house at all hours and those same very strange people sitting and making noise in the back garden, during the day and night. It got to a situation where I did not want to use our garden as much. We went from a quiet neighbour who we could hardly tell if she was in or not, to a horrible situation.

I am envious of my Mum and Dad, who for many years have had the same people next door, who give them no problem and with whom they get on fine with. When I say many years, one side must have been there over 30 years and the other over 50 years.

So with that bad experience in mind I am wary of what might be arriving next door now. We are in a better position than the time in Enfield. Our property is detached, we have a nice 6 foot fence separating our garden, something we did not have in Enfield.

So why I am so worried. Well when we have been chatting to our neighbours about them moving it turns out that the buyer is a friend of a friend. That is Ok no problem there, but from conversations I picked up that they have not actually met them. If they have not met them and there is no estate agent involved the buyer must have purchased it without seeing it, possibly from photos only. So would you buy somewhere to live in without seeing it, sounds to me like it is being brought to rent out.

We were chatting to them the other day and I tried to broach the subject again. “have the new people got any kids for Kirsty to play with?” I asked. They both looked strangely at each other as if they were not sure what to say, eventually they replied that there children were in their 20’s.

Then over the last weekend they started moving all the garden stuff, it turns out the place they are buying is vacant and the owner said it would be OK to move garden stuff in before completion. Completion day is 18^th March, tomorrow as I write this. However although they are moving out tomorrow into their new place, they still have the keys on their old home next door to us for a few more days. That seems strange, to complete on a Purchase and I assume on the sale and the new owners not taking possession immediately. Again to me that sounds like the new owners are not moving from their current location and are buying the house to rent.

Whenever we have spoken to them, it has been a bit cagey about the new buyers. I find it strange, I would never have a problem with them if they have sold to bad people, criminals or people who were going to let it out. I know when I was selling I would never have considered who was buying mine and what my old neighbours would be inheriting, at the end of the day you just want to sell and move, so why not just say who is buying it, and why be cagey about it.

I love the peace and quiet here, I really hope the people who live next door, whether it be the new owners or tenants, are nice and we get on with them and they are as quiet as our previous ones. It is a worry but something out of my control so we just have to wait and see. 

24th Feb 2014 - Migraines

I have had migraines from ever since I can remember. Well at least from 7 when I first remember coming home from a Cubs football match and just lying on my Mums silky bed cover trying to cool down and remembering the feeling sick and pain in the head.

People just say a migraine is a bad headache, anyone who suffers then knows this is not the case and I bet that most migraine sufferers can probably put up with a bad headache which would have others reaching for the pain killers.

I have different levels of migraine, a mild one will leave me not being able to look at anything and a sharp pain across the bone above my eyes, a bad one will have me going hot and cold, feeling sick (although I am hardly ever sick), pain across most of the front head and having to be in the dark or at least have my eyes shut. I also find pacing around better than lying or sitting down.

Painkillers do nothing and for years I had no remedy but to see it out. However one visit to the Doctor found me with someone who listened to my symptoms and prescribed me with Almotriptan. This really works and within an hour or two of taking one the migraine usually passes. This is fine but what I would love is a migraine table which prevents them happening at all.

I have looked at triggers and never found one, apart from if I get too hot, this one is a given, but I thought once it was fatty food, I cut this out are better and I had a good spell, but then they came back. Sleep might also be one, and other good types. I just cannot work it out.

I even had the idea that men had a time of the month like women as for some time I got a cluster of them and then nothing for 3-4 weeks.

The reason I am blogging this now is because I am so fed up. The last month I have had so many. In fact there have only been 6 days in the last 30 days where I have not had one. I admit they have been mostly mild, but it is getting me down now.

I cannot be diet I gave been eating well as we are on Weight watchers again, so plenty of veg, lean meat and very little butter or margarine. Dairy products also have been much lower. We started 1st Jan and all was fine but then around the end of Jan the regular migraines started. 

I have no stress at all, life is good relaxed.

If anyone has any ideas or can share experiences I would love to hear.

7th Feb 2014 - Our Friday days out.

I love our Fridays. Both Helen and I do not work on Fridays. It's great time to spend with each other, and we try and make sure we go out somewhere for the day, well at least until it's time to pick Kirsty up.

Since moving to King's Lynn we have many new places to visit and we travel distances we probably would not consider in and around London. Simply put an hours drive is an hour, unlike around London where it could be an hour  one day, and two hours the next. Also an hours drive up here covers quite an area, in London it might only get you a few miles.

We have visited various beaches and coastal towns, as well as some bigger towns and villages. The main criteria is somewhere nice for Lunch.

We always have a nice drive, good music playing, time to chat and enjoy the views on the way.

Norfolk is a beautiful place, we are making the most of it and really enjoy living up here.

3rd Feb 2014 - Oops

Like most I missed a while of blogging. Probably worst than most as it is getting on for a year since my last blog.

Generally last year has been great, one thing of bad note is Helen and my weight. Basically we have been enjoying ourselves too much and at start of New Year we started Weightwatchers again, this time we have stuck with it. 4 weeks in and a stone lighter but only now back to where I was last year. I would like to lose another 1.5 stone.

Apart from that all is good, I have been working back at Swift since last April, after a chance phone call asking for a reference, got me a weeks credit control and I am still there now. I work 9am to 1pm Mon to Fri, my choice. Helen and I have Fridays off. Helen has regular supply 4 days a week at Greyfriers, and has just been told she is needed next year as well and there might be a contract.

Kids are doing fine, Kirsty loves her school, she goes to Brownies and had moved up 3 classes at Swimming, she really is quite good.

Craig studying for his A-Levels, and had just done his mocks. He had hot really friendly with a girl called Kim, nothing romantic, just very good friends and I am pleased he had someone to do things with in King's Lynn.

So life is great, enjoy watching the birds feed at our table, we have loads of Dunnocks, a couple of Blue Tits, Greenfinches and Gold finches, a Robin and some Doves.

Looking forward to Spring again, it stays light till 5pm now and that just seems to make things better.

3rd Feb 2014 - Seed Time

After last years success with the seed growing, oh yes forgot to post how well they did, it is time to start again.

Last year, for very little outlay I had a brilliant front bed display of Marigolds, Salvias, Antirrhinum's and Cosmos, as well as giving many plants to friends. 

Mid Summer I planted some wallflower seeds, grew them on and planted out in between the summer bedding. Once the summer bedding was lifted the wall flowers were already growing nicely and providing some nice greenery over winter and hopefully nice Spring colour.

Anyhow, last year I started a bit late and ended up with window sills full of plants all at the same time.

This year the plan is to stagger the seed growing and potting on process.

At the start of January I planted some Salvias, and antirrhinum in one tray. They are growing and are in the pop up green house in the conservatory, I am waiting for 2nd leaves to appear, before pricking out. Once again the antirrhinum are very small and fiddly.

 I am hoping not to lose as many plants this year as I did last time being a bit in experienced. 

21st April 2013 - Seed Growing

Earlier this month our allotment co-ordinator took me to the council nursery to sow some seeds for our allotment.

I was quite amazed how little there seemed to it and how cheap it was compared to buying plants ready to plant out.

I had a large bed out the front which needed filling and decided this would be a good way to get some colour on the cheap.

Off I went to Wilkinson'scand £15later I had trays, pots, compost and seeds. Let the fun begin.

I plant Marigolds, Salvias, Antirrhinum, Cosmos and Foxglove.

That part was easy, some were big seed which was easy to put in seed tray but foxglove was like pepper. We could not see where it had gone on the compost. Anyhow all trays were done and now came the next problem.

Where to put them. At first they need heat. I had the thermometer all over the house trying to find the place which kept the best and most constant heat. Window sills were ok but cold at night. In the end the top of the fridge/freezer in the kitchen seemed to keep a good constant temperature , especially as the nights were cold.

As it turns out this was perfect, green shoots appeared with 4 days. First the cosmos, then marigolds, salvias, antirrhinum and lastly the foxgloves. Once the green shoots showed it was then about light and plenty of it. The conservatory would have been ideal but it was still too cold in there. So the kitchen window sill was now filled with trays of green shoots.

The cosmos ran away and grew quick, however they were getting too tall and had not got their second leaves yet. The process is that once shoots have their second leaves they are ready to be pricked out and put into larger pots with more space. Anyhow they had to be pricked out, now I was either too early or did not firm them in properly. Of 27 plants pricked out only 4 survived.

Next to be pricked out were the Marigolds. These seem much stronger, mum says they are quite hardy and she never has problems with them. Indeed she is right, this time I firmed them in as I transferred them. Of 86 plants I have over 50 doing really well. They look less like seedlings and more like actually plants now. Really pleased with them.

Salvias were next, my favourite, I love the deep red flowers. I got 24 plants pricked and so far I reckon I will have 15 to plant out. They still do not look like plants but are growing.

Next we're the antirrhinum. To kinds, Monarch and Circus Clown. These were really small and fiddly but I have pricked out 166 of these and although it has only been a few days, most of them seem to have survived the process into the pots and trays. They are still very small but do look healthy.

Just today it was time for the foxgloves. I pricked out 59 and there are more in the seed trays but I have run out of compost and pots and trays to put them. I will keep them in the tray for now.

So I have loads of potential plants and for £15 have 329 plants at the moment. For the time and effort it is certainly worthwhile doing and I may have too many so some will be passed onto others.