Still waiting plus more cold and snow

The sun was shining this morning, and the temperature reached eight degrees, although the real temperature apparently felt like four degrees.   However the temperature felt like a heat wave compared to the recent few weeks.    

It has been cold, bitterly cold, with winds coming from the north east.  Siberian temperatures. The Beast from the East according to the weather people.

Sunshine this morning.

The completion of the sale of the house continues to move along very slowly.    Tomorrow I will take the third lot of paper work into the solicitors, the answer to more queries.   I answer all emails and questions promptly but it would appear that not everyone in the chain is so conscientious, with different buyers and sellers still completing initial forms.    For people living in Australia and New Zealand, selling houses here involves much paperwork, which justifies the solicitors' existence I think.   

Our estate agent employs someone with the title of 'Progresser'.  I looked the word up in the Collins dictionary, and it appears to be a French word, which basically means 'to move over a period of time to a stronger, more advanced, or more desirable state'.  The 'Progresser' in the real estate firm keeps everyone involved in a house sale moving along with their paper work, and then reports back to the seller.   A personal approach, and one which I appreciate very much.  Mind you, if house sales here were less complicated there would be no need for a 'Progresser'.

Last week the 'Progresser' found out that there were more people in the chain than first thought, so we now have an extra house at the bottom of the chain, and this house plus the one above it, are still at the beginning of the process, in that their solicitors have only just started the land title searches.   Apparently the searches will take some time due to the fact that both houses are in the London Borough of Greenwich.

And of course it could all end in a non sale with a buyer or seller pulling out of their house sale and then the whole chain collapses.  And we will be back to square one. 

How did we get caught up in a chain, one may ask?   Well it was due to the estate agent assuring us there were only two other houses in the chain, and the people buying the first house were first home buyers and were nearly ready to complete the process.    So not true!

In the meantime life goes on.

Emma and Steve completed their house sale, and moved in with us for ten days while the paperwork was being completed for their rented house, a huge vicarage in Orpington.    They are loving having so much space.

Two weeks ago Bobbi went to the groomers, and now sports a Chinese Crested hairstyle.   The groomer followed the instructions set out in her grooming book.    Poor Bobbi came back without fur on most of her body, just in time for the snow.   Apparently she has not been keen to go outside, even with a coat on.

Bobbi sitting on the chair in the conservatory, hoping that the sun will shine, so that she can begin her sun tan.

The Faesten Dic, looking bare and desolate in the winter.   I love this area of the woods, regardless of the weather.

Bobbi, in her warm coat, enjoying a walk in the woods.

Kylie came to visit for a few days last week, at a time when the snow was at its worst.   However, we  carried on regardless, and had a really lovely time.

We went in to London to see the stage production of 'Matilda' which we enjoyed very much. 

Kylie, Emma and me, all lined up in the theatre before the show.   It was actually lovely and warm, but we had not taken off our coats when the photograph was taken.   It was certainly bitterly cold outside, with icy streets.

The snow, so beautiful to look at, but with temperatures as low as minus five, no fun to be out in it.   The main roads were mainly well gritted, and the four wheel drive in our Skoda meant the car gripped the ground very well on all other roads.   This made driving very easy.   And the fact that the number of cars on the road was greatly reduced, made a huge difference too.

The view from the front of the house.   The photograph was taken through the front window, in the warmth of our centrally heated house.   Everything looks perfect in the morning sunshine.

Kylie and I went shopping in Bluewater, the huge shopping complex about a ten minute drive from our house.   There were hardly any shoppers there so we had a very pleasant and quiet time.   This does not happen often in Bluewater.

Kylie standing in the nearly deserted carpark.

I went for a couple of walks in the woods, which I thought I should do, as this will probably be the last time I will walk there in the snow.    Again breathtakingly beautiful, with the stark outline of the trees standing out against the white snow.    Most of the schools around us were closed, so the woods were filled with families enjoying sledging on the slopes.

The Faesten Dic area of the woods.

Our back garden, with the rhubarb trying to survive the cold temperatures.

On the last day of the snow, we had a bitingly cold strong wind, caused when the 'Beast from the East' temperatures met with 'Storm Emma' from the west.  Everything froze, including our new towels which I hung on the line, forgetting that the strong wind would freeze them rather than dry them. 

I have mended my old possum wool gloves, just in case.   I hope they last for the next few months.   I would like to explain that these gloves came from New Zealand where the imported possums, who cause havoc in the bush there, are allowed to be killed and their fur used in woollen hats and gloves.   I know many people will tut, tut over this.   However in their native Australian environment, possums are a protected species.  The possums cannot be sent back to Australia either, due to the diseases and pests they may have picked up in New Zealand. 

Very warm gloves though.

The snow has melted, and when I went up to the garden today I found the daffodils beginning to open up and the purple crocuses in full bloom.

Hopefully Spring has arrived and we can look forward to some warmer weather.

A Waiting Game

We are certainly involved in a waiting game.  Nearly two weeks after selling the house, a flurry of dealing with some more paper work, and we are waiting for it all to happen.   Will it be a two month wait, or three months or more?   Or, in fact, will it happen at all?  

In the meantime life goes on, and we are making the most of the lengthening days, with spring around the corner.

Last week the temperature hardly rose above three or four degrees.   Every day after I dropped Walter off at the gym, I walked in Swanley Park, on the side of a hill, where the temperature never rose about one degree, according to my watch.    Bitterly cold.

Amazingly Bobbi did not notice the cold too much, although she was always keen to get back into the car afterwards.

The water froze over on the boating lake.

On the Thursday morning I walked with Kathy around Danson Park.   And the water had a layer of ice on the pond, and on the lake.    The ducks and birds were walking on ice.

I went for a walk in the woods, but could only find one or two snow drop plants, although there are plenty of crocuses flowering in the open areas around us. 

The rhubarb is coming through, a good sign that spring is around the corner.

And for two days the sun has been shining.   And we have opened the doors into the conservatory.   Of course it is likely to rain for days, but these few days of sunshine help to booster the morale no end.

And Walter is allowed to drive the car again, two and a half months after his knee operation.   He is very happy to be independent again, and I have so much more free time, now that I am no longer his taxi driver.    Good news.

Sold!

That was quick.   Sold!   The first person that viewed the house, bought it, for £2,000 less than the asking price. We are still reeling with shock.

On the day the person viewed the house, we had brilliant sunshine, so everything around looked absolutely beautiful.   The mole hills even looked appealing.  The sun shining through the large windows did show up my very poor window cleaning, but obviously that did not distract the potential buyer.    The person has since been back with different members of the family, and we have met them all.

Of course it will take ages to finalise the sale, which is more often the case here.   And it can all go pear shaped as nothing is definite until the contract has been signed, which is just before the buyer takes possession of the house.   There is a very short chain, with our buyer downsizing and purchasing our house outright.   The mortgages and surveys have been approved for that house and the first house in the chain, which has a first time buyer.    But still one never knows.

In the meantime we are sitting in a perfectly clean and tidy house.   No clutter in sight.    And fresh flowers in the vase.

The clean cloth for wiping up spills in the kitchen is still being placed neatly over the screw that Walter put in the kitchen sink.   The screw that Walter put in to stop the sink from moving and putting pressure on the waste pipe.   The screw that does not fit properly. 

One must be always prepared, still. 

House for sale

Our house is on the market.  We are out there.   House for sale.   Not our home anymore, but a house, cleaned up, sorted out and ready to sell.

  During the first two days there has been plenty of interest apparently, but no one wanting to view the property.    The biggest worry from people was the fact that there was a shared freehold, and people had heard all sorts of scare stories about problems with leases.    

The freehold title on this property is absolutely tight, with very clear land and building titles.   The bank originally organised the freehold and leasehold titles when we bought the house in 1992, and then it was was updated by solicitors when we took over some of the back garden.    I think we need to have another talk to the estate agent selling the property.    Just to make sure that he is clear about the freehold on this property.   Best to be sure. 

The sign in the front garden to let everyone know the maisonette is definitely for sale.   Every time we look out of the front windows we see the sign.   A stark reminder.

 The estate agent took the photographs of the house, and did quite a good job.    We had a laugh though, when we saw the water bottles and Walter's beer box on the other side of the bathroom window, making quite a show in the photograph of the bathroom.  They were in the side room which we use as a storage area. 

We also forgot to remove the numerous magnets from the fridge, which looked very unattractive in the photograph.   They are gone now, and all we have is a shiny white surface that reflects the light when the sun shines through the window. 

We need to wear our sunglasses in the kitchen now, it is all gleaming white and shiny.

Sadly all our pot plants have been removed, and it was a question of letting them die slowly in the garden or give them a sudden death in the compost heap.   I have chosen the former.     A difficult decision, that one.

The photos of the garden show a brilliant blue sky.   It certainly was a sunny day, but perhaps not quite as bright as the photographs show.   But other than that nothing else has been enhanced, the photographs show the house and garden as they are, warts and all.   Even the mole hills are there.

This weekend we are having a well deserved rest, in a spotlessly clean and uncluttered house.

The big cleanup

After two busy weeks we are ready to put the house on the market.   We have had the shower screen repaired, a tile replaced, and new silicone put in around the bath, and along the back of the sink.   And the eaves above the front door will soon be painted.   We have scrubbed the house from top to bottom.

A few mishaps, as to be expected when one takes their eye off the ball.    

I have had a large piece of skin removed from the side of my leg,   The result of walking into the pointy part of a silicone tube, which was in a box ready to give to one of our neighbours.   

I damaged the back of my new down filled coat.    The result of hanging it on a rack too close to the radiator.   The surface material on the middle bottom of the coat melted slightly and now there is a hole with down feathers coming out of it.    Hopefully the person at the local dry cleaners can do a repair.

I put my Samsung watch on its charger a few days ago and it did not charge, and in fact started to lose charge.   I tried putting the charger on different leads, but to no avail.   Naturally I thought the battery in the watch or the charger itself was the problem.    Luckily I did not contact Samsung or send the watch and charger away to be repaired, because it was the power board that had stopped working.   I am now wearing my watch, which is behaving as it should!

I reversed into a nearly new, small red metallic BMW, at the local shopping centre, the repairs for which will cost our insurance company hundreds of pounds.    The damage consisted of a tiny little dent in the side of the car door.   Interestingly the driver said that the tow bar of our car had caused a dent in her car, and that was before she had even stepped outside of the car to look at any damage.  I was in too much of a hurry to start measuring the height of the dent in comparison to our tow bar.   How did it happen?   I was reversing out of a car park very slowly, and being very careful about not scraping the cars beside me.    The sensor started beeping so I stopped, looked in the rear vision mirror, and saw the top of a car, with a women looking at me.  I then drove back into the car park.    Interestingly, the driver did not use her horn to warn me, or even stop her car when she saw me reversing out.   I have chosen to believe her story.    

Finally, Walter put a few bottles of beer in the freezer drawer, and forgot about them.    Consequently they exploded which resulted in a major cleanup, on Walter's part.   At least that drawer has been emptied and cleaned out, ready to move!

The paper work, required by the solicitor, when one sells a house in England is horrendous, with pages and pages of tick boxes and explanations about fixtures and fittings, changes to titles of house and land, plus details about the leasehold, and other general information.   We also had to have an energy report done, at a cost of £45.    Bureaucracy!   

We have sent piles of items to the charity shop, including the video camera that used the cassette, in the photograph below.    Technology has certainly moved on since we bought the camera in 2003, now mobile telephones take videos. 

I am sure that everyone would like to see a photograph of the area below the stairs which lead up to the maisonette above us.    This is an area that has a slightly damp feel to it, and a perfect hiding place for red back spiders had it been in Australia.    The area also has a platform made of rubble with a brick wall at the front.   A great place for storing everything from paint to wood to car cleaning stuff, and all the bits and pieces that Walter thought he may use again.    All gone, except for some tins of paint, brushes and rollers, a step ladder and snow shovel    There were no spiders lurking this area.

The only spider we have seen was a small one climbing up the wall beside the bed in the spare room.  Where I had been sleeping a few days ago.

As a distraction, I travelled into London with Kathy and Karen to see the light show at different points along the South Bank, and in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square.    It was a bitterly cold evening, but we rugged up well, and the walk from London Bridge to Charing Cross was very good for our fitness levels.  Altogether a very enjoyable evening.

We first had dinner at a restaurant called Bills.    A great way to start the evening.

The view across the River Thames is always pretty spectacular.

The tunnel of light.

The giant foot, which was actually superimposed onto the side of a tall building rather than a model of a foot.    Quite impressive, all the same.

The lit up sculpture of a fox, in Leicester Square.

A butterfly sculpture in Leicester Square.

The house is nearly perfect, but not quite to our satisfaction.   But as the saying goes, 'hey ho it will have to do', for now.

A move back to Adelaide, Australia.

Yes, we have made a very big decision.   We are moving back to Adelaide, Australia.    And why, many people will ask, are we making such a big change in our lives, now that we are in our seventies.

Well there are many reasons.   

For us, it all started with the referendum vote, in June, 2016, when 52% of the voting population in the UK, decided that Britain should leave the European Union.   Both of us are 'immigrants', and Walter has a Dutch passport.   No one has said anything personally, but we feel unwelcome.    And we could see that it was going to be an economic downhill slope for the country.   Since then the antics displayed by the ministers in the cabinet, do not bode well for any future success. 

We do not wish to grow old in this country, together with the rest of the ageing population.   The prospect fills us with gloom, as to any prospects of future support and help.    We do not mind paying for our care, but there does appear to be a limited amount of services, where we live.    In Australia I will have to pay for medical care, luckily Walter has a Gold Card, due to having served in Vietnam, and we will have to pay for aged care, but with less people we hope that it will be better there.

Finally, we will no longer have any family members in Britain, as Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel are also moving to Adelaide, Australia this year.     A very exciting time for them.    We will have Aaron, Kylie, Mia, Abi and Raphy in the Netherlands, and we will miss having them so close, but we can visit them from Australia.     

Although we made the decision a year ago, we had too much planned last year to begin organising the move.   The planned start to the action was to be 2018, and as soon as the holiday period finished we put into place a plan.

The first item was to get the house ready for sale.    

A couple of jobs we had already started, such as getting a new side fence beside the house.   The old one was falling down.  Looks very smart.   

 We had the height of the silver birch reduced as it was becoming too high and there were crossed branches.    Apparently this type of pruning should be done every three years.

The very ugly arbour, which we call the 'bush shelter' will be knocked down.   We are amazed that it is still standing and has not blown away during a storm.

 An aside.   The moles have been very busy cleaning out their tunnels.   No doubt the worms are extra luscious at the moment.

We have cleaned out our cupboards and drawers, in readiness for the big move.    How can one collect so much electronic bits and pieces and old spectacles.

We are currently getting our bedroom ceiling plastered as there are fine hairline cracks in the centre of it.   The insulation above the ceiling board is pressing down on the ceiling boards, we think.    We are also getting the shower screen fixed, as it had come away from the wall, and cracked the wall tile.   There will also be some touch up of paintwork here and there.    Plus the carpet will be shampooed on Saturday.  We would like the house to look good of course, but mostly we do not want anything for prospective buyers to start bargaining about.

The photographs will be taken on Monday, and the house will go up for sale.

We spent last year feeling very sad about leaving the home we have lived in for nearly twenty six years but are feeling positive about it now.   Certainly being able to buy a larger house, with two bathrooms, feels positively luxurious.

We will miss being close to the most beautiful woods, which is a pleasure to walk in, no matter the time of year.

But most of all we will really miss all our wonderful friends and neighbours.    Thank goodness for Facebook, which is fantastic for keeping in touch with people.   We will be returning to visit as often as possible, plus we are keeping our caravan in the south of France.   However we will miss the close contact we have with people here.

A family Christmas in Houten, Netherlands

Christmas is long past, and I must get this blog written, otherwise we will be onto the next event in our lives.

We had a lovely family Christmas in Houten, with Aaron, Kylie, Mia, Abi and Raphy.    Emma, Steve, Jackson and Isabel also came with us, and we were a merry little group, despite the ravages of flu which hit some members of the family.   Isabel was recovering from the flu, Jackson came down with it on the first day there, and Kylie started to show the first signs of flu at the end of the visit.   

Walter was still recovering from his knee replacement operation, having only had it eighteen days beforehand.    Although we were worried about how he would manage the long drive, it went very well, and he made quite rapid progress during the five days we were there.

We set off early on the Saturday morning, and arrived at the channel tunnel entrance in Folkestone in plenty of time.    This was just as well as the queues through the French and British border control areas were long and moved slowly.    

Finally we managed to drive the car onto the train.    For those people from Australia and New Zealand who have not travelled on this train, I need to explain how it works.    The trains, double height, are very long, with each carriage holding about four or five cars.   Safety barrier doors are closed between each carriage, in case of fire.   There are special carriages for coaches.   So basically you drove the car onto the train, and are directed either upstairs or downstairs, then when you are close to the car in front, you turn off the engine, put the handbrake on, and open the car windows.   When the train is loaded, the train leaves, travels through the tunnel under the sea, and at the end you drove off.    The trip takes about 35 minutes.

There are special trains for trucks.   These trains are open sided.    It is a very busy tunnel, as the Eurostar trains also travel through it, and I believe the company is aiming to have a train pass through every two minutes.   On each line.

The problem with the train we were on, was that it had problems with its communication system, and after a lengthy time we were all told to drive off and board another train.    So the 35 minute journey ended up in a delay of another hour.   We noticed that the trains, which have been running for more than twenty years, desperately need updating.   The trains we were on had faulty inner doors and toilets which did not work, and of course there was the one with a non working communication system.

Walter stretching his legs while waiting for the first train to leave, which it did not of course.

It was a very easy drive to the Netherlands, on a motorway that was noticeably quiet without trucks, motorhomes and caravans.

Walter and I stayed at the Valk Hotel, which was about a ten minute drive from Aaron and Kylie's house.   A very tall thin hotel which stands out amongst the low lying buildings and farmland.   It was extremely busy each day of the holiday period, with enormous family and friend gatherings.   Walter was told they were catering for 1200 people for each sitting, the afternoon one and then the evening one.    When we arrived back at about 10.30 on Christmas Day the hotel was heaving with people.   Party time!

Breakfast was always interesting, with plenty of sweet pastries, rolls and cakes plus the usual boiled eggs, cold meats and cheese laid out in a clean and orderly manner. They also cooked omelettes and fried eggs.   The dining room was beautifully lit, with mood lighting and candles and small decorations scattered around.    The Dutch really know how to make things very cosy and atmospheric.   Gezellig!

We were fascinated by the chocolate fountain, together with the accompanying strawberries and small biscuits.     And a soft serve ice cream machine, not shown in the photograph below.   It was amazing how many people were eating soft serve ice creams and chocolate covered desserts, at 8 a.m. in the morning.

 This cream and strawberry filled sponge cake looked absolutely delicious, but not for breakfast.   I think the sweet cakes and desserts were specially provided because it was Christmas.

It was fantastic getting together with Aaron and Kylie and the children and we had much fun together, eating plenty of chocolates and biscuits, talking and playing cards.

Plus singing carols on Christmas Eve.  A very musical time.

Christmas Day did not start early, thank goodness for older children, and Raphy, being the youngest child, was very patient.   There were lots of presents to open, with plenty for everyone, and we spent a very happy few hours admiring each other's presents.

We kept the curtains closed, as it was a very dark and dim morning which added to the Christmas Day magic.

Kylie cooked a delicious turkey dinner, with all the trimmings.    She had made a stuffing, which she gave to the butcher who then put it into the turkey breast, together with a bit of butcher made seasoning because he thought it needed a bit more!   It was extremely tasty and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.   It was all so delicious we were too full for the Christmas pudding, so ate it that evening.   I had made it a couple of months ago.  It was doused with plenty of burning brandy!

A great family day.

On Boxing Day we drove to Toverland, a theme park with many indoor rides and activities.   It was  mostly to celebrate Raphy's birthday which was on the 30th December, and partly to celebrate Abi's birthday, which was on the 5th December.

The park was very busy, but apparently Christmas Day was even busier.  Christmas is celebrated a little differently in the Netherlands.  I cannot imagine places being open here.

I think the climbing frames and connecting bridge were very creative. and challenging too.

There were plenty of places selling chips.   However I am also fascinated by the heated self service hatches which sell croquetten and the other Dutch favourite frikandellen.   I think Steve bought a croquette.   I forgot to ask him if it was okay, but he did not complain of indigestion afterwards.

A huge wooden roller coaster, and the ride just goes on forever, or so it seemed to me when I rode on it once.   Raphy was very proud of the fact that he was now tall enough to ride it.

I did go on the water ride, and managed to get very wet and cold.

I also went on the toboggan ride, which was not too fast, just perfect,

but the only problem was getting out of the toboggan at the end.   I can no longer get up from a sitting position, especially one that is still moving.   I had to be hauled out by Emma, Steve and Aaron.   And not very elegantly either.

It was a long drive there and back, about 1 1/2 hours each way, but the children loved it so much, that it was worth the long drive.

We stopped at a McDonald's restaurant on the way home.   A perfect way to finish a fun filled day. 

While we were away Walter spent a leisurely day at the hotel, observing the hundreds of guests enjoying themselves.   He also ate very well in the restaurant.

The next afternoon we said our reluctant goodbyes to Aaron, Kylie and Raphy and set off towards Calais.   Mia and Abi came with us, as they were going to Norwich for New Year.

It was a reasonable drive back until we came to Bruges where we hit atrocious weather, with vertical heavy rain and a high wind.   In the end I drove behind a truck, as it stood out clearly in the dark, wind and rain.

There were horrendously long queues at the Channel Tunnel entrance, due to the very slow checking of passports at the British Border Control.   So delays again.   Altogether a thirty five minute train trip certainly ends up taking a very long time.   However, on this occasion we were relieved not to be sitting in a ferry on very rough seas. 

And back home we continued our holiday celebrations, with New Years Eve at Emma and Steve's house. and a 70th birthday party at our neighbour's house.    The girls spent a week in Norwich and had a fantastic time with their friends.   They also managed travelling by themselves very well, with a train journey to Norwich and then a plane journey from Gatwick to Schiphol.  We were very proud of them.

They went shopping with Isabel in Bromley, and met up with Steve and Jackson for afternoon tea.   A very special time.

The only mishap, was when I caught my hand in the lift door at the Valk Hotel.   The lift door closed very promptly when people exited the lift, and there was no time to press the 'door open' button when the next person entered the lift.  I did not realise this.   My hand lost quite a bit of skin and was very sore.  The hotel staff gave me some plasters.   I knew I was in the Netherlands. 'Toughen up and get on with it'.