What are you all up to

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  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited July 2017 #7922

    Today delivery of new bathroom splashbacks and fittings arrived, OH made a start, decided after the success of the panels in the kitchen we would have something  similar in bathroom. The joy being they can be fitted without lots of work on the walls. smile Almost completed one wall today, and looking good so far. 

    Sad news though after 17 years of hoovering service,in 4 different houses my "Henry" stopped, motor died.cry It was a trip to Argos for replacement,  just hope new one lasts as long undecided 

    Final trip to dentist today,  yippee small filling replaced and scale and clean, glad it's all over for a few months.smile 

     

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited July 2017 #7923

    They would surely have made friends with other children on the various sites they stayed on. They also visited France and Spain and practised speaking French and Spanish. So they would have made friends with Spanish and French children as well, surely? 

    We met the Meek family on two occasions, once at Gatwick and another time at Brighton. They seemed very happy and enjoying their life.

    The children seemed to be getting an excellent education from their parents. They were clearly very articulate and well-spoken. It is highly likely that they made far better progress with their education than they would have made by attending school as they had the benefit of private tuition from professionally qualified teachers, their parents, who devoted all their time towards educating them.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited July 2017 #7924

    Henrys come from Chard in Somerset, that was a good long life! smile

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,301
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    edited July 2017 #7925

    Wow helenandtrevor not letting the grass grow then 😲 delivery and fixing on same day! What are these splashbacks?

    Sad to hear that your Henry has joined the rest home if all vacuums 😢.  Jolly good service though. What have you replaced it with? You'll have copped the new watts limit so I hope it performs well.

    Great news on the dental front. I hope you're now feeling much comfier in that region 😆

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,301
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    edited July 2017 #7926

    Gosh this site is slow even by its standards tonight 😲😤

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2017 #7927

    My wife also gave up work when we had our first child. Probably not until eldest was about 4 though. We were married with a daughter by the end of my repeat first year at college.( My mother was dying of cancer during that time and died before my first year exams' I had a choice of going onto second year but decided to repeat the first year). I bought a mobile home at Elton Cheshire and I was at college at Leeds in the cheapest squalid bedsit available . As I was on a single grant and my father on a reasonable wage I had about enough money coming in to pay for books. The bank subsidised me with an interest free loan until I left college. I would not accept money from my father. 

    Whilst I was at college My mum in law looked after our daughter 2.5 days, me 2.5 days and wife 2 days but was at her mums after work every day to sleep every day that Mum had her. I looked after her at the mobile home Friday afternoon and the weekend but my wife would be off Sunday afternoon and two days in the week. So daughter was at the mobile home 4.5 days a week and at mum in laws 2.5 days. 

    When I left College I was offered a job out of the blue by R M Douglas Construction as assistant Resident Engineer for some coastal defence works near Morecambe. I had worked for in the same capacity at a steel works redevelopment during vocational training for 6 months having also worked in a drawing office for part of the group. I was also offered a job by H O Andrews who I had worked for in a vocational period constructing a new sewage plant. Both jobs I would have loved but, like K, thanked them but turned them down. I spent the next 6 months tractor driving, working for a detective agency, grass cutting at weekends, laying lawns and constructing patios for a local nursery and garden centre etc. I then managed to get a job with Cheshire County. It was not doing engineering work but I told them when I accepted the post that I wanted to be in their highways section but would make a fist of it. 12 months later I got the option to get a job in the Road Construction Office setting up a computerised programming system. It was until 12 months later that I managed to get back into engineering related work designing and supervising highway works.

    It was 6 months after starting with the Council that we had bought our first home with a loan based on twice my projected earnings ( based on what they would be 6 months later) and my wife's income who stopped work when we moved in 

    We were blissfully happy as a family but although I had told my wife that if she wished to stop work and care for our daughter it was not a problem financially I knew otherwise   and I did a series of additional jobs and foreigners to pay the bills from the age of 24 to 30 when our second child was born. I changed my phone number and went ex-directory. By that time I had some capital.

    When not at work the children were always a priority.  

    After moving to my present house aged 35 I received a couple of promotions and finances improved further but at age forty I made a choice just for me. I had the chance of a substantial promotion but after discussing it with my wife I turned it down. Had I taken it my leaving salary would have been about £20K higher than it was and my pension now about £10K more than it is. I preferred to be at the coal face though and for me it was a right decision. Some things are more important than mere money if you have sufficient and particularly family!

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited July 2017 #7928

    It's a pity they don't post on here as it would be interesting to know how they are getting on. It looks from the stories section that their last story was about their stay at Blackpool in October 2016. 

  • milliehull
    milliehull Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 4,829
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    edited July 2017 #7929

    Gosh you don't hang about do you Helen!! Glad it's going well so far.  

  • JayEss
    JayEss Forum Participant Posts: 1,663
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    edited July 2017 #7930

    You could have had my Henry. I took it to the tip a few weeks ago to put in the reuse section. I was underwhelmed by him I'm afraid 

    Malcolm the Meek girls are both of secondary school age and I doubt that even two enthusiastic teachers would cover the curriculum adequately. Teenagers need space, privacy and freedom. Those children had none of that and I'm glad for their sake that they may get the opportunity to grow up 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2017 #7931

    Slow!! I typed the above post 30 mins ago!!

  • milliehull
    milliehull Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 4,829
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    edited July 2017 #7932

    I agree about the site being slow this evening Bakers2. Because of that and other reasons I am now giving up for the night. Good night all. Yawn........

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited July 2017 #7933

    If you feel comfortably off and happy today then there can't be anything wrong with the choices you made!

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited July 2017 #7934

    I guess we'll never know, Jayess,  since they have given up writing their story.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited July 2017 #7936

    I think they are still collecting plastic bottles JayEss and I don't think I want to know any more than that....wink 

    ps Had my parents said to me and my sister we're all going away in a motorhome for x number of years I think the reply would have been. OK Mum and Dad you do that and we'll see our friends and look after the house for you!! laughing

  • JayEss
    JayEss Forum Participant Posts: 1,663
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    edited July 2017 #7937

    Plastic bottles?  No don't tell me wink

    My brother and I would have refused to take part in such an obvious mid life crisis as well 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited July 2017 #7938

    I might have ended up an orphan at an early age, my parents would probably have murdered each other cooped up in a van for more than a few weeks.......so it just wouldn't have happened. wink

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2017 #7939
  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 14,102
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    edited August 2017 #7940

    Whilst I understand what you mean they were under contract/commissioned by the Club to undertake those contributions. I think the problem was that should have been given a bit more direction on how to post when I suspect they were probably given very little? I imagine it might have been the case of them being commissioned by one part of the Club not connected with Club Together? I think the concept was interesting but perhaps there was just too much of it? 

    I think they undertook an interesting experiment and I would reckon that the two girls have gained a great deal from that and probably put them in good stead for continuing their education as well as life experience. Not many kids get that opportunity. 

    David

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited August 2017 #7941

    It looks like they haven't given up altogether, just taken a new direction. They would also be earning some income through the publication of their books etc.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited August 2017 #7942

    Don't look at their blog page though Malcolm unless you are enchanted by plastic bottles as there are possibly 100 blogs with pictures of plastic bottle hoards collected and presumably tipped

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Club Member Posts: 10,224
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    edited August 2017 #7943

    Northern Sicily, a bit to the west of Messina?

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited August 2017 #7944

    Did try to post last night, but website just so slow I gave up! yell

    We had started prepping the bathroom  so we just fixed a few of the panels to the wall yo see what they looked like.

    It was Nelliethehooker who first mentioned splasbacks to us as they had used them. They are plastic panels which come plain or patterned, they fit in a frame glued to the wall.When up the ones we have look like tiles  but much easier to put up, they slot together a bit like laminate floor. No grouting and smooth so easy to clean.

    Replaced Henry with another but yes wattage is lower, seems to perform well though.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,156
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    edited August 2017 #7945

    What a joy today is, the upside is that it's Mrs Ones birthday. So somewhere nice for lunch on the way to knapdale forest for a little beaver watchinglaughing   The downside, well its hissing it down can see the loch but mountains shrouded in rain, cloud and mist.  I will be relegated to the awning for the next 12 days whilst Mrs One gets to grip with her birthday present, I brought her a ukulelesurprised

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited August 2017 #7946

    Lovely sunny morning here in Worthing since we got up this morning. The awning is now packed away and we'll soon be ready to go on our journey to Lancing Fruit Farm CL.

    Yesterday evening, it was sunny and cool enough for a walk so we walked on the footpath that runs parallel to Titnore Lane just as the sun was setting. The walk took us past Northbrook Recreational grounds and on to a footpath leading past the new housing estate by Nightingale  Avenue. We'd not been that way before because previously as we used to take a right turn off the footpath to cross over Titnore Lane on to Highdown Hill. The merit of this new route was not having to walk uphill. It was a flat surface all the way.

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited August 2017 #7947

    Happy Birthday to Mrs Oneputt,  hope she likes the present. smile

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
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    edited August 2017 #7948

    Many happy returns of the day to Mrs Oneputt!

  • MrRoute
    MrRoute Forum Participant Posts: 141
    edited August 2017 #7949

    Nice and warm and sunny here in Lancing, just finished clean out the water butt which had quite a lot of muck off the roof in it, will allow to dry before connecting back up. will have a light breakfast before going into Brighton on the bus using our passes of cause, will do a bit of shopping  and then a lemonade or two sealed and a nice lunch somewhere. Will make the most of today as tomorrow is going to be very wet and windy down here.

  • Goldie146
    Goldie146 Club Member Posts: 2,493
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    edited August 2017 #7950

    Sorrento - with Vesuvius in the background.

  • HelenandTrevor
    HelenandTrevor Forum Participant Posts: 3,221
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    edited August 2017 #7951

    Brue, living in a caravan full time certainly doesn't suit everyone! 

    We lived in our very small swift for just over 4 months,  it was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but plans didn't work out. We didn't travel around around the boys were at primary school and we had jobs. And yes At the end OH and I were almost at "murder" point.laughing or divorce! surprised It seemed like an adventure at first but that soon wore off. In the end we moved into a rented house for the rest of the time. It took over 12 months before we could face a caravan holiday, and even now, as much as we enjoy our caravan,  I don't like to be away any longer than 2 weeks, after 10 days I often want to be home! 

    So Malcolm its not all "bliss" and it's not for everyone. 😉