I got caught out this month because it seems to have gone so quickly. Its the last day of the month and I am only just starting to write my end of month report. We seemed to have started this month renovating the first flat that I bought around 14 years ago and it was certainly ready for it. The last tenant has been in it for 12 years so it doesn’t owe me anything. I just worked out that he has paid me twice as much as I bought it for over these dozen years and I have only put his rent up by £15 a month this entire time. This flat on Giffard Park was the first kitchen that I ever fitted so it has lasted quite well. We didn’t change the bathroom earlier so that has lasted well too. The most amazing thing is that the carpet was even there when I bought the place.
We have had lots of work to do because the whole place was wall papered which we had been painting over until now. The bedroom took me three solid days to get off because it was wood chip but the hallway required lots of filling once the paper was off so that took ages too. There were huge cracks in the walls around the windows so I got a structural engineer to inspect them. Oops, just remembered that I haven't sent his cheque yet.
He recommended that I chipped the plaster off around it and tacked metal mesh along its length and then plastered over which I did. We also took the kitchen dividing wall down so as to make it open plan and we could move the sink next to the window. All this created a huge mess which kept Claire busy clearing it away and taking to the tip. The lino in the old kitchen area took me more than two days to remove. It would have been longer but I gradually homed in on the most efficient way which was using a lump hammer and bolster. It would have been much easier to take up ceramic tiles.
Claire had plenty of trips to the tip, especially because the tenant had left a loft full of old computers, an overgrown garden and a scrap car in the garden. It wasn’t so easy to get someone to take away because we don’t own the car but Claire sorted it out with some bloke selling pegs and laying tarmac.
While we were making such a mess anyway, we decided to go the whole way and cover up the artex with a skim over the ceilings. Claire managed to track down the little Irish fella that we used in out Cranfield flat. His name is Tommy and he is cheap and a really nice chap. He brought his son along so that he didn't have to do all the difficult jobs himself. The pair of them moved our radio into the room that they were working on singing all their favorite songs as they worked.
We have managed to have every Sunday off work. John and Marie came to stay in the other caravan one weekend which coincided with our campsites annual proms in the park. The only other one of these that I went to was one in Bedford where Status Quo topped the bill. Ours wasn’t quite up to these standards, they turned out to bee a brass band. We had Sue and her friends Ann and Jim meet us for dinner at the Mandarin which is one of those chinese buffets. It is consistently been the best one that I have been to with great choice. Once we had finished our meal, Sue returned home as she wasn’t feeling so good but we managed to talk Ann and Jim into coming to watch the start. Claire had bought a £20 gazebo which John and myself put up earlier to reserve our places. They ended up staying until after midnight we had a great night. I hadn’t realized that you could have such a good time whilst listening to a brass band. Mind you, they have come on a little since the Salvation Army ones that I used to watch as a kid. They played several Queen songs which got Claire off her seat.
Claire found an old friend “Bob” in the next tent and luckily just in time to save him from falling over. Or is that one of Claire’s special dance moves?
At the end of the night they put on a firework display which was really good. Photo’s of fireworks never come out so good; you have to be real quick to catch them.
Back to our caravan for warming drinks before bed time.
Plaster all dried, Claire could get back onto her favorite job. Poor Claire, she was looking at me sideways for two days after painting all the ceilings with three coats of cheap white.
Never mind, she could twist her neck the other way while painting the walls.
Another weekend, another party, this time it was Jan and Steve over for dinner with Sue.
Steve and I managed to sneak down to the clubhouse for an hour.
They always have a band on at the clubhouse on a Friday and Saturday night. Trouble is, they play 60’s, 70’s and 80’s songs so they are getting on a bit. This week they had Status Quo’s parents.
All these Sundays off means that we haven't finished the flat yet but not far off now. I cant fix the kitchen worktops down until we have the custom stainless steel splash back made on the cooker wall because I want to tuck it behind the worktop and wall units.
Financial Awareness - Clash of the Taylors
Not so much to report on Daphne’s financial arrangements other than I am bleeding money. I now have another solicitor in Milton Keynes. I needed someone to sort probate for me since Jim decided to cause a scene at my last one in Lowestoft. I have a lady from Franklins who is a senior partner. She used to barrister and is very sharp. Her name is Helen Taylor. Jim is using a different solicitor in Lowestoft to complete his probate. I know, two lots of probate is not good. Strangely, his solicitor is also called Helen Taylor and my solicitor has already talked to her. Good job they have different accents or they wouldn't know who was talking. More about finances in next months roundup.
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