Morning Skylark.
The rain/sleet/snow has stopped and the wind has died down ATM, so not too bad.

Good afternoon everyone

That's a relief Yogi
At present, it's nice and sunny in Gloucester, a bit windy. But I know it's the lull before the storm.

Wind and rain have returned. I'm worried about my greenhouse.

Yogi, I hope nothing happens to your greenhouse, but don't start trying to get things out of the greenhouse whilst it's stormy. In all probability, the greenhouse will be fine, but if it were to be blown down, you would not want to be in it at the time

I second that Yogi.  Your healthy and safety and far more important than any greenhouse (however nice the greenhouse is). 

Don't worry El and Joyron, I won't be going near the greenhouse until the wind subsides.
I have noticed that some coping tiles have been blown off my neighbour's roof (across the road), and another tile looks like it's ready to fall.

Please look after youself and your family Yogi.  Nothing else matters. 

Good morning everyone

Yogi, I hope the storm hasn't been too damaging

My brother rang me yesterday evening to say that we have to get an Energy Performance Certificate done for the sale of our parents' house. Although those home information packs have been suspended, the certificate still remains a legal requirement. I guess that normally the estate agents would arrange this, but as this is a private sale there are no estate agents involved. I have found a list of assessors, so will have to arrange for this to be done over the next week or so. I hope it doesn't take too long. I think the cost will be around £100 as the house is a detached house. It is a waste of time and money as we know that the result will be either an F or a G, and the purchasers know this and will be doing major work on the house in any case.

Good morning everyone.
Weather is still wet and windy, but not as bad as yesterday. I hope it is better where you are.
My greenhouse has suffered a little bit of damage - it can be repaired though.
Off out to do the weekly grocery shopping this morning, catch up later.

Red tape is so often pointless, it drives me mad EL.

Good morning everyone, its been very windy here so it seems to be countrywide, I am glad the damage to your greenhouse was minor Yogi but its worrying hearing the wind and wondering isn't it?  I agree about the red tape, and so much of it comes from Europe nowadays.

Good morning everyone.    Glad to hear you have all survived the night and that no major damage occurred to your greenhouse Yogi.  The wind here was very loud last night and we were only on the very edge of the problem.  What it must have been like where you were Yogi doesn't bear thinking about!!

Hope all goes well with arranging the energy certificate El Loro. 

Off to the shops.  Be back later. 

That's a relief Yogi

I have rung someone local to do this energy performance certificate. She was out on site so will ring me back later to arrange details.

I've been doing my Saturday shopping today as my brother comes down today for a weekend visit, and the weather tomorrow could be a lot wetter than it is at present. I went to pay my mortgage at the Halifax and as from this week they have changed their procedures both for paying in and drawing out. You now have to complete a paying in slip or a payment request slip just as in a bank. The big change is that you now have to use the bank Sort code and account number which is completely different from the roll number. They will look it up for you if you don't know it, which for mortages you won't as it's never been shown on the mortgage statements in the past.

That's nice El. Will he help you to look through the books in your parents house, or do you prefer to do it by yourself?

Squiggle and Joyron.

Good afternoon everyone.    It's been a nasty day here weatherwise.  The weekend looks pretty awful too.  Think I'm going into hibernation mode until spring arrives.

Have a busy weekend coming up but will drop in when I can.  Hope you all have a great weekend whatever you get up to.  Sounds as though you could be busy book sorting El Loro. 

Squiggle and Yogi 

They just said on the news that winds in Scotland will reach 122mph its still windy here, I don't blame you Joyron, I often think I would like to hibernate, just need a warm cosy cave Hope you and your brother have a good weekend EL whether it involves book sorting or not

Yogi and Joyron

Hi all  Weather here is awful, rain and high winds, couldnt get the dog out she wasnt having it!  Hope you have a nice weekend with your brother El  

Hi Skylark.

Hi Yogi , how are you ?

I'm fine thanks Skylark. It's still very wet and windy but I think it's the same everywhere.
Are you off for the weekend, or are you working?

Working Sunday , Yogi , 7 till 3pm , off tomorrow, thank goodness! A long lie in ! I wake very early, i am a bad sleeper, but its nice to know you dont have to go to work . Had a flying visit from my daughter and the wee one, my living room looks like a bomb has landed!

I can't have a long lie either, I just wake at the usual time.
My living room still looks like a tip, and I can't blame any wee ones. Hopefully the loft will be finished on Monday and I can get all the boxes back up there. Although, it won't be tidy for long because hubby is planning on gutting the kitchen next.

Oh dear, has he got the DIY bug ?

Haha, no he isn't doing any of it himself, he's paying other people to do it.
He's on a roll now, who knows where it will end.

 Good luck

Thanks Skylark, I think I'm going to need it.

As long as you keep the heed ! x

I promise I'll try - but it's no easy, ye ken.
Off for a quick bath, be back later.

Hi everyone

As you can guess I've been busy today. The energy performance certificate inspection is arranged for first thing on Tuesday morning, and the report and certificate will be emailed to me in the afternoon - total cost £50 which is a lot better than it might have been. Probably because normally it would be done through an estate agent, but none is involved.

This afternoon I have been out to see that new client and then back to see my brother. He was a bit late as he had to go to the solcitors to deal with the proof of identity checks they insist on for the house sale even though we had previously done this when they were dealing with my mother's probate.

I'm not going through the books with him as I suspect we would just get in each others way, and I am looking for books which I want to keep for myself as well as looking out for antiquarian books.

Weather here has been very cloudy, though for about 5 seconds I did see a tiny patch of blue. It's been dry but very windy, though not on the scale as up north. Copied from the BBC news site:

The Met Office said its wind speed calculator in the Cairngorms recorded 115mph, before the system was put out of action because of the strength of the wind.

Wind speeds of 140mph have been recorded by the CairnGorm Mountain ski resort at the top station tunnel for the Cairngorms funicular railway.

That is not the record though which is something like 173mph.

 

Hi El, Red Tape eh??  Glad you are getting things sorted tho x
Good idea re the books
Very high winds!   Its a bit calmer here now, but the north is being hit, very badly.

Good morning everyone

It's grey, a bit drizzly, and very windy and it will stay like this until well into Monday. It's mild though.

Today, I have to go through various forms required for the sale of my parents' house, more red tape. Hopefully that will be an end to it.

I hope you all have a great weekend and don't get carried away by the wind

I see on the Social Strata help forum in the update out in the next week that when you create a reply, if you navigate away from it elsewhere without posting you will get a warning message appearing. I wonder what else there will be.

Good morning everyone, it occurred to me do you think we are a month ahead with the weather?  December was more like January now we have March winds in February, Spring could be early   Good luck with the red tape EL, the high winds Joyron and Yogi and the tooth Skylark

Good morning everyone.    Just a very quick visit.  It's very windy here today.  Not nice.

Squiggle, I'm pleased to be able to report that I now have DVDs of Roman Holiday and Pillow Talk in my possession.  No.1 son brought them round last night.  Won't have time to watch them over the weekend but will do so the first opportunity I get next week.  Looking forward to that. 

Good morning everyone.
Wind has died down and the rain is off for the moment.
Squiggle, I hope you are right about an early spring, I think we are all ready for it.
Enjoy your films, Joyron. I watched To Sir With Love yesterday, with the gorgeous Sidney Poitier.
El Loro, good luck with the red Tape, have a
Skylark, hope you get your toothache sorted at the Dental Hospital.
Off out to look at kitchen tiles with hubby and middle son.

Good afternoon everyone

We've gone through those forms. My brother had completed them in draft so it was a case of checking them and making a few corrections. One thing I would mention is that for the past few years, whenever you get electric works done on the house, a certificate from the electrician or inspector will be provided. Keep those certificates as they will be needed as part of the paperwork should the house ever be sold. I think the rules came in 2005.

Skylark, I hope all went well at the dental hospital.

Good tip El Loro, thank you.

Good morning everyone

Joyron, I hope you enjoy the films when you get around to it

squiggle, you may be right about spring, the buds are appearing on my laburnum tree. Though we don't want to find that it gets cold again.

Good morning everyone, another straw in the wind for my theory about an early Spring.  I saw two ducks flying down the valley today.  Every spring the ducks are quite amusing to watch, there is usually a female duck pursued eagerly by lots of male ducks.  When the contest is won she then drags her chosen mate around to inspect all the ponds (they have been in mine which is tiny ) before she chooses.  I am pretty sure that I have never seen the ducks flying this early .

So so sad about Amanda Holden's baby, 7 months for goodness sake, you would think she was home and dry nowadays.

  Is that the duck version of house hunting?



It's really tragic, Squiggle. She only recently announced that she was pregnant because she'd already suffered a miscarriage.

Morning all  Never made my work this morning, i got someone to to cover for me so thats good. Toothache, getting better, have an absess, and antibiotics kicking in. I will have to get an appointment at dentist ASAP, as my crown is cracked. I hate the dentist! Thanks for your good wishes x  There is always something wrong with me just now  
So sad to hear Amanda lost her baby at 7 months