WTF-Beta

This is probably not much help but...
You need a holiday, couple of weeks away, like on a cruise.

So do I. Five hours on my knees laying carpet today, the fun only interrupted by an 80 year old friend wanting advice about getting a deposit back on a £35k Lexus because his insurance quoted £6000.

We all got problems. Whether freezing in Ukraine or living in a tent in Gaza, poverty destroys the spirit.

For me, the antidote to the doom with which we are now bombarded (mostly people doing and saying stupid & nasty things) is these words:
Everyday the soul is again as good as new, and again we offer it to our brothers and sisters in life.

And, I'm looking forward to you writing in a few months how you're moving into a new home.

Interesting, thanks

This last flat looks quite nice on paper. Is it under a busy flight take off?

You seem to be at the point to take a deep breath, a notepad and pen in hand, and go start viewing places if possible.

If I may say...
It's exciting, tiring, disappointing, frustrating, exhilarating, expensive and incredibly time consuming, in fact its almost full time job.
You could make an excel spreadsheet of potential places with essential and desirable features if you're super-organised. Rate the online area, style, rooms, grounds, price etc.

However in my limited experience, visiting a place for sale is usually far different from the sunny, tidy, photos presented online. You suddenly know the reality.

The UK estate agents say all sorts of crapola, basically exaggerate and often blatently lie.
You decide to make the effort to view and go on an investigative trip: just getting there may be a deal breaker, why is the place now on the market, what's wrong with the house, the grounds, the immediate neighbours, the neighbourhood at night...?

We travelled and viewed about a dozen houses around the UK before buying (3 visits to the one we bought), and ten flats in the local area of London before buying one for the kids.
It's a helluva lot of money so you'd expect to put some effort in to get what you want.

As I say, take a deep breath...

Meanwhile I'm off out to buy a lottery ticket for my dream place:
https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gblhchlac240061

I was taught to strike a match and hold the small flame to the end of a frayed shoelace for a second or so. Melts the plastic threads together.

Wow. I need to rewatch the second half, fascinating.

The first half reminded me of my daughters using a couple of early photography books for their art, one dedicated to various human motions with multiple photos of for example us jumping, another book of animals in motion eg horses galloping

I'll try, my way on my Samsung mobile:

1 Take photo on phone
2 Edit it nicely on phone and importantly also resize to 80 or 60 percent using the three dot menu options lower right.
3 Here in the forum on the quick reply option, click the two diagonal arrow next to quick reply that gives you the full reply screen with all options at the top of your reply screen.
4 Scroll right on those options and choose the vertical portrait photo option 4th from end.
5 Then at the bottom of your page click on choose file.
6 Find and choose the photo you just edited, which will likely be first up on your screen.
7 Double click on the photofile and it ought to upload, taking you automatically back to your full reply screen to continue writing your message.

If it is red text uploading the photo is containing too much data you need to resize it.

The whole process is easy once learnt. 10 secs to take & edit photo, 5 to upload.

Let me know...

So I was in the Range, do you have that shop in the States? Getting a few bits&pieces, checking their post christmas sale and came across...

(pen is for scale)

Cute, £8 down to an irresistible £2 so got a couple.
Get home, MrsA likes them and wants to go buy more (I think for Chinese New Year presents 🤪)

@wtg said in US Treasuries

So what will his response be? A 200% tariff on Danish blue cheese?

Cheese, bacon and pastries

80%acrylic, produced in Chine

The UK 'specials' link didn't actually show all the wool on offer, or this dispenser which she got

That Aran was only 99p a ball, cheaper than charity shops.

That's going to take some clearing. Seems to be a bad news day.
The trains crashing in southern Spain is awful. Then there's the Pakistan mall fire.

Take a look at this 'proper snow'
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17ybazEAsd/

We use Aldi occasionally. They had a special wool/knitting week starting last Thursday and MrsA bought about £50 of the stuff.

However, Lidl is preferred for price, though I get milk and eggs and whatever is cheaper from Farmfoods (my first port of call which happens to be adjacent to Lidl).

Second choice is Lidl, then thirdly but regularly once a week an ASDA superstore but only because they have an excellent reduced section.

Don't these concert halls move the piano into place, then have a tuner ensure it's OK?

I suppose they move frequently..

Daniel, I also love the old mantle clock, its simplistic face, grubby mahogany case and full Westminster chimes.
Pretty standard Keinzle clock for the time, 1950 ish, a wedding present to my M&F-in-law from friends. Special as it has Chinese characters in red paint on each side of the face with weddinng wishes and names.
Those chimes echoed around their marble floored huge house in Penang and irritated everyone but me & Dad, so I asked and we inherited it

Jodi, Daniel,
I think it probable we change only the 1980 fire.
The oak Adam replica mantle surround would cost a cazy £5000 these days. The marble matches and the Victorian tiles(which visitors invariably like) overlap with Regency period so they're OK.

I found the following photos, but need to keep in mind we have no chimney, only a flue. Spot my tiles!

BTW I love the floor plans

What do you think of this total contrast:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164257463#/?channel=RES_BUY

The Detectorists is a series I've watched a couple of times. Very English comfort viewing

Once you have your inheritance in the bank you will be in a strong position to negotiate prices down