R.I.P. Barney

The Best Boy Ever

Barney was put to sleep today, he was 14 years old and had heart failure.

When DD Helen got divorced she kept the dogs, her ex husband is in the army and couldn't keep them.

Barney loved everybody, he accepted all the foster children that DD has cared for, he offered unconditional love to them all, accepted cuddles and rebuffs with equal equanimity.

He snuck into their beds and pinched any food left unattended.

When Helen had her own babies he loved them too, he tried to be gentle and they soon learned that his wagging tail was to be avoided.

He never snapped, growled or grumbled even when they climbed all over him.

He was fine at the weekend, seemed quiet and off his food on Tuesday and today seem quite unwell.

Helen took him to the vet and after a brief discussion it was decided that the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep, Helen stroked him and talked to him until it was over.

She has taken him home to bury him in the garden and will plant a tree on  his grave.

 Dogs aren't allowed on the sofa!

Barney was convinced he was a lap dog.

 His farts were silent but deadly

Barney looking pointedly at a biscuit one of the children is eating.

A full and frank exchange of views!

In the week and a bit that the tenant has been in my house I have spent in excess of £1200, mainly on repairs to the house.

Understandably when the tenant phoned to say the shower had stopped working after 4 days and that the toilet seat was broken I was not best pleased.

I knew that some of the things that were broken were probably past their sell by date but the toilet seat was the final straw.

It's less than 4 months old and wasn't broken when I cleaned the house.

I called  in my lovely and reliable plumber, got a quote from him then copied the relevant page of the lease and went to see her.

I explained that I wouldn't be replacing the shower immediately as it had been working fine and as it would cost £300 it would have to wait. There is another shower in the property and the broken one is over the bath.

I also told her she was responsible for replacing the toilet seat, this didn't go down well!

She then announced she wanted a different plumber, so I said that would be ok, but that she'd have to pay the bill.

I explained to her that according to the lease, she is liable to pay for any repairs.

Her reply 'Oh I didn't read the lease, it's too long'!

So I showed her the copy of the relevant page and told her that from now on every item damaged would be inspected by a professional to ascertain whether it was fair wear and tear or carelessness.

She will be billed for any damage caused by herself and her family.

Sewing with DGD

DGD was here on Saturday she likes to make things, so we made these.

We made 6 in total, 2 of each fabric, they are shirt cuffs, unpicked from the sleeves and sewn along the edges. It gave her some practice using the sewing machine. They aren't big enough to hold a mobile phone but then she is only nine and doesn't have a phone yet.

The rest of the shirts won't be wasted, they are being turned into tops for me.

Space is at a premium.

On the boat, everything we have has been pared down to the absolute minimum.

Particularly in the kitchen, it's taken me a while to adapt as I had such a huge kitchen before.

One of the problems has been the size of the fridge freezer, so Captain Hot Stuff decided to invest in a 12v cool box.

Imagine my surprise when this was what was delivered!

It's fecking huge!! To be fair to CHS, the one he ordered has been discontinued so the company sent the next size up!

We now have no shortage of cold drinks of cold anything else for that matter.

Get rich quick.

I'm not going to, that's for sure.

The tenant's deposit is in the Tenancy Deposit Scheme account the rent went into the joint account.

As she moved in half way through the month I only took £485 in rent.

So far I've spent

Professional clean,              £230

Replacement of broken tap, £120

New washing machine,        £303

Now one of the toilets is broken!

The plumber is going to fix in next week, more  money, ouch.

If it's going to carry on like this I will have to start charging her for the repairs!

 

It's beginning to feel a lot like

Christmas, I mean home, as more items find their place.

The DGC's favourite books, picture books for the youngest, Jennifer Jones Won't Leave Me Alone, We're Going on a Bear Hunt and My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes.
Longer stories for the older ones, Fantastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch, also on this shelf is a cuddly toy and a games compendium. 

A few favourite books including crochet, plant recognition and dressmaking.

CD's, Frank Zappa, Joe Jackson, Phil Collins and Dolly Parton.

Buying shares in Curver

I wish I had, (other makes are available).

I haven't bought all the baskets and boxes new, some I already had and some have been given to me or been bought 2nd hand.

 Stationary, tarot cards and yarn.

 Potions, lotions and toiletries.

 Towels, flannels and sundries

Kitchen rolls, newspapers and bin bags.

Space is at a premium and having stuff loose on the shelves looks untidy and it means moving stuff to reach other stuff.

I'm sure that china and wooden storage would maybe look more attractive but plastic won't break very easily and it wipes clean.