The world according to Sarah

[Stottie Girl]

Hahah what a wonderful compliment 💕 Well wifey and I certainly love Britain and the British, many friends there. Brexit broke my heart. And hell yeah we LOVE British breakfast, an elderly lady served us the best we had in a cozy B&B somewhere in the middle of GB eons ago. Truth be told I probably picked up linguistic bits from all over the place. A drunken welshman once thought I was from London by my accent, lol. By the way you're pretty nuts yourself Sarah. 🤗

Ah! that explains it! We've polluted your brains while you were on holiday!🤣🤣

Yeah Brexit was a shame. I loved the free travel and all the closeness of the EU. None of the promises have been delivered on and all of the things we were told would be fixed by leaving have not been fixed because none of those in power really wanted Brexit to succeed and a lot of the problems were nothing to do with the EU anyway. We are in a worse state now than we were before. to my mind we should ask to rejoin but the EU will probably try to bankrupt us to do it.

We do have an island mentality though and maybe we still have a hangover from our days of empire. We have not been invaded for 1000 years. We have a very independant spirit as a nation. Stubborn probably.

I'm not sure what impression that left on the rest of the EU but for the vast majority of the UK we love europeans, we love travelling around europe. There is no hate there.

Oooh sorry, got all serious there for a moment VAL ha ha! Nuts? I prefer the term delightfully eccentric!😉

There are loads of German tourists passing through where I live as they come off the ferry from Amsterdam ( the terminal is only a few miles from me) so EU tourism is still alive and kicking at least. I quite fancy booking the car in and doing a mini tour of Holland, Denmark and Northern Germany some day.

[Captain.Val]

Oooh sorry, got all serious there for a moment VAL ha ha! Nuts? I prefer the term delightfully eccentric!😉

You must surely know, my dear lady, that it was intended as the highest form of praise - not earnestness. Then again sometimes the multiple layers of British irony sail right past me still, even after all those years, so I'm not sure if you're pulling my leg. 🤪

[ChrissyRyan]

Are there big box department stores such as WalMart Super Centers there in your country?

[Stottie Girl]

You must surely know, my dear lady, that it was intended as the highest form of praise - not earnestness. Then again sometimes the multiple layers of British irony sail right past me still, even after all those years, so I'm not sure if you're pulling my leg. 🤪

Yes, pulling your leg, I'm perfectly happy with nuts! Val ha ha!

[Stottie Girl]

Are there big box department stores such as WalMart Super Centers there in your country?

Well sort of yes chrissy. Our main supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsburys. Asda, Morrisons all sell clothes, electrical goods, and all that along with groceries. I don't think they are quite on the same scale as the US. I think Asda is owned by Walmart actualy. We do have things like Costco though I've never been in one.

We have large flagship department stores in the cities Like Harrods in London or Fenwicks up where I am in Newcastle where everything is upmarket. John Lewis stores are a small step down from this but can be found all over.

We have M&S that sort of sits in the middle of both selling clothes, furniture, homeware and upper market groceries.

Our garden centres oddly have become department stores nowadays too. Whilst you don't get large home electricals like tvs you can get clothes, farm fresh food usually including a butcher and baker, books, toys and games, all sorts really. There are normally at least one, sometimes several cafe's dotted about, you could spend a whole day in one if you were that way inclined.

We have a lot of choice really.

[Stottie Girl]

Waiting to hear back from my buyer but it looks like I'll be moving on Tuesday next week. Can't wait, this has been dragging on for 14 or 15 weeks.

Loads to do of course spent all day shifting boxes over to my Parents place. Moved my old 80's 7" vinyl records and 90's/00's house music records over too, god they weigh a ton! must be hundreds of 12"s there. I haven't had a record deck for ages but I fancy getting a wi-fi enabled one to link in with my Sonos speakers. I wonder how many of them I can remember! Don't know why I kept them but I can't bear to just chuck them out.

On a sadder note, as this means moving in with with my folks for a short while I will have to stay in male mode until I can get moved in. Gives me an incentive to get moving on the renovation though! If I can't stand it any longer I'll just camp on the floor until I'm sorted! I haven't lived under my parents roof since I was 20! There could be trouble ahead!

[Captain.Val]

Oh dear... Good luck there. And vinyl is quite addictive as you surely know.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Congratulations on getting your move sorted so soon. That must be a relief! The time at your parents will go so quick considering you'll be so busy renovating.

I sold all my vinyl years ago after about my 4th house move and the pain of moving and storing it each time. All digitised though!

[davina61]

I had to stay with my mum for a bit till I found my flat, I was glad to move!! I made a unit to house my old disco records when the ex wanted them out the attic, I have a few 12ins singles.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Good news on the house! I hate moving, but I love a fresh start.

I hope your stay with your parents goes well. Remember, it is only a long visit.

I could have stayed with my parents during my last move and the one before that.
No. Way. Period. Not even for a weekend. I would rather claw my eyes out.

Will you take before/after pics of your renovations? I enjoy those. Sometimes they give me ideas about things that I could do as well.

Let us know how it goes.

[ChrissyRyan]

Waiting to hear back from my buyer but it looks like I'll be moving on Tuesday next week. Can't wait, this has been dragging on for 14 or 15 weeks.

Loads to do of course spent all day shifting boxes over to my Parents place. Moved my old 80's 7" vinyl records and 90's/00's house music records over too, god they weigh a ton! must be hundreds of 12"s there. I haven't had a record deck for ages but I fancy getting a wi-fi enabled one to link in with my Sonos speakers. I wonder how many of them I can remember! Don't know why I kept them but I can't bear to just chuck them out.

On a sadder note, as this means moving in with with my folks for a short while I will have to stay in male mode until I can get moved in. Gives me an incentive to get moving on the renovation though! If I can't stand it any longer I'll just camp on the floor until I'm sorted! I haven't lived under my parents roof since I was 20! There could be trouble ahead!

Wow!  That is very good news about the upcoming move schedule possibility.

Chrissy

[ChrissyRyan]

Well sort of yes chrissy. Our main supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsburys. Asda, Morrisons all sell clothes, electrical goods, and all that along with groceries. I don't think they are quite on the same scale as the US. I think Asda is owned by Walmart actualy. We do have things like Costco though I've never been in one.

We have large flagship department stores in the cities Like Harrods in London or Fenwicks up where I am in Newcastle where everything is upmarket. John Lewis stores are a small step down from this but can be found all over.

We have M&S that sort of sits in the middle of both selling clothes, furniture, homeware and upper market groceries.

Our garden centres oddly have become department stores nowadays too. Whilst you don't get large home electricals like tvs you can get clothes, farm fresh food usually including a butcher and baker, books, toys and games, all sorts really. There are normally at least one, sometimes several cafe's dotted about, you could spend a whole day in one if you were that way inclined.

We have a lot of choice really.

What I thought it was odd that in some European counties a "drug store" was more like a sundry or a small general merchandise store.  To get medicines one had to go to an APOTHECARY.  Even for most over the counter meds.

Do they call pharmacists "chemists" in your country?


Chrissy

[Stottie Girl]

Good news on the house! I hate moving, but I love a fresh start.

I hope your stay with your parents goes well. Remember, it is only a long visit.

I could have stayed with my parents during my last move and the one before that.
No. Way. Period. Not even for a weekend. I would rather claw my eyes out.

Will you take before/after pics of your renovations? I enjoy those. Sometimes they give me ideas about things that I could do as well.

Let us know how it goes.

Could do if you like Lori. I think you Americans will find the house pokey by your standards but OK. I don't have a bottomlesss pit of money so I'm going to have to be choosey where I spend it. The more money I can save the more I have available for the transition journey.

[Stottie Girl]

What I thought it was odd that in some European counties a "drug store" was more like a sundry or a small general merchandise store.  To get medicines one had to go to an APOTHECARY.  Even for most over the counter meds.

Do they call pharmacists "chemists" in your country?


Chrissy

We do call them chemists but also pharmacies too. The terms are interchangeable though technically a pharmacy is the part of the shop dispensing the prescription whereas the chemists shop is the whole shop. Either is fine though.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Could do if you like Lori. I think you Americans will find the house pokey by your standards but OK. I don't have a bottomlesss pit of money so I'm going to have to be choosey where I spend it. The more money I can save the more I have available for the transition journey.

I have no expectations. My best friend would rescue wooden furniture, sand it down, and refinish it. She gave me an old piano bench that I used for potted plants. Now, it is holding my printer.

It's when we don't have money to spare that we become creative. Take the before photos before you move in and just save them. Later, if you redo a wall in the kitchen, or a bookcase in another room, just little projects like that. Even if it is just decorating, it gives us ideas. No pressure. If you get to it in five years, that's fine. If not, that's ok too.

I live in a trailer. You think I can be judgmental? Anything with a solid floor is better than what I have!
🤣

[Stottie Girl]

I have no expectations. My best friend would rescue wooden furniture, sand it down, and refinish it. She gave me an old piano bench that I used for potted plants. Now, it is holding my printer.

It's when we don't have money to spare that we become creative. Take the before photos before you move in and just save them. Later, if you redo a wall in the kitchen, or a bookcase in another room, just little projects like that. Even if it is just decorating, it gives us ideas. No pressure. If you get to it in five years, that's fine. If not, that's ok too.

I live in a trailer. You think I can be judgmental? Anything with a solid floor is better than what I have!
🤣

Ha ha! Fair point Lori, okay I will do it. I mean anything I do will be an improvement from what it is now.

It hasn't been altered since the late 1960's.The kitchen is horrific! Kitchen and bathroom are tiny really but the lounge and dining room are both pretty large and they have interconnecting sliding glass doors so it can be one long room if you prefer. off the back of the dining room is the sunroom so you can stand at the front of the house and see right through three rooms to the garden at the back. It makes it feel much bigger than it is.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Ha ha! Fair point Lori, okay I will do it. I mean anything I do will be an improvement from what it is now.

It hasn't been altered since the late 1960's.The kitchen is horrific! Kitchen and bathroom are tiny really but the lounge and dining room are both pretty large and they have interconnecting sliding glass doors so it can be one long room if you prefer. off the back of the dining room is the sunroom so you can stand at the front of the house and see right through three rooms to the garden at the back. It makes it feel much bigger than it is.

That sounds awesome and such a fun project.

I did an old foreclosure on a property I bought in Illinois. It was a lot of fun, and the results were fantastic. The key is to go slow, one thing at a time, as money allows. You own the home; you don't want it to own you.

Have fun with it and make it your space!

[Stottie Girl]

That sounds awesome and such a fun project.

I did an old foreclosure on a property I bought in Illinois. It was a lot of fun, and the results were fantastic. The key is to go slow, one thing at a time, as money allows. You own the home; you don't want it to own you.

Have fun with it and make it your space!

Oh I'll be fine, I'm not new to this. I did my current house after all. I have fitted many bathrooms when I had my own business and I have fitted 4 kitchens already so that shouldn't be too hard to do. I'm totally capable to do minor electrical alterations and can do all my own soldered pipework. I can lay laminanate flooring and I can make stuff out of wood if I need to. It's true what they say that no experience is ever wasted! I would be able to replace the heating system but I no longer have the licence to sign it off. I have installed many fireplaces too but I want an inglenook this time and I have never done the conversion work before so I think I will pass the buck to a pro on that one. I'm hoping to get a grand feature fireplace sorted as a main feature to the house if I have the money.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I am not an electrician, but I was a member of the electrical union as a telecommunications technician. I worked with many electricians, some of whom were electrical inspectors for the city.

So, I did the work and had a fellow electrician come out and look it over. Then he called his buddy the inspector. The inspector looked at us and asked who did the work. I said I own the property. He assumed the electrician did the work and signed off on it.

If you have some friends from the heating industry...
* hint, hint *

The fireplace idea sounds spectacular!

[JasmineHeart]

I just have to reach out to anyone who quotes Billy Connelly... Hi Sarah, terrific quote 😁, I can actually see him wearing that tea cozy 😂. This is my very first post here, so I hope I'm doing it correctly. I've made several trips to England before, staying with my family in a village north of London called Bassingbourne, and I have to say you have an amazing home. Do you find that people accept you there? JasmineHeart