[hosebergine]

...Happy!

Mr Hosebergine and I have worked our fingers to the bone this weekend finishing off the DIY in preparation for letting the house. The house looks fantastic, too good to leave in fact! It really didn't need repainting but we felt it was better to do it ourselves than pay for someone to do it in a few years.

We also managed a family day out with our girls which reduced the guilt of them having to occupy themselves so much as the DIY continued.

So, next on the list is cleaning tools and shoes and tents and things. Please pass on any hot tips on effective scrubbing....:nice1

66 days to go :clap

[tea drinker]

Glad to hear that your house looks good...and that you had a good day out :nice1

[clairelouise]

Well done on all the DIY getting checked off that list! And thats a HUGE thing to cross off!

As for this:


So, next on the list is cleaning tools and shoes and tents and things. Please pass on any hot tips on effective scrubbing....:nice1


Wear gloves! All the time!! Jeyes fluid is EVIL!! :D

[bobo]

So, next on the list is cleaning tools and shoes and tents and things. Please pass on any hot tips on effective scrubbing....:nice1


Good idea to lightly oil tools with WD40 etc to protect then from the sea air.

[dusk]

pressure washers ;)

glad to hear you're feeling more chipper

[victoria24]

good to see you're cracking on.. thought you'd disappeared!

[M-Squared]

Fab news J&S! You are moving to Welly, aren't you? :)

[hosebergine]

Sorry chaps, we're trying Auckland first but if we can't find work we'll head down your way. We're definitely coming to see you all though, even if it is just for a long weekend. BUT, can we go on the cable car and the trolley buses when we come down :clap They are sooooo exciting :bluebanana

[victoria24]

top tip.. go to welly on SH1 not 2 as the road is less mountainess ( read sweaty palm windiness) and the coast is beautiful.

[hosebergine]

ooooo I'm glad there is an easier way - we did SH2 on our recce and I left my finger nails in the seat! It was hacking down with rain and there was low cloud so visibility was horrific, although you could see the sheer drop clearly enough. And those scary local drivers, ooooo blimey, I'm all sweaty....:exit

[dusk]

or get the train down (for the scenery) and fly back :D

[hosebergine]

Goodness have we been busy at chez Hosebergine! The house is immaculate, as is the garden - all ready for the Letting Agent to take pictures tomorrow. I've humped 3t of gravel, painted walls, glossed doors, scrubbed floors, made blinds etc etc. Plus looked after my girls and kept the wonderful Mr H in food and shirts, and done a bit of PR consultancy in my spare time! I have been wearing seriously speedy socks!!!!! Now I'd like to sleep please.

I find it most odd that you spend 7 years making a house into a home and then have to de-personalise it to shift it. Anyway, all done now although I do miss my big girls' paintings on the fridge and we went into mourning as we gave away our plants.....

The DIY phase is now complete :clap and now onto the cleaning phase which runs parallel to the goodbye phase :wah Off next week for a week with the inlaws, that's all of them, in one big rental cottage. Crikey. Wish me luck everyone! Only one person has said they wish we weren't going so far - my Dad who lives in Spain, so he doesn't count. We're not on the best of terms anyway after he ran off with the bar maid as his business went bust and the house was repossessed, leaving my mum penniless. Nuff said on that one!

As for cleaning, thanks for the tips about gloves, Jeyes and WD40. Is anything missing from my cleaning list: all shoes, all garden furniture, all outdoor toys, all power tools and DIY stuff, tent, all camping equipment, hoover, picnic rugs. What about the odd squashed fly on the bike lids? Does absolutely everything in the container need to be dust free? If so, when did you all do it to make sure it was all spotless? Don't fancy cleaning all night before Pickfords turn up.... I'd rather be eating curry.

Oh and we've turned our heating off to acclimatise - no idea if it will work!

Right, bed time!

[victoria24]

sounds like you are turning into an honoury V!

[JandM]

I feel tired just reading that...

[hosebergine]

sounds like you are turning into an honoury V!

Wow high praise indeed!!!!

[hosebergine]

just cried into my cereal as the To Let sign was put up outside the house. It was a cold slap across the face of "are we doing the right thing"

[M-Squared]

just cried into my cereal as the To Let sign was put up outside the house. It was a cold slap across the face of "are we doing the right thing"

Awwww chinup! She'll be right. :)

[JandM]

It's the symbols that can get to you, isn't it? Be brave. (((())))