TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Yippee!! am I glad to be back? I missed you all....... As a catch up and introduction - we have been looking to build for several years but are finding it very hard to get a plot near here within our price range. We have been waiting for Graven Hill since early 2013 but after more than half a dozen deadlines came and went, with never an explanation or apology, I wouldn't touch the plots with a barge pole now. But I don't want to get too disillusioned so while we wait to find the 'ideal' plot, we were offered the chance to buy a nearby small rundown Victorian end terrace for a very reasonable price. It looks just right as there isn't much structural stuff to be done so we hope to be able to do most of it ourselves. The OH retires in November so I have to have something to keep him busy. We completed on the 3rd but the vendors have had issues with their intended house so are still in residence. they hope to be out by this weekend or sometime soon. I can't wait to actually see it without all their stuff in it (they have loads including a 30yr old parrot who has pride of place in front of the lounge window) so we can really get an idea of what needs doing. I will attach the building survey for those interested, and a photo if I can work out how to do it. Building Survey Report Blank.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alphonsox Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Hi Welcome back - We were wondering where you were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Welcome, we were indeed wondering where you'd got to! Glad to see you have a project to get stuck in to, should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Welcome here. I used to teach in Bicester way back last century! God, I'm old..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 31 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: Welcome here. I used to teach in Bicester way back last century! God, I'm old..... We're all old! and no doubt after the renovation and eventual self build, I'll be grey too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Can anyone get my profile photo working? Not sure how to get it attached ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Click on your user name top right and select "profile" The profile picture is at the left of the header bar. Just to the bottom left of the picture is a box to click on to give you the options to upload a picture from a file on your computer or from a URL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Instructions in my PM.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 27 minutes ago, TheMitchells said: [...] after the renovation and eventual self build, I'll be grey too. I'm not grey, I'm silver, silver, OK? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeJunFan Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) 3 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: I'm not grey, I'm silver, silver, OK? I'm currently painters radio but i'm sure in a few months it will be Moonlight shite! I don't know what to blame, the kids or the build Edited June 8, 2016 by DeeJunFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) of course you are - I can see it in your profile pic. shame on me for not noticing. right - time to get started on my blog. Edited June 8, 2016 by TheMitchells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) 3 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said: I'm not grey, I'm silver, silver, OK? You've done it now, @TheMitchells He dyes it grey so you aren't intimidated by his still looking about 23. The sunglasses are to protect the him from the dazzling visage in the mirror. (For the record, I am not foolish enough to put my photo in my avatar. The current pic is what Google means by "bedroom eyes" - apparently. Ferdinand Edited June 8, 2016 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 On 08/06/2016 at 15:45, Ferdinand said: You've done it now, @TheMitchells He dyes it grey so you aren't intimidated by his still looking about 23. The sunglasses are to protect the him from the dazzling visage in the mirror. (For the record, I am not foolish enough to put my photo in my avatar. The current pick is what Google means by "bedroom eyes". Ferdinand I do wonder why people choose the avatars that they do - some I find quite scary! Particularly the Gollum one - is that on here?? I am sure they are really nice people but ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Personally I'm just going for an "eyes" meme. I think RAs is quite cool relly - it has that looking over the shoulder surveying the Villa he has just bought on a headland in St Kitts feeling. Or possibly Apres-Ski. Gollum is presumably a protected species for whom you have to build an underground lake, stocked with fish and orcses. F Edited June 8, 2016 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeJunFan Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Dont google eye meme. Some are disturbing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 29 minutes ago, Ferdinand said: I think RAs is quite cool relly - it has that looking over the shoulder surveying the Villa he has just bought on a headland in St Kitts feeling. Or possibly Apres-Ski. F Na, he's definitely pinched that from vogue, or top gun ( with my money on the latter ). Anyhoo, setting the silver blonde Adonis aside, WELCOME BACK The Mitchell's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 ta much - I cant believe how much I missed the banter when the site was closed down. I had to use snail mail to Jeremy to find out where you'd all gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It worked though !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger440 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Welcome back. Good to see you have found something to buy. Maybe not what you were looking for, but hopefully will get you a step nearer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 14 hours ago, Ferdinand said: The sunglasses are to protect the him from the dazzling visage in the mirror. That image was taken in Calvi, Corsica. Where we went on honeymoon. It's taken just outside the gates of the 2nd Battalion French Foreign Legion - where I threatened to walk through the gates unless SWMBO bought me an ice cream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeJunFan Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 5 hours ago, recoveringacademic said: That image was taken in Calvi, Corsica. Where we went on honeymoon. It's taken just outside the gates of the 2nd Battalion French Foreign Legion - where I threatened to walk through the gates unless SWMBO bought me an ice cream. So how long did you do in the legion then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I threatened.... however, in a previous life I did an exercise somewhere in France I neither remember nor care where, Massiv Central somewhere - and got myself 'captured' (we were acting as enemy) by the Legion. Bastards hung me from a tree branch by tying my thumbs together. An hour or so of that, and I was squealing like a weaner. So embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 1 hour ago, recoveringacademic said: I threatened.... however, in a previous life I did an exercise somewhere in France I neither remember nor care where, Massiv Central somewhere - and got myself 'captured' (we were acting as enemy) by the Legion. Bastards hung me from a tree branch by tying my thumbs together. An hour or so of that, and I was squealing like a weaner. So embarrassing. Around 35 years ago, some bright spark decided that anyone involved in defence research at the sharp end should have a month attached to a front line unit, complete with a temporary commission into your equivalent service rank. This was not popular with front line units, who really didn't want to have to baby sit someone useless (from their perspective). I was attached to 826 Naval Air Squadron, RNAS Culdrose, as a newbie Sub Lieutenant, supposedly straight from Dartmouth. On my first day, I pitched up to the morning brief and there was an announcement that four junior officers were booked for Aircrew Escape, Survival, and Evasion training starting that day, and transport was awaiting to take us to Lympstone Barracks, where instructors from 42 Commando were to give us three days training followed by a two day escape and evasion exercise, where we were dropped in pairs, with nothing but an aircrew coverall, basic kit that would be in the pockets of your survival life jacket, plus a live rabbit, with orders not to kill it in the first 24 hours. We were blindfolded, dropped somewhere on Dartmoor, and told we had a four hour start on the "enemy" (members of 42 Commando) who were trying to catch us before we reached a declared safe objective. If we got caught before the 48 hours were up we were taken back to Lympstone. It was pouring with rain, our bivvy leaked, the bloody rabbits crapped everywhere, we were both soaked to the skin and actually relieved when we were captured at around 4 am, some 15 hours after being dropped off. The relief did not last long. We were chucked face down in the back of a 4 tonner, wrists and ankles cable tied. When we got to the barracks, we were put in individual white-tiled cells, with bright lights and very loud music, on constantly. We were made to strip and stand on the tips of our toes, with our fingertips on the wall, and hosed down with cold water. We were constantly questioned, and for the first few hours managed to just stick to name, rank and number. After around 10 to 12 hours or so of this, the four of us that had been captured were marched into a room, still naked, and ordered to attention. A WRAC officer walked in, swagger stick under her arm, peak of her cap pulled down over her eyes. She walked along in front of us, quietly giving us abuse. She got to me and poked my "meat and two veg" with the end of her stick, saying "call yourself a man with equipment like that?". At this point I lost it, yelling that I was a civvy, that I wasn't in the bloody RN and they could let me go right now. One of the blokes handed the WRAC officer a bit of paper. She shoved it under my nose, pointing out that I'd signed up, and that I was under military law, as Sub Lieutenant J S Harris RN, whether I liked it or not....................... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8ball Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Hi TheMitchells it sounds as though you got into the same situation as us with trying to find land within budget and then thinking Graven Hill was the answer, we also got let down by that promise of a building plot that never materialised. We made phone calls and sent emails for a few years and eventually gave up as they just did not seem to care We ended up buying a fixer upper just North of Bicester in Kings Sutton and now feel a lot happier with a home at last. Anyway good luck with your victorian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMitchells Posted December 28, 2017 Author Share Posted December 28, 2017 Just thought I would update our Intro post. Its now over 18 months since we bought our renovation property and its almost ready for selling. Just another few weeks of snagging then the flooring can be laid and we'll get the estate agents round. Most houses in our row sell really quick so we will be trying to get a good price. With regard the house build, we are thinking more and more that it is unlikely to happen for us. Apart from the silly prices of land round here, I am doubting that we could actually do it. The OH is not interested in any part of the project managing/organising. So it would be down to me and I dont think I could do it any more. Unless I have things on a list, I forget them, and if anything is on my mind, I end up awake most of the night. I dont think I could cope with a year or two on 3-4 hours sleep a night. And the more I read on Buildhub, the more I know I dont know and would have to find out - its very scary thinking of all the things the build involves. I admire all of you guys who are doing it and I really would like to do it myself but I have to be sensible and know my limitations. I shall continue to dip into the forum and I shall follow blogs with interest (and envy, to be honest). And you never know - we may find another renovation to take on. I have enjoyed doing Scooby Cottage and we have both learnt lots. so once the OH has recovered from this one, I shall maybe be able to find another one to do - hopefully this one for us, rather than to sell. Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for all the help and encouragement I have always received. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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