Help calm me, house buying and selling stress. Part 4

Yes nightmare times. It dropped upon us all so very suddenly, people had no time to build up savings, to get out of debt. Shandy that sale was just in the nick of time, what if you had not had the courage to do it and had waited to april. It doesn`t bear thinking about

I wish I had a couple of chickens, cannot get eggs anywhere and have had to resort to powdered egg!!

Yes Shandy you were very sensible and must be thanking your lucky stars. Those of us who had a few issues with our sales last year must be shuddering at the thought of not having moved when we did.
Our DD and family are distraught as their house was all measured up and valued in March to go on the market last week. They are both now out of work, they both have their own business, young children, and no doubt the equity in their house is dropping by the day. I think if they do manage to sell they should do like Shandy and rent for a bit, but it's not easy with kids/schools and pets. Nightmare times.

Shandy, yes there are going to be some very hard times ahead, for decades, unfortunately. Could be that within two or three years, CV virus well sorted, that people will actually look back to Summer 2020 with envy!!!
Austerity in everything will be the name of the game for a very long time. Mind you, there are always those who profit from difficult times. Millionaires will doubtlessly become billionnaires........the poorer you are, the more you will suffer.
But this is why we were all so desperate that you sold NOW, not wait until April or any non-existent future. Mind you when you wish to buy you should be able more than make up for what you lost in the sale price with being able to the perfect purchaser -money in the ban!!! You should come out of this very well indeed.
Sue.....thanks for that recipe, must try it, never would have thought of putting lemonade into scones, but will purchase a can of lemonade when I do my shop next Wednesday. I assume you just use single cream.

Lovely buns, I can smell them from here! I bought some at Sainsburys and ate the lot, but disappointing, must try and make my own.

I didn't feel up to the beach walk this morning and just walked up to the station and back, bed had gone

I have just been on the moneysaving expert website, on the forum about house selling and renting. I am counting my lucky stars I do have a regular income.

People are pulling out of house sales left right and centre as they are worried they are going to end up with negative equity, I feel so lucky my buyer had to exchange on Monday. Others are experiencing such difficulties with their salaries being furloughed as some employers are not paying them as expected, they have to wait for the government to pay them as the employer doesn't have the cash. So many renters are unable to pay their rent, their landlords aren't accepting any reduction.

There are some very hard times ahead for so many.

New batch

Franbern, forgive my lack of punctuation should read, flour, cream and lemonade.
This is the recipe, I only do a half quantity and get 12 from it. I guess it depends how big you want them, I just use a 2" cutter

Scones

Ingredients

4 cups of SR flour
300 ml of cream
1 can lemonade (375 ml)

N/B Use ½ can lemonade and add more as necessary

Method

Place flour in a bowl and add the cream then the lemonade
Mix the ingredients with a knife until a dough forms
Dust a board with flour and turn dough onto the board
Cut dough into rounds with a cutter
Place on a lined over tray – close together but not quite touching
Bake at 200C for 15 minutes

SueH49 = lemonade in scones? What is flour cream? Please put the recipe on here. Sounds so interesting. I often make scones, but these sound interesting.
To Say, my choc sponge has turned out well. As I now do not have a large oven, I am still learning how to use the 'hotblast' system in my clever microwave. Got it sorted now for sponge cake, have to do each half separately, but it so quick, - short pre-heat and then 20 mins for first tin, and then just 15 mins for second one. With this hotblast, which turns it into a small normal oven - I can still use my favourite cake tins. Although have had to purchase a couple of six hole bun tins, as the usual 12-hole ones that I have are too large for the turntable to turn.

Good morning all. Already got windows open and for the first time here had my morning shower without turning on the small electric panel heater in my en-suite. Also, when I went into kitchen to make breakfast, put away the porridge sachet and had some crispy Fruit and Fibre with cold milk. Summer is well on its way. From my chair in the Living Room I can see the wonderful pink blossom on the trees in the main road. Beautiful.
Along with many others I am concerned that there does not seem to be any well-thought out Exit Plan for this Lockdown. Government seem to be not able to think more than a few days ahead - and then they keep changing their minds as to what to do. Not sure if policies are being decided by financiers, virologists, or social behavourists.
Also, wonder about those people, like my Son in Law, who have been told to stay totally self-isolated for 12 weeks, due to their compromised immune systems. One and half million of those people!!! What is intending to happen at the end of that time? They will still be just as vulnerable and this virus will still be very, very active.
Sorry, if I have put a 'downer' but with so much time, these are the sort of things that many of us think about.

Morning all, lovely to read all your news.

On the local village newsdesk a well known and loved local man died from the virus yesterday. People are dreading visitors coming today, we are only a 35 minute drive from Newcastle. I was shocked to see the crowds at the river at Richmond in Surrey yesterday, far too many people and far too close.

I'll be pushing my dog to the beach again in the pram later this morning, then going up to the house to continue sorting. I've come to terms with the low price for the house, I could have waited two more years to sell it, and have had to spend who knows what during that time, cancelling out any extra money I received. Everything would be so much easier if I had my State Pension now, I am now nervous this will never come because of the monies having to be spent during this crisis.

Talking of biscuits I'm ashamed to say I broke into the packet I bought for the dustmen - they'll have to have Mars bars next week!

Enjoy your day

I love that positive sentence at the end Sue

I think I crave crunchy with a bit of sweet but dare not have biscuits in the house. Soft things do not do it for me hence the buns, I make, the dough in my breadmaker. They are small and have a tasty coat because of the oven heat. 8 buns have 1/2 tsp sugar because I only add half the amount. Ok sweetness comes from the dried fruit. I find that one bun does enough satisfying. I freeze them.

So another day and the sun is shining and oops I can see dust but it is only dust

Thinking of you Franbern . I can only imagine the pain of losing a child at any age.

Well winter has appeared here. The last few days have been dreary and wet but not cold. Yesterday that changed and although not terribly cold (by your standards a good temperature) it really dropped. I've put my winter doona (duvet) on the bed this morning which is a sure indication that we will have warm weather next week!

A pot of soup warmed us up for lunch, not sure what the freezer will reveal for dinner. Hope to Facetime with our 2 GS's a bit later this afternoon. That always brightens us up.

I too have a sugar craving although it has to be the right thing and I'm not sure what that is. I thought about making scones - flour cream and lemonade - but as easy as they are I cannot be bothered so my craving cannot be too bad. Maybe some banana and walnut muffins tomorrow. I miss the family popping in to eat my baking.

Our clocks went back this morning, OH changed his except on his alarm clock and then was annoyed that he got up at 6 instead of 7. I will ring my best friend in Oxford tonight, we speak on the phone every 2 weeks or so and it is always a moral booster for both of us. We have known each other for over 40 years and maybe because of the distance between us we remain the very best of friends. At 81 she has reluctantly had to retire because her retail business has closed (not because of COVID-19) after 90 odd years. I envy her energy. However, other than that I do agree with you Franbern about making friends in real life and in our virtual lives.

Take care everyone, another week of this new life has passed and we have all managed to get through it.

Franbern I love your little person.

Well done with the bed Shandy but some people !
My body clock has gone native. I fell asleep soon after dark and woke at dawn. DS phoned from NZ and I kept yawning. How rude was that.
I baked bread yesterday but the flour and yeast was stale so it wasn't the best. DH said it was lovely.
Hope you all have a good day. As David Hockney said "they can't cancel Spring"

Hey thanks for showing us Franbern, how lovely.

I've come on because I am so pleased I managed to dismantle the bed. I dithered about selling it, but still have all my more expensive furniture to shift, so thought I'd put it outside and advertise it for free. Lovely to see your bike craftyone - I gave mine away for free ages ago, still have to deliver it to a nice woman I chat to at the beach car park.

My road is en route for a lot of people travelling for their shopping, pick up could be part of their essential journey.

Couldn't believe it - first post was 'can you deliver'.

Franbern I love it. Should be this threads mascot.

My first attempt at a comfort doll. Will improve on next one, but not too bad, was fun to do.

Thanks for asking craftyone we had THE Letter today which, although expected, was shocking none the less. Face to face with mortality.

An old friend phoned and asked how we are so I immediately enlisted his help in collecting my prescription. He said it wasn't a hardship as he can see the length of the queue from his window.
Funny though how hard I find it to ask for help. I thought it was only men who couldn't ask the way!

I love your bike. Now that I'm confined to the garden I want to get on my bike.. Mine is French and was a gift from a friend who was going electric. It's great except the brakes are on opposite sides. The front sharp brake is on the left and I still find it confusing.

I remember years ago when I helped to run a cafe, a couple of bikes were propped outside but we couldn't see any cyclists. There were just two old ladies having tea. Whoops!
They introduced themselves. They were celebrating their 65th year by cycling from the furthest east, Lowestoft to the furthest west, Ardnamurchan and we were on the way!
Duly humbled, we got talking and discovered for their 60th they had done John O' Groats to Lands End. They didn't rush and stayed in B&B for comfort.

We have walked around the garden, seen at least 4 bumble bees and picked wild garlic.

I had a very tearful DD on the phone today but I think she has recovered a bit now. Her DH begins his job on Monday and she thought they'd have a few days when they could get the house sorted. She still has no wifi or mobile signal and BT are being unhelpful about connecting them to the landline. She is scared that she will be stuck with no way of getting help in an emergency.

Franbern, thinking of you my dear

Lovely post Franbern

Sugar rush !! me too, trying hard to ignore it but have made buns and will have toast with blackcurrant jam. Ok, I forced myself to have a mug of green broccoli soup, I could eat toast and jam all evening

I lengthened my cycle ride, was nice but I had a swishing noise around the back wheel. Then when I got home I spent a long time trying to alter the back brakes so they didn`t rub and were safe. I almost had a wobble, would have taken my cycling husband 5 minutes and no-one to ask for obvious reasons. Oh well, the upside is that I learnt what to do. I love that bike it is a kettler city cruiser comfort. It was the utility bike that I rode to my allotment and all over. It needs to last as long as me. It has a nicel ow step through
www.amazon.de/Kettler-City-Bike-Zoll-Grau/dp/B07F442BYV

So I have to try and get onto the family quiz in 2 hours, I am not holding my breathe that I manage to log in

Grammaretto, how are you feeling today?

Spend 2 hours in the garden. Cold but sunny. At least I can see what I have done. Ordered compost and plants. Having the shower room, loft and bedroom got put on hold due to isolation. But all the stuff is paid for and safely in the garage. So at least I can get the garden sorted.

Enjoy your cake Franbern and you are so right about the friends on here. Be lost without you all.

Aw, that was beautifully written Franbern. Sometimes the written word can be more powerful and bind us closer in a way that face to face encounters might not. Maybe it's because we have more time to pour out our inner thoughts on paper, a bit like the old art of letter writing. No wonder some of those war letters are so moving to read.
Warm and sunny here today, trying to keep busy in the garden and trying not to feel too sad the London family aren't here on holiday.
Chocolate sponge cake, yummy!

Thank you all so much. Strange - I seem to have more friends through this thread, than I ever did - despite my resolution to do so - after my retirement. I gave up trying to make new friends then, lots of people I knew, but I decided then that friendship was something that needed to have lots of history behind it.
It was tragic that my second best friend died six months prior to my retirement, and my very best friend was very ill and died less than six months after retirement.
Probably, the fact that we do have history here, all been through so much with our horrendous selling/buying and then coming out the other side with such happy new homes.
I have just finished my first cuddle doll. Couple of errors, but I know now how to do these and will make lots of them - keeping me well amused.
I am in the middle of making myself a chocolate sponge cake, going to have buttercream in middle and on top. I have really wanted a good sugar rush these days/
Lovely bright and sunny,out, but when I opened all my windows earlier to day, I was really cold, and have closed most of them now.

Thinking of you Franbern, your beautiful boy It's not just missing them, it's what they are missing isn't it. He'd be proud. Big hugs xx

Franbern my thoughts are with you. And at times like this you could do with a cuddle so sending you a virtual one.

Franbern

Franbern