The Night Mail

[Dave Hunt]

 

Any budding horologists out there?  If so then this might be of interest:

 

Wentworth Woodhouse clock restoration

 I think that Douglas would be interested but it may be a bit large to fit in his pocket.

 

Dave

[Northmoor]

 

I'd like to move.

 

Unfortunately my wallet does not meet my aspirations.

 

 

You and me both.  Unfortunately in this area - maybe yours is the same - the price increment between a 2-3 bedroom house and a genuine 4 bedroom house with a garden larger than a postage stamp, is beyond mine and many others means.  Thank God we bought this one when we did as it is completely out of our price range now. Our latest frustration is that so many households here now have 3 cars, so even parking in the same street is becoming a challenge, let alone outside your own house.  

However, we are lucky in that it is paid for.  I suspect there are many around here just a couple of months unemployment from homelessness.

[polybear]

It seems to me than unless you are able and willing to move to a much cheaper area (often many miles away) in order to "up-size" to a grander Castle then for most people we're pretty much constrained by what we have - unless you fancy taking on a bigger mortgage etc.  And such moves are often (usually?) one-way trips, unless you have a big wedge stashed or are prepared to accept a very serious downsize in order to come back to where you are now.

Buddy next door is moving from his current abode to just outside Clacton - I do hope I'm wrong, but I've a suspicion that before too long they may wake up one day and think "this was a mistake". 

[Winslow Boy]

What really gets on my wick is when somebody buys a house and then sits on it waiting for the price to rise and then moves. They contribute nothing to the neighbourhood as they see no point because they are going to move. 

 

I don't know which is worse them or the owners who rip everything out, putting it in the ubequous skip or skips, even though there's probably nothing wrong with it, extend it so that it occupies all of the available space and then move as they don't like the area.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

they don't like the area.

I think I may have mentioned the chap who moved in to a nearby house. He had to downsize for financial reasons and misses the amenities (long drive, big garden etc). He moans about having to live in a road where some people own vans. It is odd as our road is “highly desirable” according to estate agents.

[TheQ]

Every road is highly desirable according to estate agents.

I'm out on the coast because it's cheaper. I move towards the Broads and a house like this would double in price. Have water access and it would double again. All in less than ten miles..

I too couldn't afford this house, I was fortunate to buy just near the bottom of a price cycle.

  There is village just a couple of miles away that's recorded the highest price rise in Norfolk 22% this last year.. as all the city dwellers move out. That village is a hub and still has post office doctors etc..

[Florence Locomotive Works]

All will be revealed tomorrow…..

 

 

 

 

Re the clock: he’s a lucky man to work on such a nice thing, but he was trained by (arguably) the best in the world.

 

 

Douglas

 

[polybear]

30 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Re the clock: he’s a lucky man to work on such a nice thing, but he was trained by (arguably) the best in the world.

 

 

Agreed - I didn't get the "self-taught" statement in the article

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

All will be revealed tomorrow…..

 

 

 

 

Re the clock: he’s a lucky man to work on such a nice thing, but he was trained by (arguably) the best in the world.

 

 

Douglas

 

A Little Joe, oh that  had an O scale one. 

 

Jamie

Edited July 29, 2021 by jamie92208

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

All will be revealed tomorrow…..

 

 

 

You're going to make an O scale model of one using old clock components?

 

Dave

Edited July 29, 2021 by Dave Hunt

[Mike Bellamy]

 

After the three children left home, we wanted to 'downsize' to a bungalow after seeing how my parents had refused to move and then struggled with getting about and had a stairlift fitted. We thought that coming up to retirement would be the best time to make that move little realising the inflated prices for bungalows. We did find one and friends thought we would come out of the deal with a sizeable lump sum but that wasn't the case. Sold a 4 bed detached with separate dining room and double garage and bought a 3 bed bungalow, no dining room and a single garage - for the same money . . . .

[Winslow Boy]

8 minutes ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

After the three children left home, we wanted to 'downsize' to a bungalow after seeing how my parents had refused to move and then struggled with getting about and had a stairlift fitted. We thought that coming up to retirement would be the best time to make that move little realising the inflated prices for bungalows. We did find one and friends thought we would come out of the deal with a sizeable lump sum but that wasn't the case. Sold a 4 bed detached with separate dining room and double garage and bought a 3 bed bungalow, no dining room and a single garage - for the same money . . . .

 

Developers do not like bungalows as they take up to much space so they don't build them.  Whereas buyers do like them as they have more land onto which they can build. This means there is increased demand which in turn pushes the price up even more.

[PhilJ W]

Most bungalows hereabouts are snapped up by developers, demolished and at least two houses and sometimes as many as five houses built on the site. Its known as bungalow eating.

[New Haven Neil]

We bought a bungalow in our mid-40's when we moved here as Mrs NHN has a knee injury which we knew was going to cause her issues later in life.  Little did we know my hips would fall apart first, and then I would have a nasty foot injury, so we are very thankful we did so.

 

Moving from a rambling large end terrace in the north-east to a 2 bed (small) bungalow with a decent garden on Fraggle Rock was shocking, it cost 50% more than the old house brought - back to having a mortgage again, now thankfully paid off.  No regrets though.

[Happy Hippo]

I just want to slightly upsize the house and slightly downsize the garden.

 

A billiard room that could be repurposed as a railway room would be nice, as would a large stable block (brick built) to house my heavy machinery.

 

Nyda would like a  library and a walled garden, and we'd both like a small lake, I would want a muddy hollow at the sunny end.

 

A couple of cottages in the grounds for when we have staying guests would be a bonus.

 

Nothing on Right Move this morning!

[jamie92208]

We spent several years loomi g for suitable bungalows and discovered at least 15 yrs ago that none were being built.  Coupled with other reasons such as sunnier weather (supposedly) we looked at France. For half the cost of the house we sold in the UK ,an extended 3 bed detached with small garden, we bought a 3 bedroom house in an acre of land which happenned to have a rather large insulated and concrete floored shed. The fact that the shed had a decent electric supply was entirely coincidental .  The rest as they say is history. 

 

 We were lucky that this is the first house we looked at and the way it is laid out we have a bungalow with a guest bedroom upstairs.  I'm still working on obtaining planning permission for the log carrying 7.5" tramway from the woodshed to the house.  For some reason the donextic authorities don't seem too enthusiastic.

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

Ah, like this, Jamie?

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by New Haven Neil

[jamie92208]

2 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Ah, like this, Jamie?

 

Yes, though it could be gravity worked in the loaded direction.  Good brakes would be essential. I think  it's 1 in 40.

 

Jamie

[Winslow Boy]

6 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

We spent several years loomi g for suitable bungalows and discovered at least 15 yrs ago that none were being built.  Coupled with other reasons such as sunnier weather (supposedly) we looked at France. For half the cost of the house we sold in the UK ,an extended 3 bed detached with small garden, we bought a 3 bedroom house in an acre of land which happenned to have a rather large insulated and concrete floored shed. The fact that the shed had a decent electric supply was entirely coincidental .  The rest as they say is history. 

 

 We were lucky that this is the first house we looked at and the way it is laid out we have a bungalow with a guest bedroom upstairs.  I'm still working on obtaining planning permission for the log carrying 7.5" tramway from the woodshed to the house.  For some reason the donextic authorities don't seem too enthusiastic.

 

Jamie

 

One of the tasks I had the dubious pleasure of undertaking, when I was gainfully employed, was assessing proposals submitted by developers in terms of open space provision. So I got to see the changes over the years that occurred and where possible tried to deter some of the more stupid/idiotic/thoughtless 'gimics' that they submitted. What I could never understand was why buyers paid the prices they did for structures that they clearly didn't like. I could understand the developers -as they simply wanted to maximise there profits. I think it boiled down to people just being 'lazy' in the sense they couldn't be bothered to put the effort in.

[New Haven Neil]

7 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Yes, though it could be gravity worked in the loaded direction.  Good brakes would be essential. I think  it's 1 in 40.

 

Jamie

 

 

This one's dead flat but does have the old Great Central line at the bottom of the (enormous) garden! There's also a 45mm garden railway....

 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

You're going to make an O scale model of one using old clock components?

 

Dave

 

And parts salvaged from a derelict combine harvester.....

 

2 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

Sold a 4 bed detached with separate dining room and double garage and bought a 3 bed bungalow, no dining room and a single garage - for the same money . . . .

 

Ouch.....

 

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Developers do not like bungalows as they take up to much space so they don't build them.  Whereas buyers do like them as they have more land onto which they can build. This means there is increased demand which in turn pushes the price up even more.

 

Bear can't remember the last time he saw any Bungalows being built....

 

37 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Coupled with other reasons such as sunnier weather (supposedly) we looked at France. For half the cost of the house we sold in the UK ,an extended 3 bed detached with small garden, we bought a 3 bedroom house in an acre of land which happenned to have a rather large insulated and concrete floored shed. The fact that the shed had a decent electric supply was entirely coincidental .  The rest as they say is history.

 

 

Bear would quite like a place in Italy (not for permanent use though), though I'm not sure where.  However, lack of offspring etc. means that it would potentially add a degree of complexity to my Estate for when I snuff it that I figure it may not be worth the aggro.

 

25 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Ah, like this, Jamie?

 

 

 

WTF is that thing??  Some sort of motorised shopping trolley?

[polybear]

55 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

A billiard room that could be repurposed as a railway room would be nice, as would a large stable block (brick built) to house my heavy machinery.

 

Nyda would like a  library and a walled garden, and we'd both like a small lake, I would want a muddy hollow at the sunny end.

 

A couple of cottages in the grounds for when we have staying guests would be a bonus.

 

Nothing on Right Move this morning!

 

Bear would like a house that cleans and dusts itself, a double garage, indoor pool, a fully staffed Bakery and a wood fired Pizza Oven, complete with someone to drive it....

As well as a comprehensive workshop and a railway room

[Happy Hippo]

53 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

 

  I'm still working on obtaining planning permission for the log carrying 7.5" tramway from the woodshed to the house. 

When you do get permission, don't bother with scale models, but go for the minimal gauge style.  No  expensive live steamers, just a loco designed for a bit of fun working and lugging the logs/compost building materiel about the site.

 

A good B/E loco is just switch on and go, and makes little noise.... Unless you decide to fit a sound card to it.

 

http://www.karenslittlerailway.co.uk/resources/KLR_Imp_build.pdf

 

Although petrol powered, it does show how small and sensible such a scheme can be.

[New Haven Neil]

@polybear I's a tram loco, battery powered, double ended.  Its purpose was to move building materials and detritus along a garden that must be getting on for 300 yards long.  He also has a little single cylinder diesel, Lister engine, but we didn't have that out on that day.  Nick is a clever lad, holds several engineering patents, and builds everything himself.  Stupidly, he lets the NHN's play with his toys!

 

[PhilJ W]

If I won the lottery I wouldn't be moving very far. Just around the corner are some very nice chalet type houses with four bedrooms, two on the ground floor.