Sunday 6 October 2013

A belated hello October!

The month has got off to a peculiar start for me, lots of bad with a bit of good (Facebook friends may have seen my rantings on the subject of landlords!).

As October arrived so did my first bad cold for a couple of years and it knocked me for six for a couple of days last week (I wouldn't use a word as strong as flu but I did spend a day in bed), I seemed to be over the worst when I relapsed yesterday, but it's the least of my worries what with everything else which kicked off last week.

Out of the blue we had a written warning from the landlords to the effect that the gardens were not being upkept with due care and attention. What a load of rubbish, I challenge anyone to look at our garden and say it's a typical garden going into autumn, nearing the end of the grass cutting season and so it was needing a quick trim but it was too wet, all the shrubs are pruned hard back and bar a few weeds I can't see anything wrong. This is a letter from someone who just wants to have a go now and again out of badness to exert their authority.
If the landlords, who live next door, wanted to appear a slight bit friendly and communicate with their tenants, they would find out that grass cutting and weeding have been challenging this last year as one of us has had a foot injury and the other is still nursing a hand injury.

Even spookier, a second letter arrived the next day, this time they had decided to put the rent up. What a coincidence, call me a cynic but I wonder if they are trying to claw the money back for the roof we've just had replaced!!! It's a joke really as they do nothing to maintain this heap. 
Anyway dear readers, I will rant no more about this, change is afoot, the straw has broken the camels back and I will be making this my last winter here. By hook or by crook, I can't say too much yet, but next year I'm getting the hell out of here and never looking back.

Let's talk conkers, there are some wonderful specimens dropping out of the trees here, it must be a good year for them.





I took lots of pics so I must do something with them or design a conker fabric.

Did anything good happen last week I hear you ask, yes something brilliant but it was all such a rush I've worked all weekend finishing it.
Another thing I can't reveal just yet, but I have done some work for one of our favourite craft magazines and all will be revealed in the Christmas issue, very exciting.

I hope it comes out ok, the pressure was really on with a tight deadline.

And something good to look forward to this week, I'm going on a 2 day coffee training course at the Northern Academy of Coffee, I can't wait. I hope this will take whatever coffee skills I have to the next level.

Have a good week all!

5 comments:

lavender attic said...

Bless you Sally, your landlords are *strange* to say the least! Glad that you will hopefully only have 1 winter freezing cold again, here's to pastures new!! Hope you're well x

Anne said...

It does sound to me as if they are trying to claw back some of the money for the new roof. Why the heck do they rent properties though if they are not prepared to keep them in any sort of decent order?
I cant wait to see what you have come up with for Christmas. I hope you are going to let us know nearer the time?
P.S. I have barely seen any conkers around here this year, I want to collect some to try out the spider deterrent!

Shaheen said...

I am so sorry to read about your landlord antics, I have to say I am not surprised, esp. after all the roofing palaver. I do hope the days pass by without too much nuisance until you find a new home x I think I may have mentioned to you that we are due to be out of our rented accommodation end of Feb, so we are frantic looking for a new affordable home, as we no longer wish to be tenants and paying someone elses mortgage.

I am so pleased to read about your hush hush projects and look forward to reading more closer to Christmas, so pleased for you that there is some positivity and exposure for your talents and fingers crossed, more awareness raising of your talents and skills this time round.

Good luck with the coffee training.

Oh and guess what re: you comment on my Green Tomato Curry. I've watched Fried Green Tomatoes many years ago, but about a week ago i saw a DVD copy in the charity shop for only £1 and I picked it up. In the past I've made green tomato chutney too but i have to make the curry after all how often do you get green tomatoes?!

Richard said...

At least your landlords don't stand a metre from the windows and look inside while you're at home. Oh silly me, I forgot they do!

Crafty in the Med said...

Your landlord sounds like someone we tangled with in the past! I wonder if they have Spanish family over here. I would also coincide with Anne's comments here too. I'd say they are trying to get their money back too.If they kept up the property properly they wouldn't have to dole out on heavy repairs. Can they put the rent up unexpectedly like that? It all sounds quite unpleasant and I would be looking for somewhere else much friendlier with better vibes!
As for conkers I never see any here and I don't know why because we often go for a good ramble in the woods up in the mountains and I have looked and looked tch!!
keep well

Amanda :-)