OUT OF THE BOX

Finished working until two last night a week of normal hours than i have Monday and Tuesday off making a long weekend on the Monday i should be taking delivery of new car.
I have got my Mac book out of the box and have it set up i am glad now i did not get the Asus i was after , you really do get what you pay  when it is a Apple product i am really taken to the Mac and so far it has been straight forward i am finding my way round after using  WINDOWS PC the switch over is quite easy i have already synced my i-phone and my Apple account with it.
I can understand why people are passionate over Apple Macs the build quality and design is better bar none.

The new Google nexus is fine and for a android tablet and i think it as got to be the best value and performance for the cost the graphics are excellent, i have ordered from ebay screen protectors and a case should come early next week , my Cree torch came today for the money a excellent product.

Tomorrow we have friends coming over we are taking them for sunday lunch to the pub we went to a couple of sundays ago the Fountain.

IT'S GOOD IN THE HOOD

Yesterday i had confirmation about my new car it is being delivered to my home address which will be a big help having two cars is difficult unless they are both in the same location , i take collection on the Monday 9th of September i have booked it off work as annual leave and the following day the 10th hopefully we can have a drive over to Southport , it is a while since we have been .

My Daughter has had a big bust up with her boyfriend apparently she told me she had slapped him a few times and in anger or frustration on this occasion  he slapped her back , he had admitted he should not have done it , but at the end of day he don't need it and my daughter certainly don't need it , so she has moved out she has started a new job and it as great prospects she needs to work hard and save her money and hopefully buy or rent her own place and be totally independent.

Today broad band should be up and running which should make life easier all in all everything is sweet ,  i have another three two o clock early in the morning finishes which are totally going to tire me out but least then i should be on normal hours for a few months which will be nice.
I finished at ten last night and it did take slightly longer to drive home then finishing at two but it was a big plus getting home before eleven.

We have friends coming over Saturday and Helen as her first reading over here Saturday evening  they are traveling over  from Leeds to see her ,  i will have to be quite upstairs we have a open staircase so noise carries other than that if its fine  i will have to go out .

Still debating wether or not to get a games console we are going to have dark nights some how playing Tomb raider Resident Evil seems fitting choice is X-box or Ps3 if i get one  i wont be investing in the new  models coming out.

NOT TODAY

Broad Band connection is on the 28th not today we was told bank holiday Monday but none the less we can wait another couple of days no big deal even if i was up like a kid on Christmas morning i cant live with no internet.

The cottage we are living in was sold for £109,000 in 2007 Christ its only a one up one down no garden its a great cottage but it has its draw backs you cant extend its cut in to a bank , it is dark even on a bright sunny day it is dark , there is only two doors one on the porch front entry door and one on the joint bathroom and toilet there are no windows on the back of the house there is two roof windows skylights the bedroom is lighter than the living room  a lot lighter .
Pluses the roof rafters are unique it is so easy to keep clean the house is cool in summer don't have to pay for a window cleaner it is very low maintenance people actually come to Holmfirth from miles away to see the Last of the Summer wine filming spots and houses and cafes.
Roger who lives next door to us paid £6000 for his cottage back in 1982.


Tonight i had chips for the first time cooked in the air fryer did not even have to add oil just put them in and set the timer for 27 minutes they where cooked to perfection had them with burgers done in the George Foreman and onions cooked in the frying pan with grated red Leicester on top with a freshly baked oven cake.

Three days off as always have gone too quick i dont want to go back to work least first day back is a ten o clock finish guess i will grin and bear it as always and do an extra line on the national lottery.


Watching - "Now You See Me" and "Oblivion"

TWO WINDS

I actually slept in until nine in the morning i was contemplating having the curry left overs from last night for breakfast but thought better of it as i was passing wind badly whilst getting out of bed and being vertical ,
Went walking with Pip went to see the wind farm this time took my camera i am getting used to it now and  it takes great photos but lacks in zoom plus i do prefer an electronic view finder when it is sunny which for the Samsung NX 1000 is an optional extra.

Tomorrow we should be online with Sky broadband still using our I-phones to hot spot the reception up here is not as strong as in our other house so we do need a faster connection.

INDIAN AND SWEDISH

Thursday I was up just after nine another five hours sleep it is beginning to take it's toil thank god it is Friday tomorrow and i have three days off work paradise.
We need a outside light sorting out so we can sit out at night ea or just have a drink out there we have the power connection we just need a fitting to connect.

Friday
I started to assemble the Mexican pine side board started ok some of the dowels for the shelve did not line up i did not have the mind frame to sort it out so i left it i was not amused the cottage is dark even in the day light we  like Hansel and Gretel  and  room was sparse even after i cleared a space , and i was getting hotter was a wise decision to leave it .

Sky router came today it is a nice piece of kit very white very Apple looking impressed hope it delivers,
Went to work was suppose to be staying until two in the morning i only stayed until midnight i emailed my line manager to say i was feeling unwell , i was just plain tired out and i just could not be bothered big time it is the first time i have left there is no more supervisors on apart from me , i was home for twenty to one bliss.

Saturday
well its raining it started a three in the morning looks like it is in for the day typical bank holiday weekend.
Helen bought her son a washing machine fridge freezer and a electric cooker as promised she even paid for delivery.
We then went for breakfast had a full english after i went to look at Sony Vaio laptops at CCL Computers the did not have one in stock they order them as and when so i ended up doing to PC World and buying a 13 inch Mac Book Pro, for what i was going to spend on a Sony i think it was a wise choice plus you can claim a hundred pound cash back after twenty one days.
I completed the mexican pine side board i got it all to fit and the fish tank is now on top and more things have been put away and a few more items have been binned.The bedroom is still slightly untidy but it will be sorted i am doing nothing now except eat a curry its getting delivered in 30 minutes and drinking pear cider i am going to pour one now so its a indian and a swedish night in.

HAPPY DAYS

I am hungry tired and sick of working until two in the morning .
I saw a old friend I worked with and went to Greece with when I was twenty something he was recovering from a blood clot on his brain , he told me of two lads I worked with they where both dead one died from drink and drugs and the other the big  C.
The one whom died from drink Tony I use to go out with him and his girlfriend we all liked a drink or two and a smoke he took it too far he won't be the last sad as it is the other lad I was in a collision on the motor way he put me in hospital for six weeks thirty years ago I got £7500 compensation , I spent it on a car holidays and Hi-fi before mobile phones x- boxes and pc,s I could have easily died in the crash they day we crashed seat belts where made law before this date it was wear them if you wish I never did but did the day we crashed as it was law .
Loads of stuff has happened since that date my life has changed do many times and gone in different directions it is still changing the fact is YOLO so make the most live for now it's too short not to guess I am glad I have moved to somewhere nicer glad we are out of the city glad I had the chance to start again I am thankful I have had my share of lucky breaks I hope life keeps changing it be boring if it did not , tomorrow I am going to buy the laptop I want why not I deserve it  and have wanted one long enough I tend to wait for the stuff I want the wait is over  what you can make happen today don't put off you. might regret it,
Our base unit came today I Will assemble it Saturday we will clear the rest of our boxes away and have the cottage sorted ,  when I finish Friday I am off for three days I should get my Google nexus , my car and a broad band connection happy days,

LOVE IT

It took me forty minutes to get home last night at two o clock in the morning I was awake and did not feel sleepy one bit.

When I got home to the cottage Helen was up I took Pip our Jack Tussell out for a walk it was only for ten minutes but she did do a wee .
I got into bed just after quarter past three and I was wide awake at nine o clock I was up walking Pip again there is that many different walks down different streets and roads the permantations are endless to say Holmfirth is a small town it is quite amazing.
If you go a few miles further you enter the Peak District then it's just walk and walk you could even take a tent it is that vast .

Still getting used to the camera the zoom is not as good as I use to get with my Fuji bridge camera but the image quality and features are excellent 20/50 lens is good for nearer subjects but not for distance .
Still waiting delivery of our router for our sky broadband engineers coming on the 28th which is when I should get the latest Nexus 7 and fingers crossed the Nissan Juke .
Helen is also getting out and is walking Pip whilst she is at home on her own which she never did when we lived in Leeds.
So life is good I am happy that we are out of the city suburbs and we are living life in a village type community we still have loads to explore and that is the fun bit .
Hopefully I have bank holiday Monday off so we will get a long weekend to do more exploring we both love it and hopefully we have no regrets roll on winter .

BLOWER COLD RADIO LOUD

Finish work at two am it is my first shift back and I am finding it hard to stay awake .I feel totally worn out and just want to bed fast asleep in bed  but that won't happen for another hour it will be my first drive home after work I did not want it to be at two in the morning I don't want to work over  I just want my normal hours thing is if I turn it down I don't want to have to survive on a flat wage and then be annoyed because I am not getting offered any overtime .
The drive to work was longer because all the roads in to the centre were backed up with traffic if I had not turned around and altered my route I might of been late also I was low on fuel two lessons learned I hope there are no delays going home .and I hope the roads are clear and I am wide awake I will drive with the blower on cold and the radio loud.

WANT FOR NOWT

Well things are looking up i manage to park on our designated parking space if i go to far i am literally over the edge to the road fifteen foot below ouch.

i am waking up early and usually are up for eight , i love it here and i am not looking forward to going back to work i think i could do with another week off but it is not going to happen Monday i have five days of doing twelve hour shifts i bet i don't get up at eight then.

Today we went to Uppermill had a coffee at No73 Delicatessen it is usually packed we where early and sat outside we also went to the local bakery and got steak and onion pies and a dozen oven cakes.
We went back in to Holmfirth we got Pip a new drink and eating bowl set in a ornate wrought iron stand and three silver frog princesses.

In the afternoon we drove to the Fountain Inn at Ingbirchworth Helen had lamb i had slow cooked belly pork with mash roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
When we got home we took Pip on a hours walk around the surrounding fields ,

I have everything  i need i want for nowt i am happy that we now live in the countryside in our little cottage the scenery surrounding us is stunning , and  the walks and reservoirs are the best in England and there is loads scattered a few miles from our home and  we have cafes and restaurants and inns , along with art galleries Ashley Jackson is based in Holmfirth we are forty minutes drive from two major cities , life is good

LAST FEW DAYS

Thursday we went to the Trafford centre at Manchester.I bought two different style Bench jackets both in black , i also bought two pairs of Bench denim jeans one faded on in dark blue and a pair of cargo pants.i also bought two pairs of Crocs shoes one in black and one in brown they are so comfy .
for supper we went to Rioja tapas restaurant at Uppermill Saddleworth and between us ordered six dishes and two sides , Helen is not keen on tapas i enjoy the variation of dishes you can have.
Today i dropped Helen off at Louise's hair salon Luxe she was having hair extensions in , she now as long hair.

I went to Primark and bought four t-shirts in grey , black and white i also bought six black polo shirts and another two pairs of combats and six pairs of boxer shorts i don't intend to buy any more clothes i  also bought Helen some t-shirts.

I had Pip with me we shared a KFC i had all the fries i bought her a bottle of water i had a coke .
after i walked her on the canal at Rodley where we use to live once upon a time.

After picking Helen up five hours later from the salon Louise kindly cut my hair from their we went to buy a toaster to match the kettle that we bought.
we also bought a laundry basket to go in the bathroom  and for the kitchen a new set of three sauce pans along with a frying pan . now we can cook we just need food to cook we have not done a food shop in over a week.

After we had took Pip and walked her down hill all the way to Holmfirth centre we had to walk back up the hill to get home .
After arriving home knackered we had a hot drink before going to Penistone food shopping i bought a small George Foreman grill , and a steam  iron although they did not sell ironing boards we bought s cheap hand blender along with £200 on food and condiments.

Saturday
It was dull and rainy we went into Leeds its about a hours drive , i am going to be doing it five days a week for work come Monday  , Helen went to Primark and got bras and socks she bought some leggings and a black jacket from River Island there was a sale on at Jack Jones i bought two pairs of denims one was brown they both the same style different colours i don't need any more now what i have will last me a few years if not longer i have ordered a new Google Nexus 7 32 bit with the snap dragon cpu i will receive it on the 28th August fingers crossed.
It has just been over a week living in our cottage there is still a few boxes we are wanting for a cupboard sideboard being delivered next Wednesday that will accommodate what is still left to put away

SMALL SPACES

I wake up each morning and take my dog behind our cottage to green fields and a small lake we are both happy to be here , i just buzz i cant believe how i feel it lifts me it is just so beautiful i feel privileged to live here, i truly don't want to be anywhere else .

We went to the garden centre at Uppermill and bought plants and alpines for our bit of a garden we have colour where we did not have yesterday we also put brackets up for two hanging baskets that we had.

 Above sits Ethel she made it safe and well she is a rock 

The happy gargoyle checks out all visitors to our home 

A bush Helen bought today on a night it lights up it has 50 solar powered lights on it 

In the kitchen we added a shelve seeing as we have limited space we need to create added storage 

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Pip is booked in at the vets for her booster jab and a check over she has been wormed and had a flea treatment and she will be getting spade at the end of September.
I paid another bill again for over £2000 and i paid off the outstanding gas bill and water rates for the old house .

I have changed my car insurance to the new address and its a few pounds cheaper each month and my bank account , the water rates are nearly half what we use to pay .And today  i have cancelled the building and contents insurance  for the old house and just got contents for this house that bill has been halved i have also cancelled life insurance because i am covered by my works pension and i have cancelled the British gas service and maintenance  charges for the old house  saving another twenty quid a month it all helps .
I have applied for broadband the router should come in the next few days and the broadband should go live on the 28th of August.

My camera is looking good i am still discovering what i can on my own before using or referring to the manual i have down loaded.
Helen fired he Mac Book Pro up and loves it she needs a case for her Ipad mini and a sleeve  for he MBP we are going over to Manchester Trafford centre after Pip as had her injection.
We bought a coffee table from Ikea and i set the sound bar up which makes a serious difference and is amazing the improvement to sound quality and clarity.
Been out walking Pip four times today and i don't get tired of the scenery it is just too nice it was sunny this morning and Pip meet a Greyhound called Jack she looks for him every time we go for a walk , the street must have at least seven to nine cats,
All told i am happy with the cottage as small as it is and i am happy with where we are living plus our neighbour Roger is a really nice person and is very knowledgeable about the area we live in we are here for six months the rent is paid in full i think we will be here a lot longer.

EXTREMELY HAPPY

Well we have moved in it took two trips in the hired van and it was rushed as we had to be out for one last Friday but we did it .We are still unpacking we have a few boxes left to unpacked but the cottage is looking good,

We bought a two seater sofa and a arm chair , along with a new vacuum cleaner and air fryer i also bought a camera it is a Samsung NX1000 twin lens i only bought it today it and should have been £500 it was £249 it is wifi enabled so far it looks good i bought a 32 mg memory card and a soft carry case i might buy a spare battery for it .

Helen got her MBP and i-pad mini and i also  bought a Panasonic TV for the bedroom and orbital sound bar i also paid two debts which was over  four thousand pounds i nearly said stuff it but i didn't.

The few days we have been here i have took Pip out numerous times she loves the walks we have also discovered a great Indian restaurant and take away we have had three take outs so far but that will stop.

My Nephew was a great help and big thanks to him for helping us move we could not have done it without him he has also let us put some stuff at his house should w ever need it he has loads of room is kitchen is as big as our cottage but cost a fortune to heat.

I bought some decent trainers for walking across the moors and i did buy some Jean Paul Gaultier original after shave i finally used the last of my One million,

So all is good i have no regrets i wake up every morning and walk down country lanes hear ducks and sheep and see green fields at night it is very dark we hear no traffic what so ever and have not heard on drunk stumbling home we are extremely happy and so very glad we are here.

TWO TRIPS

Fully loaded the Freelander with boxes to take over to the cottage it took us just under sixty minutes we got there just before the Landlady we signed the tenancy agreement for six months and paid a £525 bond.
Joiners where there taking out some wardrobes that we did not want as we have our own and taking part of the bulkhead from the stairs out a sit encroached in to the bedroom too much.
Also the back wall because the cottage is built in to a bank it had to be tanked out and then re plastered and then painted the painting bit was being done today so the plaster had time to dry out .

We went back home just before dinner for more boxes and other bits and pieces including Ethel my stone Gargoyle it safely made it to our new abode ,  it represents my mother , i bought it the day she died it's a kind of memorial to my Mam.

The walk down to the centre of Holmfirth from the cottage is unbelievably quaint it is a photographs dream there is so many interesting buildings and views taking photos will be easy you are really spoilt for choice .

We learnt the cottage we are living in was built in 1835 and is the oldest place i have ever lived in it was built for the wool workers they had a loom and spinning machines down stairs and upstairs they lived it was one up one down and they had connecting doors down stairs so the wool could be passed on for the next process .
We were told a family of five kids wear brought up in the house the toilets where outside over the  bet there where a few pissed pants specially in winter .

 Above are what used to be the out side toilets they are now work shops and storage the one belonging to our cottage was demolished for a parking space

Below what we manage to bring in two trips from our house to the cottage i have spent four hours driving at least we had sun which was nice .

below are other cottages on our road which is very narrow because the cottages are only one bedrooms it means no fcuking kids screaming and shouting  which equates to more peaceful nights and early evenings .

Tonight the bedroom wall is getting painted white and a new carpet is getting fitted by Friday in the bedroom
we have no carpets in our house as we ripped all the carpets up and painted and stained.the floor boards in every room including the three bedrooms , so now having  carpets is strange i have to admit  it feels nice walking on cushioned  flooring again.

The wood work around the bathroom door we would like to paint black same with the down stairs fire place the stair banister and the downstairs main beams.

I love the roof trusses above we are going to re paint them white some of the edges need redoing i think they have been treated for wood worm and parts of the timbers have been filled in with two part filler and never painted.
We also so found out why it is called Toad Hole Cottage in summer there are loads of toads and frogs making there way to the pond at the back of the house apparently they are hundreds

KEYS

Off  now until the 19th of August , we pick the keys up for the cottage at ten o clock today and sign the deeds to lease the property for the next six months , we hand over the keys to this house Friday so  by Saturday we will be long gone , and by Monday we should be in and sorted hopefully a place for everything and everything in its place.
We need to buy some essential items for the room and kitchen and bedrooms no doubt we will be doing some shopping and investing wisely more should be less well at least i am going down that route .

DONE

 The house is all signed up and there is no going back , as we exchanged contracts  today and it is now all legal it is now sold signed sealed and delivered .
I finish work Tuesday night and we pick the keys up for the cottage Wednesday at ten a.m. we will pay the bond and start to move our stuff in we have quite a few boxes packed already and the house is looking quite bear it looks like we have been robbed.

I made another trip to the tip and got rid of my hand made chest tool box i made thirty odd years ago it was the size of a trunk and was made to go at the end of a work bench rather than be transported about it was made from three quarter of a inch birch ply and had two lift out compartments and it was all dovetailed cut by hand by me i felt a touch of remorse but it was a beast of a box and  it weighed enough when it was empty , so was not practical.

So all systems a green i cant wait for Wednesday morning and our adventures begin , today was a massive fight over the road from where we are living about fifty youths where battling and people ask why we want out of the city the police came and they scattered this is not the norm by any means but its the thin end of the wedge .

I am not sure what reception we will get on the phones it might be rubbish we might have to bak to a Isp for our internet connection if so it will either be Sky or  Bt we need unlimited and a decent down load speed .

first thin we will do when we move in is buy all the essentials for the fridge freezer and pantry and food cupboards , same for the bedroom bathroom and Living room we are going to be busy and the truth is i really cant wait we are both so happy to be packing up and moving on .

LAST SUNDAY HERE.

Well this is our last week in our home we have spent so many weekends here in the last few years it is kind of strange knowing that we more than likely never set foot in here again once we leave.
All the supermarkets and take away restaurants and petrol stations that we have used for the last six years we will no longer be using

Instead we are going to pastures new , meeting new faces and discovering new shops and country pubs nice new walks and meeting new people , in fact  we will no longer considered to be townies we will be country folk which is what Helen as craved for , for years even though Manchester and Leeds are only forty to sixty minutes away , we are going to try and use Manchester shops and go in to thier city centre rather than shopping in the shops we know in Leeds  hopefully we will  have the time to  go exploring there on a weekends and days off rather than coming back to Leeds all the time , and  for the first few months we are going to be discovering places and finding new shops and discovering new routes and short cuts and finding new funky arty shops cafes and bars.

We are also near to Halifax , Huddersfield and  Hebden Bridge these are places we have been to before so are not totally ignorant about them but we are still going to go on a journey of discovery and findings we both cant wait , all we want know is to be packed up shipped out and moved in .

We went to see Harvey our Ragdoll my daughter has adopted he is doing fine and is settling in his new home she brushes him every day , she wants him to sleep on her bed  he wont but i am sure in time he will do soon.

A SOUND BAR AND RESTAURANT

what I am liking at the moment is  fresh berry and yogurt granola pots with strawberry's and raspberry's , and as  they only cost one solitary pound very good value  and they make them just right to boot they are gorgeous they are like a healthy cheese cake .Which is just as well because for dinner we went to KFC which is not so healthy specially for the chickens.

I want to buy a Orbit sound bar M10LX  and dock 250 watts blue tooth enabled of pure sound power I can use it with all Apple devices and my Google Nexus you can get £80 of if you buy it with any  television  i would also like to get a Apple tv which for £99 is extremely good value although it is dearer then some other streaming free view boxes.

Tonight we went for a meal with another two friends who are also moving house just  a few days before our move  hopefully on Friday , they paid for us to eat at the Gallery Forty One Italian restaurant  near to where we now live , we had carbonara i had chicken tagliatelle and Helen ham and spaghetti with side order of fries and Italian bread for desert i had tiramisu and Helen had cheese cake the food and service was very good we both enjoyed the meal and we where both utterly pigged out the only draw back is they did not have draught beers or pear cider but none the less it was an enjoyable evening.

                                               The bar and dining area of Gallery Forty One

REARVIEW

Helen won a prize from a local shabby chic shop all she had to do was to like  them on Face book and you was entered in to the draw , and she won  she received soaps , bath bombs , and scented candles worth up to forty pounds  plus a gift voucher for twenty five quid it is always nice to win something we should enter more competitions.

We have been told today that everything is in place and it is all systems go for a week today  , we should be looking at Leeds through my rearview fingers crossed , we are both  looking forward to starting again in the country side even in the little cottage we will be calling home and we cant wait to go into the wild to explore all around us , Helen is getting giddy more and more each day and hopefully we will have a few more sunny days before the summer is over, and if not then we will be still living in the country side waiting for our first Christmas and waiting for the following summer.So let the fun begin.

NEXT FRIDAY

We have a date to move it is a week this Friday  the 9th of  August , which will  mean we are no longer be tied to a mortgage and we will no longer be home owners. Instead we will be using rented accommodation .

I have over the last three days been going to the local tip and as a result of this endeavour i have got rid of over twenty five black rubbish bags filled with clothes Cd's ,dvd's, shoes and  jackets etc etc , all my tattoo magazines and  Helen's wedding dress final went in to the skip with  loads of old Argos catalogues ,the wrought iron  bird cage , five wooden  chairs and old rusty and blunt tools its amazing what shite accumulates in five years ,

Cleaning out the food cupboards alone  filled two bin liners ,getting rid of old bills and correspondence two bags and  loads of  paper back books went to the charity shop all my James Patterson and Lee child books have them all electronically anyway  .

The house is looking pretty bare and to be honest the house looks a lot better for it be de-cluttered it can breath again.

 I got rid of loads of clothes a few weeks ago , now  i will own or buy just what i need and not buy stuff to excess  just to fill drawer or wardrobe space , it would be nice to have a decent size trunk or chest and have all your possession's to fit in to it then traveling  moving house would be so much easier just to pack and  it throw it  in to the back of a van and drive off..