Wildfood campsite

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Another good morning to you all

I wrote a long message and it seems to have disappeared

I was only rambling on about not having much to do today apart from a zumba class (now half completed as I ran out of energy).

Also, in response to Herbi's unfortunate occurence, I told the tale of my experience with subsidence when I lived in a terrace of 6 bungalows in the 70's that all had to be demolished and the 6 year fight between the HSBC and Insurance for compensation - that is not to suggest that Herbi's house will be demolished - my case was extreme ... what comes of building on an orchard, removing the trees and the consequences and the resulting saturation and dessication of the soil

I also mentioned that I have received my letter from the Gov. re the relaxation of shielding for us vulnerable persons .. I have a friend who suffers from R.Arthritis as well as CPOD and thinks there are no changes until 1st August (after which I can go back to work -eek!) despite the relaxing the advice is in 2 parts, the first being from 6th July. I would welcome anyone else's interpretation of the letter if they have received one

[herbidacious Profile]

EM that is a very good idea. Maybe even long term this is a better solution.

Problem with the door is that it has a catflap in it, so althlugh we shut th cts in when we go away, it would have to come off when we get back.

We might be able to get someone to do it next week. If they can get the door. Otherwise could make trip to my mother's a day trip...

Not sure what a plain deal stand is, Moira. A dresser? I suppose the reason fitted kitchens are so popular is that we have quite small kitchens in cities in the UK.

[liketocook Profile]

Good morning everyone,
Oh herbi what a fright you must have got
Wet and warm here today, we had some spectacular thunder and lightning overnight which has reduced the temperature but not by much. Yesterday was too hot for me tbh, my garden has little by way of shade so it was early evening before I ventured out to do some more planting.
Domestics today I think and probably a snooze this afternoon as it was too hot to sleep much last night.

[aero280 Profile]

I hope the shock of the wall cupboard collapse is receding. It’s nasty when things like that go wrong. Take time to calmly assess the situation and don’t rush into any conclusions as to cause.

On a quick look at your photo, it doesn't look like subsidence has affected the wall. No major cracks.

Don’t be put off a wall unit in future. I do the standard engineering thing of test loading things like that. The norm in engineering is to test to one and a half times the expected load. So when I screw anything up like that I catch hold of it and lift myself off the floor, so it has my full 15 stone hanging from it!! Then I check to see if it moved.

[Seatallan Profile]

Oh Herbi- you poor girl....

I'd be tempted to look out for some second hand/vintage shelves as per EM's suggestion, or some of those cheap, self-assembly wooden bookcases (which you could paint or varnish). In our previous house, having a small (Victorian terrace) kitchen, I also had lots of baskets of various sizes in which I stored cake tins, baking tins, etc. It's surprising what you can come up with if you get a bit creative. I'm truly sorry you've lost all those irreplaceable items however, though at least you're OK....

[KeenCook2 Profile]

So glad you managed to get some sleep, Herbi, if only you'd been able to wake up and it really all had just been a bad dream

Is the entire wall empty now or is there still a lower cupboard/work surface below? In other words, will you need to find something else from work surface upwards or have you got a full height wall against which to stand a set of shelves or such like for the time being?
Sorry if I'm being thick

Edited to say that there does indeed appear to still be a lower cupboard/ surface, having just seen your pic on FB.

When we moved in to this house there was a massive, solid wood cupboard here, a bit like the lower half of a Welsh dresser or similar. OH 'designed' a top half and we had a carpenter build it. So we now have a customised larder and bookshelves with storage below.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I also mentioned that I have received my letter from the Gov. re the relaxation of shielding for us vulnerable persons .. I have a friend who suffers from R.Arthritis as well as CPOD and thinks there are no changes until 1st August (after which I can go back to work -eek!) despite the relaxing the advice is in 2 parts, the first being from 6th July. I would welcome anyone else's interpretation of the letter if they have received one

I received mine too and I'm afraid I gave up reading it. It was too long and unclear
I must try again and I'll see what I make of it, Pat! Will report back .....

[Pepper Pig Profile]

OH had the letter too. Will not be making any changes at all.

[herbidacious Profile]

Also, in response to Herbi's unfortunate occurence, I told the tale of my experience with subsidence when I lived in a terrace of 6 bungalows in the 70's that all had to be demolished and the 6 year fight between the HSBC and Insurance for compensation - that is not to suggest that Herbi's house will be demolished - my case was extreme ... what comes of building on an orchard, removing the trees and the consequences and the resulting saturation and dessication of the soil

I will not be mentioning this to my husband, Pat.

I think that it was basically a) it not having been well installed in the first place; and b) too much stuff on and, perhaps crucially, on top of it.

[herbidacious Profile]

Thanks again, aero. I really do appreciate your advice. It is most comforting.

And thanks everyone else, too. I can't tell you how much I appreciate being on here with you all (at the risk of sounding a bit gushy...) I would be feeling a lot worse otherwise.

KC2 yes, there is a cupboard underneath with the work surface on which I do most of my food prepping. Good old granite work top - no dents!

I am really quite exhausted by it all.

On a postiive note, and i hope I don't jinx things, it looks like we might be able to get the back door replaced in time to go to mother's. I do not relish a day trip to Sheffield. The guy we have lined up also does kitchens (including hand made ones) so can ask his advice.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Good morning
Slept rather a lot waking briefly at 5 o’clock when it was raining quite hard but when I woke again at 11 o’clock it was hot and sunny and apart from a puddle on next-door’s roof no sign of the rain

Herbi do you have a dining room? I gave up trying to cram all the crockery into my quite small kitchen and had a big cupboard put behind the dining table which has all the heavy stuff in it and only the crockery I use every day and the basic cooking vessels are in the kitchen. I thought I might feel like I was running to the living room cupboard a lot but actually I find it easier having the stuff divided in categories.

I’ll wake up soon. Have a good day everyone

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Also, in response to Herbi's unfortunate occurence, I told the tale of my experience with subsidence when I lived in a terrace of 6 bungalows in the 70's that all had to be demolished and the 6 year fight between the HSBC and Insurance for compensation - that is not to suggest that Herbi's house will be demolished - my case was extreme ... what comes of building on an orchard, removing the trees and the consequences and the resulting saturation and dessication of the soil

I will not be mentioning this to my husband, Pat.

I think that it was basically a) it not having been well installed in the first place; and b) too much stuff on and, perhaps crucially, on top of it.

What makes hubby think you have subsidence ? As Will says, there are no cracks on that wall at all is there ? If you are at all worried, wouldn't a structural surveyor put your mind at rest ?

[Suffs Profile]

A modicum of hsewk has been done and I’ve made Scotch Eggs for our supper ... a quick bowl of soup and then heading to the studio ...

[smitch Profile]

That looks scary, Herbi. Glad you're physically ok.

My husband has become fixated with every little crack and noise in this house since we've been working from home. I think he is worrying over nothing but he's had some quotes for surveys to see if there is anything to worry about. I'm just leaving him to get on with it if it will help settle his worries. I'm sure most of what he is bothered about has been there as long as I've lived here (7 years!).

So glad it is almost the weekend. It has been a very long week and I'm ready for a couple of days away from zoom and my laptop. Just had a nice box of beer delivered plus some lovely glasses I've been coveting for a while.

[mistakened Profile]

The new car was meant to be delivered today, there was a phone call whilst I was driving back from Pissouri, they were waiting for it to be valeted. It is now 4 00pm on a Friday afternoon, no more phone calls. Somehow I do not think that we will get the vehicle until Monday. I wonder if the bank payment transfer has been slow.
Meanwhile we have an adequate car so we are not stranded in the house.

moira

[herbidacious Profile]

Don't get me started on husband and subsidence... he returns to it whenever he is worried and at home at lot - so every time he's been not working.

Our original house-buying surveyor's report says that there was some in the past. Now, there are cracks at the back of the house inside, but it's hard to tell if these are getting worse. A few years ago we had to fork out £30,000 for the balcony - which runs along the entire back of the house - which was collapsing (internal wooden joists had rotted. It's an Edwardian building.) and it's possible that that pulled the back of the house down with it (?) Essentially the rest of the house was all that was stopping it from entirely collapsing.
When we were getting people out to assess this, OH paid an independent structural surveyor £1000 to come and look. He wouldn't commit to even an informal verdict but wanted us to pay several thousand pounds to determine if we had ongoing movement. This seemed to involve putting little monitors all over the house. (I envisaged that trick you do as a child of sticking a hair across your door to see if a horrible sibling is secretly going into your room, but this was probably not what was involved...)

Strikes me that the obvious thing to do is measure the gaps, seal and paint over and watch them reappear, the measure again. (The sealing and painting over is not essential, but they do look horrible.) We are not talking one inch gaps here, btw, but maybe a millimetre or two which I guess is not insignificant. The wardrobe at the bottom of my bed is on a it of a tilt, but again can't say whether this is new/since we moved in or if it's caused by the former balcony semi-collapse.

i have just picked my first tiny posy of sweet peas, and put it in a vase next to me. It smells lovely.

I am very glad it's nearly the weekend too... I've had enough of this week.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Without panicking you even more, are the cracks only on the inside ? If so, things may not be as bad as you (and hubby) fear. Just using a paper tape over them and then painting over will tell you if there is any movement - the paper will stretch and pucker. The professional way is with pieces of glass called Tell-tales.. Seems like the major problem with your back wall was all to do with the balcony and that has been rectified.

Re the kitchen cupboard; you could have a unit made that can stand on the top of the base unit and fixed to the wall. I have used a company called RAW for 2 pieces I had made-to-measure in my house. This company was originally recommended by Zosh/Halfateabag

[herbidacious Profile]

Will look into both things, Pat.

I don't think any cracks have appeared outside.

I think it's relatively normal to have a bit of moevement and fine cracks in an old house...? I have to say my wardrobe is quite lopsided. Question is whether its progressively getting worse.

Do you have a link for the company?

Is it this one?

https://rawfurnitureuk.com/

[herbidacious Profile]

When you say stand on the surface, does it take up surface space? Or stand on legs? (So to speak.) It's not that deep a surface top.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

No offence to anyone here, but I sometimes wonder about surveyors .... . Of course they won't commit themselves unless certain, because of the comeback if anything goes wrong but no reassurance at all unless you fork out more money leaves you in a very difficult position. If the balcony was due to a rotten wood problem then maybe that's all it was. When I've had lopsided furniture it's usually been due to uneven floorboards and moving joists which are all part of the fun of an older house.

I adore sweet peas. How lovely.

Oh Moira, how sad when you'd hoped for the car today! Maybe they'll turn up after all.

I've been so lazy today, it's hot and sticky and horrible even in my house which is usually quite cool. I shall go out walking in the rain tomorrow (unless that bit of the forecast disappears again!). No motivation to clean up the house today whatsoever.

Pepper Pig wrote:
EM, my hairdresser was saying he can’t imagine his beautician ever getting back to work! Her main occupation is threading and apparently she uses her teeth for that!!!

I really take my hat off to people who don't mind such close proximity to others for their work, I would so hate to be a beautician. GDs ma gave up a very good job to go into that line instead .