Loadsamoney

I'm putting an offer in on a house.


Very exciting, and not a little nerve wracking!

Edit (Lunchtime): It was accepted. Going to be a homeowner soon!

Why do I bother?

I've come up with an opportunity for my Explorers that's a bit different. A bit special. It means I have to make sacrifices myself (it clashes with SAGGA summer camp) but hey. All I asked was for them to tell me if they were interested or not. Yes or No, not too much to ask? Oooh boy.

I produced information on it. Not one explorer took home the sheet. Not one. Sorry, I tell a lie, one had the good manners to say he wasn't taking it because it clashed with a family holiday, but none of the others said "No thanks" "Sorry, not interested."

If you are an Explorer, please take note, walking off is not an acceptable way of saying "No thank you."

I did go and make the mistake of telling my father all about it. You'd think I'd learn that he's not the ideal person to speak to when down about Scouting- as he has somthing of a chip on his shoulder about it, not understandinng the relationship between a Church and an open sponsored Scout group. He tries to say "don't worry about it" but ends up saying "What you are, and what you do is worthless."

The Six Dales

This year I had a different role on the Six Dales, after three years spent as Kit transport, Timekeeper, and supporter respectively.

I arrived at Lofthouse village hall opened the boot- and found I'd left my day sack at home. Fortunately I had packed enough spare clothes and food to cope with what I had, and had put the maps in the main part of the car.

When we arrived at Kilnsey the first few teams had already been through. Blacksheep team X were long gone. But the other two were there. Two Explorers had dropped out of the all male team meaning our junior team had to lend them a member to let them carry on as "Team 301".

After they left the minutes ticked by. Half an hour after the checkpoint closed to through traffic, we set off. It was a pleasant walk, far more pleasant than an hour before when the explorers set off. We split and followed the two obvious routes on the map, a gravel track and a footpath. After just over an hour we arrive at Moss Dale.

We though it was all going swimmingly, as we'd seen no stragglers on the way. Unfortunately it was not to be, as the checkpoint informed us that two teams were missing.

50 Years ago today

Yes it's 50 years since Grace Archer died in a tragic blaze at Gey Gables' stable block.

Oh and some TV station started.

Good Weekend again

After a stressful week, Saturday was spent tidying up, and viewing houses. On a trip into Keighley, ostensibly to visit the chemists and post off a RABCK, I purchased a litre of some nasty caustic stuff for putting down drains and some gel which claimed to be able to shift the grime off the bath better than my normal spray.

And it all actually worked. The bath drains again(there must have been several years of gunk down that u-bend) and looks, well OK for a house inhabited by a single bloke. I do have a small checmical burn on my left wrist.

So today I took a day trip to Blackpool. Some don't like it as a venue, but for me it was a great day out. I even got fed for free in the evening. Marvelous.

Great Idea

Courtesy of Steve H and Andrew M at work:

http://www.petroldirect.com/

Nice to know someone's thinking of drivers of modified DeLoriens.

An evening in Manchester

As I picked up a few books at home decided to take them to tonights Bookcrossing meet up.

Unfortunately the Leeds Meetup wasn't on (I hadn't been paying attention and it had happened last week instead). So I went over to Manchester to the mini costa coffee in Deansgate Waterstones.

Afterwards I treked over to Eastlands Asda to look at the cameras, but the display had been put away for the night.

On my way out of Manchester I managed to find a perol station with cheap petrol and virtually no queue so I filled up. The petrol crisis is really a self fulfilling prophesy, some people went to the petrol station because of threatened protests, then the rest of us went out to get pertol because the panic byers were causing shortages. Well I'd been out so was only buying fuel to get home as per normal. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Estate Agents!

Having heard nothing from my local estate agents mailing lists regarding properties, yesterday I decided to chase them up. Having not been very well on Friday this was saturday lunchtime.

So given most house hunters are working people (in oredr to pay their morgage) when do Wilman and Lodge and Wilman and Wilman close? That's right- at 5 pm weekdays and most of the weekend!

It's a pity most people selling their houses round here entrust them to these jokers.

Buying a house is not a process suitable for anyone with a life. It takes an enormous amount of energy and effort even to fins somewhere suitable, let alone purchase it!

The weekend

It's hard to see why the weekend filled me with such glee and positivity.

It wasn't the best Gilwell Reunion I'd ever been to. Much of the staff and many of the participants were slightly jaded from Eurojam. But I had such a great time.

I spent most of the weekend with members of what might be described as the "Internationals junkies club". Saturday was spent going round the stalls and picking up information. Sunday was spent talking about Eurojam on a Globus, in a presentation about the Serbian National Jamboree. And then I went home feeling very bouyant and enthusiastic.

Called in at Claire and Phil's on the way home, which was lovely. Alex has "That's not my Monster." which is one of the series I hadn't read before.

Weekend

Was great.

Met up with friends, put the world to rights, and filled me with enthusiasm.

More later, but for those of you that care about such thinks, I'm feeling good about life at the moment.