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LisaP

We have moved - to Wales!

By LisaP, in The Nesting Box

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LisaP All Knowing Superchicken

LisaP

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We actually moved 8 weeks ago today! but I don't know where the time has gone so apologies for the belated update :oops:

 

We finally accepted an offer on our house at the end of November but due to our buyer being 'a bit awkward' :roll: I didn't dare post about it in case it all went pear shaped :anxious:

 

Anyway we did move (from Bracknell, Berks) and here we are, just about 8 miles north of Carmarthen. We now have a large Victorian house which needs a LOT of TLC, bucket loads in fact, but we love it and it does have large front and back gardens and 8.7 acres of land :dance:

 

Our two youngest sons are now settled into their new school and have just gone back today after the Easter holiday and are getting used to travelling by school bus, after previously walking to school :wink:

 

The only downside of this move is that my husband and our eldest son still work in Marlow, Bucks. They both work for the same company and have had to rent a flat there. The plan was that OH would be in Marlow on Tues/Wed/Thu and come back here and work from home on Fri and Mon, unfortunately that hasn't quite happened yet but hopefully it'll work out at some point because unless OH can get a job down here it's the best compromise we can manage.

He left on Sunday to take DD back to Uni in Sussex because she had just been back for a month and then he went back to the flat in Marlow - Carmarthen to Sussex is not quite as quick and easy as Bracknell to Sussex was :roll:

 

It's feeling very quiet today as its the first time I've been on my own for a month now all the children and OH have all gone back.

 

Lisa P

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craftyhunnypie Chuckling Chook

craftyhunnypie

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Wow Congratulations!!! :clap::dance: If you are 8 miles north of Carmarthen, you must be nearer to Lampeter? If so, I'll meet you for coffee & cake / lunch sometime! I'm just 6 mins drive from Tregaron, but I go Lampeter & Aber very often.

Welcome to Wales - you will love it! Any plans on extending the menagerie of animals with your 8.7 acres?! :wink::whistle:

Well done on achieving your dream!

Emma.x

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LisaP All Knowing Superchicken

LisaP

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Thank you all for your replies.

 

We're about 4 or 5 miles from Llandysul, it's where our new vets are - haven't found a new doctor for us yet but we've got the pets sorted :wink:

 

Looks like OH will be staying at the job in Marlow. Potted history is that he was made redundant back in 2007 and had only had intermittent contract work since, with the longest contract being the current one which has run since the end of 2010. I like to think that the company thought they were going to lose him, now that we've moved because they've now offered him a permanent position :dance: ES had been working there on contract too since last summer and the company made him permanent in February :dance: So excellent that we might now have a bit more stability such as paid holiday, sickness etc but it does mean that we'll have to continue with the current setup of him being away Tue/Wed/Thu each week.

 

Up until Monday we did still have 3 of the previous owner's horses in our fields, so we hadn't actually had access to our land. Now that we do we're hopefully going to get registered as a smallholding and then start to look at what animals to get. OH wants a couple of pigs and some meat birds and of course I would like some more chickens, I think it would be wrong not to :lol: and of course I'll be needing some alpacas to work as flock guards :whistle: Myself and DD are vegetarian but OH and our 3 boys are planning to turn the pigs etc into dinner :wink:

 

As far as the house is concerned its actually going to take a lot of elbow grease before I can even start dishing out the TLC. This house is filthy, I have a Dyson animal vacuum but have actually managed to block it several times with cobwebs :vom::shock: The previous owners had 4 or 5 papillon dogs and 4 Maine coon cats, unfortunately although these were all indoor pets I don't think any of them were housetrained :shameonu: suffice to say we need to replace several carpets and a lovely set of floor length Laura Ashley curtains because the dogs had cocked their legs up them

:vom: Our dogs were so confused when we got here that we were letting them out to the garden but they were coming back inside to wee, I think because it didn't smell of wee outside but it did inside :doh:

 

I have to mention the crow! The lady had a 'pet' crow which she would release to fly around the house at night time. Anyway said crow also pooed all over the place while out and about, so if anyone knows how I can get crow poo stains off of original Victorian tiled floors I would be very grateful :wink:

 

We also have a lot of blocked off fireplaces, including an inglenook in the kitchen and who artexes the ceilings of a Victorian house :notalk:

 

I have moments of feeling completely overwhelmed by the thought of all the work needed which I am trying to balance out with a vision of how the house could be :anxious:

 

Lisa P

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ClaireG Effusive Egg Layer

ClaireG

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After a quick Google car shampoo has been suggested for removing bird poo. It should be gentle enough to use on the tiles.

Are the Laura Ashley curtains washable? You could try washing them with some white vinegar in the wash to help remove the pee smell. If there not washable, perhaps putting them in a bin liner or other big bag with some bicarb for a few days, and giving it a good shake every now and then would help. Bicarb is great for getting rid of nasty niffs.

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LisaP All Knowing Superchicken

LisaP

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Thank you ClaireG I'll give the car shampoo a go. I've managed to get most of the actual poo off, it's just the stains that are not budging. I've already washed the curtains because we decided that I couldn't really ruin them more :roll: they did shrink a bit but we're still using them for the time being and at least they don't smell now :wink:

 

Lisa P

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scubababe All Knowing Superchicken

scubababe

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It sounds like a lot of hard work BUT it also sounds like a dream in the making :drool: Just keep thinking of how lovely it will be when it's all done. Once all the cleaning is done you can then take 1 room at a time and make it yours :wink:

 

I would love a project like that :mrgreen:

 

Must admit the thought of the pets toileting in the house did make me :vom:

 

Our lot only have to sniff the carpet and they're thrown outside :lol:

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craftyhunnypie Chuckling Chook

craftyhunnypie

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Look forward to you coming over to ours Lisa (&OH). Before you get any animals do your research. We have changed our minds lots over certain animals since we moved here & spoken to others & done research. Plus we have seen for ourselves what problems, certain animals can give you! Will talk to you when you come over! :D

 

Don't worry about your house Lisa. I'm sure you will make it your haven!

We were lucky here, ok we have 1970's carpet in the living room & rather busy carpet in the hall, but new carpet everywhere else had been laid. Plus all walls are cream, so it's a balnk canvas & it was clean!

 

Ok the grass on the fields was very long, but we got hay off it & are going to do the same this year - 2 lots hopefully!

 

Yes the first thing to do is get a CPH number - really easy to do & ours came quick! Then Animal Health will contact you asking what animals you have. That was easy too! Make sure you register with the club at a CCF store ( agricultural co operative suppliers). You pay a membership fee & get your feeds a bit cheaper, plus get dividends each year!

Don't know where your local one will be - can look it up for you? Might be Newcastle Emlyn.

Will PM you later on tomorrow.

Emma.x

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LisaP All Knowing Superchicken

LisaP

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Thank you Space Chick. I'd love to meet up and I'm not too far from Swansea. Although my geography is not great, I think I'm just about in the middle, distance wise, between you and Craftyhunnypie so maybe we could all get together sometime:wink:

 

Lisa P

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Chortle Chook Effusive Egg Layer

Chortle Chook

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For the Laura Ashley curtains you could wash them, or get them dry cleaned, then when you get them back spray them with a product you can get from your vet that completely removes animal urine smell even from animal noses. Also shops that rent out carept cleaning equipment can provide you with a pink solution that smells of bubble gum. That too completely removes animal urine smell and not just by masking the 'scent'.

(I'm sorry about the lack of product names but I always buy the said solutions as re-fills dispensed into my small spray bottles, and have long since forgotten the exact names. However I do know that the vet / carpet cleaning shops will know easily what you mean if you just give my descriptions.)

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