Lapwings

Having had my old (current at time of writing) Landlord advertised on the BBC Panorama programme and my new landlord worrying about the pipes freezing and bursting before I move in, I made a journey to check that everything was okay, and it was. As my old Landlord flooded the place when I moved in, having the new one taking an interest that the property does not deteriorate at least looks promising.

The only difficulty is that it meant I lost time packing. But I did use it as an opportunity to take the most delicate items with me. Further, having discovered that there is a small bus company that provides a service to the large village next to the hamlet I am moving to from Consett, the trip was less arduous than previous ones. Additionally, as it went through other remote countryside I was delighted to discover the hidden beauty. Once I have the time and opportunity, I will go back and get images that may show these undiscovered delights.

One part that I had not expected was to see large flocks of Lapwings feeding in the fields along with the sheep. As its upland hill farming country, it has to be sheep. However, what was remarkable about these Lapwings was simply that they were so close to the roadside. Often when they can be seen from the roadside they are near the middle or away from where people are or could be. Its the isolation and lack of disturbance that means the Lapwings feel safe with only the sheep and traffic for company.

The weather and wind will cause me problems, I am realistic about that, but given some fair weather, the early morning sun and early starts, I am sure that I will discover the delights hidden in the folds of the landscape.

Autumn Sunshine

As anyone that has moved house will know, packing your worldly goods into boxes takes time. Further, while the boxes pile up it really does seem as though I was making no progress. The difficulties are simply that I have a significant number of books and unless they are packed in small boxes, they become impossible to lift and carry. Well I finally got the shelves cleared and dismantled.

Additionally just to show how exciting my life is at the moment, I also got all the dirty washing down to the laundry. At least when I do move, I will not have anything but clean belongings.

It meant that I was able to enjoy the bus journey and the autumn colours in the low bright morning sunshine. Also, I have been savouring the sightings of the Red Kites. While the hamlet I am moving to is only twenty miles away, I don't know if they are ever sighted there. But I understand that there has been an occasional sighting of a harrier there, an even more rare bird.

Things I will Miss

It is rather strange that it has taken the news that I am leaving the village to get other people that I have known here by sight, to start talking to me. I have always tried to be friendly and open, but others seemed rather cautious and closed. Yet just trying to go about my normal activities I have people coming up to me telling me they are sorry to hear I am leaving.

While I really like the village I am moving from, especially the woods that surround it, and it always the people that make a place, there is a lack of community spirit lodged with a minority here. There are still people that have that spirit, but there is a rather negative attitude that has become rather draining. So while I will miss many of the people here when I do move, there will also be a few that I will not miss.

The person that has prompted this posting though is a story of hope though. As when I first moved to this village, there were various people who were involved in drugs. I was even offered drugs the first time I went to one of the local pubs. I even met a young woman who initially got on with, but I disassociated myself from as she was a drug user. I did say to her that she was unwise to be using and she would be better off not using them.

Yesterday, while waiting for the bus to return home from getting food shopping, she spotted me and came over to say hello. Now I had not seen her for almost three years, but she had heard I was moving. Well the gossip is better than the telephone system. Anyway she was saying she was sorry to see me leaving and that I had been instrumental in her seeking treatment so she is now drug free.

As I told her it was her efforts not mine that enabled her to obtain that goal. I also made it clear that I had someone in my life and she too had met someone. I was glad to hear that as it concerned me that she may have still held a candle for me. However, it is good to hear that she has got her life back in control.

As well as some of the people that I will miss, I will miss the local countryside and the wildlife. It will not surprise my long suffering reader that I will miss seeing the Red Kites. However, it is likely that I will see other wildlife where I am moving to.

Community Spirit

As I had to be at the new house early to accept a delivery of coal, I had to be up at four in the morning, as the only way to get there from nine in the morning, was to catch the first transport from my village at quarter past five. It is actually ironic as the hamlet that I am moving to is in fact less than twenty miles away by the most direct route, but there is no direct public transport. Therefore, I had four buses to catch.

I was in fact really lucky as I was able arrive with plenty of time to spare with each connection and I made it to the house well ahead of the delivery. In fact I had to wait for a while until the delivery arrived. I had brought a camping stove and other items so I could at least make a cup of tea. Also having taken a can of soup too, I was able to stay refreshed.

On the two previous visits, it has been overcast and raining, but today for the morning at least it was bright with a good sustained period of sunshine. This meant that when I had to walk into the main village or small town where the shops and facilities are, I got to appreciate the landscape and view.

It occurred to me while travelling down on the buses this morning that had the place I been moving to been as popular as the North Yorkshire Moors or the Lake District it would better accessible and I would not have been able to afford to live here either.

Had I not had other things to bring and I not been feeling in such a “I really wanted to stay in bed” frame of mind this morning, I would have remembered to bring the camera. Well it will give me something to do when I do move.

As the property I am moving to has a prepayment meter fitted, I had to walk into town to get the key charged. In my old place I have a credit meter and pay by direct debit. When I asked about getting this changed in the new place, I was told it would cost me over fifty pounds to have this done. An extra cost that I can not afford to pay at the moment. Therefore, I will have to pay more for my electricity for now. It is an aspect of the way that the power and utilities companies operate that I find annoying and unfair. As the people who have the least money, the poorest in society have to pay the most for Heating, Lighting and Power. With the current Con Dem (my name for the coalition government), cutting resources for the poor, well I am not happy about such unfairness. However, as this has been a day of good things, I don't want to go there at the moment.

On the day that I had signed the lease, I had visited Tow Law and stopped for a drink and a bite to eat in a café there. It was rather nice that they remembered me when I went in today. I was also able to get the numbers for a couple of folks supplying logs too.

As I was standing at the bus stop waiting to leave my new village, this elderly chap pulls up and asks if I want a lift. As I needed to go further than he was going and I already had my ticket, I did not accept the offer, but it was very heart warming to have received the offer. I get the impression that there is a real community spirit in the village. I just hope that I can offer at least as much as I will receive living there.

Old King Coal

There are some aspects of moving house that should be and are really simple. Getting the electricity account on in my name was simple. The gas was even more simple as all I have to do is give the final reading when I move out, and once that bill is paid, in the new house the gas will be free. Well until they actually supply gas to the village. Until then I need to use solid fuel, Coal or Wood.

The day that I went to sign the lease and get the keys, I stayed on the bus to the main habitation, a large village or small town. I am not sure how the locals would describe it, but its only a fifteen minute walk from my new habitation. However its where the community facilities are and while looking at what there was there, I noticed in two shops numbers for people supplying logs, so once there I will be placing an order. However, as the heating is an open fire with a back boiler for central heating and hot water, I also needed to get an order of coal. Now never having ordered coal before, I was a little lost about how much or how little I needed to get. But one of the two local coal merchants was very helpful and I will be getting just 100kg to start with. That's two sacks, and as half a tonne is twenty sacks I am glad that I did not need to buy in that volume just yet. So I need to go down on Friday to accept that delivery. That way I will have heating and hot water for when I move in.

However, of all the services that I will most need, was the most difficult to arrange, that of the telephone. I was after all just transferring my existing service to a new address. Oh no not to them, I was having to set up a new account, and I will be charged over one hundred pounds for the privilege of them allowing me to have a telephone. Not only that, but with my existing contract I get the Broadband as part of the package, not any more, I will now have to pay extra for this.

While in some ways I will end up with a better service an average speed of 6MBS, currently I am lucky to get 2MBS, I do feel rather cheated by the way that these costs and charges have been imposed upon me for something that is a necessity. Also it was ironic that it took over two hours to get them to fully explain how and why the charges were calculated. For a communications company, they don't like to communicate. Well not with their customers.

It was rather interesting to see that last night where I am moving to was minus four C. I will be taking the talking trees advice and moving the sofa by the fire and curling up with a close friend. When she comes up to visit that is.

Although I think I will avoid trying the head in the oven trick, unless I have icicles in the hair.

Good things come

Occasionally good things happen to you and occasionally you see good deeds done. Well today, I was blessed with both.

On the final leg of a long journey home after having signed the tenancy for a new home, I was on the bus when the driver helped a senior lady. She needed to get back to Consett but the bus was going the wrong way for her needs. After checking he realised that he would be the next bus returning, so suggested that she got on to get out of the cold. Now while the bus company does get paid for carrying passengers with concession travel tickets, it was what happened next that showed it was no cynical act. As he got to a point where she could have got off and waited for another bus, at least getting her home quicker, he gave her the choice. She chose to remain in the warm and seeing this just made me feel warm inside.

As I said at the start, I was returning from having just signed the lease on a new house. It has not been easy to get, as so many Agents are trying to play games with the market and are trying to artificially keep, or maintain the illusion, that rents are still rising.

But I now have the place and will be moving soon. It has a much larger kitchen, and will enable me to be creative there, but also and more importantly it has the elements that both I and my better half want and need too.

As for the location, well it is in a rather isolated village, high on the Durham Fells. In fact I am all but looking down on wind turbines. Therefore, I am expecting this to be an interesting first winter!As there is no gas to the village, the heating will be with Coal or Logs, so both you dear reader and I can expect some interesting times. I made the agents representative laugh as he described it as a one horse place, however I had to correct him on that as I am sure the horses out number the people.

When I got back the first thing I did was call my better half and tell her that we now have a home for her when she needs to escape university. Hopefully she will approve or this mouse is in trouble.