The neighbours are not happy, the cat is not happy and the dog is definitely not happy!
This all started the day the concrete was laid. I got this crazy idea, let’s paint the floor of the new shed – FIRE ENGINE RED!
Yup – new shed, new concrete floor to be painted fire engine red!
Why? – don’t know – but I thought a good idea.
The idea was run past the neighbours, they shook their heads and thought we were mad.
We are mad! – Hubby went to the local concrete suppliers, who sold us their reddest paint – it was terracotta.
Two coats and the floor is RED! – smiles from hubby and I.
The neighbours still think we are mad – and I agree with them, it’s easier than disagreeing!
My red floor will knock your socks off – boy does it look good and boy is it shiny!
I love my red shed floor!
Oh the cat is not happy – she now has red feet and the dog is not happy he got in the wrong spot at the wrong time and is now known as red spot dog!
Showing posts with label neighbours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neighbours. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Barking mad
Set the scene – Rural average, 11 houses in total, every house has dog(s). Everyone is pretty happy with their lot in life.
One house seems to attract all the dogs in the street, be it big dogs or small dogs – they all end up at the house at some time during the day. Being fed and generally just rolling around on the back door step until the owners come home and then the dogs disperse!
There is a new couple on the street, the dogs are treated like children, birthday cakes when they turn of age etc. Some of us dog lovers think they are mad.
Imagine a long weekend, Imagine from a property emits the sounds of barking dogs, not for 1-2 hours, not for 8 hours but for the entire 72 hours, dogs bark.
It is not the Bassett, it’s not the Springer Spaniel, it’s not the German Shepherd, it’s not the Bitzer or the Boxer. It’s not the Jack Russell nor the Blue Heeler or the Rottweiler. It’s the two ‘Children’ they have been left alone, left alone is something they are not used to, it is something foreign to them. They are not used to amusing themselves, they are not used to not being doted upon. They are not used to being locked out of the house.
They are driving everyone in the street mad. They bark day and night, they bark night and day. They bark without stopping. I pity the people next door to them. Their bedroom is less than 20m away from the kennels. My bedroom is perhaps 100m from the kennels. The people in the valley 4 doors down ring me and ask which dogs are barking?
It had got to the stage that a mutiny was declared. A poison pen letter was composed and dropped in the mail box.
They get home, they take offense at said letter, they decide the street is the enemy.
The noise continues, the neighbours move out because of the noise. They are burgled and because they have ostracised the street are unable to ask if we, the neighbours saw anything. They can’t even ask the neighbours to collect the mail now – they have to pay someone to do that.
If you have dogs, it’s fine to treat them like children. But if you treat them children, that means they will behave like children. You don’t leave Children unattended for 3 days straight do you?
Think of your neighbours, think of yourself. In times of need, you need your neighbours. Do not ostracise those that may one day be useful
Take it from someone who knows! **wink**
One house seems to attract all the dogs in the street, be it big dogs or small dogs – they all end up at the house at some time during the day. Being fed and generally just rolling around on the back door step until the owners come home and then the dogs disperse!
There is a new couple on the street, the dogs are treated like children, birthday cakes when they turn of age etc. Some of us dog lovers think they are mad.
Imagine a long weekend, Imagine from a property emits the sounds of barking dogs, not for 1-2 hours, not for 8 hours but for the entire 72 hours, dogs bark.
It is not the Bassett, it’s not the Springer Spaniel, it’s not the German Shepherd, it’s not the Bitzer or the Boxer. It’s not the Jack Russell nor the Blue Heeler or the Rottweiler. It’s the two ‘Children’ they have been left alone, left alone is something they are not used to, it is something foreign to them. They are not used to amusing themselves, they are not used to not being doted upon. They are not used to being locked out of the house.
They are driving everyone in the street mad. They bark day and night, they bark night and day. They bark without stopping. I pity the people next door to them. Their bedroom is less than 20m away from the kennels. My bedroom is perhaps 100m from the kennels. The people in the valley 4 doors down ring me and ask which dogs are barking?
It had got to the stage that a mutiny was declared. A poison pen letter was composed and dropped in the mail box.
They get home, they take offense at said letter, they decide the street is the enemy.
The noise continues, the neighbours move out because of the noise. They are burgled and because they have ostracised the street are unable to ask if we, the neighbours saw anything. They can’t even ask the neighbours to collect the mail now – they have to pay someone to do that.
If you have dogs, it’s fine to treat them like children. But if you treat them children, that means they will behave like children. You don’t leave Children unattended for 3 days straight do you?
Think of your neighbours, think of yourself. In times of need, you need your neighbours. Do not ostracise those that may one day be useful
Take it from someone who knows! **wink**
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mortgages, Ownership and Interest Rates
The news today is saying that interest rates are going up on mortgages. I see people are already panicking about this.
They curse the banks, they seem to think that it’s the banks fault they are struggling with their repayments. People look for others to blame for their problems.
Here is my story:-
**Purchased first home November 1987. A 10sq 1970’s brick house, close to amenities and schools, ripe for renovation and new carpet and paint
· Interest rates 17-18%
· Paid off March 1990
· We went without new cars, we went without new furniture, we went without renovations, we went without dining out, we went without entertainment.
**Purchased second home June 1996. A 8sq 1930’s weatherboard house, miles from anywhere with 5 acres attached. Or what is known in the industry as a ‘Renovators Delight’
· Interest Rates 5-9%
· Still paying off, but there has been illness and accidents
· We lived in the old house for 7 years, whilst saving and collecting for the ‘new’ house. We still did without new cars, new furniture, dining out and entertainment and had two children to support.
Now you are sitting back and saying that we suffered, that we did it too hard. That we must have had parents help, that we must have good paying jobs. Ummm sorry to shoot you down, but we had none of that. If fact we were 19yo and 23yo. No university degrees, no qualifications, nothing other than the desire to move ahead in life and do it with minimal distress.
What I am trying to impress upon my readers is that – to move into the ‘best’ suburb, to move into the ‘’best’ house in the ‘best’ street , may not actually be in your ‘best’ interests.
I will be able to when I am 50yo sit back and not have to worry about where the next rent payment is coming from, not have to worry about the where the next mortgage payment is coming from. Everything should be paid off soon.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
You must make your biggest life purchase, with the thought in the back of your mind, what happens if something goes wrong? What happens if there is a car accident? What happens if we accidentally become a family?
Life is interesting, life is fun, life is also unpredictable and you must be prepared.
There is no way possible that we would have been able to achieve what we did without finance. But we approached the idea of finance with the respect it deserves.
Be the interest rates of 5% or 17% you must be able to afford the worst case scenario. If you are unable to afford them, then perhaps you need to consider selling and moving into something smaller. Or starting again, using the period that you were paying the mortgage as a period in your life you lived rent-free.
We now can go out to the occasional dinner, the occasional movie, we even bought a new car or two. But we looked at each major purchase and the ramifications of each purchase before purchasing.
Many people think that money comes easily.
Money does not grow on trees. It grows through hard work and respect.
They curse the banks, they seem to think that it’s the banks fault they are struggling with their repayments. People look for others to blame for their problems.
Here is my story:-
**Purchased first home November 1987. A 10sq 1970’s brick house, close to amenities and schools, ripe for renovation and new carpet and paint
· Interest rates 17-18%
· Paid off March 1990
· We went without new cars, we went without new furniture, we went without renovations, we went without dining out, we went without entertainment.
**Purchased second home June 1996. A 8sq 1930’s weatherboard house, miles from anywhere with 5 acres attached. Or what is known in the industry as a ‘Renovators Delight’
· Interest Rates 5-9%
· Still paying off, but there has been illness and accidents
· We lived in the old house for 7 years, whilst saving and collecting for the ‘new’ house. We still did without new cars, new furniture, dining out and entertainment and had two children to support.
Now you are sitting back and saying that we suffered, that we did it too hard. That we must have had parents help, that we must have good paying jobs. Ummm sorry to shoot you down, but we had none of that. If fact we were 19yo and 23yo. No university degrees, no qualifications, nothing other than the desire to move ahead in life and do it with minimal distress.
What I am trying to impress upon my readers is that – to move into the ‘best’ suburb, to move into the ‘’best’ house in the ‘best’ street , may not actually be in your ‘best’ interests.
I will be able to when I am 50yo sit back and not have to worry about where the next rent payment is coming from, not have to worry about the where the next mortgage payment is coming from. Everything should be paid off soon.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
You must make your biggest life purchase, with the thought in the back of your mind, what happens if something goes wrong? What happens if there is a car accident? What happens if we accidentally become a family?
Life is interesting, life is fun, life is also unpredictable and you must be prepared.
There is no way possible that we would have been able to achieve what we did without finance. But we approached the idea of finance with the respect it deserves.
Be the interest rates of 5% or 17% you must be able to afford the worst case scenario. If you are unable to afford them, then perhaps you need to consider selling and moving into something smaller. Or starting again, using the period that you were paying the mortgage as a period in your life you lived rent-free.
We now can go out to the occasional dinner, the occasional movie, we even bought a new car or two. But we looked at each major purchase and the ramifications of each purchase before purchasing.
Many people think that money comes easily.
Money does not grow on trees. It grows through hard work and respect.
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