North East thread 5: The one where we move to Chat!

[Someaddedsugar]

Here's thread 5 everyone! I'll post a link over on thread 4 too.

And there's plans for 100s of houses at both sniperly and Sherburn Road! Our gp is extending into the building next door.

Nephew and niece both had it, before Christmas - probably delta as it's before Omicron hit their area. He's at uni and they both work in retail so it was only a matter of time.

I still get the email alerts from rightmove that I set up 5 years ago - 3 beds+, DH1, 150-250. They're increasingly only 3 bed, often tiny town houses and more and more from out of town.

Durham too @lifelongfrugaleer - I've always had Rightmove alerts set up but never known it this few and far between @PickAChew, and as you say they're either tiny or horrendously overpriced. It's madness. We're going to give it a couple of months and then might have to reconsider location.

To be honest I've already messed things up as need to apply for primary schools for DS by mid-Jan but as we don't know where we'll be living I'm not sure what we're meant to do! The school here is lovely but I don't want to be driving through Durham every day if we end up moving to the other side.

There was the gorgeous house on Holmlands Crescent (Road?) but it went for ridiculous money that I just couldn't justify. Annoyingly that one's stuck with me though!

The Sniperley development looks like it'll be huge doesn't it!

I agree @AlviarinAesSedai - I must have known a few people who had it pre-December but not many, and now I think I'm one of the few people I know who haven't had it (touch wood).

Are you looking at specific areas sugar?

I think school wise you need to just apply based on where you are then request a space at schools local to you once you've moved. You might have to put him on a waiting list for a while but there is often a fair bit of movement in Durham.

Everyone has covid now. Everyone. Staffing is very difficult at work. Friends have it, my childminder has it.

If it's any help, sugar, I know a recently-rated Good primary school to the east of the city which is desperate for pupils, so I suspect you won't find it hard to move if necessary.

I haven't! (that I know of)

Had horrendous headache and congestion between Christmas and new year and zoe app told me to do a pcr, which I did after ds2's cough and knowing that I pretty much had core Omicron symptoms. Came back negative.

These have been on thesrjet since we were looking www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/117081416#/?channel=RES_BUY
Probably a good 5 years. I think some have shifted but there's always been at least one recently listed.

On the market 😣

good grief that is a ridiculous property

(and overusing the word "stunning" is not enough to disguise this)

Went to Arnison centre today and went home via Pity Me. The new development behind Pullman’s is coming on a pace. Looks like a frame is up already!

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea we're not 100% sure where yet but we want to be more central so that we can walk into Durham rather than drive/get the bus.

That's good to know @merryhouse. I'm hoping DS has a slightly lower birth rate year too!

I've driven past that one a few times as I used to work at Meadowfield @PickAChew and often wondered how much interest they'd get. Clearly not as much as they'd want!

Hope work isn't too bad for you with lots of people being off unwell @OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea. We've got the most people off we've had in the last two years although most people don't seem too unwell which is a good thing.

Has there been anything to say when that site will be open @AlviarinAesSedai? I'm always amazed how fast things get built now. Although the cinema etc where the passport office used to be seems to have taken years. Possibly just my imagination but it doesn't seem to be making much progress!

I read summer 2022! How true that is, I don’t know @Someaddedsugar.
The side were the premier inn is, does feel like years. It was a building site at Lumiere of 2019.
Good luck with your house hunting.

I remember those Browney houses from decades ago. For a long time they were a tumbledown stables, obviously older than the social housing which had sprung up across the road from them. So I was quite pleased that they were given a new life.

There are also some old one storey miners' cottages in Brandon Village which have remained untouched and empty since I first moved there in 1973 (though admittedly I haven't checked recently).

And round here, Framwellgate Moor, there are a fair few old terraced cottages and one-storey one bedroom houses which seem to be empty and in need of refurbishment. I find this quite surprising, since we are so convenient for Durham and the A167.

I think lack of parking is an issue for some of those. The ones nearest the carpet shop have lost the land they used to park on, at the back. It's been fenced off and will have a load of houses built on it.

Just bumping thread.
I haven’t dared check Co Durham numbers. Know more people with covid now.

Someone sent me Darlington numbers just now 3355 active cases up 933 since last week

I hope the numbers start to drop soon. Wales are claiming they're past the peak but I haven't heard similar commentary about England (although I might have missed it).

Hope everyone's ok. It's been lovely having the sun back for a few days!

Our numbers are shocking over 8000, seven day . They have to drop soon.
It’s great to see the sun, but not when I’m driving. It is still quite low in sky. But spring is coming because it is definitely lighter late afternoon.
In good news youngest DD has received her text to book her booster finally, 🙂 .

So far, we have resisted the pull into the black, in Durham City. It's only a matter of time, though, particularly if/when students come back.

We need to pop over to curry's with a tape measure and have a look at washing machines. Ours is on its deathbed. It's done about 5000 loads so owes us nothing. We can't have one that's too deep, though, as that would mean we can't open a cupboard, so the choice is annoyingly small

Good luck with your washing machine search PickAChew.
Went to Durham today, went with my DD’s to spent their Christmas money. Went out for lunch. I’ve had a very nice day.

Did you find a washing machine @PickAChew?

Sounds like a lovely day @AlviarinAesSedai - where did you go for lunch?

I had a longer lunch break than usual and did the housework and it's amazing the difference knowing that it's done and I don't have to think about it tomorrow! I also bought myself a gift wrap storage bag and decluttered all of my gift wrap and bags (given I'm 33 it's quite worrying how much this makes me happy 😂) so feeling quite pleased this evening.

Still haven't found a house. Every one we've wanted to see either goes straight away, would need way more work than would be worth it with the asking price or has a million people viewing it so will turn into a bidding war. Slight exaggeration on the numbers but it's still a crazy market at the moment. They're even getting viewings before the listing is live which just seems mad when you can't see the interior!

I need to buy a gift wrap storage bag/ box.
Can’t believe we are pretty much half way through January!
We went to Flat White, very nice is was too. Queuing for 30 minutes was worth it.

Have you tried ao.com for a washer?
I got my giftwrap bad from ikea if you are near there.
I need to come up and buy furniture one day
Housing market it mad. We viewed ours without seeing the listing until 4 days after.

Fingers crossed, since dh tinkered with the electrics in our current washer, it's been behaving. No idea whether something had shaken loose or the circuit board is on its way out, though. All the control panel leads looked normal but the buttons didn't respond and the numbers didn't change when I returned the dial. Turning it off at the wall, waiting a few minutes, and turning it on again didn't fix it. DH reseated all the connectors and that brought it back to life. We've narrowed it down to a couple of possibilities, though. Will likely buy from either AO or JL, depending which we choose.

Leds

I may venture to the Metro centre this week, it’s one of the few places I can be comfortable on my motability scooter. Anyone know if the Waterstones coffee shop is open?