North East thread 4: Fingers crossed we catch the Angel bus!

[Someaddedsugar]

Just thought I'd start a new thread for the north east lot as number 3 is getting pretty full!

@PennyDreadfuI hope you're ok and hope you don't mind me picking the thread up!

Cinema was good, no idea what was happening in film, but was fun. Roll on Black Widow.

@MrsEWeatherwax pleased the cinema was good!

I took DS to Infinite Air today and while I'll still be wearing a mask and being cautious when the restrictions lift, I really struggled wearing a mask running after DS on the soft play and inflatable course! It was lovely and quiet though with the distancing measures in place - I'm guessing it might not be quite so lovely from the 19th!

The figures for Durham city centre seem to be dropping but going up everywhere else in the area. I hope they peak soon and start to drop!

Yes, I noticed that too, it’s spreading into the villages.
My DD’s love infinite air.
I can’t even go around the supermarket without being hot and bothered. So I’m impressed about running around after toddler.
Hospital’s still pretty stable, thank goodness.

It's definitely spreading quickly into the villages. According to the map cases have gone up double in most of the surrounding villages! Like you say at least it's the cases going up but not the hospitalisations.

It'll be interesting to see if the school holidays do make a difference.

I wouldn't recommend chasing a toddler in a mask but I did enjoy the inflatables !

Not spotted this thread active for ages.

We're all full vaccinated except Ds2. Would take an elephant gun to get him done so we're relying on herd immunity for him.

Durham numbers are horrific but completely centred (initially)around student areas. Fram school ended up closing for a while with 1/3 of staff and pupils isolating.

Good luck with your house hunt @Someaddedsugar. We found in our Durham hunt that so many houses had a box room or no second toilet or rooms that were all a foot too small in any direction and we weren't even looking for catchment areas. I know a house near me that will go on the market, soon, if you're up for a reno project, mind, 😏

It's definitely a lot quieter @PickAChew!

I've noticed some really odd room configurations in houses in Durham - and a lot where the only bathroom is linked to the kitchen downstairs. We're fine with one bathroom if it's big enough for a separate bath and shower as long as it's upstairs - I have no idea why but I just feel that's the 'right' place to have a bathroom!

As much as I'd love a project I honestly think it'd kill DP off (maybe a reason to push for a project ) as he's so busy at work these days.

I'm checking Rightmove daily but there just isn't that much coming onto the market. I'm assuming there's a lull following the stamp duty freeze ending and hoping that things will change in the next few months.

I've noticed some really odd room configurations in houses in Durham - and a lot where the only bathroom is linked to the kitchen downstairs.

If they are old redbrick cottages, then this comes about because it was the best way to install an inside toilet to replace an outside netty. I have lived in a house with an outside netty and a coal house, not much fun in winter! By the time I was living in these sort of houses, in the 1970s, the netties were long connected to main drainage - having been converted from ash netties. And when these houses were first built, some of them had a kitchen in an outbuilding in a yard, which was also where the copper for laundry was.

I got used to our netty, and when I went to my parents, noticed myself thinking it was odd to have a bathroom inside and upstairs.

Actually probably applies to most non-posh terraced houses of a certain age regardless of building material.

@TheSilveryPussycat they're all terraces that we've looked at so far and you can tell with quite a few that have an upstairs bathroom that it's a new addition with the kitchen being extended in to what was the bathroom.

We used to have an outside toilet in the house my parents had when I was born. It wasn't ever used but hadn't been removed when the new bathroom was put in.

Yes the old terraces either have a long galley kitchen and bathroom single storey extension or if the owners at the time were a bit more flush a smaller 2 storey with a tiny kitchen and tiny bathroom. Some have since reconfigured to put a bathroom upstairs but it means losing bedroom space.

You get used to a downstairs bathroom, don't let it put you off. Our current house was a project and we have an upstairs one but we moved from a place with coal fired heating and downstairs bathroom. The heating was really efficient and the bathroom so useful with small kids, you could plonk them in the bath and supervise them while cooking dinner! Less good when pregnant and getting up a million times to wee though.

In 30 odd years of being a grown up, this is only my second house with an upstairs bathroom and we mostly use the downstairs one because the shower upstairs is knackered and the water pressure crap (OK, it's a chalet bungalow so the downstairs one came first)

Our last house was a terrace with only a downstairs bathroom and it was great when I needed to usher wet and/or muddy boys in through the back door for a clean up. It was also crap at 3am when I needed a, wee!

I used to have a milk bottle and funnel in the bedroom at night

I'd never considered the benefits of a downstairs bathroom. Having said that with DS and our dog it would probably be extremely handy to have a downstairs bathroom once, especially now football appears to be the next big thing in our house.

We haven't moved in ten years and I'd forgotten what it's like to try and find the right house. And with Covid it feels really strange viewing houses! We've seen a few houses but none have won us over so far (and have all sold within a day of us viewing them!). I will also say the property board on here terrifies me with the horror stories!

I spotted this morning there's a new testing centre appeared at Sniperley fire station.

The testing centre at Riverside Chester le Street always looks empty.
I don’t mind a downstairs bathroom especially if possible to put an shower en-suite upstairs maybe.
I would love to move but we can’t afford a four bedroom, my must haves to move are driveway, downstairs shower room with toilet. Utility room and I’d love a boot room because with 4 people in house we seen to grow shoes and coats! Plus when children leave home I will be able to have craft room/ book reading room.

I'm stuck with the dining room as my craft room. Better light than the room I was going to use, mind.

The Sniperly swabbing tent is the one that was at UHND, they've moved out so we can have the car park spaces back.

A boot room would be lovely! What crafting do you both do? A craft room also sounds lovely!

At the moment my only must have is 3 bedrooms (or 2 bedrooms and an upstairs alcove somewhere) as I'm working from home for the foreseeable and I don't like the thought of working in the living area if I can avoid it!

I haven't seen anyone going into the Sniperley test centre but having said that the traffic in general was quiet today. Maybe a lot of people off following the England match?

I knit, sporadically, but lately have been sewing lots. I'm just finishing off a pair of trousers with a proper fly and everything. I made a lot of use of the seam ripper.

And we're lucky that we have 2 front reception rooms plus the back kitchen diner, so dh, Ds1 and I take a room each, during the day! DH works in the room that was going to be a craft room, though I keep some of my stuff in there.

It must be amazing to be able to knit and sew. I’m always so jealous when I watch the sewing bee as there’s something so beautiful about the thought of handmade clothes.

My DSis bought me a knitting kit for a scarf for my birthday last year and I remember asking on here about casting on but couldn’t ever figure it out. I must get the kit back out and try again! The needles are huge as it’s a chunky knit (I’m assuming that’s why they’re so big anyway) and the instructions didn’t help me at all!

Will you continue making more clothes once the trousers are finished?

We have a kitchen joined with the living room at the moment and DP is usually home before I finish work so if I’m in a meeting it’s not too fun for him having to listen to me ramble on so I moved to our spare room and really like that I can shut the door on work when I finish in the evening so hoping to replicate wherever we end up!

I have a long, long list of things I am going to sew. As soon as I've hemmed these trousers, tomorrow, I'll be starting on this top in a lovely teal chambray. sewhouse7.com/products/the-tea-house-top-and-dress

I've been sewing since I was a child and knitting since Ds2 was a toddler - it's a lot more portable than sewing though even more vulnerable to mischievous little hands.

I'm in awe of some of the things produced on sewing bee, too. When Patrick says "you have four and a half hours" , I'm thinking "I'd like four and a half days with no interruptions, whatsoever, please."

That top is lovely! The dress version is gorgeous too!

Such a beautiful craft! I'm very jealous. But inspired to have another go with the scarf - you never know, it might be ready for Christmas 2022 .

I find the sewing bee amazing when they just come up with something. As silly as it sounds I'd have no idea where to start and would spend the entire 4 hours thinking of what to do!

PickAChewyou are so talented!
I do rubbish paintings/ upcycling. I have been to loads of craft classes. I just love painting mdf shapes etc. So shouldn’t really be on Mumsnet, I’m not cool.
I can crochet a square badly. But can’t knit, my DG use to cast me on and I would then drop every stitch .
But I love to bake.
The weather is awful today. Going to cinema again this afternoon.

It's more perseverance than talent! And I can't crochet. Not well enough to produce anything useful or attractive. Also, it hurts my wrists.

Hi everyone! It’s great to see this thread still going. I went out for a curry on Ocean Road in shields last night. It was absolutely rammed. I’ve also been to Dalton park this afternoon and I genuinely have never seen it so busy. I think everyone is just sick of being in the house.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend so far.