Heading towards year 2 exams (uni 2017)

[brizzlemint]

Starting uni 2017 continued.
Tales of radiators, errant boilers, tomatoes and potato mashers...oh and university students.

Quite fancy a pair myself. Not for my gap yah, but elasticated trousers are great at my age, and I love a fabric with elephants

To be fair cockroach prevention is well worth reading, however long. I was in Fort Knox, alone (the US army had sent all the men on a training fortnight somewhere else) and 39 weeks pregnant with DD1 and I'd gone out to dinner, returning home to flick on the light to find the large hall, kitchen and lounge absolutely heaving with cockroaches. Horrible and nothing necessarily to do with dirt (I'm super clean), just to do with the climate etc.

If/when I go back to Asia I will add you to the present list!

DD did go out with me about 18 months back. I was single when I lived there so did not fit easily into the ex-pat community (non-working wives who socialised as couple at weekends, or single men prone to throwing 'sarong-parties') but luckily met a lot of, often British educated, local many of whom have gone on to become very senior.

So DDs trip was well away from the gap yah trail, though ironically a family room for three at the Hilton was probably as cheap as a hippy guest house, and she got to play snooker with retired but still gossipy journalists, go to some rather upscale end of Ramadan celebrations, and generally hang out. I left part of my heart in Asia. I threaten DH that I plan to retire there. He is welcome to follow!

Needsmore, I have my eye on a fare east cruise, particularly one where I can visit an elephant sanctuary 😍

Then you need your gap yah trousers!

I lived in New York, and remember coming down to cockroach parties in the kitchen, though was probably too hungover to register any objection. I am not sure why they are not such an issue here.

I currently have two sets of East Euopean tenants completely freaked by moths, even though there is no evidence of any infestation. So added to their worries by mentioning mice. We have a major building site opposite with big excavations, so are regularly seeing rats as they establish new runs and nests. I might prefer cockroaches.

I am not sure why they are not such an issue here.

Given their adaptability, it really is more why we don't^^ have them than why they can be an issue in the US. Maybe building style has something to do with it?
The only non-captive cockroach I've seen in the U.K. was when I was a small child and we were touristing in Cambridge, there were some in a college dining room. Queens, iirc.

We had cockroach problems (and other problems) when I worked for a Local Authority, the floor below the canteen and the floor above the Civic Suite, which was mainly used for weddings.

Pest control said we were lucky. They were called out to Social Services on a regular basis. Apparently vermin are the reason why the customer facing part of social services are normally housed in a separate building.

I once had a snail infestation in one of my properties. A tenant was a landscape gardener and had stored sacks of soil in the kitchen. Close the curtains and turn on the lights and you could see slime everywhere.

I woke up in the middle of the night in a basement flat in Chelsea in the mid Eighties and switched on the light, again to find cockroaches all over the bedroom. I think they're here in the UK, they just like the dark. Both of my major cockroach encounters have been when suddenly switching on an electric light at night. So it could be that we just don't see them. They have their uses though: I was due at my MC law firm interview that lunchtime and was still shuddering when I got there and when the partner said Hello how are you I said well actually not so good I've been freaked by cockroaches overnight then he responded with his own cockroach stories and the interview went from strength to strength on that fairly niche front. That was the basis on which I got an offer - I don't remember any law or academic subjects being discussed at all.

Cockroaches, yuck! Horrible critters. The only ones I've ever seen have been when staying on holiday in Europe.

The only time we've refused an Xmas present request from DD was when she wanted some Madagascan hissing cockroaches. She'd done her research on how to house and feed them, I'd have been ok with it but DH vetoed it.

Her other requests have tended towards the modest and sensible, I should add.

The non hissing variety are bad enough Errol - you're clearly both made of stern stuff.

When we moved on to the Mojave desert I had no option but to call the police when I found the house surrounded by tarantulas. They were a bit dismissive of the problem I have to say, didn't really play cricket - even though the tarantulas were literally scaling the windows. Still, a learning curve which means that in the face of piercing screams from my DDs I can now remove any English spider with my bare hands.

I was a lot more tolerant of U.K. critters after living in the US too. DHs parting gifts from his colleagues included a book on their insects and an awesome fly swat.

There used to be cockroaches in the sauna in Brixton rec- thet would nip you through the slats in the benches

We have travelled quite a lot in Asia - love it!

DDs huge bedroom seems to have a drawback - aircon? noise through the night from the shop next door. This was not noticeable on their viewing and they weren't made aware of it, so she is composing an email to the landlord....

BTM you are a far braver woman than I.

I used to loathe Brixton Rec. The grubby soft play area, the scuzzy swim changing rooms, the drug dealers hissing at you as you walked down the alley to the entrance, even though it was Sunday afternoon and you were with two small children.

I used to take the DC to things, but would never ever have chosen to use it myself. I am sure it was inhabited by all sorts of animal life, though in practice the old Elephant and Castle pool was not much better. I retreated to the Queen Mum, but was pleased when I could afford a good gym membership, with fluffy towels and nice shampoo.

Just heard from Ds2 that he's arrived in Adelaide and is waiting to meet the Uni Rep in Arrivals. His journey seems to have gone smoothly.

Just seen DD's year 3 house for the first time. If her asthma survives the damp this year, then it'll be a miracle. The 'lovely landlords' who allegedly keep everything in tip top condition appear not to have noticed the kitchen cupboard doors hanging off. She has somehow ended up with the crappest room in the house. Anyway ... none of this was my decision, so I hope she has a lovely year there 🤣.

On the plus side, we have permission to paint the room, which should make it look a bit nicer and there's a great bakery just on the corner of the road.

Did has already been in her place a month. It's not in bad condition for the rent charged, except last week the lads shower above dds room leaked through to hers. She very generously let him use her shower ( they've all got en-suites)
One way of getting a fit young man in your shower 😂. Not sure her boyfriend would be amused though.

That's good, Late.

SMaCM, damp doesn't sound good - could she have a dehumidifier in there?

Dingit

My DD has sent off a pretty good email to her landlord/agent about the noise from the shop next door through the night. Waiting to see what their reply is...

Dingit 🤣

BTM the landlord left a dehumidifier in her room, so he obviously knows about it. I could cry It's going to be fabulous.

On the other hand, if it does make her ill, I shall be moving her out and saying it's not fit for habitation and she won't be paying any more rent.

Damp at this time of year does sound ominous. Hope the dehumidifier helps.

DD has enjoyed her first week of her summer job, accommodation is fine and plans for trip to Italy with pals firming up so all good.

I know we haven't had a particularly good summer, but damp at this time of year sounds ominous.

Any news from your ds in Oz latedecember? Ours was pretty useless at keeping in regular touch for a while until we all learnt that our Sunday morning/ his Sunday evening was the one time in the week we could talk when neither side of the world was either asleep/ getting up for lectures or work/ about to go on a night out.

SMacM - permission to paint the room? I think the landlord's onto a good thing there and they've got your dd doing their work for them. Are they going to cover the cost of the paint?

Not hearing a lot from DS. He's on a hospital placement which is a long way from his uni with no direct transport. He's sharing lifts but that means being reliant on other people's timetables and he's exhausted. He's loving doing real procedures to real patients though and told us about doing his first cannula on an incredibly patient patient who allowed him and 2 other doctors all to try getting it in, saying well you've got to learn somehow. Guy deserves a medal.

When DH was renting out his mother's house, he was happy for tenants to paint with his approval of colour - basically nothing too dark or bright which would be difficult to paint over. I can't remember if he paid for the paint though.

The landlord is not paying for the paint, but he did offer to repaint it the horrible colour it was before. I'm sure he won't mind if we rehang the kitchen doors either.

DD is great at keeping in touch, mostly pictures on WhatsApp. She's coming home from Hungary tomorrow.