Durham / North East Meet Ups - 2012

[juneybean]

Hello hello! Here I am with good intentions to behave and show up to some meet ups since I utterly failed in 2011!

So we need ideas for daytime meets and of course we must not forget our night time meets

[b]Daytime Ideas[/b]
Beamish
Saltwell Park, Gateshead
The Giants Den, Team Valley
Botanic Gardens
Beach (in the summer of course, unless we want airborne children!)

Okay so ideas for January daytime, I think cake is definitely in order so I propose the one that's next to Ebony, the huge place, down some steps, uhh... Slug & Lettuce is it? CAKE!

January night time? Is this something we want to plan? I know we're always poor after Christmas!

You'll find your ideal area at some point, then when you do you are in the nice position of being chain free and able to pounce. Finding the area is so hard around here though I think. Nice ex pit village, skuzzy ex pit village, how do you tell the difference?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22501947.html

I likes this

I like the Beamish house. And the last one has a gorgeous fireplace!

Sunderland does have one a couple of nicer areas. We are just outside though, come under S shields instead.

A do up house doesn't have to be major renovations. Dodgy decoration puts a lot of people off but a splash of paint makes a big difference. Our first flat we did nowt structurally but tarted up the decoration and it sold for double what DH paid for it. That was at the height of the housing boom but I know its sold recently for less than we got but still more than DH paid. Don't write a house off based on the photos either. The pics for this house were dire. Honestly there is so much fab stuff in the house that they just didn't show. Thank goodness for that or we never would have been able to get it

I know that pelaw one, my friends lived about 5 mins from there. They've moved now but only to the other side of the metro line. I'd be wary of the shared ownership though. You don't know what will happen in the future and the shared ownership can restrict you.

You have the option of being a bit cheeky with your offers being chain free. You might be surprised at what people will accept. I NEVER thought we'd get this one for the price we did- we decided to be cheeky and were gobsmacked when we got it.

If you want company on a viewing then give me a shout. I love property porn

I might drag you along Spiggy, my brother and mam are sick of me already!

Upon checking the rent on the 50% one, they want £68 odd a WEEK, thats more than the mortgage would be, nearly £500 a month for rent and mortgage.

I found this one in South Shields, it's already had a massive reduction though...

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22009263.html

I like the kitchen (I like ones you can get a table in). The bedrooms look on the narrow side though that might be poor photography. Not so much of a worry if you haven't got other people in the spare bedrooms though- you can make one of them a dressing room! Garage and a drive. Does it have a flat roof? Can't tell from the photos. Flat roofs are EVIL- my parents spent most of my childhood patching ours up!

I wouldn't worry too much about the price reduction. It might have been way overpriced try looking at sold prices nearby to see what things are going for nearby- google sold house prices and lots of sites come up.

I think it is a flat roof :( I just noticed loads have received offers for much less so I've started looking at some over £60k like this one:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22496145.html

nice kitchen?

Going to view Beamish on on saturday, there's also this one in High Handenhold which looks okay?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32301190.html

Looks nice :) Dated but livable with until you get round to redecorating.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/new-homes/property-37419737.html?premiumA=true

This one confuses me, its one of those where the council pay 20%, you get a mortgage for 75% and put down 5% deposit, so do you think the £75k is what you need a mortgage for or 75% of £75k?

Forget the flatroofed one, my Uncle and Aunt lived for years in a flat roofed house and it was a nightmare.
The Grange Villa and High Handenhold ones look okay!
I used to live in Pelton, not far from there. It was okay, a bit out in the sticks but easy to get to Chester or Stanley (big Asda at Stanley).

Beamish sounds nice! It's not too far too Chester-le-Street for shops and Durham for socialising. And it is pretty! Good luck!

Spiggy - infected belly button. She's off the ABs now, in time for her to start her first cold. And it's a bad one. Too much snot to feed properly. I am spending a lot of time picking (incredibly stretchy) snot out of her nose so she can breathe. Strangely satisfying!

Juney I have absolutely no idea!

Viking the poor girl, colds are evil but yes, snot picking is so satisfying!

Hi everyone! still on for 15th? Juney, how exciting!

What's happening on the 15th again?

coffee and cake if you fancy?

I quite like the high handenhold one. Our first flat had pine tongue and groove everywhere and we didn't want to take it off and have to deal with plastering so we painted it cream and it looked really smart. I reckon you could make it look a lot more up-to-date really easily. Don't know the area though!

Viking, poor V. Infected belly button sounds nasty. How are you doing? Stitches better? Been meaning to email but things been manic here. Has C had his wedding? I'm dying to hear how J copes with you all landing for a visit! Sterimar is good for washing out snotty noses and gross as it sounds a snot sucker from Boots clears their nose out long enough for a good feed and is strangely satisfying.

T has improved slightly with the anti-bs. Much smilier but still a little git at night. I've managed to trap a nerve in my neck from lying at an odd angle with my arm between the cot bars to hold his hand as that helps him get back to sleep after night feeds. If I have him in with me he just tries to climb all over me and I'm tired enough without having the boy jump up and down on my head at 3am just because he can.

Can't wait for cake. Tis much needed.

What shall we do on the 15th? I shall keep dd off nursery if I need to so need to know for dinner paying purposes. (logistics for getting over to bf in the afternoon, though don't have to but if I don't on the 15th I need to next week ).

Talking to Foxy the other day, she was going to come on the 15th but can't now and is requesting a Friday :)

my chances for a fri are probably slim at the moment. Been given a new project to work on, setting up a new team for 4 month experiment so will be interviewing/training/planning for the forseeable. Not seen Foxy for ages!

What are our chances for cocktails curry again soon? Do you reckon you could make it out with A?

A is easy so I could make it out and look at everyone like this while I sip my virgin cocktails and dream of something a little more robust .

Friday 17th and thereafter I will be marking/moderating/at a conference (in America! babyfree! woohoo!)

Whic BF group is it? Gilesgate or Usher? If Gilesgate, then the Tabletable at Belmont Premierinn do a rather nice rather large brownie with coffee for £3.50

I could murder a stawberry bellini or seven. I have grand plans for Christmas when I will book into the travelodge for our christmas do. Enjoy oodles of cocktails and sleep in a bed all by myself.

Just need to get the coil put back in so nothing happens to scupper my plans . I have been staying well away from DH what with it being April/May and all....

tis a very fertile time

Gilesgate Leggy, 1 til 2.30. People need to come to it! You know anyone? There were a good few but past few weeks has been dead.

I want a jagerberry, or that nice gin based one....Need to buy tonic so can start on my stash of sloe gin and elderberry vodka now ds is mostly sleeping in his bit of bed.

Spiggy I'm going for Sept 2013. I will not be pregnant. I will not be bf/will be bf but ds2 will be old enough to cope without me for a bit. I will be turning 30. There will be cocktails.

Knew you would understand Indith My current cycle started at exactly the same time as the one that produced M which felt very strange (particularly as M started with a mc )