WEST LONDON MEET-UP THREAD - APRIL 2007 - from Acton to Sunbury everybody welcome

[mellow2]

Brand new thread for a new month.

It seems In the night garden has been replaced by Andy Pandy , now I'll never get to see it (note that's me, not ds )

Nanou,
I think you're doing the right thing attending the interview tomorrow. Don't worry about your company. They'll survive.

puds i feel your pain now how to keep her busy just before dinner?

nanou best of luck for the interview, i really do think it is the best option

Nanou Hi

Puds In the Night Garden is usually on about 6.30pm during the week on Cbeebies - hopefully still is!!!

no it is not on not this week, no more ITNG

ok now dd wants to go to boggie tots, she clearly thinks it is on at a time to suit her oh well C&C it is

I agree nanou - and good luck

WTF is everyone - am I on the wrong thread?

i am here having lunch! you ok? you thinking of moving to Ham?

Nanou - I just desperately don't want to have to work f/t anymore - with having 3 kids now it seems wrong. Want to work p/t instead. I have three options I think:

Move out of London (to near Bath where ma famille are)

Move to cheaper place in west London (e.g. Ham - which would mean kids could stay at same school)

Or go on interest only mortgage for a couple of years - probalems with that though - next time we apply for a mortgage it will be with one income only so it would be tricky to remortgage in future if we haven't padi any of this one off...

ooooh help me decide!

nanou - will reply to your e-mail soon - but want to see you soon too!

i'd move to Ham. i understand you want to work p/t.... if you move to ham; would you buy or rent? do you have a big mortgage at the mo? do you have money aside for a deposit? is it worth remortgage your present home to put a deposit together to buy a new home in ham whilst at the same time keeping your current home as an investment and rent it out? being in a financial hell is very stressful and i personally dont think i would cope with it happening again...it would kill me... so currently my views are very simple! as little mortgage / debts as possible. that way if anything happens; ie you or dh lose a source of income, it does not turn into a catastrophe... am i making sense?

you free mon 30 /4 foxie? dd's creche closed for training?

C&C was quiet today

yes Nanou - you make perfect sense. I spent years aspiring to a 4 bed house in Kew and now I've got it I have realised its actually not worth the huge financial committment. We have a mega mortgage and mega equity too atm, so are thinking we could get something with a much smaller mortgage - or rent out this maybe rather than selling. I am having a "I want to change my life" moment, which I have with each baby I have.

With DS1 I decided to do an MSc and PhD
With DD I changed jobs
With DS2 I want to shed the mortgage and work p/t

Having a baby is such a huge life change that it makes me realise I want to change other stuff too...

BTW having three DCs is much harder than two - why didn't you tell me MrsR and Stepfordwife ???

on the other hand foxie - a couple of years interest only would give you a reasonable standard of living (I asume!) and the appreciatin on the house in thsi area will likely pay off the capital you didn't pay over the few years. Aslo you are likely to be downsizing when/if you do then move making mortgage on a single salary not a big problem with big equity and much smaller mortgage.

I am a big fan of decided what kind of life you want and fitting your house expectation and lifestyle to that. Have seen too many people move to get big houses and/or smaller mortgages and be unhappy away from London but then are stcuk because they can't afford to move back (having deducted move costs stamp duty etc from their pot of cash) and appreciation in London prices.

Also how/where do you want your DC's to grow up. I have fantasies about moving to IOW very low house prices and slow lifestyle but biggest thing that stops me is that I don;t want DS to grow up there. I remember life in a provincial town as a teenager who was slightly different and it was truly miserable.

You will have to weigh all that up as well as the possible draw of being closer to your family (another reason I wouldnt move from here at least until my mum is no longer here, physically or spiritually!)

Nanou good luck tomorrow! Foxie, how about hanging on to the place in Kew and doing as Sue suggests - interest only for a couple of yrs. House prices in Kew are never going to go down! And should you decide to move away, perhaps rent the Kew house out and rent in the new area to make sure that it's what you really want.

Sue the idea of being near my family is a mixed blessing TBH (they are complicated and unreliable). I am very aware of the fact that if we move from London we'll never be able to move back - which is what has happened to my sister and hence my hesitation. Also, the kids are mixed race so I need to live somewhere cosmopolitan.....

Plus I love Kew

We could rent this house out and rent in Ham for a couple of years (so I could keep the school and my fab job too - just ask to go part time which they couldn't refuse)

Interest only mortgage is very attractive, as the house has appreciated so much in the past two years (our road has become very popular) but am worried about the re-mortgage issue - can I give you a call and run it past you?

ho hum

ps saw your DS this morning - he held his arms out to me for a hug

would be happy to run through your options Foxie. Don;t stress about it though enjoy your time off a few weeks here or there is not going to be a problem.

DS is being particularly angelic at the moment (despite the current 5.30 starts, early sunrise ) - only had a 10 min map yesterday afternoon and was still an angel. How long are they perfect for in any one phase before they develop some new wrinkle that requires worrying and sleepless nights?

would love some icecream now... if only somebody didn;t have my icecream in her freezer...

yeah, where is paddle?

hope she's not tucked up watching TV in bed eating my bloody icecream

Evening folks, how is everyone tonight?

I'm hungry and I don;t want any of the healthy or ready cooked meals I have in the fridge, I want chips. And can;t leave the house becasue DS is in bed. Can't order delivery because I don;t have enough money. have about £2.50 (anyne deliver chips for £2.50?)

Don't mention chips Sue . I have decided a diet is in order before we head to america for this fancy smancy wedding in AUgust, so no choc/icecream/crisps etc etc etc. It is all fruit/veg/fish/fat free atm. On the plus side I have lost 7lbs in a week but could turn very nasty if I spot someone holding a chocolate bar.

sue - tomorrow buy some oven chips

also some popcorn; for those little unforeseen emergencies like when someone steals your icecream then dissappears of the face of the earth.....