The Husband is another matter. As I said in my last, he has been working full time for forty years solid and in my view this means he has no obligation to look for other work, especially as we can sell his house and move to mine so don't have the worry of wondering how to pay the last six years of the mortgage on it (assuming we can sell it quite quickly...eek!). Forty years is long enough. Had he done A Levels and a degree, like most people I know well, he wouldn't have had his first serious job until he was about 22, so he's six years ahead of the game. He's done enough. Come on, and let the good times roll!
We had a week over Christmas in the Welsh house entertaining guests and practising for retirement. It was a week of almost non-stop unmitigated filthy weather where the sun hardly broke through for a moment and it rained an unconscionable deal of the time. Between shopping on Christmas Eve and going out for a drive to see someone on 29 December I didn't actually leave the house, my choice, and really not a problem. We had enough food for an army and the appetites to do justice to it, so I cooked up a storm once a day and spent the remainder of the time asleep or resting, mostly curled up on a couch with festive lights twinkling, fire glowing and the telly pouring out entertainment into the room in a steady flow; comedy, new drama, vintage movies, a smattering of news and weather (more wet stuff coming, as if we dodn't know) and the occasional documentary or quiz to stiffen the spine and rouse the little grey cells.
We hope to push the house forwards a bit and make a soopah-doopah, 50% bigger, all-singing, all-dancing, eat-in kitchen, and add a downstairs cloak to the other side of the front door and a porch in the middle.
I'd like the kitchen extension to have a glass roof, a conservatory in effect with brick walls up to worktop height, to get the most possible natural light, but then there is also the two story extension option which (if affordable and passes a planning application) could add extra space above the kitchen extension to enlarge the second bedroom. If we did this I'd want a dormer window above it fitted into the roof to bring light into the loft. We may or may not do a loft conversion one day, so why not design a new facade to the house that prepares the way for this? Even if we don't do it, the next occupants might.
So, as I say, All Change!! To working life, to where we live, to the fabric of the building we intend to spend our retirement. If that isn't an exciting and challenging start to a new year, I'd like to know what is.
Gosh, there's been some serious discussion going on over the festive season, Baby Sis. Sorry to hear about the bad weather, but glad it didn't dampen the merriment. Very best wishes with the building plans, which sound very exciting and all good wishes to The Daughter in her new job. xx
ReplyDeleteJust a thought ...
ReplyDeletewould it be less of a hassle to sell both properties, maybe not simultaneously, and then buy a Welsh property of the size and style you need rather than go through all the incredible trauma of having your house extended?
Extensive building work is so stressful, that is the last thing one needs when there are other changes in lifestyle afoot.
I am not sure of the back story but a property chosen and selected together to suit your future life style would symbolise the coming together of your worlds.
Retirement, especially when early and sudden has turned into such a bonus for my DH and I. Today he has started on his third year of studying maths. with the OU. I hope life is as good for you and your Husband.
We have good neighbours we'd miss, it's a conveniently placed house a shortish walk to the shops, Health Centre, etc, and the view from the back windows is stupendous, so this is certainly where we want to be; a single story extension is the likeliest uption, if we do anything at all. It might be a mere pipedream...!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your concern, though, and thanks even more for reading. It's nice to know my words don't just vanish into outer cyberspace unwitnessed.