Journal Entries
Getting there
Posted Sep 12, 2003
Well, the decorator has gone and the back room and hall have been repaired and repainted after the rewire. Will be spending this weekend trying to re-locate contents of boxes to their right rooms. He comes back on 1st October to do the front room.
I am going about the house quietly and in orderly fashion, moving things into place, a touch here, a tweak there, breathing slowly, walking soft-footed, and speaking in whispers. My whole inner being is shaking and I cannot concentrate. I wish someone would knock on the front door, or ring even.... or just speak over the garden fence, BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO TELL THEM HOW EXCITED I AM AT GETTING MY HOUSE BACK INTO ORDER!!!!
Sorry...sorry... calm again now, breathe deeply, 
hhhmmmmmm in-and out, in-and-out, 
, r-e-l-a-x-x-x-x-x-x
Take care 
Universal Granny
Discuss this Journal entry [35]
Latest reply: Sep 12, 2003
A week off
Posted Aug 15, 2003
I am going to be off-line probably until the Tuesday after Bank Holiday as I am on one week's annual leave.
I may pop into work one night and have a quick look at who's about and what messages I might have, but I may not. It goes against the grain really to be on leave and have to go into work!
But if you want to leave me a message it would be lovely to come back to an update on whatever's been going on in your lives - I love chatting to all of you and I will really miss you.
Take care Universal Granny
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Latest reply: Aug 15, 2003
Goodbye Polo
Posted Aug 6, 2003
I had three guinea pigs, Rolo, Polo and Solo. Rolo and Polo (females) lived together and Solo on his own. Solo died about 4 months ago from a badly infected nipple, and Rolo about a month later I found flat on her back, legs in the air, and peacefully dead. So Polo became solo and I have given her extra fussing because she is lonely.
She lived in a cage in a plastic-roofed outhouse, so every morning when I get home from work, about 0630, I took her out of her cage and put her in the outdoor cage which is embedded in a huge forsythia bush, so cool and shady for her. Plenty of fresh dandelion leaves, a new bottle of water, some Gerty Guinea Pig and a few carrot shavings and she was set up for the day.
When I woke at lunch time, I would go and put her in her run, again in the shade of an apple tree, and leave her there until dusk when I would return her to the outhouse cage for the night (safer from foxes etc.)
Went to get her from her run tonight, and she was lying on her side, perfectly still as if asleep, but she had died. I am upset, and wondering if it was the heat. But her brother and sister had died a few months earlier, so perhaps it was her time. I shall miss her as I have missed Rolo and Solo. 
Goodbye Polo
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Latest reply: Aug 6, 2003
ALL DONE!
Posted Jul 7, 2003
Well, the re-wire is complete, the house is a tip and NOTHING is in its right place, but at least everything should be on the way up now.
The electricians left last Thursday after we had taken a head count of 
s, 
s, and guinea pigs to make sure they were all above floorboard level.
I hired a van on Saturday to take a megaload of rubbish to the dump, mainly garden stuff, but other bits as well, including old furniture and a couple of blankets and duvets even the dogs home didn't want.
Then I took two beds and other bedspreads, duvets, pillows, blankets up to the local animal rescue centre (nearly came home with another ), and a ton (slight exaggeration) of recyclable material to the local cluster of bins in our swimming pool car park.
Felt good after that, but am now wading through a swathe of dust and plaster bits to try and find the surfaces.
So I did survive it and when I have unearthed the glasses you are all welcome to a glass of something to help me celebrate.
Discuss this Journal entry [13]
Latest reply: Jul 7, 2003
(RE-)WIRED FOR SOUND
Posted Jun 12, 2003
Well, the de-junking is still not complete by a long way and I am having the place re-wired in two weeks time. The more people get to know about this, the more horror stories I hear.
My neighbour has asked the date so that if he is on a night shift that week he will go and sleep at his mother's "because it will be very noisy". A work colleague tells me "I have just had that done and the place is wrecked." And another gem from a well meaning friend "It took us weeks to get rid of the dust".
I'm afraid some of the carpets are not going to survive being pulled up and put down again. They have been there so long they are permanently welded to the floorboards. This re-wire had been forced on me and is costing an arm and a leg, so I certainly am not going to have enough to replace carpets. Electricity board were not too impressed with the fact that it is the original wiring in a 1930s property and many of the wires have fused together, or have simply rotted back to bare wires.
Anyone got any suggestions to survive this ordeal?
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Latest reply: Jun 12, 2003
Universal Granny
Researcher U226411
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