ok no photos and I am sitting on the bed surrounded by packing boxes but we are in - still V dusty and lots to do but we are here...we had fab send offs in London with tea chez Nelly's boyfriends ( photos to follow! ) on Monday and lunch with another on Tuesday before the pickfords lorry packed up and left...Last night we stayed at a hotel about 6 miles away and got here at 9 30this morning ready to move in . The lorry edged its way up the drive and unloaded...we then collected N's grandma from MK station and headed back for more unpacking...We emptied all of the kitchen boxes ( how many!!!!!) and then finally did N's bedroom after her tea...she loved seeing all of her toys coming out of the lorry and the boxes but did not want to go to bed - kicking and screaming for about half an hour! finally gave in at 9 15 when I put her in the cot and left her for 10 minutes, now fast asleep....anyway better get on and empty some more stuff into the wardrobe! Rob is nearly finished!!!!
more tomorrow and photos if I can find the recharging battery cable!
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Sunday, 11 November 2007
other things we are doing...
Bit of a photo trip now ....too much packiong and saying Au Revoir going on!!!
tea party with friends...soft play in Peckham followed by Burger King!!!" yikes but she got a free Matchbox car ( that was the boys toy but as she was the only girl there and all the boys had cars I asked for an exchange! she loves it !)
Cleaning at the new house with our cleaner Ganka - Nelly's favourite...
One of the rooms I cleaned yesterday!
Shiny clean Aga - a floor covering of Cardboard to protect the new tiles...
Rob and Nelly brushing up in the hallway!
Happy gang of builders and cleaners!
First food cooked in the Aga !!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOPs - a ready meal lasagne for N last night - put it in the Hottest oven for ten minutes! too hot I feel !
tea party with friends...soft play in Peckham followed by Burger King!!!" yikes but she got a free Matchbox car ( that was the boys toy but as she was the only girl there and all the boys had cars I asked for an exchange! she loves it !)
Afternoon Tea with Lisa and Karen in a tea shop in E Dulwich - Prosecco, Ealr Gray and sandwiches! ...yummy...
Tantrum moment over a broken DVD player!
Cleaning at the new house with our cleaner Ganka - Nelly's favourite...
One of the rooms I cleaned yesterday!
Shiny clean Aga - a floor covering of Cardboard to protect the new tiles...
Rob and Nelly brushing up in the hallway!
Happy gang of builders and cleaners!
First food cooked in the Aga !!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOPs - a ready meal lasagne for N last night - put it in the Hottest oven for ten minutes! too hot I feel !
Friday, 9 November 2007
things we will and will not miss about west norwood...
for those of you who have ever been to SE27 - West Norwood here are some of the things that we will and will not miss!
We will miss......
the people in our street -
such a mix of people...those born in their houses 60+ years ago who married people from the same street, and those that we have known since arriving ( getting locked out on day two! ) those neighbours that we accosted and asked to look after our cat and since have shared numerous curries with! And those neighbours that have arrived in the last few years who are more than happy for us to pop round for a cup of tea / clove of garlic, olive oil /cup of sugar! ... or for N to share a bath with their boys or a bowl of pasta at their kitchen table....I suppose I am saying the ease that we have with all the people in ST J Farm Road...
Revamp http://www.revampinteriors.co.uk/
a fabulous emporium of fabrics...where we earned the nickname of Mr and Mrs Difficult..but where we can arrive at 11 for a browse, chat, meet people in the shop and chat some more and realise it is already 12 45 ...!
the library - http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/68572156-8A2A-4458-B932-2DEBD7FFB33C/0/WestNorwoodLibrary.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/LeisureCulture/Libraries/WestNorwood.htm&h=133&w=200&sz=6&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=JbjUj9YRHWA7RM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwest%2Bnorwood%2Blibrary%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DHPEB,HPEB:2006-17,HPEB:en%26sa%3DN
pre Nelly - a previously undiscovered treasure...where else can you take a one year old on a wet Tuesday afternoon...also great books and no fines if you are a child!
a good little plaice!!!!
Beamish and McGlue -
opened two years ago by James Nesbitt... when I went in realised it was owned by a woman I was in a play with nearly 20 years ago! Wow what a small world and great for carrot cake and coffee...
Cafe Girasol and Sorrento
not been open long but cafe Girasol does great Portuguese cakes..Sorrento - a true greasy spoon with fab pasta for about £3 a bowl!
Hollywood Nails - file and polish for a fiver! ! what more can I say!
The cemetery -
based on the fact that we have walked around it precisely once and it is an amazing place, Mrs Beeton, Julius Reuter, Sir Henry Tate all laid to rest in SE27 - as well as the fact that Rob did a major selling job on West Norwood to one of the people that made an offer on the house telling them all about the amazing cemetry ... they went and visited and made an offer !
The Rosendale
( on the fringe of SE27 but within walking distance of our house ) and was voted Gastropub of the year Time Out 2007! fab Ostrich with nutmeg last week!
the little farmers' market -
that is held in the high street every two weeks and started on the day we got our letter with details of referral! we were floating about two feet off the ground !
Newsagent on Wolfington Road -
whenever I used to go in at 7 30 on a weekday morning Mr P would ask ' Cat Hungry! ' nowadays he sees me during the day ( no work) popping in for the latest issue of Grazia!
The guys in Oddbins...
all round good guys - enthused about wine and normally playing good music in store..
South London Decorators Merchants..
so much paint copy of Farrow and Ball paint on our walls! and such friendly staff
the fact that we are a stones throw away from Dulwich...good bookshops, gift shops...clothes shops.etc
the hope that all the people who live in SE27 have that the place will get better !
WILL NOT MISS........
Woolworths
that has nothing on the shelves!
Pound shops ....
an ever increasing number of pound shops and chicken shops!
Yellow signs in the road -
announcing some anti social behaviour to put it mildly!
Parking
not being able to park outside the house
Dorothy Nichol -
formerly known as Olive W Norwood's premier shopping destination! the name says it all!
Traffic
The traffic from the South Circular into West Norwood
Education
The constant chat about
where you are going to send your child to school! and she is not even two yet!
More Traffic
The traffic in general all over London ...the speeding in residential roads ...need I say more,..
no decent coffee shops within walking distance of the house/...
Redevelopment
the fact that Lambeth council constantly talk about development of the area always ends up with more pound shops and chicken huts!
Ridiculous Rcycling Policies
the fact that if I want my garden waste collected and I know that my neighbour has some too - that I call up the local Council and like a good citizen I ask them to collect my neighbour's garden waste too BUT no...they have to call up separately thus ensuring another trip from our ecologically friendly council!!!!!!!!!
We will miss......
the people in our street -
such a mix of people...those born in their houses 60+ years ago who married people from the same street, and those that we have known since arriving ( getting locked out on day two! ) those neighbours that we accosted and asked to look after our cat and since have shared numerous curries with! And those neighbours that have arrived in the last few years who are more than happy for us to pop round for a cup of tea / clove of garlic, olive oil /cup of sugar! ... or for N to share a bath with their boys or a bowl of pasta at their kitchen table....I suppose I am saying the ease that we have with all the people in ST J Farm Road...
Revamp http://www.revampinteriors.co.uk/
a fabulous emporium of fabrics...where we earned the nickname of Mr and Mrs Difficult..but where we can arrive at 11 for a browse, chat, meet people in the shop and chat some more and realise it is already 12 45 ...!
the library - http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/68572156-8A2A-4458-B932-2DEBD7FFB33C/0/WestNorwoodLibrary.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/LeisureCulture/Libraries/WestNorwood.htm&h=133&w=200&sz=6&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=JbjUj9YRHWA7RM:&tbnh=69&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwest%2Bnorwood%2Blibrary%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DHPEB,HPEB:2006-17,HPEB:en%26sa%3DN
pre Nelly - a previously undiscovered treasure...where else can you take a one year old on a wet Tuesday afternoon...also great books and no fines if you are a child!
The Views
the view on the way down to the station over London......on a clear day we can see the whole of Canary Wharf...
the fishmongers -a good little plaice!!!!
Beamish and McGlue -
opened two years ago by James Nesbitt... when I went in realised it was owned by a woman I was in a play with nearly 20 years ago! Wow what a small world and great for carrot cake and coffee...
Cafe Girasol and Sorrento
not been open long but cafe Girasol does great Portuguese cakes..Sorrento - a true greasy spoon with fab pasta for about £3 a bowl!
Hollywood Nails - file and polish for a fiver! ! what more can I say!
The cemetery -
based on the fact that we have walked around it precisely once and it is an amazing place, Mrs Beeton, Julius Reuter, Sir Henry Tate all laid to rest in SE27 - as well as the fact that Rob did a major selling job on West Norwood to one of the people that made an offer on the house telling them all about the amazing cemetry ... they went and visited and made an offer !
The Rosendale
( on the fringe of SE27 but within walking distance of our house ) and was voted Gastropub of the year Time Out 2007! fab Ostrich with nutmeg last week!
the little farmers' market -
that is held in the high street every two weeks and started on the day we got our letter with details of referral! we were floating about two feet off the ground !
Newsagent on Wolfington Road -
whenever I used to go in at 7 30 on a weekday morning Mr P would ask ' Cat Hungry! ' nowadays he sees me during the day ( no work) popping in for the latest issue of Grazia!
The guys in Oddbins...
all round good guys - enthused about wine and normally playing good music in store..
South London Decorators Merchants..
so much paint copy of Farrow and Ball paint on our walls! and such friendly staff
the fact that we are a stones throw away from Dulwich...good bookshops, gift shops...clothes shops.etc
the hope that all the people who live in SE27 have that the place will get better !
WILL NOT MISS........
Woolworths
that has nothing on the shelves!
Pound shops ....
an ever increasing number of pound shops and chicken shops!
Yellow signs in the road -
announcing some anti social behaviour to put it mildly!
Parking
not being able to park outside the house
Dorothy Nichol -
formerly known as Olive W Norwood's premier shopping destination! the name says it all!
Traffic
The traffic from the South Circular into West Norwood
Education
The constant chat about
where you are going to send your child to school! and she is not even two yet!More Traffic
The traffic in general all over London ...the speeding in residential roads ...need I say more,..
no decent coffee shops within walking distance of the house/...
Redevelopment
the fact that Lambeth council constantly talk about development of the area always ends up with more pound shops and chicken huts!
Ridiculous Rcycling Policies
the fact that if I want my garden waste collected and I know that my neighbour has some too - that I call up the local Council and like a good citizen I ask them to collect my neighbour's garden waste too BUT no...they have to call up separately thus ensuring another trip from our ecologically friendly council!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, 8 November 2007
back from glasgow...
it went Ok - hardest bit was waking up in the morning and realising how far away she was. I then spoke to Rob and we skyped each other - at which point she realised I was not at home and burst into tears...too hard..I was then desparate to get home and had to do the whole taxi to airport, plane journey and tube home but they cam eto meet me at the station.. but not something I want to repeat in the near future. Sitting at the airport I felt like I had had a limb removed not having either a baby or a buggy! and found it easy to identify with the two mums on the flight with young toddlers! One sounded just like Nelly shouting Mama Mama Mama!
Monday, 5 November 2007
Glasgow in the rain....
this is the first night that I will have ever spent away from N...I have come to Soctland for a meeting and will not be home until tomorrow afternoon so N is having a full on Daddy day and night! I am sure she will be fine but it does fell a bit like having a limb chopped off knowing she is so far away!
Saturday, 3 November 2007
One week and two days to go ...will we be ready!
Yikes.....our penultimate weekend in London...and this time I don't think we will be back. Yes we escaped once before in Feb 1995 for two years to Oxfordshire but were back at the end of 96 before moving to this house in 97....but that time we still had all our friends in London and this time all our oldest friends have moved on and those that we have met since Nelly will come and stay!
.. So we move on Nov 13th, think we may check into a hotel for a night or two! and then move in with the builders! The main bedrooms that we will use are fine and the bathrooms should be finished as should the kitchen! .....crossing all fingers! but we have heating and all lovely new radiators in place too....
We were up at the house again yesterday and N and I went along to a playgroup in the village hall - met some local people and N bounced in the castle for a while! and made some big boy friends - well she is so used to being friends with boys that she is a right little tomboy!
A few more random photos - Nelly and I have just watched Strictly, watched the fireworks from the top of the house and now off to have a bath before bed...
Tiles in thekitchen are going down this week....
Our fab new bath - it is huge and very deep Starck bath!
Nelly's room new sash window - looking slightly like a prison cell with the masking tape on the window panes
R and N in the kitchen - it is amazing what a lick of Brilliant White can do for a place!
.. So we move on Nov 13th, think we may check into a hotel for a night or two! and then move in with the builders! The main bedrooms that we will use are fine and the bathrooms should be finished as should the kitchen! .....crossing all fingers! but we have heating and all lovely new radiators in place too....
We were up at the house again yesterday and N and I went along to a playgroup in the village hall - met some local people and N bounced in the castle for a while! and made some big boy friends - well she is so used to being friends with boys that she is a right little tomboy!
A few more random photos - Nelly and I have just watched Strictly, watched the fireworks from the top of the house and now off to have a bath before bed...
Tiles in thekitchen are going down this week....
Shower in the annexe! hardly finished yet but it will be!
Our bedroom - with the new oak flooring down ...well think we can sleep in this one!
Our fab new bath - it is huge and very deep Starck bath!
Nelly's room new sash window - looking slightly like a prison cell with the masking tape on the window panes
R and N in the kitchen - it is amazing what a lick of Brilliant White can do for a place!
Thursday, 1 November 2007
more of the new house
Noo Noo and R in the bedroom with the sun streaming in - a late October day!check out the walk in wardrobes minus doors ...
Look how that creeper has grown up the house since July ...
the kitchen - now minus floor, cupboards, work surface - we still have a sink !
One of the trusty guys painting the Utility Room
Sun Drenched landing - white improves the light no end in the house
N looking cute one Friday recently on the way to the Tate Modern!Something to make you laugh - yesterday we were at Nelly's friend Molly's house for coffee when Debbie pronounces that her older sons came home one day after they saw N at Monkey Music , saying that they wanted Molly to have trendy clothes just like Nelly and not pink sparkly shoes!!! D has since bought Molly some stripy tights and hopes that that will do the trick! I suggested that they take a trip down to Primark with their pocket money to buy her a few outfits!!!!!!
sleeping beauty chez ma mere...
the fruits of my pruning a couple of wks ago - aided by my Father in Law's hedge cutter two days later!
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