Starting a new life in Wales

[dustiswhatweare]

Just had a look at that blog. Woman seems like a saint, so selfless and forgiving.

[UndercoverElephant]

Just had a look at that blog. Woman seems like a saint, so selfless and forgiving.

She is absolutely insane. Her facebook feed is also completely public, and full to the brim of motivational anecdotes about how to keep soldiering on even after everybody else has treated you awfully: https://www.facebook.com/carol.a.wright.7. Most of them have almost zero response -- she is perpetually consoling herself, in public.

If you're interested in the backstory...the reason she has fallen out with her entire extended family is that she wrote a book (called "I did tell, I did") all about how she was terribly abused as a child, and her entire family except her husband came out in public to denounce the whole thing as a pack of lies. Her publisher then returned the rights to her, and refused to have anything more to do with her. Of course nobody can know who is telling the truth here, but I know for a fact that she made up a load of total lies about me. She got very angry because she got it into her head that I had lied about being a cash buyer, when actually I needed to sell two properties. I did nothing of the sort -- even her own estate agent told her that this wasn't true, but that made no difference. She kept broadcasting to facebook about what a terrible liar the person buying her house was. In the end we were ready to exchange before she was, because she was in a dispute with the person whose house they were buying about a gas boiler that hadn't been serviced.

[dustiswhatweare]

Nightmare person, clearly a biscuit short of a packet. I've had a few nutter neighbours over the years, but not in this person's league. There are people out there who thrive on bile and hatred, so distasteful dealing with them. Let's hope the new welsh 'dream home' is nowhere near you.

[UndercoverElephant]

Let's hope the new welsh 'dream home' is nowhere near you.

Indeed. They are both 77 now, so it is a bit late to be searching for your "forever home". Their plan was to stay here until they died, and then their daughter who lives round here was going to inherit it from them. The daughter was going to live in the old static caravan I am writing this from (now my office/man-cave) and look after them. Be she apparently decided escaping from her mother was a higher priority than inheriting this smallholding.

[BritDownUnder]

There is something rather predictable about elderly professional women from the Home Counties moving to other parts of the UK. We had some irritable people move next door to us in Nottinghamshire. I certainly did not help welcome them by standing on the roof of our garage with binoculars watching them move in (the houses are not that close together). A rather bizarre request to cut down our hedge between our garden and the road (not even along their boundary), as it, in their opinion, blocked view of traffic approaching around a corner when turning out from their driveway. This request was made by someone knocking at our door claiming to be from the council and not even them. We felt this was a loss of privacy and existing hedge of 10 years of so and was ignored. They then went on to object to all planning decisions in the village and generally made a general nuisance of themselves to all involved. A pig farm that had been there for at least 40 years was objected to because of the smell and grunts when they were being fed. Baaing sheep were told to stop baaing - you get the drift. I have no idea why sheep suddenly start baaing at a certain time of year, maybe lambing season.

I hope this very interesting individual finds a nice rest home to spend their final years in peace and tranquillity. It sounds like their husband is going to expire soon which will probably tip them over the edge.

[UndercoverElephant]

As long as they don't move back around here, I don't care...

If you don't like the surrounding land use (farms or whatever) then don't buy the property. It is not complicated.

[BritDownUnder]

As long as they don't move back around here, I don't care...

If you don't like the surrounding land use (farms or whatever) then don't buy the property. It is not complicated.

The problem is this is not how these people operate. They want change and on their terms.

[kenneal - lagger]

There was a small housing estate built with houses backing onto the main A339 road feeding into Newbury from the south. Most of the people buying the houses viewed on a Saturday when the traffic is light. Come moving in they were shocked by the almost constant noise from the road during the working week and complained to the council about that noise!! What the council is supposed to do I am not sure.

There was a spate of townies moving into the country a few years ago and complaining about the noise of everything from church bells to farm animal noises and the pub that they had moved next door to. It would seem that starting a new life anywhere is fraught with unforeseen dangers especially if a dream location is involved.

[Potemkin Villager]

The truth was their own estate agent told me "They are mad" and did everything possible to help us buy the house because they were terrified another sale would fall through due to their bizarre behaviour. EA is supposed to work for the vendor!

I know I should not be interested in this, but it is like watching a perpetual train crash. I can't help myself.

You seem to be getting satisfactorily culchified and establishing a distinctive role within the local saga at some pace! Just let it wash over ye.

[UndercoverElephant]

The truth was their own estate agent told me "They are mad" and did everything possible to help us buy the house because they were terrified another sale would fall through due to their bizarre behaviour. EA is supposed to work for the vendor!

I know I should not be interested in this, but it is like watching a perpetual train crash. I can't help myself.

You seem to be getting satisfactorily culchified and establishing a distinctive role within the local saga at some pace! Just let it wash over ye.

"Culchified" is a new word for me....

But yes it has been relatively easy to fit in here. Restoring the pond system really helped with the immediate neighbours too. I turned a dark, overgrown mud-scape into a beautiful woodland pond, and it runs directly along the side of a drive shared by three other properties - a small campsite, a high-end holiday let belonging to the local farmer and our closest actual neighbours, whose house is directly opposite the pond. It has made the whole area look much nicer, brighter and welcoming.

I have just reported another neighbouring farmer to the council for blocking footpaths - at least five offences, three of them serious. I suspect he'll figure out who reported him too. One year in prison if he doesn't unblock them.

[dustiswhatweare]

I have just reported another neighbouring farmer to the council for blocking footpaths - at least five offences, three of them serious. I suspect he'll figure out who reported him too. One year in prison if he doesn't unblock them.

Yes I have one of those too. A public footpath passes through a part of my land on to his. He nails a couple of gates up. Whenever I happen to be in that patch I 'un-nail' them. Reported him in the early days to no effect so deal with it myself.

[UndercoverElephant]

Whenever I happen to be in that patch I 'un-nail' them.

There can be no un-nailing this: https://imgur.com/a/NTGeDWR. If you look in the middle of the hedge, you can see a gate. That's a public right of way, at the junction between two footpaths.

He must have thought he'd got away with it. If the council doesn't act then there is a procedure to force them to do so.

https://www.ramblers.org.uk/advice/path ... moved.aspx

[Potemkin Villager]

Funny things rights of way, people generally like blocking them on their own land and enforcing them on other folks land.

We have one here that is a shortcut to the beach which runs through the back gardens of two recent holiday chalets. The chalet owners knew about it when they bought but one has made attempts to block it with a whirly washing line on its side! The whole effect has been rather ruined by a neighbour who uses it for access on foot to do general caretaking for the owner the other chalet. So I suspect there is conflict between the two chalet owners over the right of way! Ah the fun of rural life.

On a more practical note I wonder if you had made much progress with the sweet sounding PV/heat pump deal you have applied for. Is it good to go or has it turned out to be too good to be true? I assume with your new pond so handy you are considering a water source rather than an air source heat pump?

[Catweazle]

It seems that many people are still trying to start a new life in Wales, my neighbour recently put his house on the market and is right now showing a second group of Californians around. Last week our holiday let housed a family from Cambridge who were surprised to discover one of the houses they had come to view was twenty yards from where they were staying, they've already made an offer on it. Plaid Cymru must be wondering what they can do next.

[kenneal - lagger]

.............. Plaid Cymru must be wondering what they can do next.

Bombing incomers' houses again???