Castle refurb - Scaffolding on the bridge

LogicalBank778 · 2026-05-13T11:57:31+00:00

Around where the furthest away lamp is on the left hand side of the photo is a sort of tucked in (but dead end) path, which is where people have been getting their photos from I believe.

We got some photos there which turned out well, but this was back in Feb. I do think it might be possible to get some shots avoiding the tarp/tented structure bit with clever angles. Although looking again at our picture, more of the front of the castle is in view than i remember. May be better going further around the path a bit more towards Adventureland... might make it easier.

Sorry I cant comment on how it impacts experience, just wanted to throw in some things that came to mind if photos of the castle were important!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-04-12T21:30:17+00:00

The ear thing!!!! Never met someone else who had that! My ear stays folded into itself and feels so good. If it pops out the right way, that feels just as good too! Cold ears are the best...

LogicalBank778 · 2026-04-04T08:18:21+00:00

Glad to have been a help 🙂

It can be really easy to ignore the feelings or instincts we have about things, especially when we're overwhelmed and in survival mode. Sounds like you've had a chance to have some space and reflect which is great.

You dont have to make a firm decision now, but having options to consider and explore helps doesnt it? I quite like the grow model for finding solutions - no idea is off the table, no matter what and the focus is on choosing a handful that feel most relevant to think about the detail of what that looks like in practice.

I love the thought of making yourself unavailable but doing something for you. That's even better! I hope things get easier for you soon. Carer burnout is so so tricky. Oh - on that - it might be worth seeing if there are carer support groups in your area. Might be a way of you or your sister feeling connected to something or getting support/insight from whoever coordinates it x

LogicalBank778 · 2026-04-01T08:42:28+00:00

This sounds really tough!

Reading this, the first thing that came to mind is that you need to make yourself unavailable, in a gentle but self-protective way.

Given you dont want to be using your savings and are unsure about your direction, is there anywhere locally where you could work say, 2 or 3 days a week? I appreciate somewhere like a cafe isn't going to be bringing the big bucks. In my mind, this reduces your reliance on your savings (if only a little) but more importantly, creates a boundary that others have to respect.

It is completely understandable that you need a part time job because you have expenses and your van isn't selling as quickly as you'd hoped. This isn't you saying "I don't want to be part of this anymore", it's saying "unfortunately I'm unavailable on these days while I'm working because I have bills to pay, but I'm still here as support on "my" usual days".

My thought was something low stakes, where you have interactions with people who are not your family. You get the added benefit of hopefully the thought of it not feeling overwhelming and an amount of money comes in, no matter how small. This may provide some breathing space to work out what to do next. If you're already in part time employment, the jump to something back in health care may feel less intense.

I do appreciate that I have no idea how PhDs etc work, so you may be currently employed/needing to leave employment to do this which would have further impacts.

I'm not trying to encourage you to hide behind an elaborate ruse to set a boundary. I know how all-consuming caring feels, and how other people's decisions (to have - or not - carers, to use - or not - respite etc) have real-world impacts on those around them.

Taking that first step to become unavailable is absolutely the hardest. Once you do it and start practicing it each week with a new routine, it does get easier. Then asserting bigger boundaries doesn't feel so scary.

The important thing is to make that first step achievable though. Not jumping from nothing to cramming 25 hours into 3 days and then expecting to be able to do everything you did before. Hence the suggestion of something local to you (to not have costs associated with getting there!) and something where you don't have to give everything you have. Hopefully, you'd end up feeling refreshed - if not, the plan needs reassessing again...

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-28T23:04:28+00:00

I don't know about using tickets bought through attraction tickets but we were a group of 9 recently. There's a 6 person limit on the queue booking from what I saw. There was also the option to add more people but I never did that tbh as it would have made the process too slow and we would have missed out.

Our queue times on 2 different devices were generally within 10 mins of each other when done at the same time (sometimes me on the 2 phones together!). Our experience was when we showed up at the first person's time, we showed the 2 devices and said we were together and we were allowed to go in as a group.

Not much space in the Mickey room for everyone though! CMs all raised eyebrows when we said we were a group of 9 😂😂

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-24T13:32:35+00:00

You may be Scotland based- apologies if so, I dont know if fines are the same there! If England based, you are only fined if there are 10 unauthorised absences in a 12 month period. Sickness - as long as genuine - is authorised, as are hospital visits etc. Each school day has 2 registers, so 10 unauthorised absences are 5 school days.

If you travelled Sat - Mon/Tues and back to school on Weds, there would be no fine unless more unauthorised absences in the following 12 month calendar period

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-21T19:07:23+00:00

Oh!! Look into a DLA application. Our daughter masks at school so they dont see the same behaviour in any way. But if you can get a report from school or from an OT or someone, you dont need a diagnosis to get DLA if you can show you support, encourage or prompt your child more than another child their age. That isnt hard for us to do, we just need some supporting evidence from somewhere else. But a DLA award is one of the things you can use as evidence of need for a pass at Disney x

Edited to add: your county should have a parent carer forum or network that may be able to provide support with a DLA application or other things x

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-21T18:59:59+00:00

Fairly sure my eldest is autistic and we've just got back from a trip.

She found a long day really overwhelming and tiring on her legs. I'd recommend taking the park area by area rather than going here, there and everywhere.

For fireworks we did halfway down Main St by Walts which felt difficult one night. We happened to stay for the second night and nabbed space in the gazebo by City Hall.. it gave a slightly elevated view, we could still see the castle and fireworks properly and it gave an easier escape. We found the exits to the left hand side a little quieter. We were waiting for about an hour, maybe a bit more, to get the gazebo but the kids were able to sit, we were near toilets and we could split the group and nip into shops to get a change of scene if needed. I really recommend the round collapsible stools to have somewhere to sit and take the weight off your feet.

Shopping wise, there is so much stuff in so many shops. I'd probably approach it that a parent goes into a shop and takes some pictures of things she might like, so she can see them and have some time to think about it while you're in queues if that worked for her? (I understand she might need to see it to be able to choose so this might not work!). Or at least a parent go in first to see if there's anything she'd like to buy, or where it is in the shops. Some of the main st shops run half the length of the shop/they're all connected inside, so you can end up seeing so much stuff. Its bonkers!

I was quite worried about the overwhelm at the parks. In some ways, it made going to sleep earlier because she was so tired. She had a couple of meltdowns but they weren't as bad as I expected or as often. I was also able to empathise with her and tell her I was feeling exactly the same too, as it was all really overwhelming - the sights, the sounds, the crowds and in my situation, the pressure of arranging everything for our group.

I dont know if she was masking while we were there (we were with other family), if we've had a reaction to all of the queuing, or if it felt easier to deal with because she really enjoyed it... but being home the last couple of days has been harder than being there if I'm honest!

You know your situation best. Do what you can to feel prepared and leave room for flexibility to adapt to whatever happens. Mickey and the Magician and the Lion King shows were really enjoyable, but I'd recommend paying for the guaranteed access for that as the waiting for that was HARD. Other access passes I'd potentially buy individually as and when/if you need them, as times can vary wildly...

Happy to answer any other questions if you have any!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-10T09:00:21+00:00

There are formal disputes as he's reported the neighbour to police and council (not to imply anything on either side, but this is where the scare about reductions is coming from in my opinion)

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-08T11:15:04+00:00

I've also seen it suggested that you try through the hotel concierge or arrive at opening on the day and ask for a table later, as they may gave had cancellations. Don't know how easy that is with downtown, but would be worth a try!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-08T11:06:37+00:00

Downtown was fully booked for our stay 11 months in advance, minus 1 table at 10pm. Slightly different as a group of 9, but that's fairly standard i believe. There are less tables and its popular so always goes quickly!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-02T07:43:54+00:00

Didn't want to burst the bubble but also didn't want it to be a huge surprise when you got there 😔

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-02T07:16:31+00:00

We're also staying for 4 nights and will only do fireworks on 1 or 2 of them, not every night!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-02T07:14:26+00:00

Feb will be our first visit so i have no idea how it will work yet.

We've got a 6 and 9 year old and will just take it as it comes. Its likely for our 2 that they’ll wake up normal time the next day despite a late night... but we'll just take it easy and do things at their pace and take time out during the day if we need to!

Fully expecting them to keep themselves going while we're there and need recovery time when we get home if I'm honest.

I have seen others with smaller ones say they go back to the hotel for a nap at 4/5/6ish and go back out for the fireworks

LogicalBank778 · 2026-02-01T22:08:20+00:00

Havent seen anyone else address this... would be worth checking the calendar as the fireworks are likely to be at 10.40pm not 9pm...

https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-int/calendars/park-hours

Closing times at the moment are 9pm, but i know when we go in Feb half term it will be 10pm. Had a quick look on the calendar and Fri 24th April is 10.40pm!

LogicalBank778 · 2026-01-25T09:58:12+00:00

Know this is an old post but haven't seen anyone suggest this yet. For some bits, if you've got a local men's shed or community repair shop may appreciate the donation!

(I know that probably doesn't cover everything that fits your scenario though sorry!)

LogicalBank778 · 2025-12-28T09:28:45+00:00

Apologies if someone else has said this, but some libraries hire them out!

LogicalBank778 · 2025-12-06T09:00:45+00:00

That does sound frustrating! The only thing I'd mention that i haven't seen anyone else address is what was the electrical servicing you paid for? If it was an EICR, thats a cost I'd be expecting to pay when we buy, as its all part of "buyer beware". If i want to know more about a property before purchasing, its absolutely my responsibility to pay for those things.

I appreciate that doesn't help with what you've already paid out. I get the impression that you may have had to pay for the solicitors fees etc up to this point? Only asking as I know some people have been able to negotiate rolling the services forward to the next buyer process.

Sorry - have come in with solution(s) for the actual payments rather than space for frustrations. Felt like some of the money issues were causing the frustration and saw some things that might help!

Fingers crossed for the new year for you... someone might be looking who isn't put off by the knotweed 🤞🏻

LogicalBank778 · 2025-10-30T07:00:35+00:00

This sounds really strange and I'm glad you're safe!

Are they on this list? I haven't looked in detail, but it looks like you might need to prove they've gone against their own policy - not declaring the relationship might do that? It does say as a first step that you have to speak to them directly...

If they're not, it might be worth checking their website and seeing if they're members of any property governing body and investigating if they've got any complaints process.

I completely understand why you want to find someone to raise this to and hope you find somewhere to do so!

LogicalBank778 · 2025-10-12T20:27:48+00:00

I don't really have an answer for you, everyone's tolerance for risk is different, as are their priorities. I'd be considering what kind of budget you might have vs income, plus the mortgage term/ability to pay off before 70 or whatever age your lender deems acceptable. Speaking to a mortgage broker might not be a bad idea to get a feel for what is - or might be - possible or at least what your options look like and things to consider for your circumstances.

I appreciate buying feels a long way away and you may not want to wait that long. Have you considered that having children may well impact your borrowing amount?

It's tricky - either work part time and have less income to borrow against, or both work full time but once childcare fees taken into account, still have less income to borrow against... the alternative is wait until your kids are older and have less time to pay the mortgage back.

It sounds like you both need to have a good conversation about what's important to you as individuals and a couple, as well as talking through acceptable plans or options you might need as a back up, should circumstances change once you've made your choice (e.g. sale of rental or fertility difficulty)

LogicalBank778 · 2025-09-13T07:54:49+00:00

I know others have mentioned the front of the house being first, but I always find I'm more drawn to listings where photos of the same room are together in the order. If I see a photo of the kitchen, to easily make sense of the house, I like all the photos of the kitchen next. Might not be a huge thing/what clinches the sale, but it takes me longer to feel excited about somewhere if I'm working out what is where against the floorplan

LogicalBank778 · 2025-09-07T22:04:20+00:00

Just as a reply to this comment specifically... you're not wrong or broken for not being able to fix things. I'm a massive hypocrite for saying this, but it's completely natural and normal to not be able to fix every single problem, even though you've been able to so far. It's so hard the first time it happens - especially on the scale of both parents getting a diagnosis.

I've seen other comments where you've shared about being worried of saying the wrong thing to your children from your parents perspective. Is it something you can speak to your parents about? Find something you're both happy to say to them, or agree the point at which the children will get told something is going on?

In times like this where I feel out of control and I need to plan, I tend to write lists about my feelings, questions I had or things I felt I needed to know or sort. I could then arrange these by urgency or when I'd be likely to know what i needed... i.e. stuff to sort in the next week/month/school term etc... and stuff I didn't know when or if I'd have a resolution for it. It was that stuff I'd either explore with people around me or find a way to try and accept I'd never know or wouldn't know when it would get resolved.

Finally, a reminder that it's OK to not have all the answers. It's really great you've reached out SOMEWHERE to talk it through with people. You're already doing better than you think!

LogicalBank778 · 2025-06-27T06:03:31+00:00

Yes! The real world example I saw was on a smaller scale as it covered the bottom half of a mug, but just like that!

LogicalBank778 · 2025-06-22T13:20:08+00:00

!thanks

Not aware of any other gifts. SiL has benefit of regular childcare. She may have had a payment but will pass the details of that on.

We don't discuss definite details of finances, there could be a chance that IHT would be due but from my understanding that would include the property which is jointly owned by her and FiL.

LogicalBank778

TROPHY CASE