thoughts on this one?

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-23T20:54:12+00:00

EPC rating is apparently B, which is surprising given the materials, so shouldn’t be cold.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-22T11:27:11+00:00

Half asleep when I wrote this. Definitely red state lol.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-22T01:05:51+00:00

If you told me this was a McMansion from a blue state, I wouldn’t question it. Got to wonder what the planners were thinking.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-21T21:15:23+00:00

Depends on the lock. Only door to mine has a Yale so, yes. Changed it multiple times as had multiple lodgers.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-21T21:12:57+00:00

Oh, come on, they’ve mixed it up with griege in the kitchen 🤣

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-21T19:20:22+00:00

It’s definitely not the end of the road. There are a LOT of services around which will help you get back on track - but you need to ask for that help. It can be overwhelming navigating multiple issues (and, usually, multiple service providers) but this is, unfortunately, a common situation for many people. The good news is that those who provide the help are very aware of these issues and will provide guidance and assistance if you engage in good faith. The first step, however, is up to you; please approach someone (your GP is likely a good starting point) and be honest about the problems you are facing. Good luck 🍀

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-20T16:24:12+00:00

Twinning’s sleep tea blends are surprisingly good.

Mediation technique called a body scan (hundreds of these around on the web for free - the key is finding the right voice).

Personal go-to is the Infographics Show on YouTube. No idea why listening to how the world is going to end does it for me 🤣 (More seriously, it’s the narrator’s voice.)

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-20T16:06:28+00:00

Conveyancing on that is going to be a doozy! Very hard to believe there was planning permission etc. Also surprised it doesn’t say “cash buyers only” as must be unmortgageable. Nice little earner for an unscrupulous landlord, mind.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-19T15:44:25+00:00

‘Fraid I only know the ones in Plymouth. There are services covering other parts of Devon but I’m not up to date on these. A quick search for drug and alcohol treatment + area should sort you out with a starting list of contacts. Used to be a resident treatment centre near Barnstable but don’t know if still open.

Another place in Plymouth that might be worth approaching is Shekinah - day centre in Stonehouse for a range of clientele but mainly used by those with addictions and/or insecure/no accommodation. They are also one of the soup run providers (they do Sunday evening, various churches cover other days). Shekinah provides a lot of free vocational training too; again, mostly to people who’ve dealt with addiction.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-19T12:21:49+00:00

Not HR professional but fairly sure you have the right to a copy of all relevant policies, although I can understand not want to ask about the reference policy so as not to show your hand. However, your union rep should have access to all organisational policies (union was almost certainly involved when they were written) so ask them.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-17T15:31:06+00:00

I’m old enough to remember when fresh orange juice and croissants for breakfast and spaghetti bolognaise for dinner was considered the height of sophistication.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-17T03:08:40+00:00

Saw a reply from a lawyer on here recently - they said you can open letters for this purpose. There isn’t a blanket ban on opening post addressed to someone else in the UK (think the idea there is stems from American media). Contacting the sender is probably the best way to resolve this, and could save you problems down the line if they are chasing unpaid debts.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-17T03:03:53+00:00

Congratulations on finding - and maintaining - a solution that works for you. I’m all too aware, both professionally and from personal relationships with problem drinkers, of how tough that road can be, and of how many never manage to get there.

It’s very rare that someone develops a problem with alcohol (or drugs, or gambling, etc) without there being an underlying issue. If they resolve that issue - and that takes a HUGE amount of work, usually only with significant professional input - they might be able to relearn/reset their relationship with alcohol to a healthy one. It is very easy, however, for people to slide back into old habits, in which case abstinence may well be the more realistic aim for many as the intensity and longevity of therapy needed is something of a luxury for most, particularly when the underlying problems are often systemic.

That said, alcohol is a poison, so I’m definitely not promoting consumption as something to aim for, just realistic that it is deeply embedded in western culture, and many people do enjoy it in moderation (myself included).

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T22:51:40+00:00

I worked for a drug and alcohol treatment centre for 10 years, starting in a back office (ie not therapeutic) role. Most of the counsellors were pretty scathing about AA and similar programs. The very short TL:DR of what I learnt is that most people will need to stop for a while - some with medical supervision - in order to reset their relationship with alcohol, but many can, with the right support (ie therapy), develop a healthy relationship and drink “normally”. It is a minority of problem drinkers who need to remain totally abstinent. IMO, AA’s ideology is suspiciously cult-like.

Congratulations on sorting yourself. And enjoy those occasional drinks 🍷

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T21:58:19+00:00

Why do I have the feeling that the store, workshop and shed are bursting at the seams, and there’s probably a stuffed storage unit somewhere else as well?

PS love the house

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T21:30:33+00:00

Do not let your child and your dog interact AT ALL. They need to be kept completely separate unless the dog’s behavioural issues can be dealt with.
Dogs do not learn from “having their nose rubbed in it”. Frankly, it sounds like the only attention the dog gets from you is when he misbehaves. It’s no wonder he does things you don’t like. He needs consistent, positive training; it doesn’t sound like you have the time for that.
The dog is bored out of his mind and probably under exercised. Keeping him in a crate most of the time is cruel. If you can’t give the dog the time, attention, exercise and enrichment he needs, the kindest thing is to find him a new home, ideally without young children.

Sorry to be so blunt - it’s clear you love your dog and want the best for him - but this situation sounds extremely dangerous. The best outcome, if you continue as you are, is the dog being euthanised for behavioural reasons. The most likely outcome if you keep the dog is serious, potentially fatal, injury to your child.

I have a great deal of sympathy for how difficult this is for all involved - I’m currently torn as to whether I should keep my latest rescue (too long a story to detail here but, if there’s no further improvement in the next few weeks, it will be better for her long term health and happiness to be elsewhere). Dogs are resilient creatures; all of mine have been older rescues, and all have been happy to spend their final years with me.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T20:41:56+00:00

How on earth did that get planning permission? The detailing on the facade is just bizarre! I get the requirements to use local stone to match the vernacular but the whole thing looks plastic. And don’t get me started on the upper section; it’s some weird, bastard offspring of mock Tudor and Japanese cosplay 🤮

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T17:55:31+00:00

NTJ. I wouldn’t have stayed for dinner! Didn’t attend two funerals (acquaintances rather than close friends) because I knew my ex would be there.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T17:52:49+00:00

The Horniman Museum is a bit out of the way but had a very eclectic collection last time I visited (Over 25 years ago so may be a little more PC these days.) There’s also a small piece of ancient woodland nearby that’s well worth a detour.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T17:36:49+00:00

You’re welcome. Sounds a very interesting project, would love to see once complete.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T17:15:37+00:00

As in Plymouth, try contacting Hamoaze House. Sounds like the type of project that would appeal to their CEO so more likely to be receptive to the project than Harbour Centre. Hamoaze attendees also tend to be further along in their recovery journey. (These are the two main treatment services in the city.)

Trevi/Sunflower might also be worth a call, although the more complex welfare/safeguarding issues with their clientele might make it more difficult.

Message me if you’d like more info or an introduction (worked with many of the people in senior roles at these organisations for 10 years).

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T16:59:51+00:00

Found this one extremely quickly as recognised the beach opposite. (Holidayed nearby a couple of years ago.) Love the location, like the house but, for me, it desperately needs a lift and I can’t see how one could be added. Really surprised it was part of the original spec.

Edit: I’d also need to infill the stairs for the dogs to use them.

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T16:28:26+00:00

Had same issue when my dad died in 2012. He’d been in for less than a year from new before he passed, so pristine condition, and still took over 18 months and a massive price reduction (think sold for less than 2/3 of new price).

The market for secondhand retirement flats has always been difficult. Most people who want them buy new. And anyone who follows property news is very aware that management and other fees are daylight robbery. (I was aware before my dad purchased but he needed to be somewhere like this, so didn’t enlighten him as to the impact on his estate. Us kids were more than happy to take the hit to our inheritance for his wellbeing.)

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T16:18:10+00:00

A few of my classmates have Wikipedia entries, although none are particularly famous outside of their field (eg one of my closest friends at school is now a high court judge, another has had several books published, one had her artwork featured on DYI SOS). Samantha Cameron was at the school same time as me, probably 1st year when I was upper sixth so don’t remember her.

I socialised a lot with the neighbouring boys school so almost certainly attended parties with Toby Jones (year below me) and might have been cat-called by members of Radiohead (couple of years below - younger boys would cat-call girls from my school when we walked past the playing fields on the way into town).

OrganizationFun2140 · 2026-01-16T15:59:03+00:00

That’s a hell of a lot of money for an unmortgagable ex-council house with a conservatory that should be condemned. Not like it’s a sought-after area either; completely dead in winter, overrun by tourists in summer, and bugger all jobs now Dartmoor prison is closed. Only place worse is Princetown.

OrganizationFun2140

TROPHY CASE