Day 356 – Just so much to do

New house, so much work. Just so much to do.

Initially, my list of jobs shrank by about 4 jobs today, mainly because I managed to get about 4 jobs done. However, like a debtor who is doing their level best, but still not quite meeting the interest payments, I managed to sink deeper into task debt, simply because I added more than 4 jobs onto my list of jobs.

Massive own goal.

Today was about waterproofing, painting, framing a fishing hook (I’ll explain another time) and meeting with a dogsitter. And all of those things went really well, but I’ve still ended up with more to do than I had this morning.

I’m leaving blogging until the last minute each evening, because if I don’t get those 4 jobs done, then I slip further and further behind. I haven’t watched an episode of Only Connect for over two weeks now (sorry, Victoria) and as for Thomas Heaton, well, he is but a distant memory at the moment.

I’m going away this weekend to the Weskus (the Second Bes Kus), and while that will mean no subtractions to the jobs list, it should effectively prevent any additions as well. But I still might choose to just take the hammer blow of having a day (or even just an afternoon) without jobs tomorrow, just to catch up on all the things I’ve been missing.

If you pop by at 3pm and there’s already a blog post up, you’ll know that I’m probably even further behind, and I just don’t care.

Day 344 – Wise move

The new house continues to be made better (IMHO, at least) bit by bit.
Fridge plumbed in yesterday. Electrics and plumbing being sorted on Monday. Pool on Tuesday.

But better costs money and so whenever you can save a bit, you do your best to save a bit.
Sometimes you have to spend a bit to save a bit (more) and that’s exactly what I did today, by getting a Geyserwise installed.

Here’s their website.

We had one of these at our last place and it paid for itself inside 6 weeks.

A quick explanation. Your geyser is your water heater and generally in South African houses, it’s in your loft and it’s on 24/7. This is great for when you want a quick shower at unusual o’clock, but it does cost an awful lot to repeatedly heat a couple of hundred litres of water that you’re probably never going to use.

Sure, you have a thermostat on the geyser, but that’s often very awkward to get to if you want to change it, and sure you can put a timer on your electrical distribution board, but that’s often very awkward to get to if you want to change it.

Geyserwise is simply both those things on a handy digital panel tucked in a cupboard on the landing. So our water is now heated for 2 hours each day instead of 24, and to 55ºC instead of 75. And if we ever need to change those times, that temperature, or simply override it because the beagle has rolled in some more mud and we need a quick blast of hot water for an unplanned bath, it’s a simple press of a button.

Absolute no-brainer.

Our Geyserwise was installed by Kozanai from Mudi Plumbing Services: 078 999 1893. He was quick, friendly and efficient. Thoroughly recommended.

R1550 all done. We’ll have recouped that and be saving money before the end of April.

Day 328 – Terrifying electrics

Look, I don’t want to go too much into this right now, but the electrics around this place have got me rather concerned. Some of the light fittings seem to have come from the 1950s (note that the house was built in the early 80s, although that doesn’t preclude some of the light fittings being from the 1950s, I suppose). Some of the wiring also appears to have come from that time.

Or earlier.

The previous occupants also had a thing for downlighters. Each of them with a 50W bulb in.
And there are so many of them! Like literally 60-odd in the whole property.
I’ve been doing some rudimentary calculations, and I’ve worked out that we simply can’t afford that sort of electricity bill. And so the long, slow, ‘spensive process of replacing them all with sensible LEDs begins now. Well, not now. It’s half past nine at night. So “just now”.

Yeah. Pretty much later. (But not later tonight.)

 

StudyWatch: Still peach.

Day 324 – The Last Night

And so it’s come to this.

Yesterday was our last night in what has been our home for the past 15½ years.
The home into which we brought our newborn children from the hospital.
The only family home they have ever known, and which has seen them grow into young adults.
The home which we have worked so hard upon to make our own, with all our creature comforts.

And now we move on.

The new place is all about Location, Location, Location.
While it’s perfectly livable, it needs work, it needs updating, it needs all our creature comforts.
It’s going to be a huge amount of effort to get it to where we want it.
But we have done this before and we will do it again.
And this time, we have a better, safer, bigger place to do it in.

We’ve cleaned it top to bottom yesterday, and moved some of our stuff in. Today, the team with the big lorry are coming around to move the bulk of our stuff, and on Monday, we hand over the keys to this place to another young family, who I hope will enjoy our home as their home for years to come.

We’ve been too busy to concentrate on our feelings for the past few days.
Once the pressure is off (this evening?), it’s going to be interesting to see what comes out.

I will likely accompany whatever it is with some brandy.
Safety first for the first night in our new place.