Journal Live - Blog Central

Off into the sunset - but then where?

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:26:58 +0000

VALENTINE'S Day . . . when, if you believe the guff, all thoughts turn to romance and true love. And, of course, there will be hundreds of blokes - and a few lasses - going down on bended knee to propose to their loved one.

Then they'll head off into the sunset and live happily ever after . . . but where after the sunset? They'll probably plan to buy a home together and face the trials and tribulations of prospective first-time buyers.

A moving time?

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:41:13 +0000

ANOTHER year over and a new one just begun . . .

On a personal note, I was glad to see the last of the old year and I'm determined that 2011 will be healthier and happier.

Don't get your fingers burned

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:11:28 +0000

ADMIT it, we all try to pull a fast one occasionally. But when we try to take on the "experts" at their own game, we shouldn't be surprised if we get our fingers burned.

A few words of warning to those trying to sell their home through an estate agent . . . the agents are property professionals and if you try to cheat them, they will - and they should - fight back.

Time to bag a bargain?

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:42:57 +0000

STRANGE things happen at the beginning of November. A gloom settles over us all. The clocks have gone back so we're all leaving work in the dark. The glorious autumn colours have changed to a dull shade of drab and the weather has changed to wet and very windy.

Plus the world has become Christmas-crazy, which - far from cheering us up - has brought a dark cloud of despair that the spending has to start in earnest as it's "only" six weeks until Christmas.

Survival of the fittest

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:13:43 +0000

THE internet is a great tool. I often wonder how we coped in "the old days" before the advent of the world wide web.

Many jobs have been created, but many more have disappeared. And in these challenging times, only the fittest will survive as advancing technolgies creep further into our lives.

Time for tolerance

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:59:18 +0000

ONE minute we love 'em, the next we can't stand 'em - whether it's our other partners, our homes, our cars or our neighbours.

We're all getting very fickle these days - and it's time we all took a long, deep breath and calmed down! And it's time we learned to be more tolerant.

A tax on all our houses . . .

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:39:29 +0000

HEALTH, education, the economy, British manufacturing . . . there will be many, many priorities for the various political parties hoping to lead the country after May 6.

And somewhere, way down the "and the rest" part of the list will be housing.

Let's hear it for the parents!

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:21:46 +0000

GREAT news for the boomerang generation parents! The number of first time buyers is at its highest level for more than two years.

Which means that for many parents, their little darlings are finally moving out . . .

Resuming normal service

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:15:57 +0000

I THINK I'm turning into my mum! It's the middle of January and I'm revelling in finally being back in my routine! What happened to that superb sense of spontaneity I once had? Perhaps it got buried in the snow.

After weeks of wintry weather and before that New Year - and before that Christmas and the build up to the festive season - I finally feel that the world is returning to some sense of normality (whatever that may be!).

A Happy New Year?

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:19:23 +0000

A NEW year. A time of new beginnings. Of resolutions, changes, optimism and hope.

Let's be honest - 2009 was quite a struggle at times. A dreadful jobs scene, poor property market and gloom and doom in just about every sector of the economy. In fact, I think most people were glad to see the back of it!

So will 2010 be any better?

Pushed too far?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:35:45 +0000

IT'S important to get on with your neighbours. When they do something you don't like, perhaps hosting a noisy party or leaving their car where it's inconvenient to you, sometimes it's best to turn a blind eye - just as they probably do to you!

But there comes a point when even the most mild-mannered, patient and understanding neighbour will feel they've been pushed too far.

Yet more for the landfill site?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:53:50 +0000

AN Englishman's home is said to be his castle.

But take a look at most castles, with their cracks, leaning walls, damp, bats and beasties, and even the generous of lenders wouldn't offer even the smallest of mortgages.

Unlucky for some

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:29:30 +0000

AS I begin to write this blog, the software tells me it's number 13. Now, there was a time when that number would immediately have been followed by the words "unlucky for some" and sent shivers down the spine.

But 13 today seems to be just another number.

What a waste!

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:12:51 +0000

SO the latest plan to save the world is to issue us all with compost buckets so that food waste isn't put into landfill. I wonder how many civil servants on what salaries and perks it took to come up with that one!

A scandalous amount of food is wasted these days. Let's try to educate people to cut the waste - and save cash - and not to leave food about. But forcing householders to use compost buckets isn't going to stop the waste. If people actually use the buckets, it is more likely to increase vermin.

Tricks of the trade

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:18:47 +0000

IS there a magic trick to selling a house these days? If you're keen to sell your home, just what can you do to make your house that little bit more appealing and get an offer?

In days gone by, many people thought that the aromas of newly-baked bread and fresh coffee wafting through the property would ensure a quick sale. Then came the "boom" years when properties seemed to sell the moment they were put in the estate agent's window. But we're living in different times.