Friday 1 January 2016

Hopeful - Long Term Aims


Warning this post contains lots of hope and hopefuls...  OK...

When we finally get planning permission.... more on that another time.  I hope to have solar panels on the roof of the house and on the garage.  For a long time I have been wanting them and hopeful, if the neighbours are favourable, we will have them.  (the house 4 doors down as a hot water system that can be seen from the road so we are hopeful).

When this happens I will be able to get rid of my petrol car and change to an electric one.  We did look at a hybrid car, after Hedgeageddon, but it was a little out of the budget when we knew that we would be lifting the roof on the house and a complete renovation.

I am really letting my Hippy-self show through now.  I dont think I have hidden it, maybe the odd reference to wanting to move to Totnes, a transition town.  Yes, Stroud is really catching up, but we no longer wished to live in that area.  We now live in a village at the top of a hill, yes we get a lot of wind, but Hopefully, our house will not flood. The aim was to move to Oxfordshire, but the prices were just beyond our pockets.

And then there is the gardens.  Front and back.  We have all of the cotswolds stone from the fire place and there will be more from the kitchen walls (thanks to the 60's and 70's decor).  All of this will be Womble-d into my raised beds.  No design for the garden yet as I dont want the builders to wreck what we do.  This will mean that the harder landscaping of the gardens will happen after the roof lift and build.  

Just some of the aims for the coming year(s).  Along with another training course for me.

What are you hoping to do?

14 comments:

northsider said...

Hi Sol. I am hoping to make some money when we sell our cattle and have a week in Portugal. It's good to make plans isn't it?

Sol said...

Got to aim for something dont you. else what is the point. So now, build on that. What else could you sell to make that quicker? You seem to find some really interesting stuff, like those pictures you found. Could you sell them on Ebay... Contact an interior designer and see if they are interested in any of your collections that you on longer want to home... Maybe 1 week could become 2 weeks?

Anonymous said...

My plan is to stay alive for another year; it has worked for the last 69 years so, fingers crossed, it will happen again. ;-)

Sol said...

Toffeeapple, I hope that as well. I find i need to have some aims to keep me on track

rusty duck said...

Get another room done and not fall off the hill!
Happy New Year Sol.

Wendy McDonagh-Valentine said...

Happy new year to you and your family!! : )

~ Wendy
http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

PioneerPreppy said...

I'd move somewhere that I could put solar panels on my house without asking permission myself but that's just me :) I'd also wait on solar cars a bit too until they stop spontaneously combusting and the battery life gets a little better. I have driven a few of the hybrids and haven't been all that impressed really. Charge times makes getting em full between work hours sketchy sometimes and that's with a direct power connection to the grid with solar panels I would imagine it would be worse. Still a little more tweaking and electric cars would be economical I am not against them in principal just not impressed with em yet.

Raybeard said...

Happy New Year, Sol.
I'm afraid I've lost sound on videos as I seem to have inadvertently removed the program that was enabling it. So silence all round until I can get it back.

What am I hoping for? Main aim is to survive at least until next Dec 31st. No, I know that sounds like there's something about my health which hasn't been revealed, but that's not the case. Just that at my age (70 next Oct) one can never be sure - witness Natalie Cole falling off the perch at a mere 65. Still, no drugs around here (apart from GP-approved medications).

Have a jolly week-end - and we'll 'see' you later.
'bye for now.

Sol said...

Hey Jessica, please dont fall off of the hill. I need it for garden inspiration. happy new year to you!!!

Hey Wendy, Happy New Year! Hope its treating you well already!

PP. Happy New Year. I have driven a few of the Toyota hybrids and I am a fan. Obviously we dont have to deal with huge amounts of snow, (you watch now, the really warm weather will turn to the ice age). My friends has a mitsubushi Phev. She is really pleased with it. That is pure electric. I have driven 2 prius (both for my old job, travelling to building sites in London, no congestion charge). And have had a Auris also. The Auris felt nicer, maybe that is because it is smaller...?

I already have a little Nissan Note, and the Nissan Leaf in the you tube above is the car I will probably go for. Although there is a new Rav4 Toyota coming out that is electric so watch this space.

As for planning permission, it is just something we have to do. It isnt only the council who have to pass it but also the Parish Council. lol Dont forget that the whole of the uk, England, Wales Northern Ireland and Scotland, the combined land mass would fit neatly into California.... Not much land and what we do has to fit in.

We cant do what we want here because this village is over 1000 years old and is in the Doomsday book as having been a settlement for a long time before. We arent allowed to do anything that changes the appearance of the village. So for instance we cant use red bricks for anything. We can only use cotswolds stone (which thankfully is my favourite buttery colour). I wait with baited breath to see what is going to be said about us wanting to put up a 2 metre high wall and electric gates in. There is a precedence at the larger older houses to have this so I cant see that they can object. We will know soon. Cant wait to get on with it. Happy new year!

Elaine said...

Happy New Year, Sol! I love Cotswold stone, too - we have it on our kitchen and boot room floors. I hope you get the permission you need, it would be a lovely start to the new year.

Sol said...

Hey Fliss, I hope we get permission. It is such a nice coloured stone isnt it

Sol said...

hi ya Ray! Happy new year to you. Strangely very tired. But have been shopping tonight at 10pm! lol people have been crazy over the last few weeks and I cant be doing with all of their craziness when in the supermarket.

Chickpea said...

Hey Sol, good plans hope you get the planning permission. My plans sound very 'hippyish' find a house with a bit of land, grow our food, have our own water supply and generate as much of our own energy as we can. I make it sound so simple ha!

Sol said...

Hey Chickpea, this is also our dream but we dont have enough money. we are also trying to live in a village to see how I get on. I am not too proud to admit that I struggle. I like to be able to walk to the shop etc. one day maybe we will. but it is the dream to end up with a few acres.