twobears

Thanks to you too Colin We both knew Weybridge was going to be expensive but honestly thought we were going to live here for a year or two and then happily return to Yorkshire. What I hadn't prepared myself for was falling in love with the South again after so many years away and I never thought Mr TwoBears, as an out and proud Yorkshireman, would fancy living down here. We have both been a bit bemused by our reactions to moving this time, even though I in particular, have lived in the North, South and Midlands. I think the 8 months we spent living in Madrid have changed us both and we feel that we want a change somehow

Thanks sipar69, I liked Sussex too Graham, thank you for your words of advice. We haven't actually sat down with a piece of paper and written out our priorities or done a pros and cons list but I think that is an excellent idea, so thank you Mudman, your response is brilliant and has really made me think, so thank you too

Thanks Pete We are in a sort of weird situation really because I am currently 'retired' but Mr TwoBears definitely isn't and needs to be able to get to London fairly easily. If we were both retired it would be far easier to make a decision Also, I think I want to re-start my business but even that's not certain as I am currently taking up new hobbies like there's no tomorrow and I would have to give them all up again if I go back to being self-employed and working my ar$e off. There are just too many hard decisions to make and I think it's going to take us months to figure out what we should do for the best If only Surrey wasn't so expensive it would make the whole thing a lot easier.

Slightly impractical DoogyRev, even though I can see the appeal Humpy, yes, I really liked Hampshire, especially around Winchester where you are, but Mr TwoBears seems to be favouring Suffolk at present SuperStu, sorry, South Yorks is definitely not on my short list I hate football, worked in Leeds for many years and think it's a great city but have no desire to move closer to it and York is lovely but too close to where my current house is and I want a change

I don't really mind 'flat' countryside Tricky-Ricky. I have lived happily in East Yorkshire for 7 years and you can't get flatter than that I am really enjoying being closer to London though and I love hopping on a train and being there in half an hour on the fast train. I am scared of being bored which seems odd after years of being happily holed up in the middle of nowhere. Our house in Yorkshire is literally in the middle of hundreds of hectares of arable land and we only have one close neighbour. I sort of feel that I have 'done' country living but it feels like a backward step to sell our largish house and get a smaller one with only a small garden. I am so confused

Thanks rtbiscuit We stayed in a hotel near Woodbridge all last weekend. It is a lovely area and I know that bit of Suffolk quite well as we have holidayed around there a few times over the years. I think, however, that if we do decide on Suffolk we would like to live near Lavenham/Long Melford and have been looking at houses there.

In Weybridge itself we could probably buy a "luxury' 2 bed flat or small house. If we live a few miles outside we could get a 3 or 4 bedroom house but only with a garden and not paddocks, outbuildings etc. If we have land the horse (and a companion or two) can live at home with us, otherwise I have to pay about £700 a month for someone else to look after one horse at livery and I would have to re-home my ducks, geese and possibly chickens too. If I restart my business I would need outbuildings for my machinery and storage.

I'm slowly driving myself mad trying to decide where to live so maybe throwing the question open to the forum will help focus my thoughts? The basic facts are as follows - Mr TwoBears has an office in Weybridge so we have a rented flat here. It is very nice and light and airy and suits the two of us very well but, obviously, we don't own it and are much happier when we are more 'in control' of our own property. Renting is also 'dead money'. There are also restrictions on what we can do e.g. no washing the car and we are forbidden from hanging washing out to dry which is a real pain as you can't tumble dry everything and wet washing hung over radiators isn't my idea of fun. We have a house in Yorkshire which we are happy to sell but a) our daughter and her boyfriend live there and we can't just evict them and b ) we have a lot of animals that live there and which can't possibly come to live in the flat with us. I am loving living down South again (used to live in Berkshire) and Mr TwoBears is finding it very convenient because he can walk to work, London is easily accessible via the local train station and Heathrow is an easy cab ride away as he travels abroad a lot. We think we have outgrown our little spot in the Yorkshire wilds now because we are both enjoying all the amenities down here. I have found a wonderful tennis club with a great social scene and have begun to take up lots of new hobbies. None of these things are available near us in Yorkshire. But now comes the other big problem - houses in Weybridge, and Surrey generally, cost mega bucks We have been spending every weekend travelling to other counties and have loved Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Suffolk but neither of us can decide what we should do next. Realistically I think it is a toss up between buying a house in Suffolk (we could get one with land for the horse) or trying to buy something small in Surrey. There's no immediate hurry to decide as we have a 12 month lease on the flat but we don't know when (or even if) to put the Yorkshire house up for sale due to the aforementioned problems. Finally, just to add a little bit more difficulty, we haven't got a huge deposit to put down on a new house right now but would potentially have a lot more in a year or two. Any ideas or should I just keep thinking and driving myself bonkers for another few months?

Did you really dare to go and ask her that ? .... I asked Mr TwoBears as he is more informed on these matters than I am He didn't take offence but then he never does which is why he is such a lovely husband

Not a Zed but my automatic wipers don't seem that brilliant either and my car is brand new They worked ok for the first week but since then I find myself willing them to come on but having to wait until I can barely see through the screen until they finally decide to clear it. I have got an intermittent option though.

It's been 10 years for me and very happy ones Hope to have many more good years unless Mr TwoBears has other ideas Congratulations NeilMH on your 41st anniversary We got married in September too, it's a good month, obviously!

I've no idea how these things work but I am sure that congratulations are in order so, "Congratulations" What do the stars by your names mean? Is it like the McDonald's badge system? If so, why do you start with two stars?

12 posts ............ Ok, I confess to being stupid but I didn't know what it was and now I do, so problem solved

Ha ha. That's saved me a bit of money if I really don't need the kit then

Thank you. I think you are right It does sound like it could be a fan now you mention it and that would make perfect sense. I will stop panicking immediately Mr Mainwaring

If it is Mr Zedley haunting me I am fine with that It's nice that he wants to keep in touch

I haven't the foggiest idea what a throttle body is but maybe that is what is happening? The air con could well be on when the engine is switched off but that's not where the noise is coming from as there is silence for a few minutes and then this funny noise that I am talking about and then it returns to absolute silence. I've never noticed any clicking either, just the whirring and moaning

No, it's a sort of whirring and moaning noise and it's quite loud. The last car did exactly the same but even louder. It sounds a bit like the noise that you get when the wing mirrors fold in (which Stanley does automatically every time you switch off the engine) but with an added bit of what I can only describe as 'moaning'

Can someone please tell me what makes the noise that I hear when the engine has been switched off for a few minutes? Normally I would lock the car and walk away and never hear it but if I am sitting in the car whilst Mr Twobears pops into a shop then I notice the car making odd noises to itself after a while. The Evoque did exactly the same but maybe all cars do? If I forget it is going to happen and am deep in thought it sometimes makes me jump but I am curious as to why the car does it in the first place?

Thanks Mudman. I will wait with crossed fingers until tomorrow to see if it can be repaired then because this definitely seems the better option

Well it serves you right then doesn't it

I'd die of fright if I caught that but goodness, it's a magnificent fish!

Where on earth did you find that picture of my house?

Ha ha, I'm not actually Northern

No choice really though as we haven't got gas (or even mains drainage) where my Yorkshire house is situated