One Daily Positive - Week 39

Another week that has raced by, only 2 weeks until my planned return to Dubai, although I don't have flights booked yet, the teen still isn't employed, but there are a few interviews lined up, but it doesn't leave much time to find him somewhere to live and get him moved in. I guess the best thing to do is go back home and come back to the UK when I'm next needed over here, I sort of feel I'm just hanging around at the moment, achieving nothing and getting under peoples feet.

I think the tenant has moved out, all has been quiet the past week. I joined Mumsnet and eBay and posted a couple of items for sale for the first time in ages and already reached over £140 on a 1978 World Cup Panini Football Sticker Album. Sheer madness, Dad has loads of stuff like this I will be selling.

267 Sunday So Cute
Last day for Peter in the UK, we returned the car hire and said goodbye at the airport. I drove back to South Wales in the new car hire a Fiat 500. The evening was spent tidying the flat, cleaning and doing the washing.

268 Monday Blurred
Spent the morning organising the sale of Dad's car and lining up more properties for Mum to view. We visited a couple of houses in the afternoon. I'd forgotten just how many spiders there were in the UK, I'd been walking through spiders webs all day as we explored lots of different gardens. Popped out to hand over keys for the Jag, new owner just happens to own a pub, I got home 4 hours later a bit worse for wear.

269 Tuesday I'm eating
Met Mum in town for a coffee, I was late as I picked up the guy who bought the car and took him round to collect it off the drive while Mum waited for me in the coffee shop. I've been buying prepared, fresh meat dishes for 2 from Waitrose, but I'd put them in the freezer so I've been eating the same meal 2 days in a row. It's getting a bit boring.

270 Wednesday Organised
Hair cut first thing, more house hunting and the afternoon spent in the flat making some space to store some more of my Dad's stuff that's left to sell. I collected my niece from school, we went for ice cream and in the evening I popped in to see a friend.

271 Thursday Friends
Mum car needed to go for an MOT, back to the flat for a couple of hours then the teen and I went to visit my ex MIL, his Granny at home, who isn't very well. The District Nurse came and she was really good. Over the past few weeks, grab rails and ramps etc have been installed in the house to help her get a round much more easily. Peter and I skype every evening, it's a bit of a rush to get home to a wifi connection with the time difference between the UK and Dubai, but as a rule, once I'm home between 3pm & 5pm I rarely go back out.

272 Friday BML17

No blogging conference for me, I hadn't anticipated being in the UK this long. Was initially slightly disappointed that they'd changed the date from June, as I had originally planned on going and booked my UK visit to allow for the usual date. Britmums published there SnapHappyBritMums Photo Prompts for October today, I replied to their tweet saying I'd been using their prompts every day for almost 3 years with little interaction from them and still no response.

We viewed a Park Home today. I will confess it met all the criteria for Mum, however I really had my reservations about spending all that money without further research and the ground rent was high, for little to nothing in return, but the final decision isn't mine, all I can do is present my research, based on time spent, experience and knowledge of buying and owning property, being a landlord and paying ground rent. 

Drove up to Tewkesbury in the afternoon with the teen to colelct his girlfriend from school who is staying for the weekend. Dinner with a friend and her kids, then popped to the pub and had a early night.

273 Saturday BIBs Brilliance in Bogging (not blogging) A photo from yesterday's visit to the school farm.

Dropped a suit off with a mate, then met mum, sister and niece in town for breakfast, went for a coffee afterwards, ran a few errands and went to Newport with the teen and his girlfriend, they wandered round the shops and went to Nando's for lunch while I met up with friends for coffee. The Park Home is a no go, there's a 10% charge on the re sale of the property, which is payable to the land owners. This is common practice, along with the £133.50 per month ground rent and still having to maintain the property, garden and having your own insurance, the buying highlights of no stamp duty, low water costs and council tax band A aren't actually that much of a saving over a potential 10-15 year period.

I spent the evening making up boxes, sorting more stuff, watching TV and had a bath.

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo - Q is for Quirky. Malvern Autumn Show

PoCoLo - #eBaySellingMN Working with eBay and Mumsnet - If you don't love it someone else will

TriumpantTales and TweensTeensBeyond - A visit to Wookey Hole. Days out WITHOUT kids

If you don't love it, someone else will. How much stuff do we really need? Selling with eBay.

My Dad died suddenly in July this year. I was over from Dubai where I divide my year with my husband and his job and the adult children and my parents and family in the UK.

Like a lot of people his age, my father had collected a lot of stuff. He was from a generation where you reused things, kept things in case they came in handy and from an age where things grew in value and weren't disposable or easily replaced. You saved up and bought good quality items that would last for years.

So when Mumsnet offered me the opportunity to work with them and eBay, I decided to give eBay a go. I'm not sure I've ever sold through there, but I had an account which I'd purchased one or two items from, mainly for the children many years ago. Mum and I started selling the specialist items such as the train set and toy cars and some sports gear and made a few successful sales. We sold the fishing gear at a loss, but we needed the space in the garage to sort through other items. We've arranged for an auction house to collect some of the bulkier stuff and a couple of items have been sold on local face book groups. Several car boot sales have been done also. Next was selling the house and finding somewhere else for Mum to live and getting rid of Dad's 13 year old Jag which all took it's toll on me, but I finally succeeded this morning and decided I now had time to enter the world of researching some interesting finds from around the house to sell on eBay.

Once I reset my password and found my pay pal account details, it was a really simple process using my laptop. As soon as I started to type a description I was offered suggestions of similar items to choose from for listing, I could add photos and a further description, select from drop down boxes and choose a reserve price, length of time to sell, 'buy it now' option and there were suggestions for recommend sale prices. I found several helpful 'tips' as I proceeded on fees and free listings and P&P costs and alternative methods of shipping and collections and eBay saved my preferences for future sales.

I had a few issues with my laptop transferring pictures so I switched to the app on my mobile phone, which made my life a lot easier and a lot quicker and I'll be listing as much stuff as I can over the remaining few weeks before I return to Dubai. I've taken items to the post office, weighed them and checked postal costs so it'll be easy for Mum to post them out once they sell.

So far the money from everything we've sold has gone towards funeral expenses, bills, moving etc so it will be nice to raise some funds to do something nice for Mum and maybe she can have a break to Dubai over the winter months while she waits for the contracts to exchange on her house.

Below are a couple of items I've already listed on eBay.

 Bruce Forsyth Tram

 Golf Balls from Las Vegas

 1st Edition TV Times

Panini 1978 World Cup Sticker Album Complete.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/PANINI-ARGENTINA-WORLD-CUP-78-1978-STICKER-ALBUM-Complete-/132342045405

I had an offer via the message system, within 20 minutes of listing, for the Panini Sticker Album, it would appear I didn't do my research thoroughly enough, so I'm taking my chances on people bidding on it and will see if I can get a higher offer, nearer the end of the listing period.

Disclaimer:
“I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. [I have received a voucher as a token of thanks for this post].

How Do You Fancy A Sparkling New You??

Another challenge from @kateonthinice and #groovymums How do you fancy a whole new you?
http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/how-do-you-fancy-a-sparkling-new-you/
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if 2012 just felt a bit more joyful and saw you with a spring in your step and a positive mindset?

This is Kate's weekly post that encourages mums to change their lives in ways that make sense to them large and small.

You can read all about how Grooving Mums works by clicking this link http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/how-to-be-a-groovy-mum/

http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/how-do-you-fancy-a-sparkling-new-you/

1. Did you over-indulge over the festive season? What can you do to prepare for the life-changing journey ahead in terms of improving your health?

Yes I over ate, but then I go through stages of over indulgences without any rhyme or reason. Health improvements...should give up smoking...but don't want to...should drink more water and alcohol and carry on going to the gym and not getting a maid.

2. What do you need to change your mind about? Have you written yourself off in some way? How can you shift negative thinking patterns?

I can't work, no seriously, I'm here on a visitors visa and yes I can get a work visa if I get a job offer, which I can't get without a work visa #givesup.

3. This week, Christians celebrate the Epiphany. Here is one dictionary definition for the word epiphany “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.” What does this mean to you?

We were a bit late here as we were on holiday so the decs were taken down on the 9th and the tree still stands, naked, at the top of the stairs. Can't answer the rest.



4. Are you aware of all the blogging networks you can get involved with? Is it worth you checking them out and promoting your efforts to sparkle to a wider audience?

Joined @loveallblogs, @netmums and updated URL on @mumsnet...already a member of @britmums.
I'll forget passwords, I'll forget to check them out...I'm doing my best but to be honest since I started trying to reach a wider audience I got a little bit lost.