Manky Monkey Motors

It seems, as long as all goes to plan, we will be moving up North in May. Not far North but to a pretty little village near Stratford-upon-Avon.

Think the nearest monkey I know, will be Merv. Anyone here from the Alcester/Stratford area ?

House is much smaller (there's just the two of us now) but it does have a larger garage, with a room over and a mechanics pit etc.  ;D

Now the hard part starts. A 40 year collection of junk, spares, materials, tools and vehicles, that I need to sort through and  either dump, sell or arrange to get moved.  Might need a skip or two. :-\

The very best of luck with it Dave & shout if you need a hand please.

good luck dave.

but north? thats west midlands!!!!  lol

Fingers crossed for yaw :D

Any particular reason for moving up there, or just fancied a change?

Thanks folks.
Andy.  Will keep that in mind. You may regret the offer.

Well it's north of here. . A brass family plaque in a local church is dated 1628, so we've been in this area a while. Perhaps it's time for a change  :)

Bobbie.  Time to downsize and both our kids have settled up there. One in Worcestershire, t'other in Warwickshire and while we won't be local to either of them, we will be a lot closer. Not sure if that's such a good thing but the wife seems to think so. ;)

All the best Olds on the move. There are some lovely places around that way. I was there a few years ago when I visited the Bard and then went to Welford to see the Maypole and to see where my Mum lived, as she was brought up for a time by an Aunt and Uncle who lived there. Still a very pretty village. From what you've said, that sounds fairly close to where you are going.

Can you take your forge? Anyway, have fun packing.  :-\  :D

Thanks JJ.  It's about 5 miles north of Welford-on-Avon.
Will be taking the forge and hope to get permission (conservation area) to rebuild and convert an old outhouse that's falling down into a small smithy.

  I think it's an excellent reason - not only because it's great to be nearer to them, but I can't imagine how I'd have coped when Mike broke his hip, if one of my daughters hadn't lived close enough to speed to the rescue!  And I very much wish the other daughter wasn't so far away, in Southport!

It's a great area to live in as well, easy access to lots of varied countryside, the NEC, etc.  Hope it all goes well!

Thanks BG.

Had a removal company round today and surprisingly they weren't at all phased by what we want moved. Household, contents of sheds, forge, anvils, lathe, pillar drill, engine crane, steel stock, etc. etc. Best bit is, they will also move the trike and the bikes. God only knows how much it's going to cost, but getting one company to do the lot in one move would save a lot of hassle.
The clear out is well under way. It's been 35 years since these shelve were last empty.

You realise it'll take 5 years to get everything back the way you like it again in the new place? :)

I'm envious dave..good luck mate

God only knows what your new neighbours will think when the removers start emptying the trucks out at the other end! :D

 ;D
I was thinking that myself. :D
The previous owner was an old engineer who was into cars, hence the garage and pit. His daughter accepted our offer and gave us time to sell, despite having a no chain, cash purchase offer, because I reminded her of him.
So perhaps it won't be such a shock for the neighbours.

:)

Good karma.

Slightly worried that I may have used up more than my fair share of good karma and that the universe is going to make an example of me.

:)

Oh bo****ks dear.
 
Reading through the movers terms & conditions the bikes and trike have to be drained of all fuel (expected) and oils (not expected).

D'oh ! Recently changed the engine oil in both the trike and the 650.
Ho hum.

I moved an old VW T25 campervan, a ride on lawn mower and a generator from UK to Australia, terms where minimal fuel in tanks, batteries disconnected and all reasonable measures taken to reduce chances of oil or fluid loss, as no compensation for any damage caused by fluid spillage. This move took 9 weeks, so your moving company should be able to draw out a contract to suit your requirements.

drain the oil to a bottle. refill on arrival

Beat me to it!

Well i'm not going to throw it away.  :D
Got quotes from two companies which were very close in price  Just noticed that one has (in small print) put down the bikes and trike as an additional cost of £820 NOT included in the quoted price.
The other firm has included them in the pricing so I think I know which company I will be using.

Oh heck !
After some problems with the Land Registry over a section of land delaying proceedings, we finally got a moving date agreed with everyone in the chain for a month away. Plenty of time to get organised and all packed up.
Got a call yesterday and suddenly it looks like we will be moving in two weeks time ! :o
Sorry about pic quality. Getting used to new lap top with rubbish resizer.

Wow! That looks fabulous!

Thanks. 
The small building between the house and the garage is derelict and needs pulling down. The plan is to 'rebuild' as a forge/workshop.

Looks like a nice place, i might have to pay you a visit  :D

I'm still waiting to move SOUTH after 2 years of trying ::) fingers crossed ;D  I'm downsizing ..most removal companies will bump up the price Mr Olds :-[

Not a problem Merv  :) You will probably be the nearest Monkey I know. About 35 miles away I think.

Hope it works out for you soon.  Yep, we are downsizing too, but not in the important areas, like the garage. Had several quotes and are going with a company who were quite happy to move the bikes, trike and some fairly heavy tooling.

I pity the removal guy who has to lug your anvil about! :)

Is it 'Image resizer for Windows' ?  That's what I have on my W10 laptop, but I had to download it.  I find it quite handy.

Very nice. When will you be starting the B&B for your fellow monkeys?  :D

Glad everything is moving along. Nothing worse than being stuck in limbo.

Is it 'Image resizer for Windows' ?  That's what I have on my W10 laptop, but I had to download it.  I find it quite handy.
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It's the one that came with windows. Multiple resize options but the smallest standard  'web page' size is much larger than the MM site will take so you have to guess the size and try to upload.



Thanks JayJay Got a definite date now and it's the 22nd so panicking slightly. Going through a list of things to do like set up broadband, tell insurers, council tax etc.

Will start on the BBQ/forge as soon as I can. :D

Slight problem with the property is, it's in a conservation area, so any changes need planning permission. Also there is a covenant on the land that prohibits any 'noisome or noxious business or trade'.  Luckily though my ironwork and vehicles are hobbies not business. The forge workshop will be an 'art studio' ;D

The art of noise.

 ;D

Looks great mr olds..I can honestly say I'm not envious but extremely happy for you..hopefully I will post similar pics myself? :D

Thanks. Hopefully that won't be to much longer mate.
The housing market does seem to be a bit stagnant at the moment. Lots of properties on the market but not a lot movement.
We were lucky in that all in the chain below us, already live in the village. None of them are moving more than 1/2 a mile

Is this just your way of saying no to the B&B because noisome & noxious Mankies always mean business!  :'(

:)
Talking of noisome & noxious Monkeys, (I quite like that phrase), I was at the Basingstoke Transport Festival last weekend. I looked for us but we weren't there :( Didn't seem the same without our crowd making the place look untidy.

 ;D Not at all. Monkeys are welcome to visit but there isn't room for a B&B (yet).

The main reason for moving was to be nearer our kids. Our son recently had his first child and our daughter is expecting her first in November. !  :o


Knowing that we wouldn't have a presence there, I didn't bother going.  :(

Dave, hope the move goes ...went, well today & the very best of luck to you & Mrs Dave in the new home.

Thanks Andy.
Actual move is tomorrow but the movers have loaded the truck and left us with virtually nothing but a bed and a kettle.  :o
It's a bit like when we were first married. Only now the kettle will get used more.  :D

 ;D

Throw away the kettle and pretend it's your first home together  ::)

I agree with Stinkey, and quickly before babysitting duties start with a vengeance!  :D  Visiting grandchildren are great but it's also nice when you get your home back. Just took two of mine back to their own homes after having them for a few days.

I'm assuming you've been in your new home for a week now. Hope everything is as you hoped and all your stuff arrived safely.

JJ   :)

  ;D
Thanks JJ. Yep, been a bit busy but slowly sorting things out. Day of the move was hectic and we still have boxes waiting to unpack and I've hardly started on the garage.
Taking it easy now as the arthritis in my  neck has flared up (feels like sciatica, but from my left shoulder, across and down the right arm  :'( )
Had visits from neighbours welcoming us to the villages. Yep, villages plural, as it seems this one and the next consider themselves to be one. Just not in the same place (or with the same name) and all seem very friendly (perhaps a little too .... )
Several retired/working mechanical engineers with an interest in bikes and cars, mainly vintage/classics, so looks like this could be an interesting place.  Folk we've spoken to seem happy with the idea of having a forge and hot metal being worked here, so that's a bonus.

Sounds like your perfect retirement spot Dave :)
Congratulations. Keep in touch here though please -we miss you :)

I don't know if it was sciatica but when we moved from Wales to South of England we rented. 6 months later we bought somewhere but our lease was up before we could move in so we temporarily moved into a holiday flat (third floor  :-\). We had to put a lot in storage. So over a period of 6 weeks we moved stuff into storage, moved some stuff into the holiday flat and then repeated it to move into our new place. We did it ourselves and it was too much. The pain in my neck and shoulder was agony (worse than my knees now  :'().  I eventually went to a Chiropractor (there is a school nearby) and they helped a lot even though it meant I was being used for practice! Have you considered doing that? Really made a difference.

Glad you're settling in and the neighbours seem open to your future plans. Good luck with your boxes. I'll check on you in six months and see if they're still unpacked.  :o  :)

I'll certainly keep in touch.

Thank you JJ.  I went to a chiropractor many years ago but he refused to touch my neck in case he made things much worse.
 Linda is rapidly organising work that needs to be done but I'm sure there will boxes still be waiting to be unpacked, in six months, probably much longer.

Slowly getting the garage sorted.

Ooh theres a bright red trike already settled in  :D👍

Is that where your bed is going Dave, best apologise now mate, or at least before Winter!! :D :D.......... ::)

 :D :D
No the bed frame was there waiting to be taken to my Son, but there is plenty of room up stairs. Previous owner had started to insulate and plasterboard the roof and once I get time I may finish this off and a safety rail at the stairs might be a good idea.

When can I move in?

 ;D

Slowly progressing with the cottage and garage. We knew there would be a lot to do as the place hadn't been lived in for some time. the last owner had done some strange things to the house, like removing the fireplace/chimney, fitting an electric fire instead, He also bricked up the back door!  ???
Problems so far include,
Blocked drains (we couldn't use the toilets the day we move in).
Dodgy electrics that meant getting in an electrician for two days (luckily I test circuits even after pulling the fuses).
The oil tank needed replacing and respositioning, as it was twenty years out of date and contravened all fire and building regulations.
The downstairs toilet (that has a strange, remote cistern, in a cupboard) ballcock, decided to self destruct causing a minor flood, (who the f*** puts the stop/service valve above the ceiling). :o
We are still waiting for a wood burning stove to arrive from Norway, but hopefully it will be installed before it gets cold here.

By far the worse bit so far is, that my lovely full size inspection pit, has turned into a swimming pool ! We are not talking about a couple of inches in the bottom but well over three foot of water. After the wettest June anyone can remember, I have over 4000 litres of water to pump out.  :'(
 

Sorry to hear about your problems dude,one would have thought any decent surveyor could have picked up some of these things?  Which could have meant a reduction in the price?  Oh well to late now 🤬?  we finally had a surveyor come to our place Monday ,so hopefully not long till we journey south?  Keep your chin up and slowly slowly sir 👍😎

Full survey was done and we knew about most of the problems in advance and made our offer accordingly. The blocked drains was an unwelcome surprise. Moving day was stressful enough without that sort of problem but sorted the next day.
The water in the pit is nice and clean, so I've bought a flood pump and 40 meter hose so that I can pump the water across to the well.
 If the place had been perfect, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford it

All part of life's rich tapestry, Dave ;) and I'm yet to see a pit that doesn't require pumping out occasionally!! Morrag

The good thing about being older is we know how to deal with what life throws up ( hopefully 🤞🤣?)  I am looking forward to our project but it's still a scary thing..I hope you can take lots of pictures please Dave I'm looking forward to seeing the progress 👍

Oh bXXXXXX.
Spent two hours pumping out the pit but this morning there's 7" of water in the bottom. Looks like I will have to wait till we get a long dry spell so that the water table drops, then tank the damned thing.
I know that this is unlikely to fully cure it but hopefully, combined with a suspended floor, I can get it to the point that it doesn't need pumping out every time I want to use it.
The steel frame in the pic is a heavy steel bench frame, that needs cutting up so that I can lift it out. There is also a pair of massive steel wheel ramps dumped down there

I have a similar problem looming down south, the old water storage tank ( hole in the ground) which is littered with rocks..last time I was there I found a rather large snake which was struggling to get out, poor thing was close to death..so I hooked him out and placed him in the sunshine hoping he would warm up and recover but he died😥..next morning he was gone something had carried him off during the night 🍽🥨🍝..I'm thinking this will become an underground larder? ☢

The one I built at our old place used to fill to the top, just short of the boards!
I had a sump in the corner and a li'l pump which ran itself.

Looks like you've gained a new project Dave. If everything was perfect it'd be no fun :)

Well we have been here a year and now that I've got most of the cottage sorted, I thought, as it's been so dry, it was  time to sort out that inspection pit.
Hauled out the massive pair of ramps and shelving unit, then cut up the steel bench frame with the plasma cutter. After sweeping and scrubbing we applied four coats of tanking slurry.
Need to fabricate steps sometime, but a ladder does for now and i'm looking forward to not having to lay on cold concrete while working on cars on axle stands.
The trike is just about wide enough to get it's arse over the pit but it's very, VERY close.
 Now to think about a vehicular project.

Certainly looks good, amazing how time flies by?  We've been working non stop here and still not even looked at my underground water tank 😁...another project dave?

Thinking about it. Still gathering bits for the bantam but looking for a, not sure what,  project. :-\

Gosh, that has gone quickly. Glad you've managed to get a lot of the work done that you wanted to do. Must be very satisfying.