Quote Longfellow
“Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”
We have persisting down rain which is brilliant for water supply purposes and hopefully will prevent the utility company from implementing such controls as a hosepipe ban which was mooted at the start of August.
The 'doomed' property after some 80+ years of careful maintenance is typical of a 1930s dwelling.
In the 1930s linear development became a common settlement pattern. The dwelling under new ownership was the latest to be built 1932 and it was not until 1934 that the settlement was extended. Behind the dwellings was a farmer's fields. Services to and from the properties were typical of the times.
Hence each property has its own Rodding Eye
A rodding eye is a vertical pipe that has a curved junction which sits below ground with a drain or sewer system. There is access to these pipes via a small, oval-shaped cover which is provided at ground level, allowing them to be reached in the event of a blockage within the pipe.
The paranoid pair have more problems as we found out just now. Drainage or rather sewage problems of their own making.
We found this out as the utilities workmen called round here to ask if we had any drainage problems.
Conversation led to them learning from us that the properties still have rodding eyes. Gratitude abounds as they would never have discovered the problem for themselves. Being thanked by the engineers was graciously accepted.
Addendum
Monday
Of course the vexatious incomers were nowhere to be found when the utilities engineers arrived. All they'd done was leave a garden gate open for the engineers to do what they would.
Twas solely because those engineers came across D when going from door-to-door to see if any other properties had similar problems that they learnt how to fix that particular problem.
40 years of peace, neighbourliness and harmony.
Then property was sold and took some 6-8 weeks of builders let run riot with the property.
Person objected to photographs being taken from the street. 'Do not photograph my house, please'.
That led to closed curtains front and side. Paranoid woman decided people were staring too much.
Obviously strapped for cash, having taken on a property they could never afford solely because it was sold in a hurry. Next they decided to waste money they do not have on a fence they do not need.
Latest person today was quoting fro a 6-foot high fence! Laughable in the extreme. Paranoid pair have decided they need a 6-foot high fence...but there is already a suitable fence in place. Yet, they have made no attempt to put in fencing on the two sides of 'their' fencing which is in need of repair / replacement. Instead they are determined to put up a fence on the boundary that does not belong to them.
Now, dear readers do you understand the ludicrous situation. People who are in such penury that they have kept furniture from the previous owner. They also are using curtains some of which a over 10 years old.
The dwelling has been turned into a money-pit. Load-bearing walls have been demolished and the backdoor blocked-up.
How to ruin a property in a couple of months!
Pity the dwelling was put on the market for such a low price. The paranoid pair would have been far better off in Wimpey-wonderland.
With Marie now one of the dear departed, the property fell to her four sons. Son number one didn't need / want any money so he enabled the youngest son to buy out the other shares in the property. Thar left youngest son in sole charge of the property.
He now had two bungalows, one in the N.W. and the other in the East Midlands. For over a decade he happily moved to and for to live in both properties as and when he wanted.
Unfortunately, youngest son went on to develop Parkinson's disease.
Nephew (son of richest brother) sold up to release equity.
Neighbours had enjoyed 40 years of friendship and true neighbourliness.
2018
In only two-three months those that bought the property for a pittance have proved themselves to be the type that have a high nuisance value.
It has become obvious that they are unable to cope with the necessary refurbishment of the property. Guess they over-extended themselves. However, anther problem is their lack of experience, knowledge of the necessities, lacking the gumption to organise themselves.
Only the terminally inept employ a firm of builders only to leave them to their own devices. In the 2-3 months the builders had complete freedom to do what they would, no-one ever visited to check what was being done.
Similarly the plumber and electrician were left to their own devices. Plumber ended up being called back some dozen times because of difficulties.
Ignorance and malice-aforethought personified.
One of the first events was total destruction of a decades-old wisteria.
Next, both front and back gardens had well-maintained lawns.
When we looked after the gardens, it used to take a day to mow, edge, trim the lawns.
New inhabitants haven't even bothered to acquire a proper lawn mower. The lawn mower they attempted to use was an old push mower! needless to say, all it did was make a mess.
They have shown themselves to be paranoid, disruptive, vexatious and mentally unstable.
Today they caused a nuisance by making a false claim.
Nuisance call / report #1
Time to create an incidence log.
Nuisance claim 26/01/2018
Cadent
(Cadent manages the national gas emergency service)
Report - Parts per million - Meter reading ZERO
Since we recently had a Smart Meter installed, it has already been proven that our property and utilities conform to modern Gas Safe Standards.
Cadent - What we don't do
- We don’t produce gas.
- We don’t own the gas that flows through our pipes. We only transport the gas through our pipeline networks.
- We don’t repair gas appliances.
- We don’t send out gas bills.
- You do not pay your gas bill to us
Their petty vindictiveness becomes more and more apparent.
17-08-2018 some time round about 2300 hours 'blues and twos' accompanied by flashing lights. Seemingly another false alarm instigated by the trouble-makers.
The bungalow was home to one family who bought it from new. When Marie moved in the dwelling was the last one, there were no others. The bungalow housed Marie and her growing family throughout the 20th century. When she looked out of her kitchen window, all was rural with a clear view across to the Pennines.
Suffice it to say that when you have a neighbour like Marie, there was mutual respect and friendship was in abundance.
Time rolled on and Marie brought up her family. She and her husband raised 4 boys. Two married and one made a success of everything he did. He's become the sort of person for whom 'money is no object'. He passed on success to his son, who seems to have inherited the golden business touch.
One made and lost money several times eventually his business in Cornwall led him to being declared bankrupt. He went on to live in South Africa. He and his bosom male buddy run a successful accommodation business in Cape Town.
One married twice and both marriages failed. Marie had liked wife #1 and they became friends. Marie altered her will when she had had enough of wife #2 and excluded her.
Marie lived alone after her husband died (1984) and all the lads had moved out. She died towards the end of 2000. Her funeral was well-attended; I took the afternoon off to go to the church service. The church was full.
One of her sons died in 2002.
She might have lived on her own, but she was hardly ever lonely as so many people visited her, cared for her and looked after her.
The eldest (richest) son always sent her a hamper from Harrods for Christmas.
Every Tuesday she passed across her shopping list and told us of any little jobs she'd like doing.
She is as the saying goes sadly missed.
