Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: alfie on 10 March 2017, 08:05:18
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Yes,it's getting near the start of the caravan season,that mean's cleaning and polishing the pride of your life. After it's been laid up in a farmers field for over 6 months,it's amazing how much shit and algea has attached itself to it.
I suppose about 2 days labour,sweat,tears and a few quids worth of chemicals. will bring back some kind of pride.
Alfie,
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Of course it's worth it, my 4 Grandsons love coming away in ours + they are always eager help clean it.😉
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You need one of those powerful Karcher washers like the one on Top Gear the other day. Soon blast away the dirt! ;D
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Or a can of 4* and a box of matches :P
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Or a can of 4* and a box of matches :P
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I would like to recommend the above motion to become law, also it should be made compulsory. :y :y
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You need one of those powerful Karcher washers like the one on Top Gear the other day. Soon blast away the dirt! ;D
Possibly slight overkill :o :y
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More than overkill! Please don't use a pressure washer on your 'van as it will damage the seals, never to recover without major work. Elbow grease is the best product.....
Ron.
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Now that you mention it, I've never had to pressure washer the hotel's I've stayed at ::)
Or empty the toilet after my stay, good job as well ;D !
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Caravans are like the local garden centre, or an allotment.
If you show an interest in any of the above it means your life is drawing to a close and vigorous sex is just a distant memory.
I was persuaded to visit a garden centre last week and it took me less than ten minutes to realise that this is a place where old people go to die.
I came out in a cold sweat and ran for my life. ;)
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Now that you mention it, I've never had to pressure washer the hotel's I've stayed at ::)
Or empty the toilet after my stay, good job as well ;D !
.. and some bloke has already towed it there for you, too. :y
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More than overkill! Please don't use a pressure washer on your 'van as it will damage the seals, never to recover without major work. Elbow grease is the best product.....
Ron.
Very true Ron although my reference was to the top gear sketch where they were cutting cars up with said pressure washer :y ;D
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Ha ha just had a good laugh at the answers especially tunnies. ;D
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Now that you mention it, I've never had to pressure washer the hotel's I've stayed at ::)
Or empty the toilet after my stay, good job as well ;D !
And quite possibly cheaper in the long run if using decent budget hotels
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Now that you mention it, I've never had to pressure washer the hotel's I've stayed at ::)
Or empty the toilet after my stay, good job as well ;D !
And quite possibly cheaper in the long run if using decent budget hotels
I've never understood the finances of why one would want a caravan vs a good hotel.
Buy a burger-plastic box van for £10, £15, £20k+
Then add in a shed load of depreciation, storage costs, towing costs (destroy the driving experience + huge MPG hit), pitching at a suitable site cost. Then having to set the stupid thing up on a level surface, put up an awning and dragging all the junk out you want. (chairs etc) Factor in caravan site rules of no games, no fires, no noise after 10PM and such. Looking at several thousand just to own one and take it some place.
Then factor in general maintenance costs of the plastic box, emptying your own shite, filling up the water bottles so you have water, then having to drive it back to storage. Cleaning it, inside and out.
Or you can turn up a Marriott Hotel, pay around 100 quid for the night and do none of the above and just relax in the hotel pool!
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
Can see a caravan club site really welcoming one of those, onto their fixed sized plots ;D
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Regarding the cost issue,budget hotels v caravan,very interesting ,hotels win every time..........if there are just 2 of you,but a family of 4/5 is a different matter.
Alfie.
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Took our caravan to Sandringham last year just for a short break (6 nights) there was an American motorhome on site and was absolutely massive it also had the extra lounge that slides out from the side, but to top it all the trailer on the rear which most people tow a small car for their excursions had a brand new Range Rover Sport in matching black must Have been £200,000 worth of kit in total. Got chatting to the owner who was a really down to earth guy, lorry driver by trade but who had done good on a lottery syndicate, hated hotels but loves driving. Spends winter months in Spain & tours Britain for a few weeks every year.
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
Can see a caravan club site really welcoming one of those, onto their fixed sized plots ;D
You presumably need to frequent such places to have an opinion... ::) :-P
Handy guide on their website about all the things to know about motorhomes... Suggesting that they are an accepted way of doing things ;)
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
Can see a caravan club site really welcoming one of those, onto their fixed sized plots ;D
You presumably need to frequent such places to have an opinion... ::) :-P
Handy guide on their website about all the things to know about motorhomes... Suggesting that they are an accepted way of doing things ;)
Member of the family had several caravans over many decades, so a regular visitor ;)
... and yes that site banned motorhomes anything bigger than a Transit.
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
A man with flair and imagination could turn this into a one or two bed flat. £20,000 should do it. The next thing you know you are featuring in an episode of Grand Designs. :y
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Motorhomes seem to be getting bigger every year a lot of sites don't seem to bother about plot sizes for the really large ones, caravans definitely on c & c sites are allocated plots some of the tents seem to take up more space nowadays.
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
Can see a caravan club site really welcoming one of those, onto their fixed sized plots ;D
You presumably need to frequent such places to have an opinion... ::) :-P
Handy guide on their website about all the things to know about motorhomes... Suggesting that they are an accepted way of doing things ;)
Member of the family had several caravans over many decades, so a regular visitor ;)
... and yes that site banned motorhomes anything bigger than a Transit.
The camping sites I visit accept American sized motorhomes, but you have to park them 90 degrees to the norm and how ever many pitches you take up 2 or 3, you have to pay for 2 or 3 pitches......
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Regarding the cost issue,budget hotels v caravan,very interesting ,hotels win every time..........if there are just 2 of you,but a family of 4/5 is a different matter.
Alfie.
I don't family, even nearest and dearest would want to listen to me taking a dump through the paper thin walls while they're having their breakfast ;D And then having me wooosh the door open afterwards !
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Now that you mention it, I've never had to pressure washer the hotel's I've stayed at ::)
Or empty the toilet after my stay, good job as well ;D !
And quite possibly cheaper in the long run if using decent budget hotels
I've never understood the finances of why one would want a caravan vs a good hotel.
Buy a burger-plastic box van for £10, £15, £20k+
Then add in a shed load of depreciation, storage costs, towing costs (destroy the driving experience + huge MPG hit), pitching at a suitable site cost. Then having to set the stupid thing up on a level surface, put up an awning and dragging all the junk out you want. (chairs etc) Factor in caravan site rules of no games, no fires, no noise after 10PM and such. Looking at several thousand just to own one and take it some place.
Then factor in general maintenance costs of the plastic box, emptying your own shite, filling up the water bottles so you have water, then having to drive it back to storage. Cleaning it, inside and out.
Or you can turn up a Marriott Hotel, pay around 100 quid for the night and do none of the above and just relax in the hotel pool!
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We manage to do both usually holiday abroad every year the caravan is just for UK jaunts, you don't necessarily have to give up hotel hols because you have a caravan .
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I would probably take this approach to caravaning...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Vanhool-T7-Volvo-B10M-57-Seat-Coach-/152458228521?hash=item237f37f329:g:TIQAAOSw4CFYuVIJ
Plus a tow bar for the rolling garage ;)
Can see a caravan club site really welcoming one of those, onto their fixed sized plots ;D
You presumably need to frequent such places to have an opinion... ::) :-P
Handy guide on their website about all the things to know about motorhomes... Suggesting that they are an accepted way of doing things ;)
Member of the family had several caravans over many decades, so a regular visitor ;)
... and yes that site banned motorhomes anything bigger than a Transit.
The camping sites I visit accept American sized motorhomes, but you have to park them 90 degrees to the norm and how ever many pitches you take up 2 or 3, you have to pay for 2 or 3 pitches......
Sounds perfectly reasonable :y
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I never thought I'd go for a caravan in a million years. However now we have 2 dogs and would like to take them with us it makes a lot more sense.
However I think we'd go down the motor home route. Been looking at US minivans, could deck them out a bit like a VW camper. Only with an acceptable engine, and a bit less Hitler'y.
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Boating holidays are good with pets too :y
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Yup, we're really tempted by a narrow boat holiday at some point. :y
I did a lot of surfing in my 20's and would like to start going again. Unfortunately I think a lot of beaches in Cornwall have got really sniffy about dogs. Also finding a site that accepts dogs may be tricky? (No idea about this though as have done no research as yet).
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Think I read that you can be smashed out of your face, still drive a canal boat legally. No drink drive rules with them :o ;D
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pitching at a suitable site cost. Then having to set the stupid thing up on a level surface, put up an awning and dragging all the junk out you want. (chairs etc) Factor in caravan site rules of no games, no fires, no noise after 10PM and such.
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Or you can turn up a Marriott Hotel, pay around 100 quid for the night and do none of the above and just relax in the hotel pool!
Whilst I agree with most of the sentiments about caravans, they bit I've picked out above apply for camping under a tent, which I know you've enjoyed in the past ;)
I do really, really, really dislike hotels. The likes of Travelodge/Prem Inn and their euro counterparts such as Ibis/Mercure have a place in life as somewhere to put your head down for the night when travelling. But the thought of spending a holiday in a hotel? No thanks. And my last trip abroad to Lanzagrote has re-enforced that, though we were lucky to have a self catering style unit, but on the hotel complex.
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Think I read that you can be smashed out of your face, still drive a canal boat legally. No drink drive rules with them :o ;D
Little bro likes the Norfolk Broads for his summer hols.
If you want to moor within a sensible walking distance of a pub, you have to be moored up by midday :o. But I guess holidays are for relaxing, sitting round, and doing nothing.
He'd never buy a boat. The few £hundred it costs him for the week, it's still cheaper than purchase/depreciation/maintenance/shit emptying etc.
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Think I read that you can be smashed out of your face, still drive a canal boat legally. No drink drive rules with them :o ;D
Little bro likes the Norfolk Broads for his summer hols.
If you want to moor within a sensible walking distance of a pub, you have to be moored up by midday :o. But I guess holidays are for relaxing, sitting round, and doing nothing.
He'd never buy a boat. The few £hundred it costs him for the week, it's still cheaper than purchase/depreciation/maintenance/shit emptying etc.
Had my boat for ten years, spent about £15k on it in that time including a new engine, some woodwork and refitting the galley and saloon. Sold it for what I paid for it... could have gotten a third more, but didn't have the time to wait, and as anyone selling a caravan in January can testify, not a great time to sell...
Moorings in Norfolk are about a third of the South Coast, pump out charges are minimal... £10 a time, gas bottles are £20 a go and last indefinitely, fuel is low duty around £1 per litre, drinking water is free.
All in all, mine cost me £2,500 a day. For the two days I used it the year I sold it... :'(
For less than two weeks it's cheaper to rent, over four weeks and it's cheaper to buy ;)
I will get another one in due course, but what and where are both decisions for later...
As for the Broads, do it :y go for a fortnight, allow two days to adjust to the pace of 4mph. Hire a sailing dinghy too. Teach youself/kids to sail in a day, also it frees up mooring options at the busier places. Gets cold in the winter and rainy days can be tedious, but always things to see regardless of the time of year 8)
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For less than two weeks it's cheaper to rent, over four weeks and it's cheaper to buy ;)
And therein lies the crux of it. My folks (semi retired) bought a caravan last year and have so far had 3x3weeks on the continent. South of France, and 2x north Italy. No idea what that would cost in a hotel, even if you could get in with 2 large dogs. But I'll bet the £11k caravan is nearly half way to buying itself, even if you assigned it nil residual value.
SWMBO and I will probably pay £5k max for our day van (inc conversion costs) and our intention would be to do at least one long trip/yr and as many weekends as we can manage.
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For less than two weeks it's cheaper to rent, over four weeks and it's cheaper to buy ;)
And therein lies the crux of it. My folks (semi retired) bought a caravan last year and have so far had 3x3weeks on the continent. South of France, and 2x north Italy. No idea what that would cost in a hotel, even if you could get in with 2 large dogs. But I'll bet the £11k caravan is nearly half way to buying itself, even if you assigned it nil residual value.
SWMBO and I will probably pay £5k max for our day van (inc conversion costs) and our intention would be to do at least one long trip/yr and as many weekends as we can manage.
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That's the thing with any hobby you need to get your monies worth out of your investment, we paid £9,000 for our caravan in 2012 & £5,500 for the 4x4 to tow it ,I get 9 weeks leave a year the wife gets 13 so the outfit owes us nothing.
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Job done,everything working,and looking spick and span again,ready for easter at Porthcawl.
Alfie.
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Job done,everything working,and looking spick and span again,ready for easter at Porthcawl.
Alfie.
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Nice one, have a great time.
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I get 9 weeks leave a year the wife gets 13
Fudging fudgecakes :o
Got any jobs going?
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I get 52 while the wife only gets 13.
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I get 9 weeks leave a year the wife gets 13
Fudging fudgecakes :o
Got any jobs going?
13 weeks is clearly school related... 9 weeks suggests public service :-\
My 296 hours works out at 24 days which would give me over 2 months off if booked as a single lump
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And I thought my 6.5 weeks was obscene :o
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9 weeks suggests public service :-\
Which would explain the £2+k council tax bill, and all I get for that is my bins emptied 24 times.
£2048 / 24 = £85.33 for each collection.
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Move up north they said. It'll be cheaper they said... ::)
If I book carefully, five days holiday gets me 14 days off and six days guarantees 19 days off 8)
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For less than two weeks it's cheaper to rent, over four weeks and it's cheaper to buy ;)
And therein lies the crux of it. My folks (semi retired) bought a caravan last year and have so far had 3x3weeks on the continent. South of France, and 2x north Italy. No idea what that would cost in a hotel, even if you could get in with 2 large dogs. But I'll bet the £11k caravan is nearly half way to buying itself, even if you assigned it nil residual value.
SWMBO and I will probably pay £5k max for our day van (inc conversion costs) and our intention would be to do at least one long trip/yr and as many weekends as we can manage.
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That's the thing with any hobby you need to get your monies worth out of your investment, we paid £9,000 for our caravan in 2012 & £5,500 for the 4x4 to tow it ,I get 9 weeks leave a year the wife gets 13 so the outfit owes us nothing.
I don't know what you and your Mrs do, but whatever you both do . . . . are there any vacancies ?
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9 weeks suggests public service :-\
Which would explain the £2+k council tax bill, and all I get for that is my bins emptied 24 times.
£2048 / 24 = £85.33 for each collection.
£2048 +5%=£2150ish after the April rise.
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9 weeks suggests public service :-\
Which would explain the £2+k council tax bill, and all I get for that is my bins emptied 24 times.
£2048 / 24 = £85.33 for each collection.
£2048 +5%=£2150ish after the April rise.
10.8% here >:(
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Frozen here...
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Frozen here...
Ah yes Surrey? Wasn't that down to a Dodgy Deal Gentleman's Agreement with the Government? ::)
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Surrey Heath got a ~3% rise. Don't understand why Brackley's council tax is higher than Surrey Heath :-\
£1.7k here for 4 bed house.
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9 weeks suggests public service :-\
Which would explain the £2+k council tax bill, and all I get for that is my bins emptied 24 times.
£2048 / 24 = £85.33 for each collection.
£2048 +5%=£2150ish after the April rise.
10.8% here >:(
The increase is alledgedly 4%. Thats what the letter from the thickos says.
My A level maths suggests the increase from £181pm to £205 as far nearer double what they claim.
But then if public service gives DB pensions, 45 days holiday, and enough pay to afford big V8 cars and holidays, I guess they need to have big increases just for staffing costs, as there aren't any services here to cut (according to what the dumb ass bitch told me a couple of years back when I complained that the hikes in council tax were unreasonable.
No wonder our local council need even bigger offices, and are moving out of their swanky 15yr old huge office block to an even swankier, new, bigger one.
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To (mis)quote a certain Pink Floyd song. "Did they tell you the name of the game (The) boy ? They call it riding the gravy train". :)
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Ours are apparently sitting on so much (of my) cash, and getting such disappointing interest rates, that they've taken to being property tycoons, bought the local pub under the guise of a shadow company and let it to the highest bidder, who happened to be the Co-Op. >:(
Funnily enough, my application for the premises to be registered as an "asset of community value" was dismissed with a condescending comment about it "not being financially viable" (after they'd tried the classic "you've used the wrong version of the application form". Corrupt self-abusers, the lot of them. >:(
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Ours are apparently sitting on so much (of my) cash, and getting such disappointing interest rates, that they've taken to being property tycoons, bought the local pub under the guise of a shadow company and let it to the highest bidder, who happened to be the Co-Op. >:(
Funnily enough, my application for the premises to be registered as an "asset of community value" was dismissed with a condescending comment about it "not being financially viable" (after they'd tried the classic "you've used the wrong version of the application form". Corrupt self-abusers, the lot of them. >:(
Is there another co-op nearby? .....
Seems to be a policy of the co-op round here.....buy out the competition...
Theres several co-ops that have popped up (one that was a pub, then a morrisons local, then an independent local shop, now co-op) within spitting distance of another co-op.....
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9 weeks suggests public service :-\
Which would explain the £2+k council tax bill, and all I get for that is my bins emptied 24 times.
£2048 / 24 = £85.33 for each collection.
£2048 +5%=£2150ish after the April rise.
10.8% here >:(
The increase is alledgedly 4%. Thats what the letter from the thickos says.
My A level maths suggests the increase from £181pm to £205 as far nearer double what they claim.
But then if public service gives DB pensions, 45 days holiday, and enough pay to afford big V8 cars and holidays, I guess they need to have big increases just for staffing costs, as there aren't any services here to cut (according to what the dumb ass bitch told me a couple of years back when I complained that the hikes in council tax were unreasonable.
No wonder our local council need even bigger offices, and are moving out of their swanky 15yr old huge office block to an even swankier, new, bigger one.
That's about a 13% increase :o .....you do know its illegal for a higher rise above 5%, except if theres a referendum and you vote to pay more .....unless you are Swindon BC and find a legal loophole, to charge me an extra 10.9% (got the bill today) >:(
I'll bet my gonads that the conservative council in control at the moment wont be at the next election......
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Got ours today...3.9% increase. So...a band A property in Barnsley goes up from £7.67 a year to almost £8. Scandalous. ;D
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Sometimes I wonder how you sleep at night...
Doesn't keep me awake in my silk sheets though, so I don't let it worry me :D
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Sometimes I wonder how you sleep at night...
Doesn't keep me awake in my sticky sheets though, so I don't let it worry me :D
Yer dirty bugger ;D
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Me dear? Dirty dear? No dear... ;D
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Got ours today...3.9% increase. So...a band A property in Barnsley goes up from £7.67 a year to almost £8. Scandalous. ;D
After almost a year off for personal reasons, I've taken a £2500ish paycut. That's about 10%. But, I now walk to work except on Thursdays, and do 45 hours a week instead of the 80ish that I did for 13 years. It's a huge improvement :y
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For less than two weeks it's cheaper to rent, over four weeks and it's cheaper to buy ;)
And therein lies the crux of it. My folks (semi retired) bought a caravan last year and have so far had 3x3weeks on the continent. South of France, and 2x north Italy. No idea what that would cost in a hotel, even if you could get in with 2 large dogs. But I'll bet the £11k caravan is nearly half way to buying itself, even if you assigned it nil residual value.
SWMBO and I will probably pay £5k max for our day van (inc conversion costs) and our intention would be to do at least one long trip/yr and as many weekends as we can manage.
.
That's the thing with any hobby you need to get your monies worth out of your investment, we paid £9,000 for our caravan in 2012 & £5,500 for the 4x4 to tow it ,I get 9 weeks leave a year the wife gets 13 so the outfit owes us nothing.
I don't know what you and your Mrs do, but whatever you both do . . . . are there any vacancies ?
.
My missus as someone guessed is in education ( head of science department) I have mentioned that I am in HMPS only work 19.5 hours as I took partial retirement in 2014 , don't wish to retire fully yet have a great shift pattern & actually enjoy the job again, haven't been on here for a few days as I am on a training course in Coventry at present . Have been a public servant for the majority of my working life.