owl Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 I hope it can be sorted. The lady is a pillar of the chapel and the holder of an important office in the council. I think she may have an emotional problem of the obsessive kind. I have found her very bossy ever since I got here. But who are people going to believe, her or scruffy old me? I think I am too much of a chav for this estate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Owl, i am so sorry, i fully agree with the doing stuff in writing... things can't get confused or misinterpreted that way (no she said this that or the other). You didn't need planning permission did you?? if not then sod em, if you can afford to do it, just whack up another fence obviously within council limits (6ft i think). As for being a chav Lol..... well there's nowt wrong with being a chav (says me the biggest chav going!) sounds like you are worth 10 of the busy body next door! hope you get things sorted out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 you have to live somewhere. your not young (in the nicest possible way) and your basically going to live in a shed in the garden, so you can be there for your mum. but a christian cant see that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Thanks griff. No, triple checked, did not need planning permission. Can't get to council offices even though they are 10 mins away as wind is so bad I don't want to leave Mum & Wispa in case anything happened. Also wind is strong enough to blow me over. I am not going to whack up a 6 ft fence which would add fuel to the flames, can't afford it anyway. I am going to write a letter pointing out that I would have been amenable to a civil discussion, but as they chose to take the route of complaint to council, followed by intimidation and threats, I will now only discuss the matter in writing or with a 3rd party present. The wind has lifted some of the top felt shingles, nails are holding but they will need regluing.or replacing as they are self-adhesive. I do have some spares. Still wish I didn't exist. My mum thinks the pod is great. They wouldn't dare say a word if she was still compos mentis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Owl, we all think you are fab too! i don't speak to one side of my neighbours and TBH it doesn't bother me in the least, i do speak to the other side but again not too fussed. i agree with Jazz, you have given up a house to come and care for your mum and you are going to live in an outbuilding so you both have your own space but you are on hand if needed... i wonder would this womans own family do the same for her????? hope the shingles hold! i agree it is very windy we have just had our walk and i was glad to get in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 I had to give up the other house because it was becoming uninhabitable, and is being rebuilt! So not much of a sacrifice. This brick garage we are in is better, at least it is dry. And much warmer! Central heating has just gone down. Engineer coming out this afternoon as an emergency in view of mum's age and frailty. A few shingles have gone. Watch out people over the border in Lincs, they should be landing on you some time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 bl**dy hell Owl, not having a fun time of things at the moment are you? hope heating chap turns up promptly and sorts things with no bother typical isn't it? i pay £600 for a holter monitor to be fitted to my dog and how many turns has she had????? 1 and i didn't push the button properly i don't think, she can keep it on for 5 days anyway so i hope she ahs a turn so they can sort out if it is her heart beat causing the issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Owl I don't think anyone hates you , please don't think that I do think you are dealing with a very difficult situation currently and you need some support , could you enlist the local clergy to assist ? surely any real Christian can see what you are doing and why and the community should be rallying round to help you and your mother not hinder you. Maybe age concern or another similar charity could assist with advice ? you sound understandably very low , I think its vital you get some help and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 We are a mixed religion family, Sam, so it would not help and might cause all kinds of awkwardness. Anyway, I rang the Planning Office who were very nice. I explained about the pod. They said if it is higher than 2 1/2 metres and less than 2 metres away from any boundary, then I would need to apply for permission. Obviously the neighbour would block that, even though it is not near her boundary. If it is more than 2 metres from any boundary it could be 4 metres high and I would not need permission. Very annoyed with cabin company who do this full time and did not know that. If they had been aware, I could have stuck it bang in the middle of the lawn and no one could have done a thing. As it was I had it tucked in a corner where it would not block anyone's view, out of respect, and look where it has got me. I don't have time for a neighbour war. I am trying to write about my tracking experience, as thanks to a few vocal people the successes I and fellow trackers have had are being challenged, e.g. if we travel 50 miles across the country and tramp 6 miles reading the body language of our faithful hound before finding the lost one, it was just coincidence that we happened to be in the right place and the right time. Right. Just having a little stroll. Through waist high nettles, or a swamp. As you do if you have an afternoon off. Because we don't have certificates to prove we can track dogs. It is as if everything creative or helpful I try to do is "dissed" by someone. Sorry, must stop whingeing, you lot are great for listening, but sometimes I feel I am going to explode. Count blessings: healthy if stroppy dog, a few very good friends, food on the table and no one is shooting at me. That should do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 PS didn't say, the pod is just over 2 1/2 metres at its tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Aftrnoon. Owl will the builder move the pod for you? Re laptop, the price is quite high so I am going to wait for the sales. It's blowing a hoolie out there. I am WFHing today. Have a conf call at three with the project board on one of the tenders I am working on and hoping they go with the project team's recommendation so I can put it to bed. Roofer is coming later on to measure up for the gutters/fascias/soffits which is being done tomorrow/Sat. Can't wait! Am waiting for my new mattress to be delivered. It will have to sit in the hall until I dismantle the bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 will he measure up if the wind is bad? they dont normally owl we love you. you do your best for everyone. dont let them get you down xxxxx if its 2 1/2 meters from the ground, raise the ground,one way to get round it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) i was going to ask the same Owl, could the pod be moved? or could the roof be slightly altered so it is just under the limit? i am sorry to hear that people are dissing the good work that you and your fellow trackers do, i don't believe that you and your dog just happen to stumble upon the lost dogs..... i wonder if they think that of police dogs when they track burglars etc.... humans really can be doughnuts sometimes! Merledogs, hope your mattress arrives soon and be careful getting it up the stairs, i nearly killed myself trying to lug a double mattress upstairs right people... i know a few of you have dogs who have issues with their tummy and acid etc, has your dog ever cried for days on end? or stumbled about/collapsed? i am asking as since yesterday diesels whinging hasn't been so bad and she has only stumbled once... i have been giving her zantac and obviously she has a holter bandaged to her so i am not sure if the bandaging or zantac has helped her. i currently feed her twice a day with no treats, should i split her meals into smaller meals for say 4 meals a day instead of 2? and i currently give her zantac 1 hour after food (i wasn't told how to give it her) i'm not sure when i should give it to her Edited December 5, 2013 by griff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Oh Owl Many years ago we were involved in a nasty neighbour dispute which ended up involving solicitors, the LDPB and at one point the police after my 80 year plus grandad was pulled down a banking by a coward of a man half his age (I saw it from our house and made it out there in 1.2 seconds and gave the culprit a pasting. He later tried to bring charges for assault against me but the police laughed at him.) Anyhow what I learned from that is to always appear the moderate one - you will have no problem with this as I believe that's how you are generally and how you have handled the situation thus far. Stay calm at all times, record everything that is said and done by keeping a written record. Leave officials in no doubt that you are approachable, ready to listen to and act on their advice, open always to looking for a solution to make all parties happy. If all else fails and the siting of the pod is proven to fall outside permitted parameters or the nasty neighbour (christian my arse!) giving you hassle consider going to the local paper. With luck they will paint the neighbour as a right meanie and get public opinion against her. The pod is not a permanent structure - it is not built in stone or with foundations, it can be removed at any time. It's a POD FFS. How in hell can that devalue her property? After a while it will seem like its always been there and they will probably not even notice it. There is a lot you can do to cover it in foliage to screen it. One of my neighbours put a shed up in their garden right next to their front fence - our gardens are all on the front and we are not actually allowed to have a shed that close to the front boundary but the rest of us understood his need for somewhere to store his gear (he's a tree surgeon) and have made no complaint. It did look a little odd at the beginning but it has weathered in nicely and his missus has grown a lot of lovely climbing plants over it that look very attractive. I just couldn't be so petty to complain about something like that. There's a hell of lot worse things in the world to worry about than a shed or a pod. Keep your chin up Owl. Although it is very hard I know, try not to take all this and everything else that is happening too much to heart. You are a good and kind person. Both Ruby and I thought you were a fabulous lady when we met you in Wales and my George took to you from the off and he was a terrific judge of character Positive thoughts being sent for a positive outcome to both the issue with the pod and the tracking dissers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Owl, I can tell you exactly why people have a go at you...you are different. You don't toe the line and follow the "normal" route, at your age you should be wearing a twinset and pearls, exercising your little poodle, going to the Womens Institute and church etc so you can be seen to be "good". If the pod is breaking regulations, and as you say, the men who sold it and erected it should have known and told you, I do hope you haven't paid for it in a way you can't reclaim...credit or debit card? I would say get em to move it. This neighbour isn't related in any way to the bat at your old place, is she? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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