Insurance
I finally got round to sorting out insurance for the house. Got two quotes and went for the more expensive as they seemed much more switched on and took more care to understand the house and our use of it.
Security cameras
Given we will be leaving the house empty for extended periods, we wanted to have some kind of security cameras to help monitor the house in our absence. The front and side of the house are in plain sight so we feel happy that our neighbours will spot any problems. The back of the house, however, is more secluded and we already know that local kids have been known to roam around in the garden when the house was left empty by Domenico and his family. So I bought two security cameras from Amazon and installed them in the eaves of the roof over the outside seating.
The cameras run off 12v so the grey junction box actually contains a 3 way socket (spur from existing external socket) with the two power adapters for the cameras plugged into it. One points across the back of the house, the other points into the garden. They both connect to the WiFi and send movement alerts to our phones.
As a result, we won’t be able to switch off all the power to the house when we go home. We will, therefore, need to take care not to leave anything unnecessary plugged in / powered up.
Another visit from the Mercatino
Following the major clear out, we decided to replace Martin’s bed (a double constructed from two single beds). A bit of a shame as it matches all the other furniture in the room. However, we just couldn’t find a way to make it work so it had to go.
We called up the mercatino and offered it to them for free if they would come and collect. One of the chaps we’d seen before turned up and carted it off along with its mattress and its useless camp bed type bases. Result.
Wisteria pruning
Done properly, wisteria pruning is a two stage process. Summer pruning of new growth back to 5 buds followed by winter pruning back to 3 buds. The aim is to get the wisteria to put its energy into flowers rather than new growth.
I did my best, but the plant was seriously overgrown (not much gardening the last few years) so there was some hacking and some pruning to 4 or 5 buds. It’s much neater now, but not a perfect job I fear. We’ll have to see if we can get it under control and flowering nicely over the next few years.
Recycling centre
Plenty of trips to the recycling centre with:
- Metal fencing, corrugated iron and old pipes cleared from the hen house and rabbit hutch.
- Grass cut from the field
- Prunings from the wisteria and oleander
- Miscellaneous textiles and rubbish
Stocking up
Shopping for stuff to take back to the UK. Food, wine, lemon soda….
Cleaning up
We want to leave the house as clean and tidy as possible. Plenty of sweeping, mopping, laundry, storing sheets in plastic bags….
Closing up
We’ve been working for a while now on a closing up check list. This is its first execution. Hopefully everything will be safe and sound over the winter….
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