Posted by Hi All
It’s been a while since I’ve put pen to paper.
As you have seen we made a decision in September 2023 to sell our home in Kerry, it was a difficult call but we needed to regenerate our finances and get a smaller home……. Basically we never advertised the house, it was not on the market but our auctioneer found a buyer fast, and the house sold from start to finish in 7 weeks. It was close to a new record for Ian and the family that bought the house were absolutely lovely. Ian is still in contact with them.
By November we were in rented accommodation in Killarney.
Moving on ( pardon the pun) or not. We looked at houses in Cork and Kerry, found a few of interest but for various reasons we couldn’t actually close any deals.
Speeding things up we were into January 2024 and still stuck in the rental, which was expensive and cold. So, typical of Ian, he broadened his search area. By late January we were a little disillusioned, when out of the blue we found a house ……. in Galway. That was 3 hours away from where we’ve lived. I have to be honest I was a little concerned at first, but Ian went to view it on the 20th of January. 5 days later, on the 25th, he made an offer. Just over 3 weeks later he signed ownership of the house. That’s 4 weeks from viewing to buying, the auctioneer is still in shock.
Ian started moving everything from storage up to the house, the sale had closed on the 17th of February and by the 22nd he had moved all our stuff from storage in Kerry to the house. With the exception of Harry, Alfie and myself.
Ian offered to keep the rental for another month, as it was close to March and very cold, he felt that the fact that our new home needed serious work including heating and would be too uncomfortable for me, and he would stay in Galway to commence renovations. But then I got a call from the hospital.
They had discovered a lump in my right breast in January which required a full lumpectomy. As Murphys Law goes I got a cancellation for 27th of February in CUH Cork. We decided that the best solution was for me to move to Galway on the 24th. Ian is great helping through recovery and I needed him close.
The House
This was actually a bigger house than we wanted but the price was far too good to ignore. Built in 2000 it was vacant since 2012, the owner had financial difficulties and was basically in receivership. But for a house that was not occupied for 12 years it was dry, damp free but is desperate need of TLC. Who better to give this house a new lease of life.
And it stated with like this
List of jobs done
General
* Central’s heating system sorted (badly fractured pipe under floor)
* New radiators installed (12)
* Alarm system installed
* CCTV 16 channels installed
* Damaged chimney pot replaced
* Damaged chimney system repaired
* Immersion tank replaced
* Expansion tank replaced
* New immersion heater element installed
* 5 emergency lights installed
Kitchen
* Kitchen replaced
* IKEA kitchen fitted
* Extra storage units installed
* Pantry area built in kitchen
* Kitchen splash guard tiles installed
* Kitchen painted
* new extraction system installed
* All new appliances
Utility Room
* Utility Room stripped and new storage units Installed
* Utility room painted
* New extractor system installed in utility and downstairs toilet
Guest toilet
* guest bathroom repaired, tiles & painted
Hall and Landing
* Hall and landing painted
* New lights installed downstairs
* All downstairs doors repaired and painted
* Under-stairs storage area rebuilt
* New smoke alarms fitted
* Banister completely removed, repaired and painted
Main Family Bathroom
* Main Bathroom rebuilt including sub floor
* Main Bathroom floor tiled
* Main Bathroom wash area tiled
* Main Bathroom New power shower
* New wiring and trip
En-suite
* En-Suite Extractor fan installed
* En-Suite Bathroom rebuilt including sub floor
* En-Suite floor tiled
* En-Suite New power shower installed
* En-Suite door cubicle installed
* En-Suite Sink unit installed
* En-Suite Vanity smart touch mirror installed
* En-Suite vanity cabinet installed
* En-Suite Extractor fan installed
* En-Suite ceiling sealed & painted
* New wiring and trip
Sitting Room
* Sitting room completely gutted
* New tiled floor (aged wood effect)
* Painted
* New lighting
* New curtain rail and curtains
Tv/Dining Room
* Painted
* New lighting
* New curtain rail and curtains
* Floor repaired
* Fireplace repaired
Images to follow
Upstairs
The original socket wiring was not fed from the loft, which Ian decided was not sufficient…. New cable was installed 3 power lines all on separate trips.
That means a controlled flow of electricity into the loft, he calls it an attic.
Outside Gardens & Driveway
Ian loves gardening and this house is a challenge. The front garden had a hedge which was completely out of control and wild. To comply with legal requirements Ian had to cut the hedge before 1st March, he removed 80% of the hedge the day before we moved in. It’s now fully under control.
The grass areas are in trouble, dense moss and overgrown weeds. The neighbour would cut these areas but rarely and only using a high cut. Ian has regained some of the garden but will need to rotavate both back and front gardens (it’s on his list).
The dividing fence also needs renovation (it’s also on his list).
The rear garden has a massive 50ft tall Sycamore tree, there are about 20 crows nests in it. This tree is completely out of control but under Irish law, Ian can’t go near it till September. For now we have to endure the constant noise from them and shit. I joke you not, they crap all day. We can’t hang clothes out to dry, can’t use garden furniture etc. I know Ian well enough that he is patient but just wait till September, he can also be quite ruthless. But at the same time incredibly caring & empathetic. He has a skip arriving this week to take away the rubbish from renovating and was clearing out behind the garage when he found a baby crow
Then he decided to get the baby to its Mum
What’s left to do ???
Primarily Ian will be painting and upgrading the bedrooms.
He is still considering the final touches to the stairs (big job) most likely he will replace the steps with something bigger & more solid…
This is pending current medical issue which I’ll not get into but it is very serious. I may be answering calls and messages on Ian’s mobile . But typical of Ian he won’t slow down renovations, he is more concerned than when he was battling cancer. He has all the big jobs done in the house and what’s left will take about a month.
And he will be continuing his gardening
And and and and…
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Ian………. (ya old bugger!)
Happy birthday to you
12th of June and 62. Strange he was born in 1962 and he has reached 62.. considering his life it’s amazing he’s got past 30… but even harder to imagine that in December 2014 he was told that he had 6 weeks to live. And in 2017 he was again told he was terminal.
Even death shouldn’t underestimate Ian, I remember him saying in July 2017 a few days after his stem cell transplant “I actually died last night, according to the professor- but I’m feeling a lot better today” FFS!!
Ian commenced in Logistics, Transport, Freight Forwarding, Warehousing and Distribution in 1980, he was in senior management by 1986. This career spans over 42 years. He was forced to retire in 2022 by his medical team as he was having serious mental health issues due to failure to secure a job, in a country that claims to have a serious shortage of workers. And he applied for everything from Driving for Tesco’s, to Senior management. Over 300 applications and less than a handful of replies. Then the crunch came in 2023 when one of the largest international freight forwarding companies offered him a senior position but never contacted him again. How can any company do something like that ?
The impact of this was immense.
When Ian worked his mobile was on 24/7, it never stopped ringing – and he answered every time. He averaged 12 hours daily and normally took calls on weekends.
Now it rarely rings.
But with renovations he’s doing 8 to 10 hours everyday including weekends seriously 109 days straight . He battled his way back from hell and looking at the level of work he has done to the house in just over 3 months it’s incredible.
Last year, shortly after our close and beautiful friend Terry Green passed, Ian asked Graham to record and sing “You’ve got a Friend “ Ian put together the slideshow and featured our friends & family in it. I absolutely love this.
Written by Anita Webster
Created by Anita Webster.
Dated June 12th 2024
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional. The information in these articles are based on my personal experience and research, and it’s not meant to be a replacement for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your lifestyle, especially if you have any pre-existing medical conditions. The site is about Awareness to Lymphoma and explores my own medical, mental and physical approach to therapy and continues into Living with Cancer.
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