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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Back down in Cornwall again as I'd been told that the buyers of my Dad's house were ready to exchange contracts and complete and so I needed to get down here to get the house cleared.

I've booked the house clearance for Friday and closed the phone contract so there's no going back.

Now, after prompting to check that they'll be ready to complete next Monday my solicitor has now been told that they're not ready to exchange any more, but gave no details.

*sigh*
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: 12 Aug 2024 13:24 Back down in Cornwall again as I'd been told that the buyers of my Dad's house were ready to exchange contracts and complete and so I needed to get down here to get the house cleared.

I've booked the house clearance for Friday and closed the phone contract so there's no going back.

Now, after prompting to check that they'll be ready to complete next Monday my solicitor has now been told that they're not ready to exchange any more, but gave no details.

*sigh*
Ah jeez, what a pain in the behind. Chain problems perhaps? Your solicitor should be finding out!
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: 12 Aug 2024 13:47 Ah jeez, what a pain in the behind. Chain problems perhaps? Your solicitor should be finding out!
The buyer's solicitor just told my solicitor, "We are not ready. We will tell you when we are." So, not very useful information.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: 12 Aug 2024 14:02
rubber_jonnie wrote: 12 Aug 2024 13:47 Ah jeez, what a pain in the behind. Chain problems perhaps? Your solicitor should be finding out!
The buyer's solicitor just told my solicitor, "We are not ready. We will tell you when we are." So, not very useful information.
No, not useful at all...
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Got back channel data via the estate agent. Apparently the buyers' housing association is lagging with some documentation but they're chomping at the bit to get things over with and move in.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Well, I've made it home after a heart wrenching day watching the house clearance people gleefully throwing into a skip the majority of my parents (and a lot of my childhood) possessions. Much of the furniture was refused by the auction house as dark furniture is out of fashion, so into the skip went an antique writing desk, an oak china cabinet and a pristine dining room table and chairs, the chairs still having the plastic on the covers.

I'm glad that day is over. It was like losing my parents a second time plus part of my childhood.

They left the house in a mess which I couldn't clean up before I left, so the new owners will have to do it, unless I can get a cleaning company in via the estate agent.

Anyway, I no-longer have a key to the house, ready for the sale to be finalised, hopefully in the next week or so.

I've unpacked minimally tonight. I can get the rest in in the morning and then I can start working out where I'm going to put it all.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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PhilC
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by PhilC »

Sounds like a very hard day and one I wont like doing either when the time comes. At least the day is over now Stephen.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
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stephen_usher
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Yeah, though I now need to find places for all the stuff I did rescue.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: 16 Aug 2024 22:10 Well, I've made it home after a heart wrenching day watching the house clearance people gleefully throwing into a skip the majority of my parents (and a lot of my childhood) possessions. Much of the furniture was refused by the auction house as dark furniture is out of fashion, so into the skip went an antique writing desk, an oak china cabinet and a pristine dining room table and chairs, the chairs still having the plastic on the covers.

I'm glad that day is over. It was like losing my parents a second time plus part of my childhood.

They left the house in a mess which I couldn't clean up before I left, so the new owners will have to do it, unless I can get a cleaning company in via the estate agent.

Anyway, I no-longer have a key to the house, ready for the sale to be finalised, hopefully in the next week or so.

I've unpacked minimally tonight. I can get the rest in in the morning and then I can start working out where I'm going to put it all.
I can completely understand how you feel having dealt with my parents house last year. Luckily I had a brother for support, but it's still a wrench, though I seem to have got over it quicker than he has. He was up there earlier in the year and sent photos of the modernisation going on, will be a nice place and probably what my parents should have done a long time ago, but instead left a time capsule. Ho hum...

It really is like losing them again, that's very true, I'm just glad we had the opportunity to get the stuff we wanted before the clearance people came through. I have to say our clearance people were excellent, though we did pay a premium, but the house was left clean and tidy, it's not good they left a mess.

I really hope it all goes through smoothly, it really is a terrible time and when things are delayed it just makes it so much worse.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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stephen_usher
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Posts: 7376
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Re: General Stuff(tm)

Post by stephen_usher »

Whilst moving things around in the loft to make way for some of the things recovered from my Dad's house I found an unexpected item in the bagging area... a ZX Spectrum (Issue 4A) motherboard.

Turns out that there's no 12V or -5V so it looks like TR4 is dead. (I desoldered TR5 and tested it and that looks fine). Just got to wait for the spares from Retroleum to arrive. Annoyingly I have a spare for TR5.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.

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