Thatchers Children. Thats me and R. Two people in one day made indentical comments when they heard R was fitting a new bath and basin -slaving away with his plumber's mate Josh, all day Saturday, and then this afternoon tiling walls and floor - ready for the comment? 'I thought the council did that for you.' Ha bloody ha. Where did we go wrong? We believed the lies of the great PM, the right to buy, the property ladder being the thing to be on. We got a mortgage, we ( well, OK R) do all the DIY god can send to keep wattle and daub together. But we bow to the superior knowledge of all those who know that you should just call the council and a man will come and do it for you. Seriously, I am really wondering where we went wrong and why on earth we didn't stay in rented accomodation when we had the chance. We had a lovely 2 bed terrace in Sheffield, the rent was £180 a month which was cheaper than the rent on the one bedroom flat we had had the first year we were married (that was £240). The landlord was not a real person, but a solicitors round a back alley in a bit of Sheffield we never went to. But, to his or her credit, they did send a man whenever we asked, for double glazing I recall. We had a back yard, which was what you had in Sheffield, and we shard it with the junk shop next door, which meant that when we had our youth group round for housegroup, or had a party, there were plenty of chairs to sit on. I grew my first courgette in that yard. It had an outside toilet, used by the ladies from the Petit Hair Salon, which was the front room of our house. On Saturday mornings our ounge ( upstairs from the salon) smelt of perming fluid. Our house was so near the main road that people on double deckers could wave at us as they passed. We could look out of the window and see what the chip shop opposite had ready in the warming cupboard. There were two stabbings or shootings in the newsagents across the road while we lived there. And it snowed every winter, thats 3 grim freezing up north winters that I survived. Sometimes I almost miss it.

Anyhow, B and Q have got a bit more cash in the till thanks to us, and as we are the reason they continue to trade, I like to keep them going. Supporting local business, that's me.