Recently by Karen Overbury
I am a humble property magazine editor. I know a little of the housing market, but I know a lot of people who know a lot.
And few of them were happy with the crumbs offered by Chancellor Alistair Darling in this week's Budget.
CONTRARY to what several people believe, I am not encouraging people to solve problems they have with neighbours by picking up an air rifle!
Lots of people have issues with their neighbours - in fact it's one of the main reasons for people deciding to move. But violence is not the answer - although it solved a problem in my case!
DON'T know what it's like at your home or where you work, but just about everyone I know is cutting back. People are no longer popping into town for retail therapy - they're bringing their own sandwiches for lunch and filling water bottles. I even spied a Thermos flask on a desk the other day and several colleagues have abandoned the bus and Metro and are walking into work - at least when the weather's fine.
The credit crunch is making us all take a long, hard look at our spending. That new carpet will be forgotten, plans to replace the car cancelled and holidays put on hold.
SEEMS I opened a hornets' nest with my blog on estate agents. Several comments on the blog, quite a few e-mails, phone calls and then a tap on the shoulder in Sainsburys!
Over the years working on homemaker, I've tried to inform, advise, warn and even educate. I've written on just about every property topic you could imagine and bored more people than I care to remember. But give an opinion on estate agents and you get a hundred back! Everyone has their view.
CONFESSION time! My name is Karen and I talk to a lot of estate agents!
As a breed, some people would place them somewhere beneath rottweilers and mass murderers in the popularity stakes. And, I must admit, I've met some I'd definitely cross the road to avoid.
IT'S time to move on, said Matt, the man behind The Journal websites. It's time for some changes. Fine by me, I thought. I'll be out of this place and become a lady who lunches, a couple of sessions a week at the gym, time to walk the dog, tend the garden, cook a few decent meals. Oh, bliss!
Wrong! The mighty Matt actually meant that homemaker and I should move forward together and provide an even better service to you, the reader. Hence this blog. My first, so be kind to me.
Blog Authors
Glove Affair - Olympic boxing medallist Tony Jeffries
Website
My postings |
My feed
Pauls Apart - The Journal's NUFC-mad Paul James and SAFC fanatic Paul Loraine go head to head
My postings |
My feed
Anna Heywood - Environment campaigner Anna Heywood writes on ethical living
My postings |
My feed
Brenda Boyd - the life and times of a morris dancer
My postings |
My feed
Karen Overbury - our homemaker editor writes and answers questions about property
My postings |
My feed
Zainab Radhi - on life after leaving Tyneside for Iraq
My postings |
My feed
Jon Half-Ironman - The Journal's Jon Tunney on training for the athletic event of his life
Find me on Facebook or Twitter
My postings |
MapMyRun
| My feed
Liz Lamb - talks about fashion
My postings |
My feed
Graeme Whitfield - The Journal's Graeme Whitfield takes you behind the headlines in his newsroom blog
My postings |
My feed
Write Said Fred - view from the pram with toddler Fred Telfer
My postings |
My feed
Tim Taylor - The Journal's Golf Blog Club
My postings |
My feed
Kasia Bobrzak - writes a blog for the Polish community
Website
My postings |
My feed
The Cheeky Winkle Adventures - Lily and Toby go Geocaching
My postings |
My feed
Will in Whitehall - The Journal's Political Editor on life at Westminster
My postings |
My feed
Adrian Pearson - The Journal's Regional Affairs Correspondent with a look behind the scenes of North East politics
My postings |
My feed
Mieka Smiles - our City Living columnist on the ups and downs of young married life
My postings |
My feed
Francesca Craggs - on tying the knot, tantrums and tiaras
My postings |
My feed
Hannah Davies - on life as a new mum
My postings |
My feed
David Matthews - on health and safety gone mad
My postings |
My feed
Alan Tilmouth - on birding in the North East
Website
My postings |
My feed
Mark Robertson - of the Northumberland Cheese Company on artisan food
My postings |
My feed
Marc Vargas - an exiled Catalonian writes about life in the North
My postings |
My feed
John Mackay - Local GP John Mackay writes about the NHS
My postings |
My feed
Tom Dodds - on transport matters
My postings |
My feed
David Brennan - from the website Enjoying Photography on taking good photos
My postings |
My feed
Malcolm Clarke - on life as a professional pool player
My postings |
My feed
Recent Comments
"Well done young lady, It's a pity potential changemakers, (ie:- people with power to make changes ..."
"Hi Graeme, I've just written about this in my Ethical Churnalism blog below your post. Some lines ne..."
"Oh dear you really are letting him get into bad habits early. I have one that can't drive, operate a..."
"If you really want to depress yourself (as a newsperson) have a look at Charlie Brooker's Newswipe o..."
"Hi Anna, I love what you are doing here, will it cover Scotland? Could you possibly contact me via..."
"For your hen night make sure you have a stripper and invite everyone who is close to you. You can al..."
"so possibly does mean yes ..."
"Looking for the top 10 mother's day ideas, I noticed this site. They have a wide list of gifts and t..."
"Search Engine Optimizers SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine optimizer" or “Search Engine Opt..."
"I think the car scrappage scheme is a complete waste of money and resources. It will consign many pe..."