Did I mention that I am on holiday again? Yes, I know it’s only been two weeks since I was last on holiday but all I wanted was the weekend off for Laura’s 18th birthday party. She (who must be obeyed) said I am to take it as annual leave so here I am loafing again.
I really ought to be painting the kitchen ceiling but cannot convince myself that it’s urgent. Instead I have been clearing out my study hoping that I will find an important account book that Bert has lost, or as he would put it, I have lost. It’s coming along well as there is now space in here to walk about. But I still haven’t found Bert’s account book.
A few posts ago I showed a picture of our house from the vantage point of the field in front of it. That makes it look quite isolated although it certainly isn’t. We’ve lived here for around ten years. However our current plan is to sell this house and renovate Bert’s home place, which is about a quarter of a mile away.
The old house is very charming but is in a state of disrepair. It needs to be re-wired, re-plastered and re-roofed and there is a bad extension, which will need to be demolished. It would probably be cheaper to raze and rebuild but I don’t think the ghosts would like that. Plus it has always been Bert’s dream to return to live there.
I was resistant to the idea for a long while but over the past few years I have started to feel differently about it. It is as if the house is calling to me. Or maybe it is the garden.
There will be great scope for a garden. Mature trees, mostly beech, surround the house. There is a monkey-puzzle tree and a mature Crinodendron hookerianum among other gems. Incidentally they are also known respectively as the Chilean Pine and the Chilean Lantern Tree There is an orchard but it would have to be replanted as the fruit trees have outgrown their usefulness. There are even roses around the door but they have got mildew and are going to be ripped up when the doors are replaced.
The downside is that this house is a lot closer to the road than the one we’re in now and that poses a greater risk to the dogs. Rosie will have to stop chasing postie, as she’ll just be getting started when she’s on to a busy B road.
So these are our future plans. I think it is good to have a bit of a change in life now and again. Oh and another bonus – we shall have free-range hens.
2 comments:
May I suggest a professional gardener for your extensive grounds at the homestead? But seriously - doing up the house will be hard work - but hopefully it will all be worth it. Don't forget that you will have to start planning your decoration (before Bert and Pearlie do it all for you!)
Z
Urg did I sound big about that? No gardener will be necessary as I have the whole thing planned. No more herbaceous beds, too hard work, everything either big and permanent or very small-scale and temporary. As for interior decor aren't you advising? I shall smile and nod.
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