Christmas is over, the girls have gone their separate ways, and Paul and I are planning. We are consummate planners. We will spend the next week or so getting the coach house into tip top, gleaming condition before we invite the estate agent round to take photographs. We have ordered a carpet cleaner today to deal with doggy paw prints and I have bought some expensive luxury infuser reeds today to disguise any doggy odours. I’ll hide Rick in the wardrobe while people are viewing.
We have started to compile a short list of desirable properties although we will not view anything until this place is under offer. This is proving to be more difficult than we had anticipated. There is a very hard realisation that we are getting older and we need to be practical about our house choice. We found a beautiful cottage in Ross-on-Wye with amazing views but I’m not sure a mobility scooter would cope with the steep forest track in future years. Another Georgian farmhouse had a superb garden but we really don’t need five bedrooms and it was situated near to a busy road. I thought I had found the perfect bungalow overlooking a canal until we discovered the village is liable to flood in winter; I would be so anxious every time it rained. But I really want something that I can love and the sensible, boxy bungalows don’t do it for me. The other difficulty is finding a plot big enough to suit Paul’s gardening needs. I often find the ‘perfect’ house but the garden will be too small.
So the search continues and in the meantime I must start cleaning my windows and making sure everything is shipshape.
You can't be in two places at once and do two gardens.
ReplyDeleteBrexit could mean that we spend less time in France in the future.
DeleteI thought as you did about boxy bungalows Sue but this was part of the farm deal and I really had no choice unless I wanted to throw a spanner in the works. In fact I love the convenience of it, the nearness of the neighbours(who I know well) and everything about it.
ReplyDeleteI expect we will end up taking the sensible option. I would really love a home that's easy to look after and maintain.
DeleteWe were within a couple of weeks of completing on a house when the environmental report threw up a flood risk. We'd never known that area flood in 30 years, but it was a risk that we didn't want/need to take, especially living in France for half the year.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the house preparation and sale. Have you decided on an area?
We've managed to whittle it down to about six counties! I rather like Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.
DeleteWe've started looking at properties online, hope to put this place on the market within a year. We need a one-story house in the general area that we live in. It's proving a hard dear h
ReplyDeleteIt's never easy moving house.
DeleteYour reference to mobilty scooters sent me scurrying off to research the best vehicle for you. I would suggest it is the Drive Royale 4.
ReplyDeleteThe Drive Royale 4 is one of the finest mobility scooters available today. Featuring a stylish modern design, this model has a impressive performance; powered by 70Ah batteries and has a excellent maximum range of 32 miles at a top speed of 8mph.
This stylish scooter also features a modern illuminated LCD display, providing Speedo, Battery Gauge, Clock, Odometer, Temperature, Reverse Light and Intelligent Diagnostics.
Ha-ha, you make me laugh Mr Pudding.
DeleteK.I.S.S - keep it simple, sweetie! One story, a little garden front and back and close enough to the shops in case you have to give up your car.
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me but I have to convince Paul and Rick!
DeleteOur house in Brighton is the total opposite to here. It's in the middle of town, by the sea, no garden, hilly, near to everything you could possibly want, and very tidy. I love that contrast.
ReplyDeleteContrasts are good. I love our flat here but Rick really needs a garden and we are trying to plan for the future.
DeleteEver thought of Trelawnyd? The village is beautiful, it's dog friendly, John Grey as a neighbour and Rick would have wonderful friends!
ReplyDeleteGreetings Maria x
Wouldn't that be lovely? Sadly too far west for us, we're trying to stay reasonably close to Kat.
DeleteBefore we moved to Spain permanently, we maintained two houses, both with gardens. No matter which one we were in, we always wondered, and sometimes worried, about what was happening to the other property. Any extended stay in either meant that the garden was the first thing to be tackled as soon as we arrived.
ReplyDeleteHerefordshire or Shropshire would be my first choices if I ever have to come back.
We did it years ago when the French house was just a holiday home. We paid someone to cut the grass and keep the French garden tidy.
DeleteFinding a perfect home is a big task, careful planning required before making the purchase decision. It is good to buy a home with garden space as it adds beauty and value to the home.
ReplyDeletePaul wouldn't consider a home without a good garden.
DeletePerhaps you can sign up to go on Escape to the Country ??? I'm sure Jules or Allister could come up with something good for you...perhaps the Mystery House ??
ReplyDeleteThat's what my daughter has been saying!
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