30 June 2018

"Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new"



The journey through Eurotunnel, from pet check-in (Rick has his own passport) to driving off the train into the Kent countryside took less than hour.  I am always impressed by the speed and efficiency of this process.

For the first time ever we headed along the M25 (London’s Orbital Motorway) in an anti-clockwise direction, through the Dartford tunnel under the Thames and then headed north into the Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire countryside.  I was pleasantly surprised by the terrain, I had a preconceived vision of flat, monotonous, arable fields.  Although the area was quite flat in the south we were presented with gently, rolling countryside, fields, hedges and woodland.  I suppose the summer sunshine helped but I found the area utterly charming.  The country lanes were quiet and everything seemed very rural and peaceful.  I certainly didn’t notice anyone with webbed feet or hands.

Rick enjoying the garden at Home Farm, East Keal

Trying to find dog friendly hotels at short notice in the UK is not easy but we managed to book a small Airbnb cottage in the grounds of a big house on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.  It was absolutely lovely, as were our hosts who gave us a warm welcome and had left a gift of freshly baked cake and home made marmalade in the house. Rick loved the big garden and was particularly taken with Hickman, the robot grass mower, that ambled around the lawn at random like a giant beetle.  Actually I was quite taken with the robot too, he continually cuts the grass and when he runs out of power he takes himself off to the re-charging point, all by himself.  So clever!

Hickman (his headlights come on after dark)
We spent three days looking at six properties.  One was horrid (black mould everywhere), one was a definite no, and the other four were all quite impressive in their own way.  But one ticked all our boxes - plenty of room, big bedrooms, good sized garden, and quiet village with no passing traffic.

We are now back in Wiltshire.  If everything goes according to plan we should be packing this place up and moving out in the next couple of weeks.  We’ve had a few setbacks so I’m not counting my chickens yet.  But in the meantime we have made a cheeky offer for the property in Lincolnshire.   





19 comments:

  1. Webbed feet and hands is Norfolk. Are you going to be somewhere near Louth?

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    1. Other side of the Wolds, not far from Market Rasen. Beautiful countryside but a bit of a cold north wind while we were there.

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    2. Lincs is generally the coldest county. But still a very over-looked place and still quiet.

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  2. Good luck! I hope the place is yours with a minimum of fuss going forward. And I've never heard of a robo lawn mower. Pretty cool, actually.

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    1. With a bit of luck we will be in before Christmas.

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  3. A robotic lawn mower! I've seen vacuums like that, but never lawn mowers. I really hope your house gets sold without a hitch and you find a wonderful new place. -Jenn

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    1. Thanks Jenn. (The owner of the robot said he hadn't had to mow his lawns for 6 years!)

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  4. Of course I am biased Sue as I originally come from Lincolnshire. I love the Wolds area - my uncle farmed there and I spent a lot of my childhood there. It is one of the least spoilt counties left I think.

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    1. It reminded me of an England from fifty years ago.

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  5. You are a brave and adventurous couple.

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  6. Lincolnshire? You will need a phrase book, very high wellies, a personal wind-break when shopping, and if you ever buy gloves remember to ask for the five fingered ones!

    If you will be near Lincoln itself, the cathedral and the town are both fantastic. I trust you'll post a picture of the new house.

    Today is the day of the thousand horses.

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    1. Ah, I had forgotten about the horses. I hope they don't cause too much damage across my beautifully manicured lawn!

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    2. Bok has been practicing his favourite bark.

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  7. Holding thumbs for you.
    Greetings Maria x

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  8. I do hope that your offer is accepted and then you can get on with the move. Then you'll be able to get back to enjoy summer in France.
    One of the local bricolages had a very nice display of those robot lawn mowers, a few years ago. Given that there is very little grass in this part of Spain because it's too arid, they didn't sell very well. What always made me laugh was that the display had the mower going backwards and forwards over artificial grass !

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    1. It is so hot here in the flat I can't wait to get all packed up and back to France, it's easier to keep cool in the house there.

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