Work on the loft gym is progressing well. The room has been emptied and the shelves removed. The walls were in a poor state but we didn’t really want to go to the expense of having them re-plastered or skimmed. Instead we opted for some brick effect wallpaper! I think it’s worked really well. I’ve also bought three inexpensive full length mirrors to go along one wall and a powerful fan so that we can feel the wind in our hair when we’re cycling!
Decorating had to be put on pause as we drove down to Sussex on Wednesday to visit my dad. It had been three years since I had seen him, I was a bit sad to see how frail and forgetful he has become. Not surprising really since he’s 92 years old. He and his partner, Rita, were delighted to see us. My dad can’t walk very far but that didn’t stop him getting onto his mobility bike and zipping off to the local chippy to get us all fish and chips for supper.
On Thursday I took Paul and Rick for a long walk around the village where I spent the first twelve years of my life. The fields where I used to play are now housing estates and it took me a while to orientate myself and find the old lane leading to the High Woods and Broadbridge Farm. I hardly recognised the renovated and modernised farmhouse and all the old barns have been converted into posh houses. Needless to say it is no longer a working farm. There is still a right of way through the farmyard and the millpond looked very smart with lilies and rushes. The High Woods were relatively unchanged although it was hard to find the pathway through the overgrown brambles. Rick had a wonderful time with plenty of interesting things to sniff.
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| Sussex countryside with Broadbridge Farm in the distance |
On Friday we returned to Lincolnshire. It was a long journey – five hours including a break halfway. Driving is no longer a pleasure when the roads are so congested with traffic. It was such a relief to get back home to our quiet and peaceful village.
YesI too found it sad to go back to the village in Lincolnshire where I grew up. When I went to school there the village school in Washingborough had only two classrooms and two teachers (1940) - now so many housing estates have been built in the village it is now a very large place rather than s quiet backwater.
ReplyDeleteThere are one or two new houses being built in our Lincolnshire village but hopefully no big estates are planned for the future.
DeleteMy native Surrey village of Lingfield is much like that. The core of the village hasn't changed, but the outskirts (where we lived) are now unrecognisable. Being quite close to Gatwick, the noise level has become all invasive, taking away all the wonderful charm it once had.
ReplyDeleteI was appalled at the noise of the traffic from the dual carriageways that surround the village now. I suppose if you live there all the time you get used to it.
DeleteAs we get older I think we can all tell similar tales of places from our youth becoming unrecognisable. I haven't been back to my home town of Sutton Coldfield since we sold my mother's house, after her death at the age of 93, in 2003.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea to paper the walls of the gym with brick effect paper. One of the things I miss about decorating here is the lack of alternatives to white or coloured emulsion. There are so many interesting wallpaper designs now, ideal for a feature wall, but they seem to have passed us by.
Apart from the mural in my hallway all our rooms are painted tones of white. I prefer the plain painted walls as a backdrop to any artwork I hang. The loft room is a great place to do something different and fun.
DeleteBroadbridge Farm, Old Wickhurst Lane? Now on the market for £1.649m. Mind you - I guess there may be more than one Broadbridge Farm in Sussex. Wonderful that you got to see your father after such a long time. He can't be too bad if he manages to visit the fish and chip shop and also makes it back home!
ReplyDeleteThe very same one.
DeleteFrom your photograph of the field it is clear that the land is still being farmed even if the house and buildings have been sold away. Your father is aging well if he is still capable of not only getting the fish and chips for you but making the decision to have fish and chips. He can't be too bad.
ReplyDeleteHe does very well but I just noticed a marked difference from the last time I saw him three years ago.
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