Martin had moved house. It was all very exciting. His new place sound decidedly regal. We were keen to have a look! And that would also mean we would get to meet the animals, or at least the proportion thereof that wanted to be met.
We drove up and found it. You have to negotiate some tiny roads to get there. It is quite out of the way! And when we rolled up to the courtyard we started recognising things. He had sent a few pictures through. And he was there to greet us. Sarah was still busy with the horses.
Martin showed us around. That took quite a while! They basically have regal living quarters, working space for Sarah, and two future B&Bs. And then there is the courtyard, the outbuildings (stables, the old forge, and whatnot), the garden, the horse fields, the manège… I suppose living there is a full-time job. Will they manage this without staff? Time will tell!
The horses were in their field, and one even seemed to come up to greet us, but they were both wearing fly masks, so any interaction was limited. We passed the oldest cat on the stairs, but he didn't want to have anything to do with us. We found the middle one on a bed, and she was quite happy to be petted. The youngest was nowhere to be seen.
The house is quite old, and it had lots of quirky bits. The previous owners liked to incorporate both trees and horseshoes in everything. And there were chandeliers, trapdoors, enormous gilded mirrors, low-ceilinged mezzanines, slate sinks and all sorts of idiosyncrasies. What a place!
Tom arrived 15 minutes late, so we did some of the trip twice. And then it was time to have a drink while food was in the oven.
When dinner was ready they immediately decided on their next purchase. A bigger table! We did manage to fit, but not with an awful lot of space to spare. And Siobhan was abroad so wasn't even there. And I suppose that if you have a house in which you can host an almost unlimited number of people, you might as well have a big dinner table.
The food was excellent, as expected, and there was even an additional presence. The youngest cat appeared! I wanted to sit on Martin’s lap. And Sarah's lap. And my lap. I was so chuffed! He is a super sweet soft little cat. And I remembered having Pwd on my lap and not taking a picture, and that wasn't going to happen to me a second time. This time I got my camera out!
 |
| Martin and Sarah’s youngest cat on my lap |
After dinner we went back to the living room and caught up some more, until we decided it was bedtime and we left. I hope to visit a lot more often. And I hope they will live happily ever after in this house which in a way is a dream house, but also has some clear down-to-earth implications. Regal with a side serving of horse shit shovelling…
No comments:
Post a Comment