The House Of Wishful Thinking

Hello everyone.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Ten i'll begin.

Just before Gordon took ill this year we decided that the time was right to move house.

This all came about as we had spotted a property just 2 minutes walking distance from the shop and it also had a view of the fields and mill pond from the back garden.

Well we sort of had to let everything go when Gordon took ill and i had to stop all prospetive buyers coming to the house and had the for sale sign taken away and our details left at the estate agents.

To cut a long story short somebody asked to buy our house in June and we put in a bid for the house we wanted.

Alas after the surveyors report the house we wanted needed to much doing to it and we were told to just stay put so everything was stopped .

In August we were driving home and took a wrong turning and noticed a 1930s style house for sale.

It was completely empty so we went and had a look in the window and we liked what we saw.

The back was open so we went and had a look there too.

I fell in love with the garden before i even looked through the back windows.The kitchen was still original in every way and when we went to the bottom of the garden there was a small river running through it we were HOOKED.

The house chose us i am sure of it and we couldnt get it out of our heads.

There was a lot of work involved as our surveyor told us which included having the whole downstairs gutted and damp proofed but apart from that the house was solid and steadfast with great potential.

On the 1st October the house of wishful thinking ( my name for it all the way from the beginning as i didnt think we would ever own it even though we loved it ) was ours and ever since we have been bringing it back to life.

So far we have took it right back to its bare walls, had doors removed and had walls knocked out.

But now each day as we go in we can see it starting to take shape.

We have lived on a really busy main road for all these years with loads of noise and now we are moving into a country village just a 25 minute walk into the grounds of Newstead Abbey (one of our favorite places.

We go to the house every evening after work and on our days off to see how the builders are getting on and doing what we can to help the process along as we know we have to have the main bits done before the bad weather arrives.

There is still a long way to go but we are both really happy and excited and Harry loves it too.

Here are a few pics and i hope you like them.

This was how the kitchen looked and i loved it.

Sadly only the 1930s table and the old clothes airer/pan holder above it remain.

This is how the back reception room looked like but now

the wall on the right near the window has gone and joins onto the kitchen.

The rest was gutted right back to bare walls.

A view of the front garden and countryside over the road.

We are taking the hedge at the top out as you cant see oncoming traffic so it is dangerous and we are going to have a small wooden fence and gate instead.

I cant wait to get cracking on this space.

I want to make a vegetable patch in the island as we get sunshine on both gardens all day.

This is the back porch which is a little sun trap and look

at all those Bramley apples picked straight off the tree.

This will have to be all re pointed and maybe rebuilt next year.

Here is a pic of the back garden a couple of days after getting the keys.

I have already started getting it into shape but im not doing anything else

now until spring as there are lots of bulbs in the garden and i need to see

what and where they are before going further.

At the bottom of the garden are some steps that lead to a small river.

It is full of wildlife including Ducks,Kingfishers, Brown Trout and our very own

Moor Hen who i have christened Hilda.

In the garden so far we have seen a male Pheasent, a family of Partridges, a Heron, a Spotted Woodpecker and the most friendly Robin who isnt one bit scared of harry.

We know its going to take some time to get it all as we like it but the main thing is we are going to love it here and are so very happy.

We are going to open up the house now for the men with the radiators and finish stripping the upstairs rooms ready for painting.

Will post more pics when i have a minute and i hope i havnt bored you to tears with my ramblings.

Please leave a comment as i love to read them.

Love and Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxxxxx