Dream

I love the shabby chic look in the house - this is my laundry room window

About seven years ago I was having a coffee with a girl friend from school.  She is lovely ... as well as being beautiful, clever, smart and well off. We lived just 50 yards apart.  As we sat chatting the conversation turned to our next house.  My perfect house, I said, is the one up on the left  hidden away. It's like a secret house and it's always been my dream house since I was a little girl.   Oh she laughed  .. that's my dream house too I'll race you to it she said with a smile. I looked wistfully at the house on the way home. As I walked past the gate I thought, I'll never ever get it now ..   then it occurred to me ... I know ..  I'll get a head start... what have I got to loose?

I marched up the drive and knocked on the door.   I love your house I told the man who opened the door... if you ever want to sell it here is my number.  He looked a little bemused, but took my details all the same saying perhaps one day  .. but certainly not in the near future. Over the past seven years I've spotted the owner walking his dog about the village.   I would always smile and wave. Then about three years ago I asked him again, with a cheeky smile if he was ready to sell me his house. Of course laughed and said not yet.  In September last year I spotted him again and chatted for a moment then I asked if they were ready to sell me the house yet with a big grin  .. I was not really thinking for a minute he would say yes  .. but and instead of saying not yet he drew a deep breath and said ... well you'd better come and have a look round.You can't imagine the sheer joy. It's ours, it's ours I was so excited as I called my husband.  I'm certain of it I said.

My poor husband looked as happy as a man could look who's house had has sat on the market for almost three years with out a bite. I was totally convinced. I know it's irrational, I said, but I know it's were we are meant to be. You have until March to get a sale on your house said the vendor then it will go on the open market.  I re doubled my efforts, prayed, tidied, cleaned, cleaned some more and changed estate agents and miracles do happen.  We sold in the nick of time.  Of course there wasn't a week that went by with out a threat of a no sale.  The surveyors all shook their heads and stoked their chins, sucked in their breath and wrote what a dreadful house it was, whilst the vendor knew how much I wanted the house and stuck to his guns on the value not matter what.  The mortgage people took as long as you can take, wanting details that were almost absurd, and luckily my parents helped out because self employed people are a risk. ( Although in this current climate I think everyone is at risk!) In July we moved in.  Even writing that now makes me tingle. As we stood in the garden my husband looked me in the eyes and said I got it for you, I'd have got you the moon if you'd asked. It was a perfect moment.  We've got so much to do I said, with a huge grin. It's true to say we've got everything to do.

The previous owner had been ill for a while and the house needs some serious TLC. Just this evening  ..you've double the housework and half the money my husband laughed ... but I couldn't  be happier. So yes .. we're stretched and I am on a much tighter budget, but I see it as a challenge.  There are holes in the roof, the electrics need redoing, and when you flush the loo it sounds like the horn of the titanic is sounding off, but I have chickens, and a puppy, and children running about the place.

I do sometimes wonder if we have bitten off more than we can chew, but I love the shabby chic look  .. so  follow our adventures here are we renovate.



Renovating the House
Rachel Ashwell 

Style

The Chickens

1 comment:

  1. Good Luck, I'm really happy to find your blog and start following as we are also hanging on to our shabby chic brussels house and the breton one which could anytime fall into the sea!!
    I love a challenge, looks like you do too!!
    Lizzi

    ReplyDelete

If you are reading my blog I must warn you that I am not impartial. I want to influence you. I want to make you stop for just a moment and consider the effect of a lifetime of seemingly insignificant decisions and how making small delicious choices can change the world.

I believe that we can change the world one bite at a time.

It's a delicious revolution.