The visit: Upstairs

The staircase was pine, a beautiful honey colour. At the top of the stairs were 5 doors. The bathroom, a cupboard for hanging clothes and two bedrooms. The ceilings were high and followed the roofspace. Both bedrooms were a good size and looked out over the farm across the road. There were hens roaming in the farmyard and all of a sudden I was at my grandmother’s house as a child looking out into the garden. The house was nothing like my Grandmother’s home, but I just had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. The bathroom, or rather shower room was beautiful. Tastefully tiled and very recent, with a huge mirror above the washbasin. The fifth door led into the loft. What a loft! It was as large as the bedroom below it. It couldn’t be used as a room because of the low slope of the roof. There was also the ventilator and the exit pipe for the gas boiler passed through. For us for storage it was perfect. The tenants assured us that it was perfectly dry and weather proof. Reluctantly we had to leave the inside to look at the small garden and the garage. The garden was small, but there was room for a small vegetable patch and there was an old well which added interest. There wasn’t much else as non of the previous tenants had stayed very long and had not invested time planting flowers or shrubs. The garage was built from stone and was very old. It was very large, perhaps two small cars would fit inside. I was fascinated by the stones and old beams. It had been a workshop in the past. I wondered who had worked there. It was obvious early on in the visit that we wanted to live there. The agent explained to us that she had another couple who were coming to look at the house immediately after us. She didn’t want to put them off as they had travelled a long distance. She was going to show them around anyway, letting them know that normally the house was let. I was walking on air as we left, but Mr Sosie, was worried by this information. We also had to submit details of our salaries to make sure that we could afford to rent the house and the cost of running it. We had an appointment at the agent’s office the following week.

The visit: Downstairs

The house was spotlessly clean and had recently been renovated. All of the walls throughout were painted white. All of the rooms were full of light from the windows which faced east and south The main room was smaller than we would have liked. There was a huge fireplace. It was blocked off as the laws are strict on certificates for insurance of the sweeping of chimneys in use once a year. The kitchen was small too, but very well designed. It would mean that I would have to have a new cooker (I didn’t mind!). Above the sink, there was a large opening with sliding doors into the main room. So the kitchen could be part of the main living area or not. The first bedroom was on the ground floor, it was large and narrow – would we have to go back to a standard sized bed? Everything I saw just seemed to get better and better. Under the stairs was a small cupboard just the right size for the washing machine!

March 26th 2011

Can you imagine how the time dragged until the time we could visit ‘our house’?

On the morning of the 26th March 2011 we woke up bright and early. During the drive we decided that we should be prepared to be disappointed with the inside of the house. It still seemed too good to be true.

Needless to say, we parked our car beside the church half an hour before the arranged meeting time. We went for a short walk to pass the time, even walking past the house. The agent was on time thank goodness. I think I might have burst if she’d have been late. She was very friendly and put us at ease straight away. As soon as we walked through the front door I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. The agent and the tenants who would be leaving shortly showed us around.

Found it

Once we parked the car we headed towards the village shop. It was closed and looked pretty shabby. Two houses down from the shop we found 'our house'. It was obvious this time as there was an agent's notice attached to the gate. We knew that we couldn't visit the house - just observe from the street. At the side were upstairs and downstairs windows and the 'front' door. The other side of the house was a stone wall. It was very old but in good repair and we could see that the window frames were new. This was the house we wanted to live in!

Over the bridge and through the tunnel

We only knew roughly where the house was situated when we set out to have a look at it from the outside. It was a cold, damp, miserable Saturday afternoon. As we drove and talked we agreed that if we liked the house and village on such a horrible day we would be in the right place. As we approached the village we crossed a bridge over a canal; tree lined paths and walks led off along the banks, very inviting. Immediately after that we went through a small tunnel under the railway. It was like passing into a new world. Ahead through the trees we spotted the church spire We arrived at the village and not knowing where to start, decided to head for the church. My heart lept as we approached the street next to the church, could this be the house? Checking the paper I'd printed out, I could see that it was indeed very similar, but it was not 'our' house.