Diary of a potential house seller - Part I, April


The time has come for us to downsize. At present we have a spacious four bedroomed house, plus a large downstairs annexe - and there are only the two of us.  This house was fine when my mother lived here too and we were full of students during the summer months, but now, even with two lodgers, we rattle around.  Pictured below is the house's front view which belies the size as the house is extraordinarily deep it's and spread over three floors.

Step 1: how to sell?   This house is quite distinctive, even unique and would be ideal for the right people, perhaps with a multi-generational family, or with home-run business - or both.  But finding them would be quite a trawl. 
We're set back from the road, behind other properties - often not even the postman knows we're here - so a 'for sale' board wouldn't be much use, even if we did advertise widely.  Because of this, we've decided to use a local estate agent.

 View from front of the house - summer evening (above) and winter stupendous sunrise (below)

Step 2: find and instruct an agent.  We've had visits and appraisals from three agents and the price to ask for the property was pretty consistent but they all said that so much would depend on finding the right person as this isn't a run-of-the-mill house.
What was interesting was the quotations for selling the house.  These varied from  between one and a quarter per cent to two percent - quite a difference - considering they were all offering a more or less similar service.
We have chosen one near the bottom of that range, mainly because the valuer obviously knew her job, knew the area, was business-like whilst still being friendly - and most importantly, seemed to know what she was talking about.

Step 3: Make house presentable.   Other half is busy doing all those diy jobs which have been waiting, or half done, for several months (or years!?). 
Meanwhile, I'm tidying up outside, making it look like an easy-to-look-after garden, and cheering up sad corners.  Also I'm busy sorting out stuff and packing away things we won't need for several months.  Lots of it (but not nearly enough!) is being passed to local charity shops or put on freecycle.
Of necessity, these jobs are taking a very long time but we're away for a few days soon so don't mind working so hard now.  On our return the house will officially 'go on the market' and I'll post the details on here.

Step 4: Made a wish-list.  We'd like: three bedrooms, two bath/shower rooms, good sized rooms, views, a shop nearby, also public transport links and not too far from doctor/hospital.  A bungalow or dormer bungalow would be preferable.  We had a look around the areas where we're interested in living and visited some estates agents.  (The latter was a bad idea as now we're being inundated with unsuitable property details)

Step 4: Tidy up, sorting stuff into three piles, rubbish, charity shop, keep.  Then decide what of the 'keep' stuff can be packed, after all, we don't know how long we'll be 'in limbo' selling the house....


Step 5: Ongoing job: take stuff to charity shop and giving away stuff on freecycle which charity shops won't accept  - or appreciate - (meeting some really nice people at the same time).  We didn't realise all this would take quite such a lot of work and time!


Step 6: pressure washing the patio and clearing out the gutters - what a dirty job!  (Memo to self: do this job more than every five years then it won't be such a long job)




Step 7: Kirsty Allsop's battle plan for sellers says:

• Fall back in love with your home: this will help ignite the enthusiasm of would-be buyers.
• Go with the golden mean: get three valuations for your house, and go with the one in the middle.  If it isn't the figure that's been suggested by the estate agents which you like the best, ask them if they will go along with it anyway.

• Test-view your property: invite your tidiest friend around, and ask them to tell you what leaps out at them as unappealing - it's hard, but be objective.
• Leave no DIY job undone: nothing is a bigger turn-off for a would-be buyer than seeing half finished jobs.
• Redesign any empty nests: if your children have moved out, redecorate their rooms. Don't leave them as gloomy little shrines that will remind your purchasers that, one day, their children will leave them, too. 
• Leave prospective buyers alone: do not follow them around the house like a lost dog. Offer them a cup of tea, which they will probably refuse.  Then tell them that they're welcome to wander around at will.  There's an outside chance they'll rob your house, but it's a minuscule one.  If you're constantly hovering over them, asking what they think, they'll be thinking more about how to respond to you than whether they like the house.
• Have the premises desexed:  If you're a single women, clear out the books on dating and bunnies off the bed.  Single men should ask their mothers to make the place look civilised and to put out clean towels.  Otherwise, you risk alienating half the world the moment they walk in.
• Don't seem desperate: even if you are.  Buyers are on the look out for any indications of this.
• Especially - Don't tell your estate agents you're desperate:  If you happen to let slip that you're having to move because you are getting divorced, or having a baby, or both, they simply cannot prevent themselves from spilling the beans.  They just can't help themselves.
• Tell part of the truth: if buyers ask awkward questions about why you're moving, use phrases such as 'it seems like the right time, or 'to be nearer friends and family', and make sure to say 'we've been very happy here'.  It's best if there's a grain of truth.
• Keep asking your agent: always ring for feedback after a viewing.  If no-one's making an offer or, worse still, if no-one is even coming to view be brave and ask your estate agent why.  Are you asking too much ?  is there something that's putting  people off? What could you do to help sell the property?
• Buy a new kettle: and a new toaster and bed sheets.  All the nice things that you're going to need for your new house, and which you're going to take with you when you go.  But also things which you're going to put on show now, in order to sell y our current place.

Next step:  The estate agent's coming this Monday to take down detailed particulars and take photos - and we haven't nearly finished tidying up and titivating the place.  
The first agent fell through as, when she came to take details, suddenly there were all sorts of extra charges, not included in the original quotation.  So we've put that firm on the back burner.

Now the 'new' agents seems pretty dynamic and keen, so - as long as we can curb his enthusiasm to put our price down to sell quickly - we have faith that he'll be able to help us.

We've still been busy outside: painting fences, tidying up the paths and drive. Sweeping up leaves and blossom, weeding and pruning.  

We've bought two hanging baskets to put at the front of the house, also compost and flowering annuals to plant in the window trough.  However, it's been rather windy, and very cold for the time of year, so have yet to plant up the trough.  

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, and my birthday, so what could we do?  For several months I'd been looking forward to a visit to the Devon Guild of Craftsmen in Bovey Tracey as there's always plenty to see and encourage inspiration.  We looked at the current special feature,  The Blue Exhibition (http://www.crafts.org.uk/ see below) then enjoyed coffee and cake in their upstairs cafe, followed by a wander around the village.


Blue  a flow gallery touring exhibition
Saturday 10 March - Sunday 22 April 
The colour blue has had great importance throughout craft history being particularly significant to textiles and ceramics. Blueexplores the different ways current artists use the colour in their practice. The traditional uses of blue and white are the inspiration for some works, others refer to its roots and heritage in Europe as well as the Far East.  

The exhibitors were Felicity Aylieff, Paul Scott, Amanda Caines, Henk Wolvers, Caroline Slotte, Mia E Göransson, Louise Renae Anderson, Amy Jayne Hughes, Åsa Pärson, Fuku Fukumoto, Rebecca Wilson, Kaori Tatebayashi, Carol Cassidy, Kap-Sun Hwang, Fiona Rutherford, Elaine Wilson, Livia Marin.

BOOKS THAT INSPIRE

• "Andean Folk Knits" by Marcia Lewandowski
• "Aus alten Sachen Schönes machen" by Liisa Hellemaa-Hautamäki and Marjo Koivumäki
• "Beadwork" by Caroline Crabtree and Pam Stallebrass
• "Contemporary Knitting for Textile Artists" by Ruth Lee
• "Creative Felting" by Lizzie Houghton
• "Creative Recycling in Embroidery" by Val Holmes
• "Creative Spinning" by Alison Daykin and Jane Deane
• "Creative Weaving" by Sarah Howard and Elisabeth Kendrick
• "D.I.Y. Design it yourself" by Ellen Lupton/Maryland Institute College of Art
• "Eco Colour - botanical dyes for beautiful textiles" by India Flint
• "Embroidered Purses" by Linda Tudor
• "Everyday Sacred" by Sue Bender
• "Felt - handmade style" by India Flint and Toyoko Sugikawa
• "Filz Spiel - the felted play" by Annette Quentin-Stoll
• "Gesichter - Faces" by Sara Lechner
• "Handspun Revolution" by pluckyfluff/Lexi Boeger
• "Illustration.Play - Craving For The Extraordinary" by viction:workshop ltd.
• "In a Patchwork Garden" by Janet Bolton
• "Inka - Nordisch Stricken mit lateinamerikanischen Inspirationen" by Marianne Isager
• "Intertwined" by pluckyfluff/Lexi Boeger
• "KnitKnit - Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave" by Sabrina Gschwandtner
• "Knitting in the Old Way" by Priscilla A.Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson
• "Natural Dyeing" by Jackie Crook
• "Painting With Stitches" by Sue Dove
• "rouge. Motifs de broderie traditionnelle et au point de croix" by Agnès Delage-Calvet a.o.
• "Spin Control" by Amy King
• "Spinning designer yarns" by Diane Varney
• "Spinning in the Old Way" by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts
• "Stitched Textile Collage" by Lucille Toumi
• "Textile Natur/Textile Nature" by Elsbeth Nusser-Lampe
• "The Art and Craft of Appliqué" by Juliet Bawden
• "The Art of Beadwork" by Valerie Hector
• "The New Crewel" by Katherine Shaughnessy
• "Verwurzelt fliegen" by Cambra Maria Skadé

Change Your Thinking


It will take just 37 seconds to read this and perhaps change your thinking.


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. 


One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.  His bed was next to the room's only window.


The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.


The men talked for hours on end.  They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been vacation.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his room mate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.  The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.  Ducks and swans played on the water, whilst children sailed their model boats.  Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.  As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.  Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days, weeks and months passed.  One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.  She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.  The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortably, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.  He strained to slowly turn to look out of the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall! The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased room mate, who had described such a wonderful things outside this window.  The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, 'Perhaps he wanted to encourage you'. So: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.  Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have which money can't buy. Today is a gift, that is why is't called THE PRESENT..

A few quotes from dubya

'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.'

'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.' 

'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.' 

'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.'

'The future will be better tomorrow.'

'We're going to have the best educated American people in the world.'

'We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe . We are a part of Europe '

'Public speaking is very easy.'

'A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.'

'I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them.'

'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'

'For NASA, space is still a high priority.'

'Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children.'

'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." 

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." 

He was right - our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. 

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the factory to be washed, sterilized and refilled, so it could re-use the same bottles. So they really were recycled.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. 
 

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used crumpled-up newspaper to cushion it, not plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't switch on an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

We drank from a tap when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.
We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade became blunt. 

Back then, people took the bus and children rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their parents into a 24-hour taxi service. 

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza place.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

High street's bargain basement

According to today's paper, many shops dispose of their unwanted stuff, such as end-of-the-line-stock, ex-display items or returns, by slashing the prices and selling through their online shops.  If you know where to look, you can save as much as 80%. Here are three of the best online outlets for big-ticket items:

Dyson (stores.ebay.co.uk/Dyson-Outlet): buy a refurbished vacuum cleaner for up to half price. All the products have been refurbished with new parts and come with a minimum two-year guarantee. However, not all refurbished items will be good value so best to watch the prices.
Argos Clearance (stores.ebay.co.uk/clearancebargains): for anything from gadgets to garden furniture; discontinued products as well as returned and refurbished stock supplied by Argos.   Products are complete with all standard manufacturers' parts and accessories, in original packaging and are covered by the Argos 12-month guarantee.

Comet Clearance (clearance-comet.co.uk): this site auctions products that are either ex-display, refurbished, discontinued or slightly damaged; good for white goods, tvs, satnavs or even a games console.  Any damage is cosmetic and all products are in full working order and come with a six-month guarantee.  The auctions last for four days and you can bid in £5 increments.  Delivery charges vary, but a cheap installation service is offered.  NOW OUT OF DATE as Comet has since gone out of business - along with HMV, Blockbusters and Jessops.

Also Fashion Outlets:
M&S: outlet.marksandspencer.com
LK Bennett: stores.ebay.co.uk/l-k-bennett-outlet
Pied a Terre: stores.ebay.co.uk/piedaterre
House of Fraser: stores.ebay.co.uk/houseoffraser
French Connection: stores.ebay.co.uk/frenchconnectionoutlet
Savile Row Company: stores.ebay.co.uk/savile-row-company
Karen Millen: stores.ebay.co.uk/Karen-Millen-Official
Office: stores.ebay.co.uk/OfficeShoes
Schuh: stores.ebay.co.uk/schuh-branded-shoes-online

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.

As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.

'What in bag?' asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.'

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:

'Good trade.....'

The Three bears.

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning when the Three Bears came for breakfast…..

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table and he looks into his small bowl. It is empty.

“Who’s been eating my porridge?” he squeaks.

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his chair.

He looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. “Who’s been eating my porridge?!?” he roars.

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, “For God’s sake, how many times do we have to go through this with you idiots?”

It was Mummy Bear who got up first.

It was Mummy Bear who woke everyone in the house.

It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee.

It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.

It was Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch the newspaper and croissants.

It was Mummy Bear who set the table.

It was Mummy Bear who put the cats out, cleaned the litter boxes, gave the cats their food, and refilled their water.

And now that you’ve decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once…………..

I HAVEN’T MADE THE PORRIDGE YET!!! 

Then and Now

Bound to the soil as his leggings are bound with twine

The serf labours long –

Son of the soil,

He toils for warmth and shelter and to eat.

Fashion style isn’t seen in his clothes

He knows no other world beyond these fields,

Has little choice of how he lives

Just follows his family’s way of life

The well-heeled male has wide horizons

Sybolised by the mobile phone he holds

Smart in his Armani suit,

He confidently approaches life.

Appearances are vitally important

In his career moves.

He has no worries about where and when he will be fed

He’ll travel far

Both round the world and up the career ladder

For one, life is hard and short -

The other hopes his is long,

With plenty of leisure and fulfilment.

These men share their youth, but not their expectations …

Jenny Roy

April 1994

This is what Andy Rooney* thinks about women over 40:

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all.   Here are just a few reasons why: 

• A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?'  She doesn't care what you think. 
• If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it.  She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. 
• Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. 
• Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved.  They know what it's like to be unappreciated. 
• Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. 
• Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. 
• Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. 

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?  Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!  
 

Andy Rooney is a very intelligent man! 

* (Andy Rooney, American Radio & TV Writer - January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) 

This gem is from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine, written for male supervisors of women during World War II. These were "helpful tips" on supervising women at work:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

The rest of this madness is after the jump, my fave being, "A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day." Just give me a tube of lipstick and I'll be ready to take on the world!

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is got across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a 

girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy."

The Lay of the Last Minstrel (excerpt)

Breathes there the man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand! 

If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung.

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

About the Poem

The affection with which people view their homeland is an almost universal phenomenon, but it reached a new level of meaning with the rise of the modern nation state and the emphasis on patriotism.  One of the best known poems celebrating this “state of mind” is the verse by the Scottish nobleman, aptly named Sir Walter Scott.

About the Painting
The River Tweed Below Melrose"- 1899.
Scottish Borders landscape.
Watercolour by Tom Scott RSA (1845-1927)

The Life Cycle of the Plastic Bag: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw 

commentary by Jeremy Irons

From David Hockney 

in Yorkshire

Art is . . . hand - eye - heart

http://www.hockneypictures.com/exhibitions/yorkshire/yorkshire.php

You can teach the craft - it's the poetry you can't teach!

This morning we went to Kit Hill for a walk and to scatter Mum's ashes, near to Dad's. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_Hill_Country_Park) 

Kit Hill is a place which is special to our family, and we all have memories of walking up there, especially on sunny winter afternoons.  From the summit, much of Cornwall and Devon can be seen, even Eddystone Lighthouse, on a good day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddystone_Lighthouse).

The Summit of Kithill is marked by the stack of South Kithill Mine. Rich in tin, copper, arsenic and (particularly important during the First World War) wolfram. 
Worked since Medieval times, many of the v shaped surface workings of the early tin streamers, to the spoil heaps, adits and shafts of the late 19th and 20th century workings though overgrown are still visible- so it's important to take great care and keep to marked paths. Keen walkers and horse riders will enjoy the waymarked circular trails. The granite quarry was worked until the 1950's. Many older local people remember the incline in use. 
There are Neolithic long barrow, field systems and round barrows from the Bronze Age. Extensive areas of heathland are now being restored, after loss of grazing in the last few years led to a gradually loss of parts of the precious heath, gorse, and whortleberries ('herts' to Cornishmen - a sharp tasting berry about the size of a small blackcurrant). 
It is home to numerous small reptiles including the adder. and is usually the breeding site of birds such as the meadow pipit, dartford warbler, linnet and stonechat.

above and below: Kit Hill

On the way home we had a rather good meal at Turtley Corn Mill, near Avonwick where we ate in 'the library':  there were bookcases on three sides of the room, with fourth being windows with a French door leading to the extensive grounds.

We raised our glasses in a toast to 'absent friends'. 

Wish you had been there too!

From Thomas Cook Holidays - 

listing some of the guests' complaints during the season

   

"I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts."

"It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned

"On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry.  I don't like spicy food at all."

"We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels."

A tourist at a top African game lodge overlooking a water hole, who spotted a visibly aroused elephant, complained that the sight of this rampant beast ruined his honeymoon by making him feel "inadequate".

A woman threatened to call police after claiming that she'd been locked in by staff. When in fact, she had mistaken the "do not disturb" sign on the back of the door as a warning to remain in the room.

"The beach was too sandy."

"We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white."

A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too thick and strong. He was inadvertently slurping the gravy at the time.

"Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women."

“We bought' Ray-Ban' sunglasses for five Euros from a street trader, only to find out they were fake."

"No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled."

"There was no egg slicer in the apartment..."

"We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish..."

"The roads were uneven."

"It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home."

"I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends' three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller."

"The brochure stated:  'No hairdressers at the accommodation’.   We’re trainee hairdressers - will we be OK staying here?"

"There are too many Spanish people.. The receptionist speaks Spanish. The food is Spanish. Too many foreigners.."

“We had to queue outside with no air conditioning."

“It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel."

"I was bitten by a mosquito - no-one said they could bite."

"My fiancé and I booked a twin-bedded room but we were placed in a double-bedded room. We now hold you responsible for the fact that I find myself pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked."