So your children are gone and it’s just the two of you…what do you do?
a) Downsize, enjoy the time, the extra cash in your pocket, the freedom, the long country walks, mini breaks in Ile de Re, wine at lunchtime…or…
b) Buy an enormous dilapidated property miles from home in a part of the country where you don’t know a soul, where if you turn your back for a second nature reclaims everything and start a business of which you have zero experience.
Well we chose b) which is how Paul found himself crawling on his knees under floorboards at the age of 53 fitting, so far, 5 bathrooms and counting…and I found myself living with my Mum again so that I can continue working to pay for it all!
Well we have been here over a year now and this is what I think:
• Regrets – a few
• Mistakes – loads
• Advice if you are thinking about doing similar…try to enjoy the journey as well as the final vision (because actually, if you are as old as we are, you might never actually achieve the dream before you have to think about option a!)
• Would we do it again – definitely (although we might make things a bit easier for ourselves – something a little smaller maybe?)
We have met some amazingly diverse people and done things we would never have imagined. It has been very creative, a very steep learning curve and is very rewarding when someone stays with us and has a great time.
Anyway – this is us on the seafront at Scarborough with our nephew Alex and niece Beth who came for their holidays in July.
