We spent the weekend clearing out my side of the garage and putting up infrastructure in my side of the garage so I can sort out all my horsey stuff.  Order has been created out of chaos and it feels good!  Ged has started on his side, but it is a much bigger job, so watch this space for final resolution!

Of course, as soon as he gets started doing something for him, I come up with a plan that distracts him from his purpose in hand.  This weekend I decided to separate the wisteria from the peach tree – they have been intertwined for over about five years by the looks of things and while the peach is putting up a valiant fight, the  wisteria is slowly strangling it.  I started off with secateurs but soon gave up with those, got my handsaw out of the shed, but it was rusty, so I thought ‘bugger that’ and got out the trusty chainsaw!  Ged had to help and we now have a wisteria that we will train from scratch in the spring to embrace and decorate the house, a peach tree which might live up to its name, and then I had a brainwave . . . let’s cut down all the trees shielding the house from its view of the river, and making it dark and gloomy – so Ged got to work!

And what a miracle he has wrought!  We have a bird’s eye view of the river from the kitchen window and LIGHT and SPACE and AIR at that side of the house.  We have resolved to keep going and get rid of all the scrubby, dark trees on the bank below the house and replace them with lovely light robinias, liquid ambers, acers and more fruit trees.  We have also planted all the lovely Maples and Liquid Ambers Mummy and Daddy bought us for the wedding.  Three Liquid Ambers at the main gate (by the bridge) three in a semicircle around the tank (above the house), one Maple in the middle of the new Triangle fence (we have brought the Acer home to the house yard) and three Maples spaced along the edge of the big, main, river flat in front of the house (polo ground!)

And at least this weather is perfect for planting trees!

We have had more and further discussions about selling Ged’s place and finally came up with a way in which we could meet Michael’s offer.  If we strip it of all the infrastructure he has put on there over the last four years (shed with living, bathroom, kitchen, fire, loft, wiring, electrics, septic, water tank etc., etc.,) we can come down to his price.  More work for us, but at least we get the sale.  So we  offered him the deal and of course he said he wanted the shed and the water tank so we had to go into bat for a price for those.  The end result is that we finally struck a deal after much negotiating.  He gets a good deal, we strip everything out of the shed, bar the water tank, and we get a quick, cash sale, a weight off our minds, one less mortgage to pay in what looks to be a scary global financial future, enough to get the office built and a few more loose ends tied up before we buckle down to having a baby and relying on one real income.

So we’re all happy!  Not enough to get my new car out of the deal but a good feeling nonetheless . . . .

the new look love residence sans trees at left