Hoping that no news is good news . . .

I'm not sleeping at all well lately.  I have too much on my mind.  Last week it was the big antiques fair which had my full attention.  Earlier in the week it was lists of "fings to do" before the viewing, and now it is playing the waiting game.  We have had no feedback yet from the Agent.  I presume these folk are still looking at other properties and making their minds up.  They are down for a fortnight, but I stupidly forgot to ask was this the first or the second week?  They were discussing our house with the agent for nearly two months (asking all sorts of questions) before travelling down from Scotland to view now their house has sold.  I am trying to keep Hope safely under lock and key, but he is rattling the cage bars and creeping round furtively in the inner-most recesses of my mind, peeping round corners and scuttling off as soon as I notice him.

Anyway, I have allowed Hope out long enough to have drawn up a shortlist of two houses in North West Herefordshire which we like the look of.  Properties which "have the look" - e.g. timbers and charm, but one was only built in the 1970s, using reclaimed timber, and the other is also nowhere as old as our current house and in very good condition.  Of the two, I prefer this other one, which is a little nearer Hereford, though still probably closer to Leominster (pronounced "Lemster") - a good town for antiques.  We sometimes have a day out there, so we can wander round the antique shops.  Last time we were there, so was Drew Pritchard from the telly (Salvage Hunters).  All I can say is, they don't put any makeup on him when they film, as he looked every bit as ugly in real life!

Then yesterday,  I thought I might just as well look in Shropshire, as it is a county which has the sort of properties we like at the right sort of price.  In fact, we looked up as far as Ludlow before moving here.  Our first choice was the Welsh borderlands.  But I digress - I suddenly came across a property we had fallen in love with about 10 years ago, when we first decided to relocate.  We viewed it then and fell head over heels the minute we walked through the door.  We have often thought of it since, with regret that we weren't able to buy it at the time, and then thinking, perhaps it was for the best as it had half an acre of garden including very productive soft fruit area and orchard (and 70 David Austin roses!!!), and I am struggling with my lesser gardens here now we are so busy with the antiques and militaria.  However, looking at it from the new viewpoint of trading, it would bring us within an hour's drive of a good number of antiques fairs and fleamarkets, and we could venture into Cheshire, where there are folk with a lot more disposable income that around here.  That has made it a very strong contender.  It is also cheaper than it was ten years ago.  Plus it would be an easier drive to visit our eldest daughter T in Yorkshire (or for her to come to us) and as she and her partner are planning to look for a smallholding in Powys, we wouldn't be too far away.  The other two are still finding which way life is going to take them - G is living in Swansea at the moment and working in Cardiff and D is going to go travelling again.

I tried to fly the flag for Devon, but my dear husband has gone right off the idea (though he says it isn't out of the question, but I know him too well).  Personally I think we could do better trading down there but he's not for turning.

I need to finish putting some bark down in the paddock garden, and to try and tidy up the soft fruit area, which is full of long grass and nettles and brambles.  NOT a good look and makes picking raspberries and boysenberries difficult.  I will need to slather myself in Avon Skin-so-Soft though as it is definitely Horse Fly territory.

We did very little yesterday.  With wonderful timing, we discovered the damp patch on a downstairs wall is a leaking pipe.  It is just a drip type leak but I do wish my husband had paid attention when I first noticed the damp patch instead of blaming my seed stack and saying it was the rain bouncing off there onto the wall and then not drying out.  Hmmph!  The plumber is coming tomorrow and I wish him well because he will have all sorts of angles  to deal with for replacement piping.  There's always something . . .

I shall put up a few more Botanic Garden flower photos later.  Meanwhile, keep those fingers crossed for us . . .

EVENING:  You've blown the photos until tomorrow, as NOTHING will load.  I am sick of the broadband here.  Next time I want to have the telephone exchange outside the front gate (we are currently 4 miles away and the last phone on that line!)

I have been feeling ghastly all day - had to go back to bed this morning and then again after lunch, and slept long and deep each time.  This afternoon I nearly crawled back downstairs, as my legs felt like I had run 2 marathons back to back.  Panadol have helped and I am hoping a half-decent night's sleep tonight might have me feeling more human tomorrow.  Nothing from the Agents so we will have to wait until next week now to see what the viewers thought of the house.