Assiduous And Carnivorous Trees

It was the turn of a blue tit to investigate the crab apples on this very overcast morning. This one found the fruit a little large for its beak, and didn’t stay long.

This afternoon, Elizabeth collected the keys for her new home. Naturally we were there to see her over the threshold, clutching thoughtful presents from Caldwell’s Estate Agents.

Also left for her on the surface of the utility room was a personalised welcome card featuring the house.

Jackie here stands between the utility room and

the kitchen with its induction hob.

The bathroom downstairs contains a corner bath

and matching suite;

Elizabeth examined the walk-in larder cupboard.

Upstairs there is a well appointed shower room,

and three good sized bedrooms, some with wardrobe cupboards,

and views of the gardens

with their shrubberies,

and a nicely weathered The Three Graces bird bath.

There is a solid garden shed

and garage in the grounds which

are fronted by a bank of ‘assiduous and carnivorous trees’ – at least that is what the spell-checked brochure claimed.

The house and gardens were immaculately presented. It is well worth remembering that this solid, well designed, home is one of 2,400 presented in 1948 to the British by the Swedish government in recognition of our forebears’ support during the Second World War.
Elizabeth has been staying with Mum since she left hospital. She will return there this evening. Jacqueline will arrive tomorrow to take her place so our sister will be able to spend the next few days moving in while she stays with us.
Mr Chan at Hordle Chinese Take Away provided tonight’s dinner for Jackie and me. I drank Patrick Chodot Brouilly 2016, while Jackie chose Hoegaarden.

0 comments

  1. Well, should Elizabeth ever mysteriously disappear – look no further than those hungry trees! I’m sure Mr Le Pard would have a field day with that sentence…….. It looks like a lovely comfortable home and I send wishes to Elizabeth for a most happy life there.

    1. Thank you Pauline. It has been so lovely to receive so many good wishes on my new home from Derrick’s “blogging” friends”

  2. Thank you for the tour and history of the house. Will there one day be a garden on these premises that we’ll be witness to, as we did with your garden?

    1. Hello GP . I am sure Derrick will be posting updates as work starts in my garden from early spring. The head gardener will be a hard act to follow but then they have allowed me to borrow the lovely Aaron.
      Elizabeth

      1. Well…. I don’t think I’d ever try to compete with the Head Gardener (that would be futile! haha), but you can make one uniquely your own when you finish with the inside. After seeing some of Aaron’s work – I KNOW he’ll be a big help!
        I wish you all the very best with this new chapter of your life!!
        GP Cox

  3. Congrats to Elizabeth, Derrick on her new home. I had no idea about the Swedes’ gift of the homes to Britain. Might have learned in history class but forgot. That’s wonderful.

      1. ‘Tis so, indeed, Elizabeth. We have always sought out the history of the houses we’ve owned, and sometimes it’s taken a lot of digging. Any factual information that we can find is always valued.

    1. Hello Becky
      Thank you for your comment. Yes I love the look and the colour – always like to go for something that is a little bit different !
      Elizabeth

  4. Congratulations to Elizabeth! That was kind of the real estate agents to leave her welcome gifts. The house looks lovely and comfortable–well, all except for those carnivorous trees. I suppose she better keep them well fed.
    Thank you for reminding us of the history of the house. I hope your mom is doing well.

    1. Thank you Merrill. Yes I did ask the agent how much it would cost per annum to feed them! They enjoyed the joke and their gift was a really nice touch. Also very happy to help with anything I need after moving in. Caldwells of Lymington – I would highly recommend them .

      1. I live in New Jersey, so I’m probably not going to need them, but thank you. :)Younger daughter and son-in-law actually won a house a couple of years ago (part of a program for veterans). The various people involved also left them gifts. I wish you much joy in your new home!

  5. All very neat; don’t be bullied into trying to create the garden it never was, What’s this about support from the British by the Swedish government “in recognition of our forebears’ support during the Second World War.”

    1. Thanks for the thought Mike. Though I am looking forward to creating my own garden from a blank canvas
      Elizabeth

    1. Thank you Diana – it will be an exciting project – and the basic construction makes it a manageable one . Hoping to keep with the original character with a bit of a twist.
      Elizabeth

  6. The house appears to have worn its grace with ease over the passage of time. I am sure you are all proud of Elizabeth’s acquisition. You have used your photographic equipment with a deftness found in professional interior photographers. I hope the carnivorous trees are not man-eaters though!

  7. Congrats to Elizabeth! She will turn that beautiful house into a warm, loving home!
    I love seeing the inside of houses! And her new house has an interesting history.
    I love trees and I’ve known a lot of them in my lifetime…I’ve hugged some and talked to most…and none of them were mean.
    I hope the trees there will behave themselves! Ha! 😉 😀
    HUGS for you, Jackie, Elizabeth, and your Mum! 🙂

    1. Thank you for the lovely comments Carolyn. I do hope that I and the trees will live up to expectations .
      Elizabeth

    1. Thank you John. I have now closed all the gates so hope that will keep them where they belong!
      Elizabeth

  8. Congrats to Elizabeth. Always exciting to take posession of one’s new home and to be able to put one’s footprint on it. Welcome home Elizabeth. Wishing you the very best.

    1. Thank you Rabirius . The shed is lovely and strangely sited in a prominent position within garden just asking to be at the heart of a feature aspect.
      Elizabeth

  9. Assiduous and Carnivorous???
    Proofreading is most definitely a ‘lost’ art these days. 🙁
    I hope the house is of better quality than the Agent! 😉

    1. Thank you
      Both house and agent are of great quality – so I can forgive the proof reading just this once.
      Elizabeth

      1. You are far more forgiving than me – to my eternal undoing. 😉
        Actually, the curious phrasing in the description of the trees has been bugging me for 2 days now, off and on, but i have just this minute figured it out! ( I like to understand the reasons for things – i can usually find them given time).
        Assiduous and Carniverous are the homonyms for Deciduous and Coniferous (Evergreens) trees!
        I’m not willing to believe that autoprompt or predictive text and their human user would get those so mixed up but i can easily imagine a spoken word-to-text translator doing it.
        Artificial intelligence ‘assistants’ such as Siri and Google Home may be found to have the odd voice recognition glitch if this is an example of it’s communicative ability at present? 🙂
        LWBUT (or ‘love’ for short… or Bob if you prefer.) 🙂

  10. Taking ownership and moving into your own new place is so exciting. I could use that garden shed for storage … very nice and cozy looking home. Congratulations to the new owner.

    1. Thank you Steve for your warm comments. I think I’ll need all
      the storage I can get once my belongings arrive!
      Elizabeth

      1. Just keep in mind, ‘less is more’. We’ve collected enough and now we’re (more precisely, my wife, I have a hard time discarding my ‘stuff’) on a mission to pare back, rid ourselves of the unnecessary stuff (isn’t all ‘stuff’ necessary ?). Enjoy the organizing! All my best, Steve

  11. Such a nice house and so interesting about its history. Congrats, Elizabeth. From across the pond, I’ve been following your adventures in moving. So satisfying to see the happy ending.

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