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Being Here

Having a holiday always makes me dread coming home, I just never want our good times to stop. Not that home life is crap, but there is room for improvement with our work. I really have felt fed up with the constant cleaning, the washing & especially the ironing... 
Yes we get paid fairly well for what we do, but it's hard bloody work! I really can't wait to slow down & since our return - we've been talking about making some changes yet again...

Our B&B is going great - we're booked up for all this month & we've had lots of lovely guests, so we're definitely going to prepare another en-suite room for next year. 
We both love having folks to stay & find it much more enjoyable than our day job.
So a move towards doing the B&B full time is looking very good indeed at the moment, especially as our last guests have inspired us to think about offering more than just a bed & meals.

We dream of being home based, of having the opportunity to grow all our own food & we think this may just happen next year... We are busy making plans & it's exciting. Neither of us can believe that our dreams are coming true. Ok it's taken over 20 years to come about, but as Sime always says - there's no point in rushing!

We were talking while away about how unconventional our lives have been, the adventures we've enjoyed - from secretly getting married, selling up to travel (with the kids), living in France, driving across America, home educating, moving to Cornwall & being self employed - it continues to be an incredible journey, one that has been going on for over 25 years... Wow, how time flies!

Our lives will constantly change & I love that. Maybe we'll one day find the place we want to spend the rest of our days, but for now - we are very much enjoying being here.

Before we do settle somewhere, we have always wanted to try out living in different environments...
Next to the sea, on a mountain & deep in a forest. So we're doing the sea thing & I suppose we have lived in a forest.
Our last house - the reason we moved to Cornwall was a fantastic place, a house that the 5 of us are still very  fond of & yet we were only there for just over 2 years & the location wasn't as rural as where we are now, but it was a magical place & one day, Sime will probably write about it...

We decided to have a peak at it while we were on holiday, as it's fairly close to Bodmin & we fancied visiting our favourite woods...

The house is on the Camel Trail.
An 18 mile track, which used to be a railway line.

The house has 7 acres of land...

And several barns...
Sime's band used to practice in the barn on the top right. 
The one on the left, we called Humphrey's Barn & we had plans to turn it into a little shop.
We also served refreshments at the front of the house.

The owners of the house worked abroad & wanted us to live there long term...
Until they split up & had to sell it.
We looked after their 2 dogs & cat, there were 3 donkeys & we had  bought 2 goats from the local smallholders fair... Sal also had 2 rats! 

The back of the house.
It is known locally as the witches house...

It was fantastic to have this place to ourselves...

The River Camel.
 We called this bit off the trail - the beach...

About a quarter of a mile from the house you can come off the trail & go into the woods...

It was wonderful to be back...

'Our woods'

We haven't been in these woods for nearly 8 years.
They've changed quite a bit!

We sat & had a bite to eat...

And this was the view from below...

The main forest track...

This track we called 2nd steep, it isn't as steep as 1st steep!
The trees have all gone on the left... 

A beautiful day!

It was lovely to be there again...
 But for all it's beauty - the sound of the main road traffic is very loud. I think we are really aware of noise so much more since living in a quiet place.
We're glad we have moved on & expect when we move again it will be even further away from civilisation.

Kay (& Sime)
xx


Comments

Scarlet said…
You've definitely lived an interesting life - one that we loved hearing about when we met you. Good luck with your planned changes. Love J,K & L. X
Kath said…
How lovely, it certainly looks idyllic. What a fabulous place for a family to grow up.
Why was this house known as the witches house? that's not a very polite way to refer to you Kay hee hee
Catherine said…
I admire the two of you for doing exactly what you want to do and living the life you have dreamed. Fantastic!
xo Catherine
Anonymous said…
That would be wonderful if you could do the B&B full time. I didn't know that you drove across the states. So much fun!

I've lived next to a forest and we've lived just a few blocks from Lake Michigan, which is so much like the sea. Next time we settle down, we definitely want to be in the mountains. It'll be a while, but we'll get there. :)
Unknown said…
What a beautiful place to live. Your lives have been full of adventure, but please don't move on yet, not until we've come down your way next March!

Sft x
Thanks Scarlet - It'll be a while yet, which means a busy winter ahead!
Hi Kath - Is was an amazing place, but very haunted! We think the locals called it the witches house because many years ago, it was covered completely in greenery - an eccentric bloke lived there & it probably gave folks the creeps!
Thanks Catherine & hopefully, we'll continue to do so!
Hi Molly - We drove from Atlanta to San Diego back in the early 90s - it was a fantastic trip! The girls were very young, so Disneyland had to be done... We loved Tennessee, New Mexico & Arizona. Texas & Alabama were eventful, as was LA. We stayed off the beaten track & most people we met had never come across Brits before, so they thought we were really quaint!!!

We definitely want to experience living amongst mountains too!
Thanks Sft - we're not planning on going anywhere just yet...

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