England 14th-015th May

We did little on the Sunday. It seems from map history we went to Niece 2's for a drink, nibbles and cake. Son 1 of theirs was very busy socialising while the seriously disabled son was sleeping. He has never developed proper sleep patterns, in spite of so much parental attempts. 

Monday Sister 2 and her husband picked us up and after a stop off at Morrisons to pick up an ordered made up lunch for five, we travelled north to R's brother in law's sister farm. It is obligatory that we visit her each time we are England. Her husband, a chronic alcoholic died in the mid 20 teens and suddenly she was a merry widow with lots of money. And then she spent. 

Gorse blooming along the way, along with the ubiquitous canola yellow in the fields. 

I've never researched but the property's actual name is Thrunton Mill, on the outskirts of Wittingham, kind of pronounced as Witengem. 

A few metres from the house runs a creek called Swine Burn. 

The creek path. Her late husband once showed me the depression that ran through the property, a former Roman road. 

She leases out the farmland for sheep grazing and has a large modern sheep shed. It is a boring shed, so no photos. I think it was last year when a terrible wind came through and blew down many trees in her small forrest. 

The building here is a sympathetic recent extension with a downstairs bathroom and large bedroom

The covered over spa and outdoor area are used a lot by her family.

This conservatory was added.

She has won local vegetable growing prizes.

I can't remember what was in this outdoor shed. I did ask in the past.

The coal shed.

The AGA is either gas or electric. I only remember it wasn't a solid fuel burner. How disappointing. 

The forest destruction was terrible. She was made an unsolicited offer to clear the mess for a very cheap price. At 74, she is not a fool and quickly found out she can profit from the sale of the fallen timber. It is worth real money, lots. 

We walked up the hill behind the property with R's brother in law. Her dog whose name I forget came with us.

A view of the house down the hill. She has a self sufficient sewerage system but last year it failed and she paid a bomb to two different companies to get it working as it should. 

Speculating, but I think Thrunton Mill must have a wheat mill to make flour. Usually such endeavours need water and that would have come from the creek. These were guessed to be very old meat hooks in the living room ceiling but now that is doubtful. They are very old hooks though.

In the conservatory after our lunch Sister 2 and her sister in law cut out patterns to make teddy bears. I didn't understand what they were doing, beyond cutting along lines.

It was a lovely day in an historic rural area. Is that an oxymoron? Isn't all of England historic? 

Oh gosh, where has the time gone? We only have a week left and so much to do, least of all my medical problems.