2007-2014
Retirement
It is often said that retired people wonder how they had time to work because they are kept so busy. In our case the house and particularly the garden have kept us busy but we have had plenty of time to suit ourselves as to what we should do on any particular day.
One of the problems with the Roseveare House that we knew about was that the septic tank was not functioning properly. There was a lot of damp smelly ground around it, which was not ideal, despite the previous owners saying that it was perfectly normal and had always been like that. I found a local man, Mike BARKER, who came along and emptied the tank. We discussed the problem and he said that he thought that the soakaway was blocked but that he had a pal, Roger, who could advise us on how to solve the problem.
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| Heavy Equipment to start |
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Excavation
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Roger arrived and we decided that a new soak-away was needed.
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| Finished |
Fortunately Roger owned a JCB and Mike’s father-in-law owned a tractor and trailer. A new soakaway was duly made and we have had no problem since. Before, during and after photos give some idea of the work carried out.
Although I am not a particularly knowledgeable gardener, I do like a garden to be kept neat and tidy. To this end I set about making it more ‘user friendly’. Although basically quite well set out, there were a number of things that I didn’t like. There are a couple of areas in which conifers had been planted straight into the grass, making cutting the lawns very time consuming. One day I cut all the lawns and the two fields on the same day; it took me five hours! I decided to cut proper borders around all the lawns to make things easier and neater and for the most part, I believe that I succeeded.
The first two photos, taken in April and July 2008, show the main garden before and after I put in a border down the right hand side and shale around the conifers.
Another of our early concerns about the property was the ‘wall’ that ran down the side of the property next to the road. There was very little stone in it and it always looked as though it was in danger of collapsing.
I thought that I could build it up with turf cut from various places and for a while all went quite well until one day, when we were away, it collapsed into the road. A quick rethink made us decide to have a wall built properly and so we employed a builder to do the work and I think the reader will agree that he did a good job, even if it did cost us about £3,000.
We also decided to have the wall in the top garden replaced and to include a gate so that I could get easy access for the mowers.
There have been other improvements over the years including a patio area at the front but essentially it is now mostly a case of controlling the growth of everything.
Having said that, this year we have had trouble with the wall at the bottom of the garden and at the side of the bottom field below the house. To have the whole wall replaced would have cost a fortune but fortunately we found George, a local ex-farmer, who said that he would come along and repair it to make it safer. It may not be particularly pretty but it does look a whole lot better, as can be seen in the following photos.
There are still some improvements to make and plants to move around so we are both kept busy in our own ways.
As far as the house itself is concerned the first thing that we did was to have blinds fitted in the conservatory so that there was some way to keep the temperature reasonable in the Summer. We have had the two bathrooms and downstairs toilet tiled to make them easier to clean although Maria has her doubts about the wisdom of doing this and, in some ways, would like the carpets back. We also invested in a new boiler partly because of the frightful cost of our heating bills. Anyone having to use LPG might know what we mean and whilst underfloor heating has some advantages, they seem to be outweighed by the cost of running it.
One really good improvement was to have a ‘wardrobe’ fitted into the Boot Room so that all of our coats and shoes are hidden from general view. This year we have had new carpets fitted throughout the ground floor, kitchen excepted, and on both staircases. The bedrooms will have to wait for another day, or year.
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| 2009 - Fox Cubs |
One of the nice things about living where we live is the sight of different wildlife. We have lots of rabbits, which cause some damage and certainly restrict what we can grow in the garden; fortunately they don’t like Begonias!
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| 2011 - Grey Squirrel |
We have plenty of birds, especially in the winter when the feeders are very busy. Just occasionally we see a squirrel but not too often. In 2009 we had a family of foxes living on the hillside opposite. It was entertaining to watch the youngsters playing in the field whilst Mum kept a beady eye on our house. We do see the occasional fox wandering down the field and there is certainly evidence that they are around on a regular basis.
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| 2012 - Roe Deer |
Less often we see Roe Deer in the field but it does happen occasionally and the photo shows one with its summer coat. They are much more difficult to spot in winter when they move about in the undergrowth on the hill opposite the kitchen window. An even rarer sight is of snakes. I have seen a few in what we call the ‘top field’, but only once have I managed to take a photo.
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| 2008 - Grass Snake |
Less welcome are the Field Mice and occasional Vole that sometime decide to live in our garage in the winter. On a number of occasions we have found boxes and various other things chewed, presumably for use as nesting material. We use humane traps to catch them and then relocate them elsewhere in Cornwall. Unfortunately, humane traps are not all that humane and sometimes the creatures die before we get to them.
Moles are a constant problem in our field and I have always thought that it would be a real problem if they got under the wall into the garden proper so last year I employed a Mole Catcher who caught three or four. This year, the molehills have started to appear again and I thought that we would have to pay out more money, however, I then remembered George, our ex-farmer friend and asked his advice. Apparently he has caught hundreds in his time and he turned up with some traps, resulting in another one being caught, this time for free. Whilst chatting to him, he said that he thought that our ‘cricket pitch’ opposite our back door would make a good vegetable patch for his onions. There was no way that was going to happen but when I suggested that he could use part of the ‘top field’, close to his home, he jumped at the chance and started clearing a patch the same day, before I could change my mind!
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20th Feb 2012
Stapled Knee
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The only other occurrence of any note to be included in this chapter was in 2012 when I had a left half-knee replacement, carried out at St. Michael’s Hospital Hayle. I was in hospital for only two nights before being released into the big wide world with two walking sticks. I didn’t use them very much and recovered quite quickly I thought. I did not have to go back to St. Michael’s Hospital or see the surgeon for a check-up but did have to go to Treliske Hospital so that the physiotherapists could check my range of movement and general health. They did not seem too happy with the fact that I was not using my walking sticks, but I really didn’t see the sense in using them when I could walk quite normally and pain free.
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