I have a Ghost

I've heard it said that a ghost puts people off buying a property.  Well I say they're stupid then, because without Tibby I'm sure we'd have mice - but we don't, so I think it's down to Tibby.

When my owners first found me they had to do a fair amount of clearing up - farmers - messy lot! Several of my doors had broken off their hinges over the years and left in disrepair. Doors were left lying around propped against walls and lying on the floor.  It broke my heart really, some of these doors were hundreds of years old with musket balls lodged in them and carpenters' initials and signatures scribed into them - imagine if they could talk.

One morning my owners turned up with overalls and gloves talking about renovating and re-hanging the doors inside - what a fabulous idea.  As they lifted one of the heaviest doors that was lying in the Potato Store (now a beautiful farmhouse kitchen) there was a high pitched Scream - to their horror there was a large cat shaped crisp lying beneath the door.  As my owners carefully lifted the crisp from the floor with a shovel there was a cat shaped imprint on the mud floor. 

It didn't take more than a moment for me to put two and two together - it was Tibby, I'd been wondering where he'd disappeared to and I'd been wondering why the mice hadn't moved back in when Tibby disappeared.  All has become clear now, Tibby's ghost must have been keeping the mice at bay.

Thanks Tibby, nice to know you're still taking care of me mate.  My owners showed great respect for Tibby and gave him a nice burial.  They planted a tree, so I can fondly look out as the tree blossoms each spring and know that Tibby is still with us.

I've been Gokked

Today may be the day I finally get to become famous - it's taken over 400 years to be seen by the masses and it feels a little odd.

I'm in a very secluded location and until now I've seen relatively few people come and go - my memory is a little blurred with age but a Saxon landowner called Wado I think was the first settler, then there were farmers, railway workers and even a few of the King's soldiers during the Civil War.  Cromwell himself marched his men along the lane but in all the confusion I'm not sure whether he was here or not.

I forgive them for the musket ball holes left in my doors some of them probably felt more pain than me.  Thankfully I don't have to witness such trauma these days as my caring owners and visitors are a much quieter sort - although we did have a big group down here a few weeks back - Glitterati Twitterati or GlitTwits my owner called them.  I thought I was in for a bit of a battering but they were a fabulous bunch and they made me feel like the star of the show - hoping my new owners are of the same mould.

 
My owners have now removed my ancient 16th Century doors and placed them carefully on display under the Shippon so they could have some new hardwood, double glazed doors and windows made to fit my grand openings.  I now feel all warm and cosy inside but I still get to enjoy and share my memories of an exciting past.

My owners have been a little bit stressed lately, they worked incredibly hard to upgrade me and make me all fresh clean and sparkly to show me off to potential new owners.  I think they were aiming to launch me to the masses on 1 April but things slipped a bit - something to do with lots of paperwork flying to and fro on something called the internet which seems to be where it's at now and apparently I have broadband and everything now. I wonder what Wado would think of that?!

There's a very nice lady called Helen Silver that came along to help give me the final makeover, she worked very hard too and I have to say I've never felt so pampered.  I feel like I've been Gokked (yes I know all about Gok aswell - that's Television for you, something else I only discovered when my owners found me 12 years ago).

Look at my owners lovely bedroom now - eat your heart out Gok :-)

I enjoy the night time when they retire to these sumptious surroundings, it's my chance to be very quiet and reflect on how lucky I am to be here in such a beautiful, unspoilt part of the country and be so well cared for.

zzzzzzzzz ....

Why I'm Here and Why I'm Blogging

I'm here because my owners converted me from a tumbling disused historic Cob & Stone barn into a stylish contemporary home.

Unfortunately they grew older and shrunk in size from a family to a couple who now want to go off and explore the world while I grew into a fabulous home with lots to offer an active and growing family.  Whilst we're still fond of each other it's time to break the bond and move on.  They have things to do and I have much more to offer.

I'm blogging because they need to find a new owner - someone who relishes the wonderful lifestyle I have to offer.

I stand in a 1.4 acre plot of  with uninterrupted views of the stunningly beautiful Devon countryside towards Dartmoor in the distance.  I lie approximately 30 minutes from the vibrant, cosmopolitan town of Exeter and approximately 45 minutes from many of Devon's best beaches.

I have stories to tell that will take you both into the past and present - some are adult rated, some are scarey, some are controversial and some might just make you love me.

Please follow my Tweets and Blogs to learn more about me and my owners.

Thanks
TB