Introduction

After several years of struggling to squeeze in more than a couple of runs each week, and aware that the final years of my athletic prime were passing at a clip, I resolved to run every day for a year. Didn't manage it in 2006 (made it to then end of june), so hopefully the discipline of this blog and the £1 challenge will see me right in 2007.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Plot-hunting and the dismissing of Cunzierton

Spent yesteday with the Ozzies in Cranshaws while Anna was back in Langbank conducting the funeral of a friend of ours from our days there. She died of cancer last week after a five-year battle, leaving three young children.
Found an email on our return from an estate agent, informing us that a plot we were interested in but never quite got around to bidding on was back on the market, having failed to attract any satisfactory offers. This coincided with the gradual cooling off on Cunzierton as reality starts to sink in about the amount of work and expense involved there, so this morning we all (minus Ellie, who stayed in Cranshaws) set off and looked over the two plots. Luckily Neil (the seller) was at the first one (Hownam Howgate), so we were able to discuss grazing for the horses and clarify a couple of other things. It's in a wonderful spot, with the hills rising quite literally from the garden and a niice stream flowing through the plot. The only downside is that there are plans for at least one, and probably three other houses in fairly close proximity.
Our visit to Cunzierton reinforced what we were coming to realise about the unrealistic nature of the place. Too expensive, too remote for the kids, too much work, too long a project. Bloody gorgeous plot, though, with about 5 acres of woodland and 6 acres of grazing.
Now agonising about how much to offer, having both independently compiled lists of pros and cons. Buying a property in the Scottish system is a bloody nightmare.

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