Hi all. Haven't been on here much lately - having been rather busy with a few things, not least trying to arrange to move house. Having received a pm asking if all was okay, yes all is great thanks and we have some exciting news to share. It now looks like we're moving to the Highlands, just North of Inverness in early August & in time for the new school year.
In terms of gardening we're going to be very fortunate - around an acre with a stream in the middle. Not all ideal for veggie growing but there's room enough for a polytunnel, plus an almost blank canvas for something to look at or smell or whatever you do with things that can't be eaten! Knowing next to nothing about "non edibles" I'm sure I'll be on here asking for help but I wanted to share our rather exciting news.
Here's a couple of piccies - the yellow thing is in part of the stream and appears to be "Yellow Skunk Cabbage" which stinks but is pretty and gives an idea of the conditions alongside the burn. The other piccie is looking Northwards from the SW corner of the garden.
Should be fun, eh?!
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/April2012044.jpg)
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/April2012040.jpg)
Whoaa..what a 'blank' canvas you have...beautiful!
Well, you are not going to be around much with all that land to grow.. ;)
Looks great Ollie - it will be a challange growing veg up there but such a lot of space!!
Is that your new stately home house in the photo? Wow!!!
Very nice. Just been eating Scottish Raspberries, I would be tempted to have polytunnel full of them.
Good for you lad. We know that you will be very happy there. Such a beautiful location.
Well done....it looks lovely and hope you will be very happy there ;D ;D
If ever you struggle with the garden at least there's plenty of room to put up all the A4aers who will volunteer to help, me included. A wonderful place for you all to enjoy ;D.
You will need one of those ride on mowers :)
It's a lovely area-my son and his wife lived in Beauly before moving to Sweden, and I loved going up there. The Black Isle has some beautiful beaches-am sure you will love it.
Wow- that looks wonderful! Quite a change from Guildford! Are you moving for work or for the good life? Or both?
It looks gorgeous, what a lovely spot and lots of room for a few beasties too :). Looking forward to more piccies and news of your garden's progress ;D
That looks lovely Ollie. Is the whole house yours?
We had a blank canvas when we moved to Oban in 1982. We weren't able to grow many vegetables though. The weather finally forced us back south again four years later! It was a real experience living there though especially with young children. I feel so happy for you Ollie.
Thanks for all the positive comments! The house is quite a bit larger than we need although this will be great for visitors and as the children get a bit older we may consider fostering or doing something else useful with the space...
Also it's 10 mins from Inverness airport and 20 mins to the train station so we have flights or trains to get the Mrs back South now and again - she can work remotely up there the rest of the time and I can do what I do now, or just go fishing. It's a bit South of where I spent the first half of my life so we're fairly realistic re: climate but some of the colder bits may take a while to get used to! It's going to be a bit of a project making the house greener and warmer but that should be fun too.
There are several reasons for the move - all of them to do with lifestyle. It's worth the same as a 3 bed semi in Guildford, but in such a pretty place, 10 mins from the beach, with a political climate that I find it easier to understand. We could never give the children this amount of space down here and I think it will give them a better all round experience of growing up.
A4A visitors always welcome, forks, gloves and kneelers will be provided!
What a beautiful home and garden! Best of luck to you!
Sounds great, what a beautiful house and grounds, of course. Sounds like a very good move to me. Is all that house yours, its enormous.
You could do B&B Ollie. A lot of Americans visit Scotland in connection with their genealogy research.
We did B&B in Oban and it was very lucrative, although extremely hard work. You could even consider of using part of the house as a holiday let, Ollie. That is what we are proposing now that OH is retiring in a couple of months.
Caravan Club 5CL sites are few and far between in Scotland. You would probably have to put in electric hook ups but then you could get £50 a night for very little work.
The opportunities for making money are certainly there, not to mention free prescriptions and free university tuition for the children when they are older. ;D
It looks wonderful.
A life-changing move for sure.
Alison
Good luck with the move you lucky bugger.
The house and garden look fabulous. Best wishes for the move Ollie.
How I wish we had the same system of buying and selling property here.
From one who has just been let down minutes from exchange of contracts. :'(
Quote from: Paulines7 on June 12, 2012, 11:34:15
You could do B&B Ollie. A lot of Americans visit Scotland in connection with their genealogy research.
We did B&B in Oban and it was very lucrative, although extremely hard work. You could even consider of using part of the house as a holiday let, Ollie. That is what we are proposing now that OH is retiring in a couple of months.
Caravan Club 5CL sites are few and far between in Scotland. You would probably have to put in electric hook ups but then you could get £50 a night for very little work.
The opportunities for making money are certainly there, not to mention free prescriptions and free university tuition for the children when they are older. ;D
I don't think OllieC moved there because of the climate - do you?
He did it for financial reasons. But he has the opportunity to make a better life than 'darn sarf'.
Good luck to the boy - I sincerely hope the exchange family don't come this way!!
;D ;D ;D
Don't worry telboy - the bloke we're buying from is an American and he's moved to Dublin.
Thanks all, fun times ahead!
Am green with envy!! Congratulations and we look forward to hearing and seing how you plan on transforming it.
I traced some of my family roots to inverness and have wanted to visit for some time so you might get a visitor :)
John Inglis Nicol
Birth 17 June 1789 in Teawig, Beauly, Near Inverness, Scotland
Death 25 Sept 1849 in Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom
Occupation: Physician & Surgeon.
Lord Provost of Inverness 1840-1843
His picture and bust are in the Inverness Town House
"information Sheet No. 2: "One of several medical men who became provost was JOHN NICOL (1840-1843). His portrait is near the side door at the stage. He was a remarkable man, an experimenter in chemistry and horticulture, an industrialist, an anatomist - with hints of 'resurrectionist' activities - notable for his efforts to improve sanitation in the town. True to medical tradition he died in 1849 while coping with a cholera epidemic. The portrait of this lively little man is by Robert Innes of Edinburgh". Also in the Town House, in the same room as the portrait, is a bust of Dr. John Inglis Nicol More About http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/photo ... 128&zoom=2"
Through this connection there is links to the clan Chisholm, Macpherson, Ingles & Bruce going back past the 1680s.
My grandfathers side there is a bit of running around especially away from the queen of england when religious differences came about in fact there is a record of an ancestor fleeing to france with a group being invited back under an amnesty one of there group returned to see what the story was and being murdered but did return when the queen changed again. Also a story of an ancestor being sent to Dublin to manage it on behalf of the crown all unproved as most of the records were destroyed in the uprisings
It looks idyllic Ollie! There are lots of beautiful gardens in Inverness too, so I'm sure you'll get yours the way you want it.
Nice one Ollie and good luck. ;)
Again, thanks for the comments people. We move next week - better start packing!
I have started a blog (with 1 post so far) for those who are interested in following our progress - I know I'm not that interesting but some of you do like to keep track of Annabelle & Thurston!
I wish you and your family well in your new life. Scotland is lovely. good luck.
June.
And the blog!
http://guildfordtonairn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/why.html
Good luck with the move :)
I know early days, but your blog looks great ;D
Enjoy your new life Ollie
Love the blog already, Ollie. Good luck with the move!
Good luck and much happiness, Ollie.
Please keep in touch.
Ollie lots of wishes for happiness and good fortune from me too :) that looks a wonderful house and what a lovely different life your children will have, keep in touch and I will read your blog :)
Just checked out your blog again, pictures are great.
Hope the move went well :)
Thanks - and right on cue here's an update from week 1...
http://guildfordtonairn.blogspot.co.uk/
All looks fantastic :)
Thanks for the update Ollie. The kids love it anyway.
Wow!!!
Gone green with envy.....wow! You'll be able to grow lovely clean disease free spuds. We use to drive up there from Edinburgh to select our tatties for our research project.
Amazing! we went to landmark many years ago- great place for the kids. We also called at Nairn- I recall a mini-golf there, I think? A beautiful part of the country.