Chapter 3

The owner of the Airbnb that I had been using in the dales sent me an email.

‘Hello Mica. I know that you have stayed at the cottage a few times; we get so few repeats, only you. It hasn’t proved a profitable enterprise for us, and new rules mean that we have to spend a fair amount of money if we wish to continue. We have decided therefore to sell it. I am writing to you to see if you would be interested in purchasing it. If so, I would suggest that I get a valuation, you get a valuation, we split the difference, and that would be it; it would be yours. It is classed as an agricultural dwelling for rates and comes with 4 acres of land, so it is classed also as a small holding. Please let me have your thoughts.’

Wow, that was unexpected. I wished I could speak to hubby, but he was sadly no longer with us. The insurance following his death lay untouched in investment accounts; it would cover the costs.

I spoke to Mik about it. What did he think?

“It could be your writing retreat,” he said, “and you could go there for romantic interludes, just you and whoever and some bottles of wine; that way I don’t have to listen to my mum in the throes of passion. I might even use it if I wanted, not for hordes of friends, but perhaps just my girlfriend, but to be honest, I will be okay here whilst you are there most of the time.”

“Will you help me do the work? It needs a lot.”

“Of course I will; it could actually be fun.”

So I had written back and said yes, I would be interested. I arranged a viewing and a valuation; the owner did. Both were actually within a few thousand of each other. I instructed a solicitor, and within four weeks of his email it was ours. Mik and I went out one Saturday morning to look and see what we needed to do with the place.

“This will be your room, Mik; you have free rein, just nothing outlandish, please.” He smiled and went into the smaller bedroom. There was room perhaps for a double bed, some drawers and a small hanging robe. In the larger room it needed a new bed absolutely and perhaps a robe and some drawers and bedside tables.

The bathroom needed a new smaller washbasin, a smaller loo and perhaps just a shower cubicle. I would get a plumber to come and quote. I could just leave the downstairs loo as it was, but I would get a quote from a plumber. The kitchen, though, I wanted a modern cooker in there, and I wanted the electrics checked; I wanted to know that they were safe. I probably wouldn’t put a new kitchen in, just a new cooker and washing machine.

An issue I was going to have to face was that I doubted I could get any deliveries. I would either have to buy or rent a van or perhaps get a tow bar for my car and get a trailer. I emailed a few plumbers and electricians and sat back to review my options.

One of the plumbers was much more enthusiastic than the others and was in fact almost the cheapest. He suggested gutting the downstairs loo and putting a high-level Victorian-style cistern and a small loo. There would be room for a small handwash too. He said it would look period-correct for the cottage and, with all the other works, would not be a large increase in cost. I thought with the other works, plumbing for a washing machine and the bathroom and shower alterations, that his costs were reasonable. He said I would just have to pay for the parts upfront and then the labour when the work was done to my satisfaction. I told him to get going.

The electrician said that the wiring did need updating; the consumer unit wasn’t to code. He also said the main fuse, owned by the utility company, was too small, but that I would have to phone them to change it; it would be free. Just tell them you have an electric car and need a charging point; they are very keen on them. He gave me a price, and I said I would let him know what the electric company said.

I spoke to the electric company, and they sent someone a few days later. Yes, the main fuse and connection needed changing, and someone would be along in a few days, no charge. I arranged for the electrician to come back.

So then I needed to get all the old unwanted furniture out. I doubted I could get a skip delivered, but I rang a local firm, and they said yes, as long as it wasn’t raining, they could deliver a skip the following day. Excellent.

Mik and I had great fun taking apart all the old furniture and fitting it into the skip. And soon the house was a blank canvas waiting for electrical and plumbing work. I was ready to hire a van, and Mik and I selected the furniture and beds we wanted from Ikea online and arranged to collect them from the store. When I got the email that the goods were ready, Mik and I went, picked up a hire van, and then drove to Ikea to load all the things we bought.