...before I was interrupted by a vulgar little myocardial infarction? Probably ranting.
Anyway, it would be nice to say that I'm back with lots to report, but if truth be known, the chill hand of the recession has gripped this part of the world to the extent that very little is ongoing. In some cases that's a blessing; I was beginning to despair of the number of "renovation" projects that involved stripping out as much original fabric as possible and replacing everything with either plastic or imported hardwood before giving everything a liberal coating of cement and gypsum. thankfully most such projects are on stop, and the speculative cowboys and ignorant second-homers seems to have retreated for the time being.
The second-homers are a bloody pain, though. This year many houses have remained empty and unkempt as the absentee landlords forsook their two weeks in the rain and cut back on the gardener and the part-time housekeeper, and some villages around here are looking rather shabby as a result.
Even before this summer's abandonment I ground my teeth when I heard Lord Hindlip's lumpy daughter on the Today programme. She said that as the owner of two holiday homes she did her bit to support the local communities; nevertheless, "communities have to save themselves," was her blithely Thatcherite prescription.
I'd love to plonk her in the middle of a village near me where two thirds of the houses are empty for much of the year and see how she sets about galvanising that community in helping itself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So very sorry to hear about your illness, I wondered where you had got to, although we had a very close friend with similar at the end of July who didn't make it. Died in his car, on the way to collect his prescription for what the GP diagnosed as indigestion.
ReplyDeleteSo thankfully it seems you are OK, and back on good rant form... take care.
xxx
Mine was diagnosed aas indigestion too. Thankfully my own first-aid training made me realise it was something more sinister and I called an ambulance. Not something to be recommended, however; it even makes a holiday in Centre Parcs seem attractive!
ReplyDeleteOh, our friend realised it was something bad, had gone to the GP who had referred him to hospital and had tests... which 'proved' he was fine, so his GP said...
ReplyDeleteGlad you are OK. It's only the good die young...