I haven’t found it easy to set up home in this lodge near Boroughbridge. It feels cramped compared to home. The reason is, ironically, the need for a bit more space at home, a study where I can shut myself away from the world and concentrate on my writing without being in the centre of the house. The main reason is really that we wanted to future proof the house as we get older. You see, the house is a converted chapel and it is ‘upside down’, i.e. the living space is upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs. The views from upstairs are spectacular and we have enjoyed them for such a long time but…This means that every time someone comes to the door we have to go downstairs. If we want to go out and shop it needs to be hauled upstairs when we get back. If I want to hang the washing out, I have to go downstairs. If I want to go down to the summerhouse, I have to collect my things together and carry them downstairs before going down the garden. The garden doesn’t even feel part of the house. It is somewhere I ‘visit’ occasionally. If we want a barbeque, everything has to be carried down and you wouldn’t believe how many times you have to go back up for forgotten things. When the smaller grandchildren come, I have to put up the stair gate so they can run about and play safely without falling down the stairs. I can’t let them run out into the garden.
Anyway, back to the future proofing. We are having an extension put on the side of the house which will become a large kitchen diner that leads directly out on to the garden. The downstairs hall is quite large and I am stealing half of it for my new writing space. Both these improvements are exciting for me. Well, I am female.
Upstairs will be converted to bedrooms and bathrooms which will be much better.
I am not going to think about anything as silly as a stair lift. I’m not that old. But it will be an option in the distant future…maybe. We are looking forward to being back home by Christmas. Fingers and toes crossed.
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