There are, of course, many things to keep one up at night. I don’t usually post about the house here, only the garden and the odd bit of history. That is mostly due to requests by various family members. The house is a nice house, a bit too sprawling perhaps with an eclectic interior. It has a lot of family heritage in it, quite complete.

I am, no surprise to those that know me, something of an Anglophile. Indeed, were it not for this place, I’d likely be quite happily back over there.* Part of this is due to an appreciation for the British approach to estates. It may be, often is, observed in the breach; but there is an idea that an estate should be maintained and passed on to the next generation and reciprocally that the generation in question has a responsibility to it. This, of course, is less common in the UK than it used to be; but it has never been common here.

Frequently, generations of the same family work to maintain such estates; increasingly they are at the forefront in agriculture, forestry, museum, library, and other such professions. These aren’t just tourist attractions, but a working legacy to be passed on, with a love for the sentimental past balanced with practicalities of modern budgets and interests.

This place is nowhere near the size or grandeur of such places; but I feel a certain kinship to such people. What will happen to this place? I don’t know. I do know that when one works daily to maintain and improve such a place one does, in a very real sense, fall in love. It is part of one, whether you own it legally or not.**

There are day time worries, usually about taxes and bills, but then there are the nightmares. I confess, my thoughts went to the people of Clandon House, Surrey, England today. There are much greater tragedies of course, but I can’t imagine what the staff feels like right now.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-32528435

Good reason to double check the electrics.

 

*As odd as it may seem, despite still firmly believing the American principles, I find the lower level of hypocrisy in British politics refreshing; they are still All bastards but they are more honest in admitting it.

** Is it stupid of me? That is a matter of opinion.