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Who lives...


... in a house like this?


Just before we moved into our new home, and after we’d signed contracts, I was given the happy news that the previous owner’s late husband had been spotted about the property. Not quite what I wanted to hear, despite being something of a sceptic, so when we moved in I visited each room inviting all previous occupants to leave. The mice didn’t hear me, but I’ve never been troubled by any ghostly presence, just a sense of sadness about the house which is disappearing as we make the place our own. One of the ways we’ve made our mark is by taking out the rather solid stone features either side of the fireplace, only to find that someone else has already left their mark on the wall!

Porky Pig, apparently.




Comments

Teresa said…
ahahahah
Hillarious! I'm glad it wasn't some drawings from Paleolitic or your makeover would have to stop while a committee studied how they were entitled to your house to protect world patrimony.
Aren't you glad it is just Porky?
I imagine that in some years people who'll live in my home will find plenty of these things as hubby loved to let thekids do things like that when he knew it would go behind some wall or something...
Maggie Christie said…
That house definitely has a sense of humour! Houses always feel a bit sad when there's change. Ours didn't like being knocked down to the height of the downstairs windows at all.
Pondside said…
Love it! When we put bookcases on either side of the fireplace in a long-ago house, we gave the children crayons and said 'go at it' before we closed things up. I imagine that some future renovator will have an experience just like yours.
Fennie said…
Gutting my parents' house in the Cotswolds we found all sorts of things including an epistle (I was going to write 'a literary epistle' but literary was certainly not what it was). For it was a badly spelt and written affair from a young soldier, held captive in Colchester Barracks, who had been accused of stealing some small item which he was now denying vigorously to his parents and begging their help for money to payoff what had been stolen - a matter of a few shillings only. It was dated early in 1815, I believe.

One hundred and fifty years later it still had the aura of sadness about it and you could sense the gallows or the transports looming for the poor frightened boy, or, if he managed to avoid these, the battle of Waterloo and regiments, pounded by cannon fire lying dead in their squares.

Someone could not have borne to throw this letter away, and yet wanted to hide it. I think we found it in a wainscoting.

Whatever happened to the boy, his letter (and now his tale) lives on.
May he rest in peace.
Frances said…
Chris, the message from Porky is so funny! Are you and Tom going to hide some of your own messages somewhere in the house as the renovations continue?

No...don't tell. It must be a secret. xo
Liane Spicer said…
LOL! Porky Pig indeed! Thank goodness the dead husband decided not to stick around. I'm a sceptic too and I wouldn't want any ghost putting that to the test!
I'm glad the previous occupant's husband has not popped in for a visit.

Shame that drawing wasn't by Banksy.
Posie said…
Fabulous Chris, good to catch up and glad things are going well with your new home xx
Was the dead husband on the porky side, do you know? Love it!
Jan said…
Was passing by so called in and was met by Porky Pig!
Hopefully I'll call again!
Flowerpot said…
Made me smile Chris! x
Chris Stovell said…
Eek, imagine that, Teresa, a committee taking over my house and stopping all works! It's making me ill just thinking about it! I wonder what your children will leave on the wall if your husband allows it?

Mags, you're right. You're going to have to come and visit to tell me more. I can imagine it wasn't just the house that was unhappy about it being taken down to downstairs window height!

Thanks, Liz!

I can tell you, Pondside, that if some future renovator does come across your childrens' art work in years to come, they'll thank you for it. A welcome laugh after all the hard work! (Although I'd keep bookcases... stone boxes had to go though!).

Oh Fennie, what a touching story! And the basis for a novel, it seems. I think the discovery of something so sad on the day we were pulling out the stone boxes would have pushed me right over the edge. I needed some light relief. I hope that your letter-writer did find peace.

Frances, maybe not in messages but in the way we leave our imprint on the house... although that's a thought!

Liane, yes I'm glad it was only Porky. It's been bad enough dealing with mice!

Debs, me too! I did listen to every noise the first night, but everything was fine. Not, not Banksy, just Porky!

Posie, having popped over to yours, I'm envious that your renovations are further forward than ours. A glimpse of what's to come?

Elizabeth, Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that!

Jan, welcome and thanks for visiting. Rest assured I don't usually greet visitors with Porky Pig.

FP, good! Pleased to hear it.

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