We moved here in the Spring of 2009, downsizing from London and making the long fantisized escape to the country. In London we were trying make the life we wanted, we had two big allotment plots a mile from home, and OH had a workshop seventeen miles away in rapidly de-ruralising Kent. We couldn't keep the chickens we wanted, because of the urban foxes, and we longed for a few less people and a bit more green. We were very thinly spread between all the places we needed to be. We moved right in the middle of the housing crash, it was a rollercoaster ride, I'd not reccommend to anyone! We'd made quite a few trips down to look at property, and every time we got back the sale was 'off' again. In the end, we just had to plump for the most likely looking and just do it!

To be fair, all the 'signs' were there. The previous owner had almost exactly the same name as me, she had a print in the living room of a little girl in Victorian dress hugging a dog that looked exactly like our Roxie Dog, She even had the exact same chandelier that we had in our bedroom in London, hanging over the dining room table (it wasn't new, English, or a common design). We'd seen the house once, we were due a second visit, but icicles were dropping of the Severn Bridge and it had been closed the weekend we were due to visit, it was now or never - we said yes.

We'd decided that we didn't need masses of land, as the two allotments had taught us what hard work managing a few acres would be, and a few photos of the garden we'd taken on that first trip down showed that there was probably just enough space for everything we needed if we got rid of the lawn and some of the shrubbery.

We'd been in the flat in London for over 20 years, and had to get rid of a lot of stuff, thank goodness for Freecycle, because at least you felt it had gone to good use. In the end we had two Pickfords lorries to move everything from OH's workshop, the allotment, and home down here, and we followed in two cars, OH in a mobile bomb, made of all the workshop stuff Pickford's wouldn't carry (Paint, varnish, Thinners etc) and me crammed in the Micra with all our most precious treasure, Photos, valuables and our two dogs. We left in the early hours of the morning, and I think the dogs thought we were leaving OH and doing a moonlight flit. Miss Mattie was overjoyed we arrived and she discoved OH had come along too.

The master plan for 'downsizing' was to buy outright, have enough space for a vegetable garden, a few Chickens, OH to have a workshop (he's a cabinet maker) and a means of providing some kind of income. The house had potential for running one room as B&B, but it meant converting the garage into living accomodation.

The location looked good, it's on the road to a lovely unspoilt National Trust beach (Mwnt) The area wasn't saturated with other B&B's and besides we thought we could offer something a little bit different.

So here we are nearly a two years later, OH has a workshop, there are raised beds for vegetables where the lawn used to be, We have eight chickens who will hopefully provide eggs for B&B breakfasts, and we even managed to squeeze in another greenhouse. The letting room is about 12 weeks off completion.

We were hoping to open LAST Easter, but we discoved that extention that contains the B&B room needed to be completely re-roofed instead of the repair that we'd hoped for and the project ran long overdue because of other work comittments. We've done a lot of work in there! It's been specially converted to be a B&B room, with an en suite shower room and we've tried to cover all the needs of potential guests. We've got a wall mounted TV and tea and coffee making stuff, and there is a place for wet coats and muddy boots (this IS Wales of course!)

But I guess there is aways an upside, we now know the area very well, all the best places to go, all things to see and do!