Nest

Another lovely sunny day. Spent the morning in the garden, cutting plants back and weeding and tidying up generally. This afternoon Ollie and I went for a walk and ended up passing an old house which has been empty for about 18 months. The family of the old couple who used to live there had a huge bonfire and were burning all the old furniture and bits and pieces from the house.

They asked me if I wanted to have a look inside. It was like going back to the 60s, the lino, the high fireplaces, the old Belfast type sinks, the Tilley lamps, the plastic flowers . . . In the shed there was an old copper for boiling up tatties (potatoes) for the hens and, hanging on the wall, this bridle with a nest of hay in it.

I would have loved to take loads of pictures, to "rescue" some of the old chairs and bits of farm and kitchen utensils, but I really didn't feel I could. The family were there to clear it, and that was what they were doing. It was obviously quite difficult enough for them without me interfering.

Rumour has it that the house is to be renovated and rented out . . . there is a fair bit of work to do before it gets to that stage!