Yes, we’ve thought of a name for this dream of ours! La Roseraie!
It was back in early March when we stepped out of the car into a blizzard of grey drizzle, that we saw the property with our own eyes. It was the least exciting on our list of viewings, the pictures bland, and the online write-up did nothing to inspire or elicit any spark within us. But, it ticked the boxes.
I was the face of optimism. Dave was wrung out, and the boys bored and tired after a couple of heavy days full of long-distance travel and viewing damp, small, cluttered, or dark houses. In truth, the doubts we could afford what we were looking for were growing within me, and it was more of an attempt to rally the troops than any faith that made me cheerily motivate Dave out of the car. Oliver got out with us, but the normally nosey Reuben was done in and no encouragement would get him to join us. I let him stay in the car, and the three of us put our hats on and hoods up and got out to meet the estate agent.
Then we stepped through the gates, and the first thing I noticed were the roses trained against the side of the house. Thorny branches not yet feeling the spring, carefully looked after and trained onto a trellis outside the front door.
I love roses, and have always wanted many in my garden. It felt to me like a little spark of hope, a reminder that what we dreamt of was getting closer, was possible.
As Dave walked across the front of the house, he saw the working well, the smart steps up to the house, the double basement doors, I could see his hopes were piqued too. We found the house was modest and well-proportioned. The attached barn was in good shape, with a huge amount of space and potential inside. The house was surrounded by 2 ½ acres of field, plenty for our plans, with streams and puddles throughout after a very wet winter. I remember noticing a basketball hoop abandoned on the back of the barn, and it made me smile imagining kids had been playing there before the cold had set in.
We’d already seen a property with 3ft of water in the basement and water damage cracking up the four corners of the house, so to see no water in the basement, and no puddles around the house itself was encouraging.
Dave was starting to get excited, he got happier and happier with every room we went in. Oliver had already disappeared on his own exploration of the house. I took a breath and noticed how easy it was to be, here, in this house. And that’s when I decided, this is the one. A peaceful feeling settled into me, and I knew for sure then, this is where I’m headed next.
We’ve picked La Roseraie as the name for this dream of ours, for its lovely soft sound La Rose – uh – ray, and because of the roses I saw. That spark of hope we felt, that glow when you recognise something you love, that feeling when you’re happy to stay exactly where you are in that moment.
We will have to plant many more for it to live up to its’ name.
La Roseraie, The Rose Garden.
Posted by Rosie