Wow - sounds like more drama than you need at your end. Hope he listens to you and doesn't throw this opportunity away.
From a very selfish perspective I'm glad your trip is getting cut short. I will feel happier doing any meetings or presentations with you there. Sounds silly. I've done plenty of both and it has never really bothered me. I'm going to blame you for building this up. And knowing the Dashing Major better than most of the clients I meet is just adding to the pressure.
I have some ideas that might work for them by the way. I've started on a short presentation and mocked out some layouts to see what they think. Not got back in touch with him about a date yet - for the meeting!! - so I think I'll wait until you are definitely in the country. And yes I can remote Wonderful Will in if that is what they want to do. Or I can wait. Waiting works too.
Speaking of country I do have a field. It was being rented out to Farmer Jim who keeps some of his sheep in there. I won't bore you with the lecture I enjoyed from the Mother-ship but the change of ownership pretty much scuppers any agreement that Farmer Jim had with the previous owner (who is dead - didn't die in the house - I checked that before I bought it). Apparently Farmer Jim has been using the field for 10 years or more and I have no desire to change that.
So I made some enquiries in the village and managed to track him down. When he found out who I was he immediately assumed that I was there to kick him (or rather his sheep) off the land. Which is when he gave me the history of his use of the field. Took me ages before I could get a word in to reassure him that I had no intention of asking him to remove the sheep. I wanted to see what his plans were so that we could draw up some agreement (the Mother-ship's idea) so that we both knew where we stood.
Then he was worried how much I was going to charge him for rent. The Mother-ship was really helpful about my options and things. She did some research and I was quite surprised what rent some people charge for a field that size (it isn't even a big field). But to be honest I don't want to fleece (no pun intended) the man and things are not so great in sheep farming at the moment. And it is only one little field that I wouldn't be doing anything with anyway. So she suggested that in all the circumstances it wouldn't do me any harm with the locals if I charged a 'peppercorn' rent. The main thing was to have a solid agreement so that either side could give notice on the other and that it was watertight if I wanted to take back control of the field (with the proper notice of course).
So I decided that I only wanted to charge him £1 a month (or £12/year) which apparently is sufficient for the agreement and the Mother-ship has called in a favour from a friend so the legal agreement is all being drawn up somewhere. When I explained all this, and my proposal re rent, he stopped being a surly farmer and became a really rather lovely farmer. And we drank tea and ate biscuits and he told me some of the history of the place. I think I'm going to enjoy getting to know him. He is a real character. Oh I also apparently have a barn. It is on the lane just to the side of the field but outside the fencing (so I didn't think it was anything to do with me) but Farmer Jim says it belongs with the field and I must check the deeds. He had a few choice words for some of the landowners around me and didn't want to see me cheated out of it. He hasn't used it for years because the roof leaks so storing things in there isn't ideal and that is all he would need it for but I might have ideas because young people these days were so much more adventurous than in his day. He really is a lovely person.
So checking the deeds for the barn has now been added to the list. I say list it is an excel spreadsheet. There just seem to be so many things that need considering or sorting or buying or whatever that I was getting quite stressed. So I decided to make a spreadsheet where I could list them and task them and price them and you get the picture.
And, with the help of the parents, we have fixed on some replacement windows and doors - sans bullet proof shutters you'll be disappointed to hear. Father-dearest rang the local police station to see if they still have officers that go around advising on security. I thought they might be busy enough catching the criminals without consulting on my window frames but he insisted. Anyway they have community officers who sometimes do these things but were not in a position to recommend any particular doors or windows. We did try to tell him.
So I rang Reliable Rob, partly to tell him that we would like him to do the work (this being a committee decision now it seems and his quote actually having arrived and looked reasonable [according to Father-dearest who knows about these things]), and partly to ask if he felt able to give the window/door choice a once over and see if he felt it was a good enough. He was happy to. He has a colleague that he would also ask to look over it as he deferred to him regarding security. And then a little later he rang back to say that they were an excellent choice and he would go over first thing Monday if that suited to measure up. Which of course it is. And he has suggested that the more I can do myself to clear and strip the rooms the less expensive it will be in the long run (which makes perfect sense). So that has joined the list and the parents have joined the work gang. So we are all going over later this morning and Father-dearest has a skip arriving tomorrow. And for one day only we have Fastidious Faye and Very Serious Sue who have both volunteered to pitch in which is fantastic.
Anyway Reliable Rob needs to take measurements so that the place that makes the bits for the roof can make the bits for the roof and he needs to take the measurements for the doors and windows so that he can get them ordered. The electrician can pretty much start immediately so he is going to be there tomorrow to do a preliminary on what can be saved and what needs changing but now, apparently, is a good time to decide if I want any additional sockets or switches. Which I had not thought about.
So that too is now on the list.
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