Yes, I know it's sad (or pathetic, or whatever the correct word is), but I think I've finally cracked this 'what I'd do if I won 45.5 million quid in the lottery' nonsense.

Brief summary: having already covered spending on family, bikes, cars, French houses and Formentera holiday home in a previous posting, I then began fantasizing about buying UK properties. However, I've ditched all that (deleted previous posting) and had a re-think...

New thinking: split our responsibilities - put Georgie in charge of finding London gaff while I run around searching for a country pile.

Being a Libran (and a female one at that!), Georgie would undoubtedly have enormous problems in trying to decide what to go for. So, being the helpful gent that I am, I'd make a few suggestions despite knowing full well that her response would always be "completely unsuitable, you must be joking" etc. For example, while I quite fancy the following house (East Sheen - 4 million), she'd no doubt opine that it was far too big, and, if left there on her own, she wouldn't really feel safe (lot of weirdos out there - even in the leafy suburbs of posh East Sheen - us blokes have to remember to see things from a girly perspective)...
sh frntsh gdnsh hallsh lnge

Being far more realistic and practical than moi, she'd probably choose instead something like this 2.45 million quid (how much?!!) Putney gaff in St. John's Avenue because it's easily managed, fairly cosy, surrounded by friendly neighbours, on her existing UK home patch, near her friends etc.,...
putput 2

So..., my country pile. Given this a lot of thought. Shown a few choices earlier (now deleted - completely impractical) but have finally reached the conclusion that it's just plain bonkers to go for anything bigger than one really needs despite all that money burning a hole in one's pocket or handbag.

Yes, it's tempting to look into splendid Jacobean mansions such as this one near Yeovil (4 million)... http://search.knightfrank.com/she080182 ...but, if you really stop and think about it, you'd probably end up living in just one room with a telly up one end and a bed up the other. Daft. You'd be rattling around like a couple of marbles in a tin (or just one if Georgie was 'up in town'). And think of all the problems of running a place like that. The novelty would, I'm sure, soon wear off.

As I mentioned earlier (in the deleted post!), I've noticed that the further up the price range one looks, the harder it becomes to find houses that haven't been 'done up'. Trouble is, this usually means that original features etc. have been replaced by ghastly modern stuff. I suppose most people go for all that garbage but, personally, I find it depressing.

However (and contrary to what I just mentioned about size), I quite like this magnificent old house near Ivybridge (1.8 million) in South Devon, mainly because it hasn't yet been modernised (i.e. ruined) and therefore still retains its original features:
http://search.knightfrank.com/exe090075
Although it possesses the somewhat 'frayed round the edges' character for which I've been searching, it is, unfortunately, far too big. Also, it's too far away from London to be properly convenient. So I decided to look for something closer.

After a couple of days searching, nothing fitted the bill. Absolutely nothing. A few gaffs came close but they lacked that certain something which is impossible to define - it's that certain feeling you get (well, I do anyway) when you first set eyes on a house.

I was on the point of giving up the hunt when, as is often the case, I suddenly spotted a place that set bells ringing. It may not be everyone's idea of a lottery winner's dream home but, as far as I'm concerned, it's perfect.

Funnily enough, we first noticed this place a few years back when we used to take the dogs walking along the river. I remember mentioning to Georgie that I thought it'd be a cracking place to live despite its condition and the fact that it's sort of overlooked. Needs a bit of work (an understatement if ever there was one!) and a lot of imagination but the end result could be stunning. And, being in Frensham, it's very convenient for London. Price? - a mere 750k, plus a million or two to renovate. No problem.
PHOTO_01[4]PHOTO_03[2]PHOTO_04[3]PHOTO_02[6]PHOTO_05[3]

So, there you have it. Mission completed. It's taken a long time but I got there in the end. Total new purchases: four bikes, three cars, four houses. Total spent? Who cares!