Up to twenty years ago I was living in a rented house I hated with a man I really wasn't sure I liked anymore. Between us we had 6 dogs, Blade, Nikki and Pepsi were mine, Captain, Sultan and Robbie were his. My dogs lived in the house as they had always done, 2 of his lived in kennels and as he got Robbie whilst we were together I insisted he live in the house. I was so unhappy but had got myself into a situation and really couldn't see a way out.
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| Spring 2015 - Pen-Y- Cae - Across the valley |
But June 1995 was the beginning of a dramatic change for me. In May we had been given notice to leave the house of horrors as the owner had decided to sell. We were looking for places to buy/rent for some weeks and I eventually found a cottage called Pen-Y-Cae in Upper Llandwrog. As "he" was working (One of the many jobs that never lasted more than a month!) a friend came with me for a sneaky peak at the property listed as needing "modernisation!" And where was "Upper Llandwrog" anyway? Well it turned out to be the postal address for the village of Fron, or correctly I guess Y Fron. (also known locally as Cesarea, after the chapel) I remember so well driving my orange passat estate up the road to the track and thinking "where the hell are we going?" On first impressions the property looked tatty but as I looked in through the back window into the living room I was immediately taken in by it's charm. High ceiling, white walls with black beams, a red carpet and coal fire surrounded by a natural stone wall... I was smitten. As I went round to the front of the cottage I realised just how much "modernisation" it needed, but somehow it didn't matter, I was already smitten with the house on the hill. "He" agreed that the cottage in it's 2.8 acres of land was indeed a good prospect and we went ahead to try and buy ... but due to his health and past record of debts it looked unlikely that we would be able to buy. Luckily the the market was slow and the owner allowed us to move in and rent. So in June 1995, log stock and barrel including 6 dogs and 3 cats with moved in. We continued to try and get a mortgage, and a family member leant us the money to pay the deposit.
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1996 - GSD's Nikki, Blade and Baby Seffe
Pepsi and Sultan |
Life plodded on, I loved the location, I loved my new home. Nikki was mated to Arko Vom Huhnegrab and I saw exciting times ahead, but as I opened a bank statement in November I was confronted with the fact that our deposit had almost all gone. I flipped, I really lost the plot but gained the strength to throw him out and go it alone! I encouraged him to take Robbie with him, a regret I will carry with me forever as I know he spent the rest of his life in a kennel. The day he moved out I moved Captain and Sultan in ... and well I guess we all know where it goes from there ...
The next few years were hard, a pregnant bitch lead to a broken heart. Deep snow and freezing conditions lead to me being stuck here unprepared with no electricity, no water and no means of heating the cottage. (and this happened twice before the pups were 8 weeks old) But hell we got through it. I had Xmas 1995 and 1996 alone here. (Snowed in again in 1996) Sultan only had a short time as a pet as he was given sleep in January 1997 due to lung cancer. Then in March 1997 I met Steve and life was soon on the up again.
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| Lots to do eh! |
Together for £35,000 we bought the cottage in December 1998, (Could we afford it now? Could we hell!) we got married in Sept 1999 and as finances allowed we got into the process of improving and renovating the cottage and the grounds. (Borrowing a few thousand extra on the mortgage to improve our living conditions) We have a new roof, new windows and doors, a new kitchen etc, Oh and a beautiful garden. (And plans now for another). The cottage now has a woolly jumper on and next week leads to more excitement. After 20 years of thick jumpers and thermals Pen-Y-Cae will finally be getting a multifuel stove with a central heating system. I will really miss this fire, so many hours have been spent with it as the focus of the room. So many tears of sadness and joy and so many hours of cuddling many generations of Blaniks around it. But life goes on and we can only try and improve on what we have.
Our mortgage is due in 2023, since Steve had to give up his work in 2008 we are only paying the interest on the mortgage so as things are we will never pay it. Sometimes the future scares me, the years pass quickly but I can only hope that somehow things work out for us. There must be options, I'm sure we will find the correct path forward, but one thing is for sure for the next few years I won't worry too much about it. Life is too short and we must live for today... In 2020 I may have to give it some serious thought!!!!
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| Recent photo of our lovely home |
So 20 years on the little house on the hill sure does look better than it has done in a long time. It's mainly a happy place a house full of life, love and dog hair! There has been some heartbreak, some severe weather and some loss. But my god, me and he indoors are a match made in heaven, he's not only my husband, he's my best mate, my Cariad. So many beautiful Blanik brought into the world here and so many now lying in rest here too .. yeah we are all together, dogs, cats and humans happy in our little house in this most beautiful peaceful place "our" hill!
When I leave work I give Steve three rings on the landline to let him know I'm on the way home. He gives me approx 30 mins and then brings the dogs into the house. These days I need to try and protect my work clothes from dog hair and mud. It usually works, but not always. If I arrive home before my time and they are still out it does cause a bit of a kerfuffle and the odd family members is reluctant to go in. Today that same family member got away with it; Steve was late bringing them in and then miscalculated his head count!!!
