'Mass exodus'

[Lightspeed]

Ancient and rustic is certainly a preppy way to go Paul. Massive construction and good proven low tech solutions that have stayed the test of time.

But un modernised ones are extremely thin on the ground and the modernisation process for most of these properties means removal of features that we all crave ( dry toilets, and functional brick built wood stoves and ovens etc), all replaced with the latest shiny but quaint cottagy type plumbing and latest ceramic cooking hobs and nice new laminate floors...and not forgetting the TV sockets in every room!

Mrs LS thinks I'm completely bonkers as I came into the house two weekends ago, apparently grinning like a schoolboy, as under the Ivy I was clearing from an outbuilding wall, under several inches of Ivy stems I found an old wooden door...and inside it our hous's original dry toilet. Funny how something like that can brighten my day eh? (Building a dry toilet was on my to do list for this autumn, but I hadn't quitre worked out how to get Mrs LS on board with the idea of losing some of her garden!)