As I have started this, I suppose I shouldn’t presume that only those who know us will be reading this blog! Perhaps there will be complete strangers reading and will wonder what it is all about!
For those who don’t know the story….
In June 2003, we were running a rather successful business in Dublin, but then out of the blue the landlord pulled the plug on our lease and we had to move out of the premises rather promptly. Unfortunately, try as we might we had grown the business to such an extent that it was not possible to operate from home, and at that stage rents and the infamous ‘key money’ to relocate were way out of our bracket.
So what do you do??
Well, looking back perhaps we were mad. However, we didn’t fancy starting to work for someone else… start commuting into Dublin city centre. So, rather than sit at home and cry, we decided to relocate! We literally took a pen and piece of string and drew a circle of a 2 hour journey from Dublin and started to search for a new home. Each of us, of course, had different ‘must haves’ in the search for our new home, and of course, compromises, eventually had to be made!
We started in Cavan, and almost literally followed the Shannon down through the country. Every Monday (which was our day off at the time) we took off and looked at new properties and different counties. It was at the end of a long, tiring Monday house-hunting that we stopped in Birr – had a row – and stormed off in different directions each heading to different estate agents. It was Alfie who stopped at the agent, that had this property for sale. We came and visited the house over the next few days.
It is amazing how the minute we both walked into this house we knew this was the one. Naturally there were certain things that we didn’t like, but it had such a nice ‘feel’ these things were soon overcome.
More later…
A Year In Redwood 