Saturday, September 15, 2012

Well. Gosh. Alas.

 
Today was a funny old day. Mainly it was very nice. The sun shone and we took Daughter 1, Son-in-Law 1 and Grandson out for lunch and then went for a walk along the River Esk in Musselburgh, near where Mr Life lived with his parents, in his teenage years and early twenties, in the lower half of a beautiful big house . The house belonged to the Coal Board, for which his father worked. It was Victorian, very elegant and spacious.
 
 
We observed the river, discussing the various times that Mr Life's family dog, a somewhat bonkers spaniel, had fallen in the water.
 
 
 We looked at a chap fishing and wondered why anyone would.
 
 
 We failed to notice (until he pointed it out) that Grandson had his hand stuck inside the buggy straps. And we approached the beautiful house that Mr Life had lived in, planning to show it to Son-in-Law 1. Mr Life and I had last walked past it on June 19th last year - Father's Day - after lunching nearby.
 
 
Look at what we found.
 
 
 It was gone. Demolished.
 
 
I don't often feel the need to use the word "gobsmacked" but this would have been a suitable occasion. Gobsmacked and horrified.

14 comments:

  1. Wow. How sad! What an awful way to find out about it. ;-(

    (And while I'm thinking about it, that delicious chicken dish was a chicken breast with some sort of awesome gravy. And something else? Mushrooms? Onions? I can't remember -- just remember that we LOVED it! ;-) )

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  2. That's what we call a rude shock! How discombobulating. I trust you have some old photos of the house?

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  4. How awful! maybe there are photos somewhere?
    Considering he had his little hand stuck your grandson is still smiling!

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  5. What a horrible feeling, I am sorry.

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  6. Back again....promise me you won't walk that way again if possible as for sure you will NOT like what the plan to do, I should imagine :(

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  7. What a sad discovery!

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  8. It's distressing how quickly a demolition can take place, compared with the length of time it takes to build.

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  9. I was never able to see my husband'
    s childhood home in Hungary. It was standing in 1970 when he was there with his mother. But in 1973 when we went there together it had vanished. So sorry you were so shocked to see your husband's old home demolished. And hoping you have some photos.

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  10. I hate when that happens. Right now, the town I live in is in the middle of "improvements", meaning they are tearing down lovely old buildings to erect some multi-level monstrosity that I already hate. Old buildings and houses have souls, and I mourn them when they are torn down.

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  11. No doubt the site will be 'developed'. Unlikely to be an improvement, though. It's horrible when our memories are tossed aside like this.

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  12. Oh, no, what a shock! That would make me sad, too. I love old, elegant buildings.

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  13. Such a shame. Our local council is demolition mad so lots of nasty gaps across the town.

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