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which was to follow during the time smoke filled room. At a less noisy
of my ownership, ‘Period Homes’ moment, to our joy, a guest suddenly
magazine requested a front cover heard the same voice while sitting
feature article all about the history of in the inglenook with my wife. I
the house, our personal experiences switched off the hi-fi and we all dived
and how we toiled to return this in to listen. No one went to bed that
historic property and gardens to its night without bearing witness to our
former glory. Some time later an singing angel. Un-convinced, Perro
abridged version was published in the (the dog), had remembered that
Daily Telegraph property for sale beautiful voice too and on several
review wherein the following story occasions had suddenly emerged
was told… from his slumbers and walked to the
fireplace and cocked his head. If
Late one evening, long after the he did hear something we didn't
family had retired to bed, I was always, but I suspect he did. The
sitting in the Inglenook reviewing a Daily Telegraph ran a column on the
presentation I was due to give the experience just after the great storm
following morning in London. What of October 1987 when the barn had
happened next astonished me, the sustained significant damage. Many
memory of which will stay with me people have asked me on hearing the
always. I heard very distinctly the story if I was frightened. Hell no, I
sound of a beautiful voice of a young
felt privileged.
girl singing an unaccompanied solo.
It came from behind the fireplace. I Another strange experience occurred
was completely mesmerized as was several years later while living in
our farm dog, Perro, (a collie cross), Sussex. This was certainly enough
who immediately rushed to my side to give my sweat glands a nudge
and joined me as we both sat gazing and by contrast, was not such a
into the last smouldering embers pleasant one. The cottage was
of the log fire still sending wisps of extensive and had been sub-divided
smoke up the chimney. The TV had into two dwellings. We believe we
been turned off several hours lived in a beautiful location in the
previously as had the hi-fi. This Southdown National Park, situated in
beautiful melodic sound lasted a full the grounds of a magnificent country
minute, maybe even longer, and I mansion which was rented out to the
was emotionally quite spellbound at Foreign Office for their conferences.
the privileged experience. It became I was not at all surprised, when one
the subject of many discussions morning in September, I was forcibly
subsequently. cleaning the wife's car, when Douglas
Hurd walked up to me and asked for
Quite coincidentally about a year later directions back to the Conference
we were hosting a dinner party for Centre! He seemed such a lovely
about eight guests and had just man, so connected, ordinary and
retired to the drawing room for the polite for a Tory Foreign Secretary.
post-dinner chat and jokes, as one We lived with our dog, (Hairy), so no
does! The time was around midnight
surprises for guessing the breed...
and we chatted and slaked our thirst Answers on a postage stamp please
until about 2:00 a.m. in a cigar
etc. The main thing is, Hairy was my
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