Play.Eat.Laugh.Sleep..Pickwell: its.....FRIDAY!

Friday 27 May 2011

its.....FRIDAY!

I (Sus) am in bed recovering from being in hospital yesterday. Everything is fine and i should be back to normal very soon. As it is Friday i have felt pretty guilty watching the others tearing around doing all the jobs. We are expecting our house to be burgeoning by this evening with guests down for half term. Tracey has also completed 2 viewings back to back bless her so she will deserve an extra glass of wine tonight!

Our latest news is that we got Serenity finished in time for half term. We have changed the carpet as well as lots of exciting new things. Here are our first amateur pics:

This shows the bookcase/divider where parents can read at night without disturbing the children and vice versa.

We have built in a sleeping space especially for children. Hidden inside the cupboard doors is a wonderful cabin style, built in bed, and beneath that another bed that can be pulled out at night and tucked away inside the cupboard during the day. We have cut a couple of portholes in so if it is one child they can close the doors and peak out!

The other side from the beds there is a very spacious wardrobe and drawer space, great for putting holiday clothes/luggage/shoes and general beach paraphanalia.

While we were in there we made the decision to re-paint the lounge too! Following the advice of Sarita and Jude (Interior stylist and friends) we went for our trademark blue on a couple of walls and we love it!

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Our Story

Many people have asked what the story is, how did the Bakers and Elliotts come to be at Pickwell?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Tracey and Susannah became friends at 6th form college. Steve and Tracey lived in the same village in Sussex. Steve's dad was the vicar and Tracey's dad was Steve's scout leader. Even more wierd, Susannah's dad (also a church minister) and Steve's dad were friends, but Steve and Sus never met.

One summer Tracey took Susannah along to a youth summer camp. Steve was one of the leaders (read : heightened attraction) and a little later Steve and Sus got together. During their 6 on/off years they met Richard, a blue eyed boy from Guildford.

At a club night run by Steve, somehow through the dark and crowded room, Tracey and Richard bumped into eachother (if you have seen the shapes they pull on the dancefloor you would know how easily this happened)..

In the year 2000 they all got married. Tracey and Susannah were eachother's bridesmaids. They have remained firm friends ever since.

When Steve and Susannah came across Pickwell Manor, they knew they couldn't manage such a project on their own. They asked the Elliotts if they would give up their house, their jobs and their community to come and live and work with them and own the project together. They knew there weren't many people they could ask to do such a thing knowing they would still love each other by the end. So they all left everything in Sussex and came to Devon.

They moved on the same day in August 2008. It has been a crazy, wonderful, scary, emotional and beautiful experience so far. All of them would say they feel very ALIVE!

Since they moved they have run 51 successful and wonderful weddings (with more to come), many, many holidays, built or totally refurbished 6 apartments from scratch, updated carpets, painted white throughout, put in quite a few kitchens and bathrooms (including 2 baths on concrete plinths), changed much of the furniture, converted a laundry and have started to convert the chapel. Every year they also have a bonfire gathering in October, an Easter Eggstravaganza fundraising event, and anything else that is not-for-profit that they can fit in. Tracey has completed a dissertation and gone back to nursing for 2 days a week, Steve has started up a new company in London, Richard has mastered a lot of the running of the house as well as training as a coach, specialising in stress management, Sus has taken on the interiors and Tracey and Susannah have learnt weddings in at the deep end! All with 4 young Pickwellians by their sides.

"Our passion is for making life count. Our values lie in
friendship, celebration, valuing others, and social justice. We see Pickwell as a reflection of these things but also a place for rest, recouperation, laughter and conversation. We want to support charities and social enterprises to fufil their dreams and make a difference."

"We love Devon, we love the community here, we love seeing our children grow with nature and discovering the great outdoors. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about our life here, it is amazing".