What ever skulduggery
my landlords minions are up to took a nasty turn today in the arrival
of a trio of surveyors. On it's own this means very little,these
types have been coming and going for years,taken in context how ever
a more sinister connotation could be placed upon this visitation.
My neighbour,who moved
out of the cottage next door to me into a much bugger house at the
end of our orchard has suddenly been given notice to quit,this in
spite of the fact that he was assured last year that his lease would
be extended indefinitely.
We share the misfortune
of having the same absentee landlord,a titled personage who's
interests lie else where. His land agent,a vacillating shiftless
fellow who will stick at nothing in the pursuit of two shekels
profit, would ,it is said skin his grandmother if he could get a
price for her hide.
For some time we have
been living with the threat of losing our lovely orchard and kitchen
garden to this man's greed and this time last year it was to be full
steam ahead in early summer. We waited....nothing happened and the
silence on the matter was deafening. Then we heard some unexpected
news which changed everything.
Rumour hath it that our
illustrious landlord is, not to put too fine a point upon
it,pot-less!”
Massive overspending of
unprofitable schemes together with a high maintenance wife and
crippling death duties have cleaned the old …...him... out! If
those who run his main residence are anything like the arch numpties
here this comes as no surprise.
All at once the talk is
of selling properties,dozens of staff have been laid off and rents on
the estate have almost quadrupled in an attempt to claw back some
much needed cash. After all even such a (noble) family as his cannot
live on credit forever. Tradesmen have the low habit of expecting
payment for their wares...............eventually.
We hear of unpaid
council taxes on estate properties,unpaid water rates, tradespeople
refusing to supply of render more services until outstanding
accounts are paid.
The remaining staff
have been told they will receive no pay rise and some have been asked
to work overtime for no remuneration! This is not the way to retain
the loyalty and respect of ones retainers.
So where does this
leave us? Your guess is as good as mine,the one certainty is that
what ever happens we shall,as always be the last to know. I have
suspicions,but that is all.
In the mean time I
console myself with the fact that unlike my unfortunate landlord I am
mercifully free of debt and can at least call my soul my own.
It certainly is a
lesson to all,when even the exalted can be poorer in every way than
such a humble peasant as I.
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