I beg your pardon,' said the Mole ... 'So—this—is—a—River!' 'THE River,' corrected the Rat. 'And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!' 'By it and with it and on it and in it,' said the Rat. 'It's brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and food and drink, and (naturally) washing. It's my world, and I don't want any other. What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing. Lord! the times we've had together! Whether in winter or summer, spring or autumn, it's always got its fun and its excitements.'
Unlike Ratty in "The Wind in the Willows" who, in Kenneth Grahame's incomparable prose, will never grow old, we have grown old and have decided, most reluctantly, after thirty years by and with and on and in the Clyde River, to downsize from these glorious acres along the river.
After an hiatus of a few years, during which we went on improving "Riverbend" and enjoyed life on the river, we're once again prompted of putting "Riverbend" on the market by the unsolicited visit of two real estate agents who seemed full of hype and hope. Something may come of it, or nothing my come of it, but it prompted us to start a marketing campaign come next springtime, using Ratty's most memorable words.
The lucky buyer will also receive a special edition of Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows", personally inscribed in faltering hand by me.
P.S. At a time when just about any house in Nelligen or the Bay on a mere 600 or 700 square metres of land (let alone the seven acres on which "Riverbend" is located) sells for close to a million dollars, and anything a little more special or with just a few water glimpses (let alone absolute waterfront like "Riverbend") sells for well above it, those two real estate 'cowboys' - well, one 'cowboy' and one 'cowgirl' - tried this (fake?) email on me: "Spoke to Council, seems like they’re focused on the swampy area and no change to the waterfront aesthetic rather than any re-development which suits me as we love the block, house and jetty as is. Can you offer 2 million on my behalf. Cheers Dave".
