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.
By the time we're ready to move, town water and sewerage should be connected - not that we want it! - which should see property prices go up even further. For around $3.5 million, 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.
