Next is those two rooms in the old annexe, along the passage here.

This first one was Aunt Kat’s study, I think. A thin memory that that’s the way it was when we were here, anyway. The other room was Uncle George’s library, and it was out of bounds, most of the time; but she didn’t mind us playing in here to our hearts’ content. Sitting in here, on the floor, drawing, on a rainy day…

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There’s no build-up of dust on the floor, and no cobwebs or anything, so it looks like she’s been in here quite often, even up until recently. Interesting.

Nice typewriter on the desk – 1890s vintage, at a guess, from the decoration. Some books again, but much more it’s papers, folders, ledgers, files. Good – all the stuff I’ll really need if I’m going to make head or tail of what was happening here.

Sketch-books. Photo albums. And yes, this one’s important. Photo album, landscape layout, lovely green cover, caption of ‘Photo Sketches’ on the front, just pre-Great War by the style. They’re photos of Uncle George, out camping somewhere, with a mob of friends, all male. And there’s that motor-bike again – and a gap on one page where the photo in the front room looks like it should have been.

All those young men in the photos: he might well have been the only one among them who survived that war. My god. And if that’s true, no wonder he was surly and bitter about the world. And why he would want to just stick to the farm, and keep well away from everyone else.

Still doesn’t explain the age thing about Uncle George, though – about being old enough to ride a motor-bike before the First World War, and yet live right through until only a few years ago. That one still doesn’t make sense.

But the album’s a keeper, for sure – in fact this whole room would be Priority Number One so far.

Later, later. Gotta keep movin’ on.