All is quiet, or is it?

All is quiet down that long long road that time had forgotten.  Not even the trees were whispering, perhaps lulled to sleep by the gentle music that had been drifting out from Thyme Cottage. 

Perhaps the faint sound of ticking could be heard, but only if one listened very carefully.

Suddenly the Lady for the house heard a noise. What could it be she wondered?

For so long there had been silence and nothing happening and now all was awakening...

It seems a young lad had discovered the long forgotten road and venturing down it had then discovered the long forgotten cottage...however, unlike before when it would have been passed by in a blink of an eye, not warranting any notice almost 'hidden' by neglect, it was noticed.  Curiosity got the better of George (for that was his name)  and he went to have a closer look.

Unlike many before him, he saw something that intrigued him and pulled him closer...the whispers had started again and drew him in.

He had a look through the window...and was startled to see inside...the house did indeed look lived in.  A warm and inviting atmosphere prevailed, even though there was just a glimpse of what might be.

The whispers draw him to walk round to the door..

...where he is met by the Lady of the house who invites him in.

There is no fear in this lad, who venturing down the long forgotten road to the long forgotten house finds himself going inside, or is he drawn inside by the whispers?  Nobody knows...or do they?  The pull is something he can't quite describe.

All seems friendly enough, and the Lady makes him feel welcome.

She introduces him to her husband, Albert Singer, the Gentleman of the house and leaves them chatting.

She has a purpose now, even more than she did before, but something is pulling her, ideas an thoughts are swirling around inside her head, those whispers making themselves heard.

She starts to decorate the tree that until now had just been standing bare.

The Arrival

Down the long forgotten road an event is about to happen...

The lady of the house is admiring the Christmas tree when all of a sudden she hears something...

Could it be?  She wonders.  She listens carefully and there it is again.  The whispers had been getting louder of late and she had been wondering...did she really hear?

A knocking at the door?  She did indeed.

She doesn't know it yet, but there is a gentleman standing at the door.

The lady rushes downstairs...and opens the door.

To her surprise and much delight the Whispers have bought home her dear husband!

In her rush she doesn't realise her apron strings have blown up into her face.  But the gentleman doesn't mind...in fact he probably doesn't even notice as he gives his lady wife a hug.

The lady rushes to the dresser to get him a cup...

They sit down for a cup of tea and a chat about all that has been going on down that long forgotten road in the long forgotten cottage, that was never forgotten by them.

A short while later, his hat is sitting on the sideboard...

...and music is coming from the grand piano.

The whispers in the trees have grown softer again, almost as if they are listening...

Busy....

The whispers are gathering momentum down that long forgotten lane and Thyme Cottage is springing into life.  The lady of the house has been busy preparing...

....dusting and polishing the furniture...

...getting everything just right.

Is that music we hear?

Although the day might be cold and dreary outside and the wind is whispering through the trees down that long forgotten lane, it is warm and bright in the living room of Thyme Cottage.  Although still quite alone, or so it seems, the lady seems quite content and is sitting down relaxing.

If you listen carefully music can be heard...and then there is silence...

...before music can be heard again.

She seems very relaxed sitting there perhaps dreaming of long forgotten times in that long forgotten place.

To all appearances the seemingly abandoned cottage down that long forgotten road is no long abandoned, it is becoming homely with that lived in essence that speaks.

But only if you listen and look carefully.

A sunny day down that long forgotten road...

Down that long long forgotten road, all the way to the end where we find Thyme Cottage, it is bright and sunny and the windows have been thrown open to let in the sunshine.  There are no whispers today, all is silent and yet there is something different, something is definitely happening from within.

If we take a peep inside we can see...

...that things aren't quite as forgotten as they used to be. 

No longer does this long forgotten cottage seem completely neglected and forlorn, but rather it seems a home is emerging just as the whispers promised. 

If we venture in further still looking through the downstairs window, ever so quietly...

...we see a table set for one...

...but hang on a minute...surely there are two who live in this cottage?  The whispers hear you ask.

Perhaps they are not ready yet to reveal all of the secrets.

Or is there a sadder story to be told?

Only if we listen carefully will all unfold.

The lady of the house is washing at the sink.

It seems that she has been busy.

Busy preparing...

Cleaning

There is much cleaning still continuing in Thyme Cottage and the lady of the house is continually busy.

If you listen carefully you can here the sound of singing coming from the cottage.

The mist is clearing....

Down that long long lane in that long forgotten place the whispers are growing louder around Thyme Cottage and with those whispers the mist is clearing...

If you look more carefully still you will see that there really IS someone living in the house.  

If you listen even more carefully you may even hear her whispers about the peeling wallpaper and the question of what to do about it.

However, don't blink or you may miss it as the mist isn't totally clear and not all can be seen....

It starts to fade....

as the mist blows in...

A vision?

Whispers have been heard...something about a vision at the window...someone has been seen...or was it just a figment of  imagination.  How would we know?  Can you see?  Whispers...

The whispers....

It seems that those whispers are starting to be heard...progress is being made and eyes are being opened...

if you look closely enough you would swear that the windows look cleaner...

the white sills are whiter still, the dust has disappeared.

Those cobwebs seem to have vanished...although the ripped paper still seems evident to the seeing eye...or is it the unseeing eye?  Certainly there are no hints of the room being used, to all outward appearances it appears empty, devoid of furniture and life.

...but definitely there is a hint of something...if only you listen and open your mind...

The whispers are getting louder...

The Beginning

It was during a lull in the stormy weather that it happened...a discovery was made quite by accident and it is here that the story of this discovery is about to be told.

Down a long forgotten road out in the country right at the very end could be found a long forgotten house, nestled amongst the greenery long overgrown. 

Now it may be thought that this house had been abandoned a long time ago and that no one inhabited it, but that would be a lie.  The house, although thought to be long forgotten by others was not forgotten by those who lived in it.  It is not that this house is haunted, oh no indeed it is not. (Personally we do not believe in such a thing)  Nor is it empty as most would claim.  It is just that too many have their eyes closed to the world of imagination.  Once you open your eyes you can see… opportunities abound.  

Yet to the untrained eye, the eye that has not yet been opened, it would indeed appear empty and long neglected. 

Cobwebs, dust and peeling wallpaper, lights that don’t work, dirty carpets, these are indications of decades of neglect are they not?  

Flower pots upturned, empty flower beds?  To the untrained eye this is what can be seen.

Surely there can’t be more, but wait… beavering away inside was a lovely couple, gone but not forgotten…or is it forgotten but not gone, who were hoping to restore it to its former glory.  Their memories of the house in its formative years were as fresh as if it were yesterday.  

Their memories like whispers….waiting to be heard.  Whispering of times past, long forgotten secrets and tales, they were just waiting for the right person to come along, to listen and hear. 

Just like the whispering of the wind through the leaves of the tall trees that surround Thyme Cottage…telling of stories that need to be told. 

If you look closely enough you just might see, and if you are quiet you just might hear those whispers....