#Party Wall Surveys Berkshire

[jayyyykayyyyyy]

Enigmatic Concurrence | Ten AU

Genre: Rich Kid AU

Warnings: Cursing and alcohol

3.9k Words

The life of wealth had been thrusted upon you by sheer dumb luck. It was something that you did not work actively towards but was still bestowed upon you. This was the beauty of being born with a silver spoon. Every single day since then had been a testimony of the amount of money that had your name on it.

But despite all that, the virtues of a good heart, humbleness and kindness was drilled into your head. And this was the reason which had caused you to snort at every single movie containing the trope of the asshole rich kid; there are always exceptions amongst those who feel self entitled to everything.

Your life of such luxury and comfort hardly gave you any room for complaint but on the contrary, you quite enjoyed the social endeavors that came with it. The parties, polo games, fashion shows, galas and whatnot kept your life ever so interesting. And that's precisely what was happening this instant.

Your mother had come bustling into your room back in the estate in Seoul informing you about how a friend of hers was hosting the grand opening of her art gallery in Bangkok, Thailand. She had asked if you wished to accompany her. It was an easy yes since it was taking place over the weekend which allowed you to go and be back in time for university.

So now here you were, surrounded by familiar faces of your mother's friends and acquaintances alongside with friends of your own. The art gallery was very vast, with more hallways than you could count, each with its own unique set of paintings and showpieces. A smile was plastered on your lips as you listened to one your friends talk about their recent trip to Europe, a champagne flute clutched in one hand and a pamphlet regarding the exhibitions in this gallery in the other hand.

As the clutter of people around you was prompted to move forward to continue the tour, you felt yourself slip away from the crowd and move backwards deeper into the maze. Your suspicions were confirmed about most of the rooms being empty as you walked around, the sound of your heels clicking against the hardwood floor echoing across the large expanse.

You gazed lazily at the art pieces, taking a sip of the bubbly drink, nothing piquing your interest. However during your leisurely walk, you came across one canvas which caught your attention. It was depicting a scene; hoards of gold coins and jewelry were arranged in a mountain. On top of the mountain was a disgruntled creature sitting, looking far from human with the expression of utmost misery across its face.

"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it," a voice came from your side. "The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one."

You turned your head to the side and were genuinely surprised to find a young man standing there. His grayish green hair was styled with care, forehead exposed to the world. His long neck was adorned with a black thread which was wound around a ring, sitting like a showpiece on his collarbones which was visible due to the unbuttoned top of the white dress shirt. The ends were neatly tucked into a black dress pant, with a velvety red blazer around his shoulders. His soft features had a hint of mischief sprayed on them. The delicate neck of one of the champagne glass was pinched in between his fingers while his other hand rested behind his back, the aura surrounding him evident with wealth and prestige. Noticing your stare, he gave you a side glance with a smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

"And what fortune cookie might that be?" You inquired, swirling around the contents of your glass.

"The everlasting words of Benjamin Franklin. Which were ironically studded onto the walls on the entrance of the gallery," he said, amusement tracing his words.

"Ah yes, the never-ending cycle of 'you can't buy happiness with money'. Such bullshit. People love saying that, it's almost like I can't even enjoy life for being born in a well off family." You sighed, tipping the contents of the glass into your mouth.

The mysterious boy raised his eyebrow at the long swig of the drink you just took. "Well then I would strongly advice to not look at the other various depictions in this gallery if that was your reaction to this one." He turned his attention back towards the painting and jerked his chin towards it. "So, thoughts?"

You looked at the canvas carefully, scrunching your nose. "Wouldn't spare it a second glance. Such a shitty and overused cliché. While that may be the case at times, I doubt a miserable poor person would ever reject a wadful of cash. It may not bring them instant happiness but they can use that to get there bit by bit."

He hummed in agreement, sipping at his drink again.

"Well," you continued ,"unless they decide to waste that money on drugs, that's just gonna make things worse for them. Or I don't know, maybe that will nudge happiness into overdrive. Whatever gets them off."

This caused the boy to choke on his drink, pressing a fist against his lips to control his coughing. "That's not something I expected to hear in a million years."

"Then it seems you're hanging out with the wrong company." You shrugged, fanning your face lightly with the pamphlet.

Taking notice of the momentary silence, you directed your eyes at him. A wave of energy crashed across in his eyes, as he started to extend his free hand towards the canvas. Anticipating his next move, you sprung into action and slapped his hand with the pamphlet you were holding, playfully glaring at him.

"What in the world was that for?" He complained, wringing his hand as if you had hit him with a metal bat.

Wordlessly, you waved the pamphlet across the little metal plate drilled into the wall beside the showpieces which read 'Do not touch the art' in clear bold words. "I hope you can read."

He squinted his eyes at the sign and scoffed, puffing his chest up. "Well tell that to all the ladies who insisted on grabbing me by the shoulders and planting a kiss on both of my cheeks."

"Oh my my," you chastised, "You? Equating yourself with art? God you're so full of yourself." You turned on your heels and began to survey the other exhibitions.

"What hey!" He exclaimed, falling into step beside you. "On a numbered scale I am a full Ten. And it's not being full of oneself, it's called self confidence." He shot you a dazzling smile, causing you to let out a laugh.

"Sure it is pretty boy. If you look it up, you may come across a word called arrogance," you suggested.

"And you don't possess that quality?" He bemused.

"I would like to think so. Attitude and arrogance are to be left on the doorstep of my house when entering, a lesson very firmly emphasized upon by my parents when growing up." You finished the last bit of your drink and pursed your lips.

"Sounds refreshing," he chuckled. "If I could have a dollar every time I met an arrogant soul, I'd be even more rich."

"Don't flaunt your money too much. People may think that is all you have to offer. Who would you be when stripped away of your wealth?" You glanced at him to find a sparkling pair of eyes on you.

"What do you think I have to offer?"

You shrugged. "I hardly know you. I don't even know your name."

A smirk formed on his lips, "Truly a tragedy. Can't get everything, princess-" he turned around on his heels and began to walk towards one of the exits "-somethings cannot be bought but must be earned."

You silently watched as the mysterious boy's figure disappeared into the shadows; wondering slightly if the whole interaction was a very vivid dream or not. Curiosity took over you as you pondered over the possibility of who that was.

__

It had now been two weeks since the launch of the art gallery in Thailand and you had managed to successfully push the thought of the strange man in the far backside of your brain. While it was true that curiosity had eaten it's way through your head to get to know his name, you decided against it and chose to keep that experience enigmatic.

And so life went on along as you now found yourself in Berkshire, England at the infamous Ascot Racecourse. Your parents, especially your father, loved horses and attended horse race events with zeal and zest. As it happened every year, you were now at the Village Enclouser adorned by a beautiful dress with a matching decorative hat secured in your hair.

A Bellini glass was clutched in your hand as you were out on the balcony surrounded by your classmates sharing stories of latest adventures. Laughing at one of your friends story, you noticed a familiar face pass by inside the enclosure. Deciding your next move quickly, you excused yourself from the group and slid past them in hopes of catching up with the familiar someone.

You finally spotted him at the bar at the far end, looking at the board with the name of the contestants. He was dressed sharply in a grass green suit with tie, matching well with his hair.

"Planning on placing a bet? I'd highly recommend going with Achilles Kiwi. It's made quite a name for it's itself. Steer clear off of Brag a Tear because it will literally bring tears in your eyes," you greeted, slipping into a seat next to him.

He turned his face to yours, a grin breaking out. "Well you seem to be very knowledgeable about this subject. Bet around much?"

"Oh haha," you faked. "My parents love horses and talk about them very much. I'm just passing on the useful information."

"Benevolence is noted," he bowed a little at you. "So how have you been for the past two weeks?"

You hummed in disregard, taking a sip of your drink. "Took a lovely trip to Milan and just roamed around the city for a while. And since I can't always afford to take time off, most of my week was spent in university behind a desk. And yourself?"

"Went to Australia for a little business trip with my mom," he shared, now rotating his drink glass on the counter. "And like you said, can't avoid university forever."

"Huh pretty boy studies, never would have thought," you smirked getting a noise of complaint from him. "What do you study?"

"I'm majoring in Visual and Performing arts," he beamed. "Its something I've always wanted to do and I'm really glad I'm getting to do it."

"Oh," you said, surprised. "The creative side, that's awesome. Most of the people I know are mostly pursuing the business side."

"What about you? What are you planning to do with your life?" He asked, interested.

You blushed a little, looking down at your hands. "I'm getting a degree in accounting and finance."

He leaned his head down a little, forcing you to make eye contact with him. "That's very very awesome so why are you so embarrassed telling me that?"

You brushed your hair aside and hastily took a sip of your drink. "When I usually tell people that, they get a little offended and then continue to laugh at my efforts while questioning my motives for that degree. They assume that I'll never follow in my dad's footsteps but I will rather be married off to a wealthy family and be a happy housewife."

"Oof," he winced. "Presumptuous assholes. They're probably scared of your intellect. Screw them, you do you. Prove them wrong."

You smiled at him, a warm feeling blossoming in your chest. "Thanks. So, am I keeping away from someone?"

He shook his head, signalling the bartender to refill your glass. "Not so much actually. I got bored with the people I was with so I decided to roam around. If I knew you were too, I would have ditched them sooner to come find you."

"Hmm," you smiled at him from the top of your glass. "Smooth talking I see. Well it is working." From the top of his head you saw your mom signalling you, telling you that the race was about to begin and that you had to go to your seat. You got up from your seat and leaned close enough to whisper in his ear. "Although you have to make a bit more of an effort if you want me to stick around."

You dropped a wink at him and swayed away as the nameless boy watched you walk away, shaking his head and chuckling at the leaving statement you had given.

Unsurprisingly the word of the interactions you had with the grey haired boy spread like wildfire amongst your social circle. People you had never conversed with before or even barely talked to had begun the practice of cornering you whilst rapidly firing away questions. Who was he? What family did he come from? What do his parents do? Was he your boyfriend or fiance?

To say that these inquiries irked you was an understatement. What was it to them? You'd be lying if you had not thought of snapping back at them to mind their own business. The day to day bombardment at university, small parties at home, polo matches caused for you to retire in your estate, now going out only when deemed necessary. So when you found out an associate of your father was hosting a celebratory dinner at his yacht in Oia, Greece you shot right up at the opportunity to leave behind the familiar faces in Seoul and surround yourself with people you had never come across.

As expected, the coastal town of Oia was breathtaking. The entire town consisted of beautiful whitewashed buildings with blue capped churches which stood out clearly from it's surroundings. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the town offered serenity and a peace of mind which you had been desperately searching for the past three weeks.

After saying hello to your parent's various friends, you had detached yourself from them and found sanctuary at the bar located at the far end of the top deck of the magnificent yacht. The view you were provided with was absolutely stunning, the lights of the city sparkling in the distance, the blue water of the sea reflecting said lights which gave the impression of an endless galaxy filled with stars.

The lovely breeze would come and go, ruffling your sundress and sending a cool sensation on your exposed shoulders. You let out a sigh of relief as no here approached you with the topic of the mysterious male in your life. Here you were free and quite frankly a nobody, and never before had you been so glad at the lack of attention being given you. The bartender placed your choice of drink, lemon-thyme vodka lemonade, in front you from which you immediately took a gigantic swig from.

"Drinking your troubles away?" A very familiar voice came from your side.

You turned to your left and recognized exactly who it was. There he was again, looking ethereal as per usual. His skin looked a shade darker than the last time you had seen him. The black thread you had seen him with when you first talked to him was sitting at its usual spot. His chest was now adorned with a white velvety Hawaiian shirt decorated with palm trees paired together with light blue ripped jeans and sneakers. His hair now looked soft and fell into his eyes, evidently free of any styling product. With a beer bottle clutched in his hand, you realized that this was the most casual you had seen him.

You took a deep breath and propped your head on the palm of your hand as you looked him in the eye. "If that statement were true, then instead of appearing out of nowhere you would disappear instead."

He looked at you quizically, pulling out a seat for himself. "Have I done something wrong to you that I'm not aware of, princess?"

"Well not you." You scrunched up your nose. "Your bare minimum presence in my life has been causing some people to raise their eyebrows. Suddenly they all have turned into expert agents who must collect Intel no matter the circumstances."

"Ahh," he said knowingly, sipping from his bottle. "I know very well what you're going through. I've been getting questions from people I've never even seen in my life. How hard is it even to mind your own goddamn business?"

The two of you sighed simultaneously, lapsing into a comfortable silence. The two of you continued to sip your drinks as the air soon filled itself with the beautiful slow melody of violins and cellos. Various pairs had pulled themselves onto the floor, latching themselves together and dancing to the rythym. So you and him turned yourself around in your chairs and merely watched them.

Soon after, he put down his drink and got up, standing directly in front of you with his hand outstretched. "A dance?"

You looked at his hand and quickly glanced behind him to see if anyone was looking at the two of you. Realizing that no one was sparing a glance to the two of you, you gladly took his hand and allowed him to take you to the dance floor. He took one of your hands in his, placing his other at your waist tentatively and held you at a comfortable length as you two swayed to the music.

"So the princess can dance," he smiled. "Never would have thought. Where did you learn?"

"I had to take a crash course when I had to have dinner with the Royals from the House of Spencer." You let out a laugh at his confused face. "Don't give me that look. I had to dance with a prince for 'diplomacy' and whatnot."

"And how was the experience?"

"The dance? Exceptional." You inched a bit closer to him. "The prince? A dickhead."

He started to laugh and you noticed that the glee reached his eyes as they shut. "My goodness. You are something, aren't you?"

You merely shrugged before steering the conversation back to the topic you had been discussing. "So what have the people been asking about?"

"The usual. Who is she? Who are her parents? Where does she live? Are the two of you together?"

"How pesky. And what have you been telling them about me?"

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I don't even know your name."

"Truly a tragedy. Can't have everything, pretty boy-" you smiled at him playfully "-somethings cannot be bought but must be earned."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes at you. "Touchè, princess, touchè."

You smiled at him once again as the music drowned out any chance of conversation, resuming dancing once again being content with each other's presence.

And just as easily as the night had transformed into something, it dissolved ever so quickly. After a few more dances, he had excused himself away and that was the last you had seen him that night. Each and every single encounter with him would always leave you with a strange feeling; always on the good spectrum. You were very unsure as to how to quantify your relationship with him, were you acquaintances? Friends? Or maybe something more? But such thoughts were far fetched since you didn't even know his name. Which was perhaps the most elusive thing about this whole situation.

But as usual, life went on and although you did not admit it, you were a bit frustrated about the strange boy in your life. He was certainly a bearing weight on your mind and once again, you found your thoughts to be preoccupied by his blinding smile. Slipping on your earrings absentmindedly, you heard a knock on your bedroom door with a voice asking you to come down as the guests had started to trickle in. You were no stranger to galas, especially those which were held in your own abode.

Finally gathering the lapels of your red velvet dress, you came out from your sanctuary and descended the stairs which led into the pool of people. You gladly lost yourself in greeting and making small talk with the faces that you recognized and the faces that recognized you. Much to your dismay, most of your friends were unable to make it to the gala since they had most of their schedules to attend to.

After all the catching up, you had made a straight beeline towards the door which led outside towards the glistening pool. The sound of music and chatter lessened, as you took one last swig from the glass of champagne abandoning it on one of the decorative tables. The clicking of your heels became more prominent and finally you could breath in the fresh cool air. Gazing up towards the starry sky, you walked around the edge of the pool which you soon realized to be a bad idea as the skirts of your dress caught up in your heels, throwing you off your balance causing you to nearly plummet into the pool if it were not for the hand that had appeared at your waist which secured you tightly.

"Going somewhere princess?"

Blinking away the surprise, you recognized the face, "Are you following me around that it even led you to my house?"

He looked at you, perplexed. "This your house?"

"Well yes," you shot him a confused look, "If it isn't then we've been living at the wrong place for a whole lot of time."

His hands still lay secure on your waist holding you close to him comfortably. "Do you wanna keep on standing here dangerously close to the pool or move somewhere secure?"

You hooked your hand in his arm as he guided you to the nearby bench, settling down beside him. "Do you live here as well or did you fly in from somewhere?"

"I've moved here quite recently from Thailand. When I met you for the first time in Bangkok, it was my first time back from moving here in Seoul."

"Oof," you smiled. "So that was a sentimental trip that I managed to ruin?"

"What? Ruin?" He waved his hand in front of your face. "That was actually one of my better decisions to come say hi to you."

“Technically speaking you also never introduced yourself," he chided. He got up from his seat and positioned himself in front of you, slightly bowing to you. "Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. Although I do prefer to go by Ten because in a room full of people I am always a ten." He flashed you a smile.

You laughed, shaking your head at him. "Okay that's so ridiculous. Anyways, I'm Y/N L/N. I prefer to go by Y/N because I have no false knowledge about myself."

Ten clutched at his heart and flailed his arm around. "Now that's just cold. I am so hurt by those words."

"Oh hush," you rolled your eyes at him. "No wonder you're perusing a performing arts degree."

Ten grinned at you and sat back down in his seat. “Well you better get used to me quick.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re gonna be seeing a whole lot of me.” He bumped his shoulder against yours. “I have a tendency to be very annoying.”

You smiled at him, leaning forward, “Oh we’ll see about that.”

-Charlie

[extreme-investor-network]

Facebook’s stumbling ad business lies at the center of tech earnings week

It’s earnings palooza week for Big Tech, with the four most valuable U.S. companies plus Meta all reporting quarterly results. Alphabet and Microsoft kick off the action on Tuesday, with Apple and Amazon wrapping things up on Thursday. Sandwiched in between them is Meta on Wednesday. Investors in all five names are hurting this year as surging inflation, rising interest rates and fears of recession have hammered the tech sector. Within the mega-cap group, Meta has suffered the most, losing half its value as Facebook’s struggling ad business has yet to show signs of a rebound. When Meta reports second-quarter numbers, Wall Street will be looking closely for indications that growth is poised to return. It also needs to see improved trends when it comes to users, who have fled the company’s apps in recent quarters in favor of rivals like TikTok. “They’re starting to get tired of it,” said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at research firm Insider Intelligence. “Users are definitely gravitating towards other platforms or they’re engaging with Facebook less, and when you start to see that happening in bigger and bigger quantities, that’s when the advertisers really start to take notice.” Facebook is expected to show its first year-over-year revenue drop ever for the second quarter, and analysts are projecting mild acceleration in the third quarter with mid-single-digit growth. The mood in the mobile ad industry is sour headed into the report. Last week, Snap reported disappointing second-quarter results, missing on revenue and earnings and announcing plans to slow hiring. Snap blamed a difficult economy and Apple’s iOS privacy change as significant hurdles, alongside competition from TikTok and others. Barton Crockett, an analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, told CNBC that in terms of revenue, Snap and Meta are “both at the same place.” “They are not growing, but not really falling off a cliff right now,” said Crockett, who has a hold rating on both stocks. From a user standpoint, Snap is holding up better. The company said last week that daily active users grew 18% year over year to 347 million. Facebook’s DAUs increased 4% in the first quarter to 1.96 billion, and analysts are expecting that number to hold, according to FactSet, which would represent about 3% growth from a year earlier. “Snap is in a stronger position in terms of user growth,” Crockett said. Like Snap, Facebook has been hit hard by Apple’s iOS update, which makes it difficult for advertisers to target users. Much of Facebook’s value to marketers is targeting capabilities and the ability to track users across multiple third-party sites. With the stock’s 50% drop this year, Meta’s market cap has sunk below $500 billion, making the company worth less than Tesla, Berkshire Hathaway, and UnitedHealth, in addition to its Big Tech peers. Big Tech in 2022 CNBC Amazon has fallen 27% in 2022, while Alphabet has dropped 25%, Microsoft is down 23% and Apple has slid 13%. The last time Meta reported results, revenue fell shy of estimates. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said some of the challenges were due to the iOS change as well as “broader macro trends, like the softness in e-commerce after the acceleration we saw during the pandemic.” The rise of TikTok poses a growing threat to Facebook and Snap because the popular short video app is reeling in the lucrative market of teenagers and young adults. Meanwhile, Meta continues to spend billions of dollars creating the metaverse, a digital world that people can access with virtual reality and augmented reality glasses. Meta is currently the leader in the nascent metaverse space, according to CCS Insight analyst Leo Gebbie. Based on a recent survey about VR and AR that Gebbie’s firm conducted, Meta is the company that most people associate with the idea of the metaverse, underscoring the significance of its investments and marketing efforts. But the metaverse is still years away from going mainstream and potentially generating profits. Gebbie said he’ll be looking to see whether Zuckerberg spends much time on the earnings call discussing the futuristic metaverse or if he concentrates on addressing Meta’s real-world challenges. “I think we’ll definitely see more of a focus on telling the story that Meta is a sensible company,” Gebbie said. Original Article Original Article Here: Read the full article

[chriskarrtravelblog]

Keep Calm and Carry On: Britain’s stately homes on lockdown

Britain’s stately homes were forced to close their doors during the recent lockdown. These ancient walls are used to surviving against the odds – but how have they coped in the current crisis?

On 3 May 1950 Alnwick Castle opened its doors to visitors for the first time, and 100 eager tourists queued up to buy a ticket in the first hour. Britain’s second-largest privately inhabited castle (after Windsor), home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, it has come a long way since, with soaring visitor numbers boosted by appearances in the Harry Potter films. 

But this year on the 70th anniversary of Alnwick’s opening, the famous gardens lay quietly deserted and the castle’s 150 rooms were eerily empty of visitors. High above the historic battlements a blue NHS flag fluttered from the flagpole.

Alnwick has stood for over 900 years, witnessing wars, famine and disease. But like Britain’s other castles and stately homes it was abruptly forced to close its doors to the public this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland

Most of Britain’s best-known ‘statelies’ are owned and cared for independently, rather than by government or national charities. They are hugely expensive to run, and in most cases, visitor numbers are the key to survival. In response to the pandemic, tickets and tours were hastily cancelled, tearooms and gift shops closed. Income for these historic houses was reduced to zero overnight.

Day-to-day management was another complication. In bygone times, a vast team of ‘downstairs’ staff would have bustled upstairs at the ring of a bell to attend to their master’s and mistress’s every whim. Chambermaids and scullery girls are hard to come by these days, but modern-day stately homes still have an army of staff. Their job, by and large, is to look after the house rather than the family within – from gardeners that tend the prize roses and farmers working on the estate to the curators that look after precious art collections. 

The striking Knebworth House and its glorious gardens. Credit: Chris Orange

With staff sent home, in many cases owners found themselves managing vast estates single-handedly, and in sole charge of houses with hundreds of rooms. Despite the challenges, the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ spirit prevailed. The houses united to show their show support for NHS key workers: as the nation joined in with the weekly ‘clap for carers’ from their doorsteps, stately homes and castles lit up their facades in blue, hoisted NHS flags from historic battlements or planted avenues of blue lavender in their gardens.

Chatsworth House, in the Peak District, rose to the challenge by supporting local communities. Following the house’s closure in late March, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire donated 240kg of chocolate eggs intended for the annual Easter egg hunt to local food banks. The house also offered holiday cottages on the estate to frontline NHS workers to stay in for free, while the chefs in the restaurant kitchens turned their hands to preparing meals for those in need in the community. 

Down in rural Berkshire, Highclere Castle – unmistakeable, of course, as Downton Abbey of the ever-popular TV series – serenely surveys 1,000 acres of Capability Brown parkland as it has done for centuries. Ordinarily, the arrival of warmer weather would see streams of visitors, but this spring, when the wildflower meadow and ornamental Monk’s Garden burst into bloom only the lord and lady of the manor were there to see it.

Lady Carnarvon, chatelaine of Highclere Castle in Berkshire

Hosting visitors being out of the question, technology gave Highclere other ways to connect. “We were 100 per cent not virtual,” says Lady Carnarvon. “We’ve tried to turn ourselves around.” Lady Carnarvon’s new podcast (with her husband the Earl as the first guest) is now available, while the Highclere Instagram account shared glimpses of lockdown life with its legion of fans; posts have included Lady Mary the lop-eared pig’s new litter of piglets, daily walks with the dogs, virtual cocktail parties and cookery lessons from Lady Carnarvon’s kitchen.

In Scotland, on the shores of Loch Fyne, romantic Inveraray Castle stands in spectacular isolation – a state shared, during lockdown, by the family that live there, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their three children. Overnight, the Duchess tell us, she became “the cleaner, mender, teacher, gardener, tidy-er.. Same as most people but probably in a bigger house!” The castle is part of a small remote community, which pooled resources during lockdown. “I have been growing lettuce and herbs, someone else has chickens, someone wants flour…”

Inveraray, whose architecture mixes Baroque, Palladian and Gothic styles, is the seat of Clan Campbell. It is full of treasures, and the castle’s closure gave the family a chance to explore its hidden corners: “For the first time since we inherited the house we’ve had time to go into every nook and cranny. Find the damp patches and leaks for ourselves, clear attics and find some historical gems, from a piping banner that would have been carried into war to letters from various generations.”

Down in Hertfordshire, Knebworth is a lavish Tudor manor, home to the Lytton family for over 500 years. If it looks familiar, it may be because Knebworth appeared as Balmoral in The Crown – though its facade, covered with turrets, domes and gargoyles, may trump even the Queen’s Highland home for architectural splendour. 

Playwright and politician Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton – author of the ominous line “It was a dark and stormy night” – lived here in Victorian times; the pandemic has surely been Knebworth’s ‘darkest night’ of all. 

“Having to shut our House, Park and Gardens was devastating to us,” says Martha Lytton Cobbold, who lives at Knebworth with her husband Henry. The house is particularly in demand as a film location and is world-famous as a festival venue – a reputation cemented by the Rolling Stones’ iconic concert here in 1976. Most of this summer’s events had to be cancelled in light of the coronavirus crisis.

Happily, Knebworth and other historic houses, symbols of permanence and resilience in a topsy-turvy world, have weathered the storm, recently reopening their doors to the public. 

“It was very strange being closed,” says Martha. “It’s not what [the house] was designed and built for, and we felt much happier when visitors were able to come back.” For now, visitor numbers are capped and a one-way route has been devised around the house, in accordance with government guidelines.

“We have to adapt to survive,” she adds, “and this is what we have done for centuries.” 

All of the historic houses mentioned reopened after the UK’s first lockdown, though some may now have closed once again as the pandemic continues. You can check current details at the houses’ websites:

Alnwick Castle www.alnwickcastle.com

Chatsworth House www.chatsworth.org 

Highclere Castle www.highclerecastle.co.uk

Inveraray Castle www.inveraray-castle.com

Knebworth House www.knebworthhouse.com

The post Keep Calm and Carry On: Britain’s stately homes on lockdown appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/inspiration/stately-homes-lockdown/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2020/11/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on-britains-stately-homes-on-lockdown-2/

[creativesage]

(via Introduction: 2018 Global Human Capital Trends | Deloitte Insights)

Introduction: The Rise of the Social Enterprise 2018 — Global Human Capital Trends                                        

                                               By Dimple Agarwal,  Josh Bersin,  Gaurav Lahiri,  Jeff Schwartz, and Erica Volini            

            Organizations are no longer judged only for their financial performance, or even the quality of their products or services. Rather, they are being evaluated on the basis of their impact on society at large—transforming them from business enterprises into social enterprises.

The Growing Importance of Social Capital

Learn more:

- View 2018 Global Human Capital Trends or access the app

- Explore the infographic

- Watch the video

- Read the press release

- Download the full report or create a custom PDF.

The 2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report showcases a profound shift facing business leaders worldwide: The rapid rise of what we call the social enterprise. This shift reflects the growing importance of social capital in shaping an organization’s purpose, guiding its relationships with stakeholders, and influencing its ultimate success or failure.

In 2018, we are witnessing seismic changes in the workforce, the workplace, and the technologies used in the world of work. Based on this year’s global survey of more than 11,000 business and HR leaders, as well as interviews with executives from some of today’s leading organizations, we believe that a fundamental change is underway. Organizations are no longer assessed based only on traditional metrics such as financial performance, or even the quality of their products or services. Rather, organizations today are increasingly judged on the basis of their relationships with their workers, their customers, and their communities, as well as their impact on society at large—transforming them from business enterprises into social enterprises.

In many ways, social capital is achieving a newfound status next to financial and physical capital in value. In a recent survey, for instance, 65 percent of CEOs rated “inclusive growth” as a top-three strategic concern, more than three times greater than the proportion citing “shareholder value.”1 Today, successful businesses must incorporate external trends, perspectives, and voices by maintaining positive relationships, not just with customers and employees, but also with local communities, regulators, and a variety of other stakeholders. Building these relationships challenges business leaders to listen closely to constituents, act transparently with information, break down silos to enhance collaboration, and build trust, credibility, and consistency through their actions. This is not a matter of altruism: Doing so is critical to maintaining an organization’s reputation; to attracting, retaining, and engaging critical workers; and to cultivating loyalty among customers.

What Is a Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise is an organization whose mission combines revenue growth and profit-making with the need to respect and support its environment and stakeholder network. This includes listening to, investing in, and actively managing the trends that are shaping today’s world. It is an organization that shoulders its responsibility to be a good citizen (both inside and outside the organization), serving as a role model for its peers and promoting a high degree of collaboration at every level of the organization.

In past Global Human Capital Trends reports, we have noted the movement of many organizations toward a “network of teams” operating model that aims to enable greater collaboration and internal agility.2 Now, this movement has been joined by the growing shift from an internal, enterprise focus to an external, ecosystem one (figure 1). Organizations on the leading edge of both of these changes embody our concept of the social enterprise: an organization that is alert enough to sense, and responsive enough to accommodate, the gamut of stakeholder expectations and demands.

The Last Decade: Building toward Today’s Tipping Point

Why has this shift occurred? We believe that it is driven by social, economic, and political changes that have grown since the global financial crisis. Despite the economic recovery the world has seen since 2008, many people feel frustrated that financial gains have failed to improve individuals’ lives, address social problems, support political stability, or mitigate technology’s unintended consequences. People today have less trust in their political and social institutions than they have in years; many expect business leaders to fill the gap.

This point was made this year by BlackRock chief executive Laurence Fink. In his annual letter to CEOs, Fink noted that people are increasingly “turning to the private sector and asking that companies respond to broader societal challenges” and demanding that organizations “serve a social purpose.”3 Fink stated that shareholders, including BlackRock itself, are now evaluating companies based on this standard. A New York Times report suggested that the letter could be a “watershed moment on Wall Street” that raises questions about “the very nature of capitalism.”4

Among the many factors contributing to the rise of the social enterprise, we see three powerful macro forces driving the urgency of this change.

First, the power of the individual is growing, with millennials at the forefront. For the first time in mature markets, young people believe that their lives will be worse than their parents’—and they are actively questioning the core premises of corporate behavior and the economic and social principles that guide it.5 Among this group, social capital plays an outsized role in where they work and what they buy, and 86 percent of millennials think that business success should be measured in terms of more than just financial performance.6 Millennials comprise a majority of the workforce in many countries, and their power will likely grow over time.

This shift in power to the individual is being propelled by today’s hyper-connected world, which enables people to track information about companies and their products, express their opinions to a wide audience, and sign onto social movements, globally and in real time. Back in 2015, we called this trend toward greater transparency “the naked organization”;7 in 2018, the individuals know and expect even more from companies than they did three short years ago.

Second, businesses are being expected to fill a widening leadership vacuum in society. Across the globe, people trust business more than government. The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that people worldwide place 52 percent trust in business “to do what is right,” versus just 43 percent in government.8 In the United States, in particular, trust in government has hit a four-year low, at just 33 percent.9 There is a widespread perception that political systems are growing more and more polarized and less and less effective at meeting social challenges. Citizens are looking to business to fill the void on critical issues such as income inequality, health care, diversity, and cybersecurity to help make the world more equal and fair.

This expectation is placing immense pressure on companies, but it is also creating opportunities. Organizations that engage with people and demonstrate that they are worthy of trust are burnishing their reputation, winning allies, and influencing or supplanting traditional public policy mechanisms. CEOs such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff have an unprecedented ability to activate their companies for the good of society.10 Consider the organization jointly created by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase to lower health care costs for employees—tackling an issue that government cannot solve on its own, while also promising to deliver business benefits.11 On the other hand, companies that appear aloof, tone-deaf, or disengaged face harsh headlines, negative attention on social media, and tough questions from a range of stakeholders.

Third, technological change is having unforeseen impacts on society even as it creates massive opportunities to achieve sustainable, inclusive growth. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and new communications technologies are fundamentally changing how work gets done, who does it, and how it influences society.12 For instance, machine learning was not in the mainstream three years ago. Today, it is simultaneously one of IT’s hottest areas—and a source of tremendous anxiety about potential job losses. People increasingly realize that rapid technological change, while holding out the promise of valuable opportunities, also creates unforeseen impacts that can undermine social cohesion. Many stakeholders are alarmed, and they expect businesses to channel this force for the broader good.

The good news is that technological advances can open up new opportunities for businesses to have a positive impact on society. Reflecting this view, 87 percent of C-level executives say that Industry 4.0—the industrial revolution brought about by the combination of digital and physical technologies—will lead to more equality and stability, and 74 percent say business will have more influence than governments or other organizations to shape this future.13

Becoming a Social Enterprise

Foundational to behaving as a social enterprise is to listen carefully to the external as well as the internal environment—not just business partners and customers, but all parties in society that an organization influences and is influenced by. In today’s world, the listening opportunity is greater than ever if organizations truly take advantage of the people data they have at their fingertips. The increasingly hyper-connected nature of the workplace means that interactions between and among workers and the outside world can be a tremendous source for analysis if managed appropriately. Leaders need to take a proactive approach to managing this wealth of information and leveraging it to keep an eye on the trends both inside and outside of the workplace.

Being a social enterprise also means investing in the broader social ecosystem, starting with an organization’s own employees. It means treating all workers—on- and off-balance-sheet—in a fair, transparent, and unbiased way. Leaders should seek to provide a work environment that promotes longevity and well-being, not only in an individual’s career, but also in the physical, mental, and financial spheres. By doing this, an organization invests both in its own workforce and in the workforce ecosystem as a whole, which benefits both the organization and society at large.

Finally, a social enterprise seeks to actively manage its position in the social ecosystem by engaging with stakeholders and strategically determining and pursuing the kind of relationship it wants to maintain with each. This cannot be done in a siloed way. Hence, this year we have provided a set of actions that C-suite leaders can take related to each trend. Each area of focus requires strong collaboration amongst leaders both across the organization and outside of it. Leaders should form relationships with the governments and regulatory bodies that shape the “rules of the road,” work collaboratively with them to create and sustain a fair, just, and equitable marketplace, and partner with communities and educational institutions to help sustain a steady flow of talent with the right skills for the organization—and the broader economy—to thrive.

2018’s Ten Human Capital Trends: Importance and Respondent Readiness

Respondents generally agree that, while each of the following trends is important, most organizations are not yet ready to meet expectations.

Explore the data further in the Global Human Capital Trends app.

2018’s Ten Human Capital Trends

The 10 human capital trends we explore in this year’s report come together to create an integrated view of the social enterprise.

[See infographics above] From the top: The Symphonic C-suite Trend 1. The Symphonic C-suite: Teams Leading Teams

Behaving as a social enterprise and managing the external environment’s macro trends effectively demands an unprecedented level of cross-functional vision, connectivity, and collaboration from C-suite leaders. To do this, they must behave as what we call the “symphonic C-suite,” in which an organization’s top executives play together as a team while also leading their own functional teams, all in harmony. This approach enables the C-suite to understand the many impacts that external forces have on and within the organization—not just on single functions—and plot coordinated, agile responses.

The symphonic C-suite is the next stage in the ongoing evolution of leadership models. This new model is necessary to help leaders to understand, manage, and respond to the complex social capital issues that organizations face, enabling them to tap opportunities, manage risks, and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders. What’s more, the symphonic leadership model is vital for growth: Our survey finds that respondents who indicate their C-suite executives “regularly collaborate on long-term interdependent work” are a third more likely to expect their companies to grow at 10 percent or more during the next year than respondents whose CxOs operate independently.

The C-suite must lead an organization’s response to the other nine trends highlighted in this report. The pace and complexity of the changes involved, and the high stakes of success or failure, elevate these as C-level issues, which cannot be delegated or approached in silos. Only a symphonic C-suite team is sufficient for the scale and speed of the following nine trends. In our chapter on the symphonic C-suite, we call out specific actions executives can take to drive greater collaboration.

The power of the Individual

As the power of the individual grows, organizations are revamping their approaches to workforce management, rewards systems, and career models to better listen and respond. In particular, as workers and networks outside the organization grow in importance, companies are striving to build effective ongoing relationships with every segment of the workforce ecosystem. In this year’s report, we have included actions for the individual worker to consider in influencing and managing their personalization and career experiences. The challenge is to figure out how to appropriately address each individual’s preferences and priorities while engaging with a more diverse set of workers and workforce segments than ever before.

Trend 2. The workforce Ecosystem: Managing beyond the Enterprise

Business leaders and chief human resources officers (CHROs) recognize the need to actively and strategically manage relationships with workforce segments beyond the enterprise, which increasingly affect how an organization delivers services and interacts with customers. When asked to forecast the makeup of their workforce in 2020, 37 percent of survey respondents expected a rise in contractors, 33 percent foresaw an increase in freelancers, and 28 percent expected growth in gig workers. Organizations are finding ways to align their culture and management practices with these external talent segments—engaging the workforce ecosystem for mutual benefit.

Trend 3. New Rewards: Personalized, Agile, and Holistic

Leveraging their power as individuals, employees are asking for more personalized, agile, and holistic rewards, including a focus on fair and open pay. While companies recognize this overall shift, only 8 percent report that their rewards program is “very effective” at creating a personalized, flexible solution. Early experiments are exploring how to develop a holistic variety of rewards and match them to individual preferences, across diverse talent segments and on a continuous basis.

Trend 4. From Careers to Experiences: New Pathways

In a 21st-century career, the individual and his or her experiences take center stage. Instead of a steady progression along a job-based pathway, leading organizations are shifting toward a model that empowers individuals to acquire valuable experiences, explore new roles, and continually reinvent themselves. However, 59 percent of our survey respondents rate their organizations as not effective or only somewhat effective at empowering people to manage their own careers. Improvement in this area is essential to attract critical talent, especially as technology shifts the skills landscape.

Filling Society’s Leadership Vacuum

Leading companies are developing strategies that address societal concerns such as longevity and well-being—and doing so in ways that help improve productivity and performance. Those in this vanguard are finding rich opportunities to build social capital and become a leading voice on key societal issues.

Trend 5. The Longevity Dividend: Work in an Era of 100-year Lives

Forward-looking organizations see extended longevity and population aging as an opportunity. Twenty percent of this year’s survey respondents said that they are partnering with older workers to develop new career models. This longevity dividend enables companies to both address a pressing societal issue and tap into a proven, committed, and diverse set of workers. However, doing this requires innovative practices and policies to support extended careers, as well as collaboration between business leaders and workers, to tackle shared challenges such as age bias and pension shortfalls.

Trend 6. Citizenship and Social Impact: Society Holds the Mirror

An organization’s track record of corporate citizenship and social impact now has a direct bearing on its core identity and strategy. Engagement with other stakeholders on topics such as diversity, gender pay equity, income inequality, immigration, and climate change can lift financial performance and brand value, while failure to engage can destroy reputation and alienate key audiences. Many organizations are still catching up: 77 percent of our respondents say that citizenship is important, but only 18 percent say this issue is a top priority reflected in corporate strategy.

Trend 7. Well-being: A Strategy and a Responsibility

As the line between work and life blurs further, employees are demanding that organizations expand their benefits offerings to include a wide range of programs for physical, mental, financial, and spiritual health. In response, employers are investing in well-being programs as both a societal responsibility and a talent strategy. More than 50 percent of survey respondents view a variety of such programs as “valuable” or “highly valuable” to employees, but big gaps remain between what employees value and what companies are delivering.

Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Growth

Organizations are looking to capitalize on the benefits of a surge of new AI-based software, robotics, workplace connectivity tools, and people data applications, while also mitigating potential downsides and unforeseen effects. These tools and investments can help to redesign work architecture, lift productivity, and enhance people efforts, but organizations must also pay attention to and respect their impacts on the workforce as a whole.

Trend 8. AI, Robotics, and Automation: Put Humans in the Loop

The influx of AI, robotics, and automation into the workplace has dramatically accelerated in the last year, transforming in-demand roles and skills inside and outside organizations. Perhaps surprisingly, those roles and skills focus on the “uniquely human” rather than the purely technical: Survey respondents predict tremendous future demand for skills such as complex problem-solving (63 percent), cognitive abilities (55 percent), and social skills (52 percent). To be able to maximize the potential value of these technologies today and minimize the potential adverse impacts on the workforce tomorrow, organizations must put humans in the loop—reconstructing work, retraining people, and rearranging the organization. The greatest opportunity is not just to redesign jobs or automate routine work, but to fundamentally rethink “work architecture” to benefit organizations, teams, and individuals.

Trend 9. The Hyper-Connected Workplace: Will Productivity Reign?

New communications tools are rapidly entering the workplace. Seventy percent of respondents believe workers will spend more time on collaboration platforms in the future, 67 percent see growth in “work-based social media,” and 62 percent predict an increase in instant messaging. But as these tools migrate from personal life to the workplace, organizations must apply their expertise in team management, goal-setting, and employee development to ensure that they actually improve organizational, team, and individual performance and promote the necessary collaboration to truly become a social enterprise. Like the outside world, organizations are becoming hyper-connected; can they also become hyper-productive?

Trend 10. People Data: How Far is Too Far?

The rapid increase in data availability and the advent of powerful people analytics tools have generated rich opportunities for HR and organizations—but they are now also generating a variety of potential risks. While more than half of our survey respondents are actively managing the risk of employee perceptions of personal data use, and a similar proportion is managing the risk of legal liability, only a quarter are managing the impact on their consumer brand. Organizations face a tipping point: Develop a set of well-defined policies, security safeguards, transparency measures, and ongoing communication around the use of people data, or risk employee, customer, and societal backlash.

A Call to Action

The 2018 Global Human Capital Trends report sounds a wake-up call for organizations. The rise of the social enterprise requires a determined focus on building social capital by engaging with diverse stakeholders, accounting for external trends, creating a sense of mission and purpose throughout the organization, and devising strategies that manage new societal expectations. At stake is nothing less than an organization’s reputation, relationships, and, ultimately, success or failure.

In this new era, human capital is inextricably tied to social capital. This reality demands a fundamental pivot in how organizations do business today—and how they prepare for the human capital challenges of the future.

[Excerpt from the introductory post — click on the title link to read it with notes, appendix, all illustrations, and links to other relevant articles at Deloitte.com.]

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At Creative Sage™, we love to connect corporate leaders and entrepreneurs with good causes, and help companies start genuine Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, Impact Investing and/or philanthropy programs that are a win-win for all partners. We’re also researching new developments in the Sharing Economy that include new business models to increase profits, and also support social good.

Please do not hesitate to email us if you would like to discuss your situation and find out more about how we can help your organization move forward to a more innovative and profitable future, strengthening your branding and resonance with customers while helping to do good in the world through appropriate, authentic CSR partnerships with nonprofits, philanthropists, educational institutions and programs, or government agencies and community organizations.

We can also help you connect with celebrities and other notable people who can help amplify your message of social good, or headline entertainment events and concerts for good causes. You can call us at 1-510-845-5510 in San Francisco / Silicon Valley. We look forward to talking with you!

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Essentia secures crowning glory and wins one of only five places on prestigious public-sector framework with Ingleton Wood LLP and Tanner Rose LLP

29th August 2017

Today, the Crown Commercial Service has formally announced that Essentia Trading Ltd, the public and private sector consultancy, has been successful in its bid to be selected for the public-sector framework for Estates Professional Services.  Essentia beat off the competition to secure a place on two of the regional lots: Lot 2A - East Anglia and Lot 2C - London and the South East.1

The Crown Commercial Service Framework Award is hotly contested with limited places for suppliers.  Sixteen suppliers bid for Lot 2A and twenty-two bid for Lot 2C. Essentia received the highest final score for both regions and secured first place in quality for both the London and South-East bid and the East Anglia region bid.  

Pleased with the news Stephen Edgar, Property Consultancy Director at Essentia, commented; “We’re delighted to have been awarded a place on this prestigious framework, to deliver innovative property expertise to the public sector in London, the South East and East Anglia.

“Given the vast public-sector estate in these areas, we are fully aware of how competitive this framework is. We are looking forward to helping regional organisations reduce property costs, rationalise surplus assets, identify savings and opportunities and generate income from land and buildings.”

Essentia will act as Lead Consultant on any projects commissioned and will sub-contract and manage niche requirements to strategic partners Ingleton Wood LLP (a multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy) and Tanner Rose (business rates and compulsory purchase advice specialists).

Ian Tanner, Partner at Tanner Rose, confirmed that; “Tanner Rose is delighted to be assisting Essentia as a Strategic Partner on this Framework contract.  Today there’s so much happening currently concerning business rates that impacts on clients’ costs in development and asset management, particularly in the rating of specialised properties unique to the public sector.  We look forward to assisting our Partners in delivering real cost savings and strategic advice in these key areas".

Stuart Norgett, Partner, Ingleton Wood LLP, also said; ‘On behalf of Ingleton Wood LLP I can confirm that we are very proud to be part of a consortium with Essentia, with whom we have worked collaboratively in the past. It is an honour to be part of such a prestigious framework. We are excited about delivering work for these clients.” 

Under the framework for Estate Professional Services, Essentia may be required to offer strategic advice including the preparation and development of an estate strategy, along with building surveying services, disposal of freehold and leasehold property, plus lend general advice and guidance on estate and property management.2

The Crown Commercial Service is an executive agency and operates as a trading fund of the Cabinet Office. It is responsible for improving government commercial and procurement activity.

- Ends -  

For all media enquiries please contact Flourish PR:-

Tel:         01628 882 610

Email:    press@flourishpr.co.uk

 Notes to Editors

About Essentia Trading Ltd

Launched in 2013, Essentia Trading Ltd is a commercial arm of Essentia, a business wholly owned by Guys’ and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Operating as a separate limited liability company and employing over 50 people, Essentia Trading combines business acumen with public sector values to ensure organisations become more efficient and more effective.  All profits are invested back into the NHS.

For more information visit www.essentia.uk.com

1 Geographical areas covered in Lot 2A and Lot 2C

Lot 2A - East Anglia

Norfolk

Suffolk

Cambridgeshire

Bedfordshire

Buckinghamshire

Hertfordshire

Essex

Lot 2C - London and South East

London

Kent

East Sussex

West Sussex

Berkshire

Oxfordshire

Hampshire

2 Services supplied LOT 2 – Regional Panels

Estates Services:

Strategic Advice (including preparation and development of an Estate strategy)

Development Consultancy and Advice

Acquisition of Freehold and Leasehold Property

Building Surveying Services

Pre-acquisition property

Existing Property

General Advice on Estate and Property Management

General Estate and Property Management Duties

Disposal of Freehold and Leasehold Property

Rent Reviews

Lease Breaks and Lease Expires

Lease Renewals

Dilapidations

Landlord and Tenant Issues including Landlord Consents, Service Charges and Claims

Rating Support Services

Rating Appeals

Valuations

Planning

Compulsory Purchase

Daylighting, Sunlighting, Overshadowing and Rights of Light

Party Wall Awards

Way-leaves and Easements

Other Neighbourly Matters

[joesbrownusa]

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5281 Main St

Price: $175000

Classic Village Multi-Family on Main Street in Franklin. Wonderful investment income property with 2 spacious 1-bedroom apartments on the first floor and 1 very large 3-bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor. Very good rental history. Downstairs apartments were renovated in 2011. Very large backyard for tenants to enjoy. An excellent, well maintained country investment property.

434 Patton Shore Rd

Price: $42000

Summer camp with two bedroom and lake views. Camp is in need of some updating and leveling. Set on leased land with perennial gardens, drilled well, updated septic system and bordered by shrubs and trees which offers privacy. Camp is being sold as is.

47 Scottish Ln

Price: $35000

Camping at it”s best! This is a great area to enjoy Summers on Lake Carmi! Boat, swim, fish or just relax! 2-bedroom camp with open kitchen/living room. Secluded with a nice yard and shed, great for outdoor games and barbeques! Land lease is only $30 a year!

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-franklin-vt/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/157957250885

[chriskarrtravelblog]

Keep Calm and Carry On: Britain’s stately homes on lockdown

Britain’s stately homes were forced to close their doors during the recent lockdown. These ancient walls are used to surviving against the odds – but how have they coped in the current crisis?

On 3 May 1950 Alnwick Castle opened its doors to visitors for the first time, and 100 eager tourists queued up to buy a ticket in the first hour. Britain’s second-largest privately inhabited castle (after Windsor), home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, it has come a long way since, with soaring visitor numbers boosted by appearances in the Harry Potter films. 

But this year on the 70th anniversary of Alnwick’s opening, the famous gardens lay quietly deserted and the castle’s 150 rooms were eerily empty of visitors. High above the historic battlements a blue NHS flag fluttered from the flagpole.

Alnwick has stood for over 900 years, witnessing wars, famine and disease. But like Britain’s other castles and stately homes it was abruptly forced to close its doors to the public this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland

Most of Britain’s best-known ‘statelies’ are owned and cared for independently, rather than by government or national charities. They are hugely expensive to run, and in most cases, visitor numbers are the key to survival. In response to the pandemic, tickets and tours were hastily cancelled, tearooms and gift shops closed. Income for these historic houses was reduced to zero overnight.

Day-to-day management was another complication. In bygone times, a vast team of ‘downstairs’ staff would have bustled upstairs at the ring of a bell to attend to their master’s and mistress’s every whim. Chambermaids and scullery girls are hard to come by these days, but modern-day stately homes still have an army of staff. Their job, by and large, is to look after the house rather than the family within – from gardeners that tend the prize roses and farmers working on the estate to the curators that look after precious art collections. 

The striking Knebworth House and its glorious gardens. Credit: Chris Orange

With staff sent home, in many cases owners found themselves managing vast estates single-handedly, and in sole charge of houses with hundreds of rooms. Despite the challenges, the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ spirit prevailed. The houses united to show their show support for NHS key workers: as the nation joined in with the weekly ‘clap for carers’ from their doorsteps, stately homes and castles lit up their facades in blue, hoisted NHS flags from historic battlements or planted avenues of blue lavender in their gardens.

Chatsworth House, in the Peak District, rose to the challenge by supporting local communities. Following the house’s closure in late March, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire donated 240kg of chocolate eggs intended for the annual Easter egg hunt to local food banks. The house also offered holiday cottages on the estate to frontline NHS workers to stay in for free, while the chefs in the restaurant kitchens turned their hands to preparing meals for those in need in the community. 

Down in rural Berkshire, Highclere Castle – unmistakeable, of course, as Downton Abbey of the ever-popular TV series – serenely surveys 1,000 acres of Capability Brown parkland as it has done for centuries. Ordinarily, the arrival of warmer weather would see streams of visitors, but this spring, when the wildflower meadow and ornamental Monk’s Garden burst into bloom only the lord and lady of the manor were there to see it.

Lady Carnarvon, chatelaine of Highclere Castle in Berkshire

Hosting visitors being out of the question, technology gave Highclere other ways to connect. “We were 100 per cent not virtual,” says Lady Carnarvon. “We’ve tried to turn ourselves around.” Lady Carnarvon’s new podcast (with her husband the Earl as the first guest) is now available, while the Highclere Instagram account shared glimpses of lockdown life with its legion of fans; posts have included Lady Mary the lop-eared pig’s new litter of piglets, daily walks with the dogs, virtual cocktail parties and cookery lessons from Lady Carnarvon’s kitchen.

Read the full feature in the September/October 2020 issue of BRITAIN.

The post Keep Calm and Carry On: Britain’s stately homes on lockdown appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/inspiration/stately-homes-lockdown/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/keep-calm-and-carry-on-britains-stately-homes-on-lockdown/

[joesbrownusa]

Houses For Sale in Franklin, VT

Water front lot on Lake Carmi with 99” of direct water frontage. Located in the Black Woods this .71 acre lot has been perc tested and will support a three bedroom dwelling. With access to this lot in any season you can enjoy all that Lake Carmi and the surrounding area has to offer. 45 minutes to Jay Peak, Smuggs and Montreal and some of the best fishing Lake Carmi is a great four season destination.

7.92 acre lot with panoramic views of Lake Carmi. 560+ feet of road frontage, surveyed, state permits, phone and electrical at site. Septic design for 4 bedroom. Beautiful private lot yet on paved Rt 236 for easy commute to I89.

Beautiful .99 acre lot with 228 ft of frontage on a dead-end road with views of Cold Hollow and Pinnacle Peak. State approvals in place for conventional septic and well placement (WW-6-1575-1.) An existing 10×10 shed with a 12/12 pitch standing seam roof conveys with the property. One hour to Burlington and Montreal. Five minutes to Lake Carmi and half an hour to Jay Peak.

Build your new home with amazing views of Jay Peak and the lights of Montreal. The mostly wooded lot offers some great stone walls and a quiet, peaceful setting.

Great get a way property 10.5 wooded acres.

FRANKLIN – Owner financing and terms to qualified parties. Spectacular 6.58 acre parcel with sweeping and spectacular views of Lake Carmi and the different coves the lake offers. Access by 60” x 500” shared right of way. Lot has been surveyed, has septic design for a 4 bedroom house and has state wastewater permits and all state and local subdivision approvals. Bring you house plans and lets talk. Access driveway already installed.

Mostly open meadow & grown up pastureland on upper side of State Park Rd. Lot has sweeping & dramatic views of Lake Carmi, its coves and the valley below. Truly one of the nicest lots to hit the market in a while. Access will be shared ROW off Kennison Rd., not State Park Rd. Access road to be shared maintenance with 3 adjoining lots in subdivision. A road maintenance agreement between all lot owners will need to be drawn up for snowplowing and future maintenance. Lot perk tested for an onsite mound system. Drilled wells are required for all lots. This lot also will need an Advantex wat er pretreatment system on the septic system at a cost over and above the mound system of $6,000-$8,000. Also requires an annual checkup on system. Restrictive Covenants to be added to Deed: 1) No singlewides or doublewides allowed. 2) No further subdivision. 3) No unregistered vehicles. 4) No commercial activity. 5) No storage of toxic chemicals allowed on property. 6) No junkyards allowed.

3.20 acre Hillside Lot on upperside of State Park Rd. Lot is mostly open w/some wooded area on lot. Lot has dramatic & sweeping views of Lake Carmi, its coves & the valley below. Definitely one of the nicest lots to appear on the market in some time. Lot perk tested for mound type septic system. Though lot has frontage on State Park Rd, access road will be from Kennison Rd only. Lot has onsite septic area. Drilled wells are required on all lots. Lot has septic easement area on this lot in favor of Lot 4 w/rights to repair & maintain septic mound area on this lot. This lot is located at end of Cul de Sac & has shared ROW off Kennison Rd w/3 other lots. A road maintenance agreement will need to be drawn up for future snow removal and road maintenance. Restrictive Covenants to be added to Deed: 1) No singlewides or doublewides allowed. 2) No further subdivision. 3) No unregistered vehicles. 4) No commercial activity. 5) No storage of toxic chemicals allowed on property. 6) No junkyards.

Incredible Hillside Building Lot with sweeping and dramatic views of Lake Carmi and its coves and the valley below. Views that stretch for miles. Lot perk tested for mound type onsite septic system. Drilled wells are required for all lots. Shared access road off Kennison Rd., not State Park Rd. Lot has easement for septic line in favor of Lot 4 running underground to Lot 3. See map. A road maintenance agreement will have to be drawn up between all adjoining lots for snowplow removal and future road maintenance. Restrictive Covenants to be added to Deed: 1) No singlewides or doublewides allowed. 2) No further subdivision. 3) No unregistered vehicles. 4) No commercial activity. 5) No storage of toxic chemicals allowed on property. 6) No junkyards allowed.

Beautiful Hillside lot with spring-fed pond directly in front with building site behind. Sweeping and dramatic views of Lake Carmi and its coves and the valley below. Truly one of the nicest building lots to come on the market in quite a while. Access will be shared off Kennison Road with 3 other lots in adjoining subdivision. A road maintenance agreement will have to be drawn up for future snow plowing and road maintenance. Lot perk tested for a mound type septic system off site with an easement across Lot 2 and septic system is located on Lot 3. An onsite drilled well will be required on all lots. This lot has a beautiful spring-fed pond onsite. Restrictive Covenants to be added to Deed: 1) No singlewides or doublewides allowed. 2) No further subdivision. 3) No unregistered vehicles. 4) No commercial activity. 5) No storage of toxic chemicals allowed on property. 6) No junkyards allowed.

Striking, Dramatic Cedar Contemporary home on 6.60 acres with a mix of manicured lawns, grounds & woods. Pond in front yard. Long driveway insures ultimate privacy. Home offers 3668 sq. ft. living space, gracious open flr. plan for entertaining guests &family alike. 3 ext. decks for summer gatherings & BBQs. Home has 4 BRs. 2 full baths, eat in kitchen, formal dining area, billiard Rm, w/slate flrs., kitchen w/birch cupboards & tiled countertops & backsplashes. Master BR w/huge walk in closet & master bath with Jacuzzi tub. Entrance foyer 22X13 w/slate flrs., gym room, utility Rm, famil y Rm, 27X12 LR w/vaulted ceilings & double staircases. Gas Hearthstone stays w/property. 3 ext. decks 25X16, 25X16 & 10X24, outdoor patio area. Drilled well 400ft depth@ 3.3 GPM New well pump ”13 & hot water tank ”14, Septic pumped ”15. Truly a home that offers just about everything you could wish for. Your new home awaits you!

Lovely two bedroom seasonal cottage with 75′ of direct water frontage. Ready for you to start enjoying day one. Cottage is insulated and has been heated over the winter. The lot has perennial plantings and two storage sheds for all the toys. There is a one car garage which gives flexibility for a work shop or make it a bunk house. The water is supplied by a drilled well and there is a dug well which is used for watering. Inside you will find a first floor bedroom, an open dining, living area with lots of windows that look out at the westerly views. Enjoy the large deck on the waters edg e. This is a great place for friends and family to start making lasting summer memories.

Looking for privacy? Enjoy 5.04+/- acres of solitude surrounded by rich cornfields, grassy vistas, and lush woods in this beautiful completely renovated 1850s Vermont farmhouse. Ancient sugar maples lead you past the quaint pond to a convenient circular drive. The floor plan effortlessly guides you from room to room, drawing you to the large living room that opens to an inviting covered porch; perfect for morning coffee & taking in the mountain views! Charming French doors open to a light filled family room heated by an efficient pellet stove for those cold winter days. First floor master with jet tub and private bath. Floor finishes include beautiful Southern Pine tongue & groove, ceramic tile and the 3 upstairs bedrooms are carpeted. Granite kitchen with modern stainless appliances make life easy. 69 x 24 insulated barn/workshop features heat, water, power & air-compressor setup. 2 car attached garage. Backup generator. Close to Lake Carmi, VAST trails, Jay Peak, & Montreal

Seasonal cottage on owned land. Built in 1991 this two bedroom home has been updated with new double hung windows, standing seam roof, Cedar shingle siding, flooring, Pex tubing and upgraded wiring. The enclosed porch offers additional living space and flexibility when friends and family come to visit.Fully insulated and a drilled well this cottage can be used during any season. Great neighborhood setting, 60 feet of shared deeded lake access with a community dock. Close to the Rail trail, 45 min to Burlington, Jay Peak and 60 min to Montreal you are ready to start enjoying all that the lake and surrounding area has to offer.

GREAT DEAL ON THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME IN THE GREAT SMALL TOWN OF FRANKLIN,SCHOOL IS GREAT,WALKING DISTANCE TO COUNTRY STORE.HAS LARGE KICTHEN,LOTS OF CLOSET SPACE,BIG ROOMS AND A OFFICE,METAL ROOF,NEW WINDOWS,WALLS,AND WIRING,WE BOUGHT A WOOD STOVE AND ASLO BURNS OIL AND COAL.FENCED IN BACK YARD,FOR KIDS OR ANIMALS,THE WOOD STOVE IS THE BEST LOVE IT.LOOKING TO SELL ASAP,HAVE LAND IN BERKSHIRE THATS WHY WE ARE SELLING AT A LOW PRICE 802 285 6364 all new pipe lines in basement,windows are new ,wiring wall WOULD DO A RENT TO OWN WITH 50,000 DOWN PAYMENT

This Single-Family Home is located at 5103 Main Street, Franklin, VT. 5103 Main St is in the 05457 ZIP code in Franklin, VT. The average listing price for ZIP code 05457 is $195,633. 5103 Main St has 3 beds, 2 baths, and approximately 1,850 square feet

Classic Village Multi-Family on Main Street in Franklin. Wonderful investment income property with 2 spacious 1-bedroom apartments on the first floor and 1 very large 3-bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor. Very good rental history. Downstairs apartments were renovated in 2011. Very large backyard for tenants to enjoy. An excellent, well maintained country investment property.

Summer camp with two bedroom and lake views. Camp is in need of some updating and leveling. Set on leased land with perennial gardens, drilled well, updated septic system and bordered by shrubs and trees which offers privacy. Camp is being sold as is.

Camping at it”s best! This is a great area to enjoy Summers on Lake Carmi! Boat, swim, fish or just relax! 2-bedroom camp with open kitchen/living room. Secluded with a nice yard and shed, great for outdoor games and barbeques! Land lease is only $30 a year!

from Houses For Sale – The OC Home Search http://www.theochomesearch.com/houses-for-sale-in-franklin-vt/ from OC Home Search https://theochomesearch.tumblr.com/post/157929877790