£17,550.00

Thank you for all your lovely suggestions for the £17550.00. As things have moved on apace during my visit to Lunnon and we now have the delightful JC Novelli to cater for our culinary needs, I have decided that half of the money should go towards converting one of the many redundant outbuildings to grace and favour accomodation for our old retainers. Never let it be said that we don't look after our own at Cowarts. So Cook who is now surplus to requirements can live out her days soaking her feet in the jam pan in a lovely apartment that will be fashioned from the old shippen. The Janitor is currently down there with the mini digger scraping away at the twenty years worth of dung deposited by the purple coos. All you gels with roses bring your own wheelbarrow.
Meanwhile JC as he likes me to address him, and I will be flying down to Bordeaux this weekend to visit his cousin's chateau in order to facilitate the restocking of the wine cellar that has become somewhat depleted. Gosh all this gadding about is so exciting.