In fact some of the clearing had been done, in 2005, eight years before Tricia died, when we sold the old barns for development. At that time the great hay barn, the cowsheds, the old stables and pig pens had to be emptied of what amounted to my mother’s “overspill”. My mother was a shopper. In particular she was a shopper of wool and cloth, sewing paraphernalia and gadgets.