A confused Southwell resident thought his home had been vandalised when he woke up to see his patio doors smashed. The actual reason was much more surprising for Quentin Rayner, a BBC reporter. As it turned out, it was an angry ram that had smashed the glass doors of his house in Nottinghamshire, UK.

"To say I was shocked would be an understatement," said Mr Rayner, 58, after discovering the damage on Wednesday morning. He said he found the runaway ram on the other side of the broken glass, happily chewing away on his plants in his garden after creating an "awful mess".

"My first thought was it must be vandals and was about to call the police when I saw this ram lying in the garden chewing away on pot plants," he said to The Mirror.

"I guess he must have seen his reflection in the doors and decided to have a fight," Mr Rayner added to BBC.

Mr Rayner and his wife, Emma, called the police, who sent an officer to investigate the unusual incident. After a while, a local farmer got in touch with them to claim the sheep.

"I rang the insurance company and told them our patio doors had been smashed by an angry ram having a fight with its own reflection," said Mr Rayner. "Their response was 'that sounds unusual' but they sent an assessor out who agreed to pay up so we just have to pay the excess."

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Video: Angry Ram Smashes Doors While Fighting Its Own Reflection - NDTV News

IRELAND: CO DONEGAL

Henry Kee & Son Auctioneers is seeking 80,000 for this two-bedroom bungalow in Fintown Village, Co Donegal.

This 105sq m (1,130sq ft) duplex apartment is in Calis, north of Fethiye, on Turkeys west coast, and opposite the island of Rhodes. It is in a gated development of 10 properties that centre on a swimming pool. The home has a living and diningroom with patio doors to a terrace overlooking the pool. Also on this floor is a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with balcony. Upstairs is a en suite bedroom with corner bath and roof terrace.Price: 68,000 (about 79,334)Agent: Oceanwideproperties.co.uk

In a village in north Dordogne, this two-storey house with attic and basement sits in land dotted with fruit trees. It is atop an earth cellar that stores wine well. On the ground floor is a livingroom with fireplace, a bedroom, and a kitchen overlooking the garden. On the first floor is a bathroom and two bedrooms with parquet floors. One has a en suite and the other has a balcony. There are four bedrooms on the second floor.Price: 79,200Agent: frenchestateagents.com

This six-bedroom manor house is part of a palace in the town of Mineo. Opposite a church dating to AD 3, the stone property measures 106sq m (1,140sq ft). The home is on the first and top floor of the palace and comprises five rooms with balconies, a kitchen and bathroom, with a bedroom and terrace at roof level. Mineo town, with its windy, narrow streets, dates from 700 BC and has views to Mount Etna. Catania and Comiso airports are 35km away.Price: 75,000Agent: vivasicily.eu

Inland between Murcia and Malaga, this cave house is in the centre of the mountain town (723m above sea level) of Benamaurel, where many other homes are also in caves. The 600sq m (6,458sq ft) house has a more conventional structure above ground and the curved caves with terracotta floors beneath. Accommodation includes a livingroom with fireplace, renovated kitchen, two bathrooms and seven bedrooms. Price: 80,000Agent: Ivercasa.com

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What will 80,000 buy in France, Turkey, Italy, Spain and Co Donegal? - The Irish Times

Four on the market: in Co Monaghan

Independent.ie

Four impressive properties currently on the market in Co Monaghan.

https://www.independent.ie/life/home-garden/homes/four-on-the-market-in-co-monaghan-38735642.html

https://www.independent.ie/life/home-garden/homes/article38735638.ece/94bb1/AUTOCROP/h342/2019-11-29_lif_55179824_I1.JPG

Four impressive properties currently on the market in Co Monaghan.

180k REA Gunne Property (042) 966 1303

Tullyvin Cottage is mentioned by that name on the second-edition Ordnance Survey map, dating from 1908, at which time it was a pretty secluded spot. Now it's next to the Castleblayney bypass of the N2, although, handily enough, that will get you to Dublin Airport in around an hour. Now needing total refurbishment, Tullyvin Cottage has two ground-floor reception rooms along with a kitchen, and two first-floor bedrooms. It's set on 5.8 acres stretching back from the house, and also has outbuildings. Castleblayney's main street is about three kilometres away.

325k Larmer Property (047) 74333

Being a bit too far to walk home safely from the nearest pub in Monaghan town, the owners of Drumlin Cottage have installed a bar in their lounge, where at least they'll always be comfortable, if never in unexpected company.

The lounge runs the width of the house and has two sets of sliding patio doors. There's also a sitting room with a fireplace and a dining room off the country-style kitchen. One en-suite bedroom is on the ground floor and there are another four bedrooms upstairs (one en-suite). That brings the floor area to 2,895 sq ft, while outside there's 0.69 of an acre with a double garage and office.

250k John Tobin Estate Agents (042) 966 3344

Limestone Cottage was built in 1892, not far from a then-extant corn mill complex, and next to it is what would have once been the mill pond. It's been fully restored and refurbished, with double-glazed sash windows and cut stone, and stands at 1,873 sq ft, one room deep on both floors. The ground floor has the kitchen right of the entrance hall, with a range and a Belfast sink, and beyond that is a sitting room with a fireplace and French doors to the garden. Left of the entrance hall is another reception room with a stove, and there are three bedrooms upstairs.

290k Sherry FitzGerald Conor McManus (047) 71461

There is not one home office in this dormer bungalow just outside Clones, but two, both in the lofted double garage in the grounds. Fibre optic is installed too, so the property is well set up for the home worker, or the couple of home workers. The house itself is 2,691 sq ft with five bedrooms, two with en-suite showers and the main bedroom with access to a balcony. On the ground floor is the kitchen, where there's a cream range in a brick alcove, a sitting room with a marble fireplace, a dining room with patio doors and a stove, as well as a sun room and study.

Indo Property

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Four on the market: in Co Monaghan - Independent.ie

A lottery winner is said to have killed himself and his two young sons after his wife discovered he was blowing cash on prostitutes.

David Stokes stabbed himself to death with a kitchen knife after holding his wife hostage during a five-hour stand-off with police.

Mum-of-two Sally Stokes also suspected her electrician husband had used a date rape drug on her.

Firearms officers discovered the bodies of their sons Adam, 11, and five-year-old Matthew, holding hands in bed together.

An inquest was told Stokes had previously won 40,000 on the lottery and spent the winnings on shares and a new car.

He had been married to Sally, a pub assistant manager, since 2011 but their relationship deteriorated.

They separated three months before the killings but remained on good terms for the sake of their sons.

The tragedy unfolded on the night of November 1, 2016, at the familys semi-detached home in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Stokes, 43, snapped after Sally confronted him earlier in the day over emails showing he was using prostitutes and had researched date rape drugs.

The electrician killed his two sons in the family home while she was meeting his relatives to discuss her concerns with them.

When she returned to the house later that night he attacked her with a rolling pin and tried to smother her with a pillow.

Sally gave a chilling account of the stand-off with police on the opening day of the inquest in Loughborough.

She revealed how her husband calmly asked if she wanted a cup of tea before attacking her as she got changed upstairs.

I felt him hit me over the back of the head, she said. I fell on the bed. He put a pillow over my head and tried to suffocate me.

I wriggled and was screaming for Adam because I thought he was the only person who could help me.

I ended up by the side of the bed. He was standing there with a rolling pin. He looked evil. I thought at that moment I was going to die.

Stokes told his wife their sons were safe but with someone who would harm them if he did not send coded text messages.

He ordered her to put her engagement and wedding rings back on and tried to force her to put cable ties around her wrists and ankles.

Sally said: I refused. I went into survival mode. I knew if I did that I was going to die.

She briefly escaped the house by hitting Stokes with the rolling pin and opening a rear patio door but he slammed her head into a brick wall.

When I was outside I was screaming, saying his name, I just hoped someone would hear and realise it was us, she said.

He dragged me back into the house, he was saying I cant believe you hit me.

He was saying it was all my fault. The fact is he was the one who was sleeping with prostitutes.

A neighbour had heard Sallys screams and alerted police, who arrived at the scene shortly after 9pm.

Stokes had locked the doors and refused to let officers in, leading to the five-hour stand-off.

Sally told the hearing how negotiators repeatedly spoke to her husband over the phone in a bid to bring the siege to an end.

After telling police he was armed with a gun, Stokes calmly led his wife upstairs and knifed her in the back.

She said: I felt a bump in my back, then I felt warmth. I put my hand there and realised I had been stabbed.

I looked at him and said his name. The look on his face was like satisfaction, as if he had kind of won. I will never, ever forget that.

Badly-injured Sally fled the house at around 2am through the front door and into the arms of police.

Armed officers then stormed the property and found Stokes lying in his bed with a kitchen knife in his chest.

Colleagues then found the bodies of the couples two tragic sons holding hands under a duvet in Matthews bedroom.

Sally spent four days in hospital with head injuries and a stab wound to her back which caused internal bleeding and a punctured lung.

She was told the day after the tragedy by police that her two sons and estranged husband had died.

Police found a suicide note penned by Stokes in the garden shed in which he said he was sorry for what I have done.

He said he had fallen in love with his wife again but it had all come crashing down, it had to end.

Stokes added: I love Adam and Matthew and we will all be together again soon.

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Sal, Im so sorry for all the things Ive done and hurt you. But this last week you have had me completely and totally in love with you.

You pushed too much. If you had left it, we could have been happy forever.

In her evidence Sally said her husband had a temper but had never laid his hands on her.

David was a calm person but he could flip, she said. I used to say I had three kids, he would have tantrums like a child.

He had a temper, he would throw things. But he never harmed me or the boys.

David won the lottery and then spent it himself. He bought a new car and had been doing shares with his brothers.

We talked about the lottery win, about getting married. But then he bought a new car without asking me.

I remember asking how much we had left. He didnt answer me. I wasnt allowed to know about our finances.

The inquest continues.

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Lotto winner 'killed two sons then himself after blowing cash on prostitutes' - Mirror.co.uk

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) The doors are open, the showers are hot and the outdoor ashtrays are filling up.

The Oregon Harbor of Hope River District Navigation Center has been in business since August 2019. The design won an AIA Portland Merit Award in the Built Category in October, and now it is possible to get an early reaction from staff about how the space works.

Budget dominates the design by Opsis Architecture: the manufactured sprung structure, made of fabric over arched aluminum bents, is cheap and only expected to last 30 years. The central core of offices and nine single-use restrooms are made of plywood. There is no kitchen, just a serving counter where other nonprofits drop off meals.

The Navigation Center intakes people by appointment who are homeless. Usually, outreach workers from Central City Concern or the Portland Police approach them just before ad hoc homeless campsites are cleared. (The center looks first for veterans, the disabled and over 55s.) It can take a week of visiting to gain the trust of a camper before they accept an appointment.

Flow

The navigation center is designed with a simple linear flow. Near the front door is the awake space, a set of tables and a TV where people eat and hang out during the day. At one of three counters, they have their needs assessed, such as work, medical and housing, as well as getting documentation like a new ID. In the middle, they can have any necessary medical help and choose from nine single-use bathrooms and four showers. At the back, they sleep on steel bunk beds, which are heavy and strong, designed to be bed bug resistant and almost impossible to move around. Up to 99 people can stay for up to 90 days, which is not long if they are dealing with the bureaucracy of state services.

Paul Susi manages the center. He has managed five different shelters for Transition Projects, which operates low-barrier shelters ones where you dont have to be religious or sober. The soft-spoken young man hires people with experience being homeless because empathy is one of the staffs most powerful tools.

On a tour of the space one recent November morning, when Portland looked picturesque with its fog and fall colors but felt cold and damp, Susi pointed out some of the things he likes about the new center. One is the climate control the insulated fabric skin makes the temperature easy to keep stable. The stalls are molded plastic, but the shower rooms have real tile on the wall.

Thats one of the flourishes that really gives the place a little more dignity, said Susi. Its not just a warehouse, right?

Susi said there is no PA playing music, so, at night, the sounds are of traffic, trains and snoring. A split foam pool noodle is used to muffle the fire doors slamming.

And then there are the 22 skylights.

The natural light is such a huge, huge asset. Its calming. It feels welcoming. It feels more inclusive. It feels like were in the world, were not hiding away from the street. Especially on a sunny day, it really makes a huge difference. And there are these big windows: a lot of natural light.

A lack of windows and the use of fluorescent light can remind people of institutions, such as other shelters or prisons.

According to architect John Shorb, a partner at Opsis Architecture who worked on the design, Budget is a common constraint, but in this case, it was an even larger constraint. All the funding was coming from private donors, so an effort was made to design an environment that was welcoming and supportive for the residents and respectful of the limited budget.

One example was the plywood core it is cheaper than real wood or drywall. It brought a warmth and life to the interior, Shorb said.

The sprung structure was another obvious cost savings. The fact that it could be erected quickly saved on labor costs.

To get natural light in the building, Shorbs team spent a lot of time modifying the basic sprung structure. Mostly, it was adding skylights and windows to a structure that is traditionally used throughout the world as storage. The skylights track the plywood core, which is where the smallest rooms are, so they are not too dingy.

Shorb said the landscape design, which includes a ridge topped with shrubs at the front of the building, shields residents on the patio from the eyes of passersby.

We did a lot of work with the client group to make sure we were providing a safe space, and it wasnt just the fences. The plantings create a nice buffer from the sidewalk, Shorb said.

The areas with laundry machines, a tiny medical clinic, and a row of computers, are crucial to the programming.

A lot of thought was given with Transition Projects and Harbor of Hope on providing amenities that are going to support residents making a transition, said Shorb. Its a safe place to be and also one of respect, and it connects people to services.

Awake

Residents gather in the awake space to talk or watch movies on the modest TV in the evenings. On a recent morning, many were sitting quietly, a few napping. Only residents with a doctors note can go on bed rest and stay in their beds between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Many residents leave during the day. They have appointments, and 40% of them have jobs, much of it day labor work with agencies. The numbers of a giant clock are marked on the wall, but there are no hands.

Staff member Lilly Hailey was proud that she had just helped someone use the computer to land a job at Subway sandwich. Others she has known, at other Transition Projects shelters, have graduated to the housed life and come back as mentors.

The navigation center is about getting people in the door, assessing their needs and getting them out again, hopefully into housing. The allotted time 90 days is not that long, according to Susi, to navigate the bureaucracies it takes to get documents, benefits, and training and housing.

There are three counters: one near the door for check-ins and general help navigating the homeless system. One for food, and a third near the back for help with laundry, showers and bed issues.

Many people arrive off the streets, dazed and confused. If they werent already lost when they became homeless, they soon are. The center is to get them to hit the ground running and move on.

There are a lot of advocates in our community, a lot of caseworkers, and not nearly enough housing, not nearly enough programs to send people to, Hailey said. So, theres a lot of folks here who come here with no actual planWe have a system that we work with city-wide. Its a database that tracks who is reserved in which bed for the night. So, we know on a given day to expect about 10 folks to come in, that are placed here by our shelter access coordinator whos working with those outreach teams. And they triage folks based on the traditional priorities. Thats folks over 55, veterans, and the differently-abled. So those are the folks that were prioritized getting back to shelter.

The fences are not here to keep people in theyre to keep people out, added Don Mazziotti of Harbor of Hope. Predators, drug dealers, prostitutes, people come around. Folks have been trying to access the facility without authorization and without reservations.

Taxi!

Potential residents arrive by cab, (friendly) police car, and by the 77 bus. There are outreach workers with buckets of TriMet tickets helping the homeless, says Susi.

The patio is popular, especially with smokers. Well-behaved and housebroken pets are allowed, and there is an astroturf square where they can relieve themselves.

Much of the job consists of talking to the residents in a respectful manner that theyre not used to on the streets.

Transition Projects started as the only agency in Portland that was doing social services work that was not governmental and not faith-based, says Susi. And so for 50 years, thats been our thing. We welcome everybody. It doesnt matter what your nationality or education, city, international status. We use the pronouns that folks give us; we use the names that folks give us. Were not law enforcement and we place a priority on dignity, respect and treating folks as we would want.

Asked if that works, he replied, Its very complicated. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of effort. And its not always pretty, but it does work.

Listen

For talks, there are side meeting rooms, and then theres the courtyard.

This morning, a middle-aged man showed up at the front desk with a rolling suitcase and a bad temper. He talked non-stop, agitatedly, and after 10 minutes, Susi steered him out to the patio where he caused less

of a disturbance but kept on talking. Susi stayed with him for 15 minutes more, listening.

Susi explained how he is trained in de-escalation. The first thing is to take a non-confrontational stance, his torso side-on to the person. The second is to find any common ground which could be anything.

We can all agree that Indiana Jones is a great movie, regardless, he says with a smile.

After that, he tries to define the persons issue and work towards a compromise.

What are you working toward? And how can we get you there? And we dont have to go head to head.

Susi knows he is good at it.

Its very rare that Ive had to call the police myself.

Asked what the most reliable thing to switch off another persons anger is, Susi answers instantly: Being heard feeling like theyre being heard. Feeling like, whatever their need is, whatever their issue is, it is a legitimate issue. And theres often legit information there. Often someone was abused or something was incorrectly handled, and we should address that. Absolutely.

The staff keeps the atmosphere mellow. Some neighbors had wondered if it would be a blight on the edge of the Pearl District, but so far there have been no significant incidents, and the fences and electronic doors work.

Residents can only bring in two large bags. There are bike racks, but if they show up with a cart, they have 24 hours to get rid of it before they lose their reservation.

Twenty of the lower bunks are called health connections beds as part of a pilot program. Some are for people in wheelchairs or with oxygen tanks. But space is super tight. The mini-clinic, where costly ailments such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes can be detected early, is just a cube with a chair. It has an autoclave, a sharps box and some cupboards, but its basic.

Doing

Asked what the number one misconception people have about the homeless is,

Hailey answered, That they dont want to do anything. People here are more motivated to find success in their lives than Ive

experienced with my family friends. My family friends might just think of whats

going to work out next. Here people are working 24/7 looking into to meet all of their needs.

Ultimately though, the architecture cant do it all. Eighteen people have been successfully housed since it opened in August. Some of the elderly have gone into assisted living and nursing facilities. They expect 300 people to flow through the doors during the first year. Some people are called back to the streets, some leave in frustration, but even those who are housed might not be ready for it. Paying rent and being inside can be a culture shock.

A lot of folks have been housed then have failed those expectations, so supportive housing, I think, is the next step, Hailey said. Where theres wraparound services co-located at the housing facility: groups, counselors, mental health professionals, maybe a medically supervised setting, maybe its group home living.

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Harbor of Hope helping Portlanders to live off the streets - KOIN.com

A grade II listed barn and dovecote conversion in a quiet hamlet is for sale with Jon Brambles, of Newark, for 550,000.

Midwinter Cottage, on Town Street, Grassthorpe, is full of character features.

In addition to four bedrooms, the property has four reception rooms, a breakfast kitchen, two en-suites, and a family bathroom.

The property stands in delightful grounds of around 1.25 acres.

A reception hall has oak doors into the drawing room, dining room and cloakroom, and an archway to a snug. It has a flagstone floor and an oak staircase.

The drawing room has French doors to the garden, a feature brick fireplace with inset stove, and beamed ceiling.

The dining room has doors to a patio at the rear, and the snug forms a link between the former dovecote and the barn.

The lounge has two sets of French doors to the garden, and doors to the kitchen.

There is a brick fireplace with inset stove, a beamed ceiling, and exposed brickwork walls.

The large breakfast kitchen has a large central island, a chimney breast with a range cooker. There is also a study, rear hall, utility room and cloakroom.

The principal staircase leads to the galleried landing, three bedrooms and the family bathroom.

Midwinter Cottage stands on a delightful plot and is approached via electrically-operated gates. Twin five bar gates lead on to a driveway that provides parking for numerous vehicles.

There is a sizeable patio area in a courtyard at the front, which is edged with raised beds containingmature shrubs and plants.

At the rear there are two split-level Indian sandstone patios,

There is a summer house, log store, well-maintained lawns, and mature shrubs, plants and trees.

READ MORE:

Vigil held for domestic violence victims

New district council website to boost awareness of what is on offer in the area

Three arrested after man is kidnapped and driven around estate

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Property of the Week Grade II listed barn full of character - Newark Advertiser