Our country retreat

They loved their five star gold guest house Grinkle Lodge and rural living suited them. But when Tim suffered a heart attack four years ago they decided that town was the only sensible option.

“The guest house was a lot of work and we did dinners so there was a lot of cooking plus a two acre garden. We had been thinking about retirement and after Tim’s heart attack we decided to be sensible and live in a town,” says Janette.

They bought a house in Northallerton in 2009, just a short stroll from the high street and close to the GP surgery and the hospital.

“It was nice and so convenient for everything but we couldn’t settle, even though we tried really hard. We missed the garden and we didn’t like the noise. We just had to admit it just wasn’t us,” says Tim.

Within two years they were desperate to escape back to the country, so they sold up and began house hunting.

Keen to be back in the North York Moors, they discovered Key Green Farmhouse, perched on a hill in the Esk Valley, near Egton, it is a glorious location with incredible views.

What also appealed was the self-contained annexe that came with the property, which was perfect visiting children and grandchildren and for holidaymakers.

“We missed the guest house, so a holiday let was perfect. We meet people, tell them about the area and make them a welcome basket. Looking after the let gives us a routine and an interest but it’s not full on like the guest house was,” says Tim

The property didn’t need too much work, though the Bosketts have certainly put their own stamp on it.

Furniture includes some treasured items they have had for many years along with some pieces from sale rooms in Saltburn and eBay.

Their finds have enhanced the character of the farmhouse and the annexe and include various collections. There are china plates and Victorian pot lids on the walls, hat boxes stacked artfully in the spare bedroom, shoe lasts line the stairs and a group of Sylvac vases bring colour to the windowsill.

“We love sale rooms and we can’t resist looking, though we’ve had to curtail the buying a bit because the farmhouse is a lot smaller than our previous properties,” says Janette, who gave the wood furniture in the annexe a coat of cream paint.

The dining room in the main house, meanwhile, was converted into an artist’s studio for Janette. She pursued a long-held passion for painting as a mature student, eventually taking a degree at the Scarborough campus of York University, which she completed in 2000 aged 47.

“I loved art but I had to leave my boarding school after O-levels because my father was very ill and I then went into the civil service so I never had a chance to pursue it,” she says. “Doing the degree was wonderful. I found I liked working with oils and it gave me the confidence to exhibit and sell my work.”

When she had the guest house, the only time she could paint was after 9.30pm and she has stuck to that routine, often staying at her easel until after midnight.

She loves still life and the landscapes of the moors but her work has a surreal twist that makes it different and increasingly collectable. Janette’s paintings feature all round the house and even in the garden. She has transformed what was a breeze block wall, dividing them from their neighbour’s property, into a work of art by painting it white and adding a mural.

“It’s a bit of fun. My tribute to Banksy,” she says.

The garden is largely Tim’s domain. At the back of the house, it is now a beautiful lattice of raised beds and planting for his vegetables. He’s also reclaimed some of the paddock, where he is making an orchard, digging a pond and plans to have chickens.

They are, he admits, a must have if you want to live the good life and there is no doubt that the Bosketts do.

They have no regrets about moving back to the country. “It is,” says Tim “the best move we have ever made”. Although they have to contend with high fuel costs, thanks to the remote spot they live in, they reckon they’re better off financially.

“When we lived in town it was too easy to pop out to the shops and you ended up buying things you didn’t really need,” says Janette. “You can’t do that here.”