I had a few doubts about a commission to paint Jofie's Cottage, mainly because of the scant directions. It is situated at the most northerly point in Ireland on the tip on the Fanad peninsula. The directions were simply, it's the only one with a thatched conservatory, and you can't miss it. This part of Donegal is littered with beautifully preserved holiday homes interspersed with run down buildings awaiting restoration or replacement. The replacements are invariably the large modern buildings, which now characterise the area as much as remote groups of cottages did in the past. The thatched roofs of the Mourne cottages have long since been recovered with welsh slates, and a great number have also been replaced. A landscape constantly changes and in time new buildings start to help redefine its character. My own house has a red roof, which may appal traditionalists, but over time it has become associated with the house and directions are given simply as the house with the red roof. What belongs and what does not is a matter the current generation can't easily decide. I can't see modern mansions remaining popular, like the big houses of the past they require a lot of money and hard work to sustain them, hopefully the next generation will escape the endless decoration and pacing the aisles of DIY and furniture stores. The most notable houses in a region are not usually the biggest but the ones that simply complement their surroundings and look like they belong. As family numbers reduce and more houses have a single occupant, perhaps small high quality homes will prevail, blending in with the landscape, utilising the local materials and craftsmanship that would be prohibitively expensive in a larger building. Whitewashed stone walls, natural slate, nestled in a clump of native trees, picturesque and practical, pleasing the traveller and occupier alike.