Gosh! Someone I know has been left a £400K property by a little old lady because....

[NormaSnorks]

...she used to walk her dogs for her!

Turns out that the old dear didn't have any family, so left a few lump sums to a couple of friends and the RSPCA, and left the house to this mum I know from school!
They were just friendly neighbours, but when the lady wasn't too well, this mum used to take the dogs out, and also do bits and pieces of shopping I think.

What a lovely story.....

no, no, I'm not at all, honest.....

(Norma wanders off to make list of local pensioners with dogs and no family....)

My DH was left his great aunt's house - nothing spectacular but in a chi chi part of London. It had to be sold to pay for her care home, where, I have to say, they were fantastic and she was really well looked after.
Weird as it seems, it was almost a relief not to have to deal with an inheritance when she died - the thought of the ructions when the rest of his hideous family found out they were getting nothing...
As it was, there was a wee bit left over and DH got something in the end he's put away for retirement as he was crap at organising finances before this. I felt really proud of him the other day (that's not something I often say these days) when a friend of his aunt's said another in the street (also old lady's house) had just gone for £1.1 million.. He didn't seem bitter at all. Money's not everything (and I can say that with £1.20 to my name at the mo!).