It's Finally Arrived

I have been waiting 9 months for this moment and I feel about a week ago it arrived.  The shift into Autumn finally came about in our little part of the world.  The weekend was wonderful with lots of light drizzly rain, and as I lay back onto our couch with the window open, a crisp breeze floated through and ran across me.  The air was so fresh and cool and alerted me to the fact that we were now truly in Autumn, my favourite time of year.  I almost cried I felt so good. 

This time of year is truly magical.  The light is different, it is softer and in the afternoon everything lights up with a glow, a gentle warm radiation without the harshness of the Summer sun.  There is nothing better than being outside on a Sunny day basking in the warmth of the sun with a light cool breeze occasionally meandering around, that makes you snuggle into your clothes just a little bit more.  

Ah! the snuggling.  Lazy days inside, cuddled up in blankets and devouring good books with a sneaky glass of full bodied red wine in the other hand. And if you are so fortunate, the crackling of an open fire provides perfect background noise. 

For me the most enchanting thing about this time of year is that it takes me back to our wedding.  A perfect Autumn day followed by a late lunch in front of an open fire.  Which of course is the best way to spend these Autumnal Days.  We married in the country.  A place that feels like home everytime we visit.  We always ended up in this country town in the Autumn and one time as we were driving through admiring the red, gold and brown leaves on the trees, I made the suggestion that perhaps we should get married there.  Hubby was sold on the idea once we checked out a 100 year old Guesthouse, we knew we didn't need to look any further.  

While this season has a special place in our hearts, so does that country town.  It feels like home because one day it will be.  It is the only place I have ever been that just feels right deep down.  The one place that makes me think, yes, I could stay here for the rest of my life.  And this season brings back all those wonderful memories, and as I find myself reaching for another layer of clothing, I start to dream about our future and wondering what other wonderful memories are yet to be created.

Home

It's already been two years in our home and the time seems to have passed so quickly.  I remember moving in and how much of a mess the place was after all of our stuff was brought in and sitting in a massive pile in one room.  And when we moved in we didn't have a driveway or even a blade of grass.  It has been raining and the whole yard, front, back and side was just a giant mud pit thanks to the high clay soil type of our land.  A few weeks later once the driveway was poured we had to continue parking in the street due to excess crap filling up the garage.  We did manage to get one car into the garage before the wedding.  Fortunately for us we had two weeks after the honeymoon before going back to work that allowed us to really work on the place and deal with all our stuff we had collected for so long for this very moment.

The last 12 months has all been about making this place a home and even though there is still a long list of things to do and now that we are settled and have been here two years, maintenance on the place has suddenly become something to do, I do feel that this place is home.  When I walk in the door now it feels like home.  It has that enveloping feel to it that this is a place of rest.  It truly is our sanctuary from the world, a place we can escape to.  We can turn the phone off, disable the doorbell and just be in our little oasis.  

The most pleasure I get from our home is on Saturday mornings.  Hubby loves to sleep in and I love to get up early.  Really early at dawn.  I make a coffee and sit in the lounge, open up the curtains, let the fresh morning air in and sit down and read.  The house is so quiet and the whole neighbourhood is quiet, I hardly even hear any traffic.  That moment for me each weekend is total bliss.  It is my perfect serenity and the moment where I feel the most relaxed for the week.

I do struggle sometimes, because deep down I know that this is not my forever home, this is just my home for now, and for the next few years.  I try to appreciate it knowing we won't always be here and remind myself to live in the present and embrace the present.  And I do embrace this home we have created, our sanctuary, our retreat and I look forward to the next 12 months as we continue to work on this place and increase this wonderful feeling of home.