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.

Dear HB...

I finally cancelled my Home Beautiful subscription yesterday, I had been meaning to do it for a while.  As I flipped through the latest issue at lunch I stopped at the reader letters, and thought I should write a letter to the editor.  I know this letter will never be published so I felt posting it on my blog was appropriate. 

Dear HB,

I just wanted to say that I have cancelled my subscription to your magazine.  I first met you when my Husband and I found ourselves building our new home.  I was seduced by your cover and impressed with your content.  I subscribed that month, knowing that this magazine would fill me with inspiration.  As the issues went by I would flip through the pages and wonder what exactly was different from the last issue.  Don't get me wrong, with each issue I would find something in there to be excited about.  I would think, "Yes, I can see that working in our new home" and I would look down the bottom for the price and think, "Actually, no, I do not have $5,000 to dish out on an armchair that can only be used by one person at a time and as nice as it is, I need to be practical". 

And then of course, the Real 'Homes' section,  month after month, a token house from Sydney, always, and then Melbourne, Queensland and now you do at least one house from overseas.  Always, these homes would be with a late 30s early 40s woman with her kids in the background talking about just how fabulous the expensive cushion was on the expensive couch, which is fine when your Husband is earning $100,00 plus, which he must have been because these stories were always something like: Who lives here?  Angela, an interior designer/stay at home mum/executive and her Husband John, CEO/CFO/Director and their two children, Chloe and Maxwell. 

In the end, HB, it's not you, it's me, for I am simply not your target market.  I do not have white walls, and we don't have space for a butler's pantry, nor is our yard big enough for the token swimming pool with the outdoor kitchen/lounge.  I don't want to fill my house with things from a magazine and end up with a cookie cutter house.  I want to fill my home with pieces that tell a story.  I want to walk around and smile at everything, at the memories and I want people to walk into my home and feel instantly at ease, to feel free to relax and be themselves, and to admire our uniqueness and smile at me and say "Where did you get that?" And I will not respond with this designer or that, I will respond and share with them the intimate details of exactly how we obtained this unique, one of a kind item.  Home Beautiful, it's over.

Linking in with Jacana for Totally Thursday 

Cold People

There has been a bit of a heatwave going on around here lately, although it is difficult for me to know.  I wake up and turn the a/c on, get into my car and turn the a/c on and when I get to work (and park underneath the building) the a/c is also on.  Then after work back into the car and then home.  When clients come in and tell me how hot it is I smile, hoping it conveys the message that I can relate, when really I have no idea.

Hubby and I are cold people.  We love the cold, Autumn and Winter are our seasons, we prefer to dress in many layers that to wear a single cotton layer for the day.  I have friends that are hot people, they are loving it right now, on the weekends they are out at the beach or at the lake on the boat, they are in their element in this heat wave.  For Hubby and I, this weekend was our second weekend in a row where we stayed indoors.  We did pop out briefly for the required Vitamin D hit and fresh air, but most of the time was spent inside with the a/c on, nesting, cooking, cleaning, reading, relaxing and napping.  This is what we do.

But as soon as the air changes in late March/early April that is when we come out of hibernation.  I love getting up at the crack of dawn in those months and opening the front door and letting in all the fresh, cold air.  I LOVE the chill in the air, the crispness of it hitting me in the face.  I love to layer myself in wool and more wool.  I love to be out and about doing stuff, yes we are that couple in the coffee shop sitting outside in the morning air while the hot people cling to their hot coffees inside around the heater as if they had hypothermia.  We go out every weekend, to the beach, the lake, country day trips filled with wine tasting or antique hunting, we are in our element.  Oh how I long for those days.  

For now and the rest of summer we are retreating inside.  We are working on the house, quietly, and talking about our dreams and the future.  This weekend we have found ourselves nesting and making lists on what we want to do on the house for the rest of the summer and using this time the best we can because when the air changes it will then be time for us to step out and thrive.

Reflections

Hubby and I started 2012 with only 2 goals set for the year.  The first was to move into the house that was 2 years in the making and the second was to get married.  We knew that both these goals would be achieved in the first half of the year, but did not want to set any goals for the second half of the year because we felt we just wouldn't have anything left in us after those two goals.  We were right.  In fact it has only been in the last month or so that I have started to feel the urge to set some more goals and start achieving again.

A month before our wedding we moved into our first house.  It was just over two years from when we paid the initial deposit on the land and the journey to that point was a tough one, and a huge learning experience.  I love our house and I love that in the end we got there.  People ask if we would do it again.  The answer is No.  If we could go back we wouldn't have taken this path, but that does not mean we regret it, we have no regrets.  I still walk around our house, knowing I am free to hang up a picture and change the paint colour and I feel I am in dream.  Sometimes it doesn't seem real and I have to pinch myself.  Hubby and I worked hard for this and it was worth it.  We are both so fortunate to live here and to live in our beautiful house.

Then there was the wedding.  It was an intimate affair, we ran away to the country, 6 hours from home, rented out a 100 year old Summer House and eloped.  We did invite our parents and siblings and Hubby's godparents, and they were our only guests.  We were married in a little white country church and the bell was rung by my brother after the ceremony.  We were driven around in a 1950's Jag for our photos before our late lunch reception in the Great Hall of the Summer House.  It was autumn, both fireplaces were roaring and all 10 of us sat around one table in front of the fire.  There were tears of joy, smiles and lots of laughter.  After the photographer left we all changed into more relaxing clothing and chatted by the fire.  Hubby and I finally had a chance to be alone and we sat in our spa for half an hour talking about the day.  Finally, we were Husband and Wife.  We then joined our families for a light supper of home made soup where the night was spent eating, drinking and singing.  The next day our families left and we had a day to relax before embarking on a month long road trip Honeymoon.

The second half of the year has been spent working on our house and settling into married life.  For the first time in our relationship we had the chance to just Be.  2012 has been the best year of my life and it will always be a special year for us.  I look back on this year with so many happy memories and I can only look back and smile.

Lessons Learned

I hope Santa was good to you.  He was good to me, although apparently one particular gift which Santa thought best to send registered post did not make it on time, but that just means another surprise later on this week.  Santa did give me the entire DVD collection of McLeod's Daughters, very Rural Dreaming indeed.  

And did you have a good Christmas Day?  Ours was interesting.  It was our first ever Christmas that we had in our new place and was a VERY good trial run for next year when both families will be coming over.  It was Hubby and I and his parents.  We made Buttermilk Pancakes for breakfast which worked out really well.  I then spent over 3 hours slaving away getting lunch ready in the kitchen.  I was so prepared, I had the recipes and every single ingredient ready to go and I followed it all to The T.  By 2:30pm people were getting hungry and I still wasn't happy with the lamb.  But I took it out and hoped the veggies would start to crisp up soon.  I didn't want to serve this any later than 3pm (at the start of the day I had planned for 1pm).  Hubby was in the kitchen trying to help me and it was at this time as we were trying our best to put a bodged up meal together he pointed out to me that the oven was set to grill, not oven.  I laughed, I had to, I was just over it.

Lunch was served and everyone raved about the potato bake.  That turned out great as I squeezed it onto the top shelf of the oven so that was cooked really well on the grill setting.  As for the veggies, they were cooked but not crispy and the lamb, well it was a little pink and my MIL has a thing about pink meat, if it isn't leather she won't touch it.  They were very polite and told me that the flavours were all there, which is a nice way of saying, "You tried and failed".  I redeemed myself with dessert, it was a store bought pudding but I made home made custard and I made it fresh as the pudding was cooking.  MIL told me I should have just bought custard from the shops and my FIL told me the custard wasn't ready as it wasn't thick enough.  I told them I was making it from scratch, so my FIL told me to add more custard powder.  I gave him a funny look and asked what was custard powder.  Skeptical as they were once they had a mouthful they swore they could never go back to store bought custard again.

So, at the end of the day, what did I learn from all this:

1) Perhaps Hubby and I should have a quite one next year with just the two of us (maybe three he joked - not funny).

2) When a recipe says to put the oven onto 170, check the oven is on the correct setting before moving onto step 2 of the recipe.

3) Find a better gravy recipe, red wine makes it purple.

4) When you are in the kitchen all day and your guests say that you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble (little late now isn't it?) and that you should have just bought everything from the shops and reheated it and that next year just have everyone bring a dish, take a deep breathe, walk away for a minute and remember that it is not personal, it is not about you.  It is not a criticism.

5) Seriously re-think next years plan that a merge of the two families means a merge of "Foodies" vs "Just add more custard powder" and exactly how will I manage that.

Goodbye

It's not personal, it's just that we like our privacy.  And with the slope of the land it does make things a little difficult.  I mean, admit it, I have seen you a few times sticking your head through the blinds of your daughter's bedroom window to have a little 'sticky' and next door to you the kids have also pulled themselves up to peer over the fence at our boys.  Besides, it is 2012 and we just haven't officially met, apparently people don't meet and greet their neighbours anymore, so really it was time.  We are having a big Christmas next year and the deck will be done so a little privacy would be nice, and in 12 months time our little hedge should be at least 2 metres, it also means we can open up our blinds and not have to stare at an ugly, bare Colorbond fence. 

Of course this is a work in progress, we have done what we can for now and will continue again in January when we sort the drainage out.  But I am happy that I can walk outside and see a little bit of green along the fence.  I will be honest with you, I went for practicality.  In a perfect world I would love a hedge of rich pink and white camellias.  But in a perfect world we would be on acreage and wouldn't even be able to see your rooftop, let alone hear your conversations (and what about your daughter's recent interest in R'n'B?  If we can hear it, maybe it is a little too loud for her).  

It is not your fault.  We wanted to move onto acreage, but with land prices these days, well, we had a choice, a unit in Sydney or a house up here with a little slither of yard, we chose the latter.  A little bit of green is better that none.  And lets face it.  We are not here forever, maybe 5 years, 6 at the most, and perhaps then you would have gone.  But I digress, we wanted privacy, so we choose a fast growing hedge, up to 2 metres in 12 months!  Thick and dense and it can grow up to 6 metres overall.  It is a native as well and can tolerate both full sun and part shade.  What's that?  You want the details to protect yourself from your other neighbours?  Sure, it is a variety of Lilly Pilly - Acmena Smithii "Goodbye Neighbours", subtle I know.

Theft

One of my biggest fears is the house getting broken into.  I do not fear losing our belongings.  It is the fear that a total stranger would walk into our private sanctuary, touch our things and learn so much about us, our likes, our family, our history, our future.  It is the complete invasion of privacy that I fear.   Having a no good person knowing me and my family so intimately.  It scares me.

When the house next door was near it's build completion, the hot water heater was stolen.  A week later, the day after the turf was laid, someone/s came along, rolled the turf up and nicked it too.  When we laid the turf Hubby was up ever hour checking on it.  It was fine.  The house next door was built by a very dodgy builder who had made a lot of ex employees very unhappy.  We knew it wasn't the area, it was a personal attack.

In fact this is a good area.  There are no graffiti hash tags lining the fences.  Never reports of drive by shootings.  It is a heavy family area, with kids everywhere, kids with responsible parents.  We felt safe buying the land and have felt safe since we moved in.

I kissed Hubby goodbye this morning and in under a minute he walked back in.

"You will never believe this."

"What"

"Someone has stolen our recycling bin."

Sure enough in the space of under 9 hours, the bin was gone.  Hubby even drove up and down the street making sure council hadn't driven off with it by mistake.  But it was gone.  Whoever did this had some balls.  The bin sits under a very bright street light, and you cannot smuggle it under your jacket.  He would have had to walk along the street or footpath with it.  He obviously knew what he was doing because he made sure he was very quiet about it.  I just hope he was stupid enough to leave our stickers on it so we can go hunting for it in a fortnight.  I also hope he took it in the middle of the night when it was full of rubbish.  

I am grateful it was just a bin.  I am also grateful that I make a huge effort to shred everything with our name, address, personal details and to put all that info in the safety bin at work.  I hope he enjoys having to deal with smelly milk bottles, broken wine bottles, numerous catalogues and clunky cardboard.

It is just so random.  I do not know how I feel about it.  I think I am still in shock, I mean really, who steals a bin?  Now I need to call council and arrange another one, and this one is getting spray painted hot pink so if it does get taken again they wouldn't be able to put it out on the kerb.  The only thing that I am thinking about now is that maybe we need to get off the Pug baby list and get onto the German Shepard baby list.  Maybe 

Alone Again

And by alone I mean, us locals.  The holiday crowd has finally gone home and we have our shops, beaches and lakes back to ourselves to enjoy with much more space than we have had for the last two months.  

I don't mind these people, mainly Sydneysiders coming up and enjoying the place, but they bring their Sydney attitudes with them.  The road rage and the line pushing and the blatant disregard for the existence of other people.  After 18 months surely I can call myself a local now and join in with the born and bred locals in their observations.  Living here for so long I have managed to loose so much of my Sydney attitude and embraced a much more relaxed lifestyle.  You cannot help it here, it is in the air.  That and you have to adapt or the locals with cut you off, they can only tolerate the city rudeness for so long.

The street is quiet and the lake is empty.  There are school children in uniform playing in the park.  Retirees sitting out the front of their houses, cold (after dinner) drink in hand.  A motorbike rumbles in the distance and the warm breeze shifts in the trees.  This is home, just the way I like it.