1000 Fields of Roses

The days are sliding into winter, in fits and starts.
Mornings have been freezing, but I’ve got the fan on now (with my feet under the duvet…)
This last week or two we’ve been not too well. Not sure why – probably some seasonal virus – but we’ve only been lurching about when we needed to. The boys had most of this week off work, and my Babe went in to uni when it was unavoidable. Otherwise, there was a lot of resting going on!
I did my cleaning last week, but had to stop and rest from time to time. Today I have been feeling better, and have had an exciting day. I did my cleaning (vacuuming, mopping, toilet and basins), put a wash on, did the dishes and unpacked some of my trinkets into my new glass display cases!

If you had told younger me that I would be so happy about doing housework, young me would not have believed you 😆
It’s the “doing OK” feeling that’s a novelty. I do also like things to be clean…

I feel I’ve been enjoying the house more, as well. I leave our door onto the verandah open all day to let the air in, but I like to go out onto the verandah when it’s dark, before I close the door for the night. I just lean on the balustrade and spend some time surveying my domain 😀
A couple of days ago I settled into the big armchair in the lounge, to read and have my lunch. Eventually I decided to drag the chair to the doorway and let my feet get some sunlight.

I enjoyed the warmth, and my feet were happy.

The various bushes around the house are a riot of colour at the moment, from this Geisha Girl shrub,

to the various coloured bougainvillea.

My feet are happy.
So is the rest of me!

😆
We got our sofa earlier this week, so the lounge room is now comfortable for when people come for a visit.
Still problems with the internet, and no word on whether we can stay after the lease is up.
I still feel a sense of belonging here, though. I’ve sorted out a corner on the top verandah, where I can sit with coffee and a book. We just got a couple of coffee tables this morning, and I’m getting into a rhythm of cleaning, washing, and dishwashing.
Here’s the new sofa.

The sun shines through in the afternoon, turning the room into a sort of Australian version of a Dutch interior painting.

Fancy a cuppa?
We are…at home!
🙂

I’m enjoying the change to Autumny-Winter.
There’s something about this time of year, when the air is fresh and approaching cold, and there’s a breath of ages past if you stop to feel it. It could be that I’m feeling that a bit more this year, since this house carries with it a history that I don’t yet know. This week I’ll settle for a peaceful coffee and a book on the front verandah…

We still don’t know what’s happening after our lease ends. Our internet is still out – I’m using a temporary dongle/modem (choose your preferred name 😆 ) at the moment, which we’ve been given as a temporary fix. It works, but only if we all sit around it in the same room. Otherwise there’s no signal.
I have decided to enjoy the time we know we have here, and extend that enjoyment through to any extra time we get 🙂
Unpacking and organising was stopped for a bit while we tried to find out our status, but we’ve started to get furniture again. I’ve finally sorted out the plants.

Let’s see how many survive 😆

We’ve finally got a lounge chair…

…and a sofa will be added to it when we pick it up on Tuesday.

I treated myself to a cute ceramic bunny.

He serves no purpose, except to bring me joy 🙂

I have found that I’m starting to feel better since the move. I did my part of the cleaning today – not an amazing achievement for most, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time getting less and less able to do the easiest things. I even enjoyed washing the dishes!
We’re getting used to the clothes washing schedules – with four adults in the house, we have to have assigned days.
One of my chairs has its own decorative cover.

…but that’s only because it’s a hand wash item, and I keep forgetting to wash it!

We’ve sailed through our first inspection, and we’re getting used to the weird bits of the house.
As the cold air intensifies over the next few months, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to get clarity about our place here.
And to learn to enjoy the serendipities – whether big or small.
Like a bougainvillea flower, brought in on a windy day, gracing our old floor tiles with a splash of colour.

❤

Well, we’re in.
There’s still boxes everywhere, and spaces are still a bit alien (I seem to be doing continual circuits trying to figure out the kitchen…).
Feels like home 🙂

We finalised the cleaning on the old place, and handed in the keys. Most of the places we’ve lived in before now have been a bit hard for me to part with – I tend to get attached, at least a bit. This time, I didn’t really feel much when we left, which is strange as it’s probably the place we’ve lived the longest.
Our priorities for the first day here involved sorting out a food/drink station, and making up the beds.

We were all ready to sleep after everything was finally moved in.

The view from the bed – afternoon light, and possibilities.

Of course, I’ve sorted out some of my books by now 😀

We only have a six month lease here, but are hoping to renew when it comes to it…
This place has felt like our house since we first viewed it.
Now we have to continue to shape it into our home!