Thanks for... my home

Barely a month goes by when I don't stop and wonder at the good luck and good timing that brought me my home.

There's nothing palatial about it, obviously, being an ex-local authority flat in Addlestone, but I often wonder what might have been...

When I was pregnant with Thomas I was living in Bromley (in Kent), renting a room from a friend-of-a-friend. We got on well and the flat was a short walk to the station, so an easy commute to my Covent Garden-based job. However, with a baby on the way and life as a single parent ahead of me, I knew I had to move back closer to my parents.

By a happy coincidence, my then hairdresser told me he was selling his flat and would I like to take a look? If I was interested, we could bypass the estate agent and do a deal. The pressure was on for me to like the place, and with only a ten minute viewing I knew it was going to work out. (It's incredible how short a time it took me to make that decision when it usually takes me twice as long to choose a sandwich in Tescos...!) The fact was that I was limited in my options, so unless there was something very wrong with it, I was going to love it.

The price was good, it had just been double-glazed and he was leaving all the kitchen appliances. In addition to that, it's a short walk to the town centre and is on the ground floor - no stairs and some garden - so it was a no-brainer.

The fates continued to look favourably upon me when PT got a new job in Weybridge and would need a place to live when he moved down from North London. He moved in and shared the costs in the difficult first year after Thomas was born. It was an arrangement that suited us both perfectly, and the timing couldn't have been better. (I say it suited us both perfectly, but I'm making an assumption that it suited PT as much as it suited me. Of course, the brand new baby - with all the noise and smells that come with - and my annoying habit of talking all through football matches might mean that PT sees things in a slightly different light...)

Thomas was born on 6th June 1996, and I exchanged contracts on the flat about a week after that. PT started his job on, or about, the 1st July, so we had a couple of weeks to slap on a coat of paint and hang curtains before moving in. It all fell into place rather neatly (ignoring the usual house-buying/birth-giving stresses, of course).

I've never really been one for looking ahead, but back then I suppose I'd have been surprised if you'd told me I'd still be here (and happy to be here) 12 years later (and still with the same curtains!). Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a house. Often I think it would be nice to have parking. But over the years I've never been able to justify the expense and hassle of moving when we've really got everything we need right here. That's not to say I wouldn't be out like a shot if (when) I get my lottery win, but until that happens, the place that has kept me and mine safe and secure when I needed it most will remain the place I call 'home'.

(I just wish my upstairs neighbour didn't own a drum kit...)

Thanks for the... Sky

No, not the satellite TV service, but the big blue thing that keeps all the space stuff from falling on our heads.

At least once a week something will be happening in the sky that makes me stop and look and smile. Today, I had just finished working in the garden when I stood up and looked up to see a cloud formation coloured purple and red by the setting sun. I would have taken a photograph, but I was too busy standing looking at it and smiling...

Clouds are frequently interesting, of course, and so are sunsets. Rainbows are very cool. And a clear blue sky on a crisp Autumn day? Mmmmmm...

Oh, and the moon... A thin sliver of a crescent moon, a bright full moon shining through clouds, a huge, orange harvest moon.

There are so many beautiful and awesome sights in nature, but the sky is always there, wherever you are, whatever you're doing. You can be going about your everyday life and suddenly you are confronted with an amazing spectacle, just like that.

Sunset over the Solent

The evening sky from my back door
Addlestone rainbow

Evening view from Tesco Addlestone

Thanks for the MaryB

Be sure to sing the title of this post - it works best that way...

Over at Shorty PJs, Mary is writing some wonderful posts as a countdown to Thanksgiving. This has inspired me to do something similar - just because we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK doesn't mean I can't be thankful... I may get in the full swing of the thing and give myself a holiday (!) - though I'm never quite sure exactly when Thanksgiving falls - but in the meantime I'll share some of the things that I'm thankful for. I think it's a very worthwhile exercise in these troubled and difficult times (yes, I am talking about Strictly Come Dancing...!).

Wot I did on my hols...

A somewhat belated follow-up to my last post, just to let you know what we did end up doing while Thomas was off school...

We made a carrot cake. It was a slight cheat, because it was a packet mix, but it was yummy and a great team effort (making, as well as eating!).

We had a lovely day at the seaside, though we thought we'd give Southsea a try, rather than our usual Littlehampton. Mistake. The parking was pricey, the amusements were average and the pier was poor, but we did manage to amuse ourselves for a while with our long-saved stash of 2p pieces. Once our coppers were exhausted, our next priority was kite flying. With the tide high, the beach at Southsea was unsuitable so we set off in search for a big open space. There wasn't a lot of wind, but we knew that if we found an exposed spot, the sea breezes would see us alright. Selsey Bill fitted the, err, bill... perfectly, with the added bonus of a nice pub lunch! Kite flying on the beach as the sun sets. Honestly - is there anything better than that?


We washed my car. I did the soapy, spongey bit. Thomas did the hosepipe, rinsing, getting very wet bit. He left me to do the (less wet, therefore less fun) window-cleaning and vacuuming bit, but I won't be holding that against him.

We had a lazing around day, during which Thomas played computer games and I watched inane TV, and we both stayed in our pajamas the whole day. Well, you've got to sometimes, don't you?

We had a Hallowe'en of cookie baking and pumpkin carving. Thomas cut the cookies into spiders, headless men and, um, daleks ("Well," he said, "you were scared of them when you were a kid!" Fair point...). Our good friend Sorcha came over to join in with the creative fun, and we all did a pretty outstanding job of pumpkin-carving, even if I do say so myself. We then had guests over in the evening to round off a pretty lovely week. Baked potatoes and apple crumble (not together). Yum!



So, all in all, a pretty relaxed and satisfying week, for us both. And the car's still quite clean!