Week 32 - Home

Sometimes I just don't know what possesses me when I choose our topics. In theory, HOME sounded great and I thought it would allow Linda-Maree to show off some of the changes currently taking place in hers. BUT, the problem with HOME is that is has emotion and memories tied in with it - it's not just an object, so it is difficult to capture the 'right' image.

Linda-Maree's picture first.......as she says " 'Home is where the heart is', even when that home is covered in so much dust you can write the message in the dust! "

I wasn't happy with any of the pictures I took this week, so I went looking through old pictures that captured HOME for me. One thing that struck me is that we have always had pets, and that my fondest memories in any of our houses (and we have moved around quite a bit) have involved the animals.

So, here is Bruto, who sadly passed last year, waiting by the front door.

We bought our house last year - the 5th house we've lived in here in the UK (I did say we'd moved around a bit!). It was unexpected as we didn't think the bank would say yes, and we were thrilled by the prospect of putting some TLC back into a house that had been somewhat neglected for a number of years. The first day we moved in, however, I burst into tears and thought 'what have we done' because the extent of TLC needed was much greater than initially anticipated!

As an example, you couldn't see the sides of the house because the weeds were shoulder-high (you think I'm kidding!). We found seven years worth of rubbish and toys and all sorts within those weeds...it was quite horrendous!

This was actually the better side......we discovered a shed behind the weeds on the other side of the house!

In the last year we have slowly done bits and pieces inside the house, some purely cosmetic, others quite extensive.

This is the before and after of Trev's parents room (two bedrooms, which have now become a bedroom leading onto a small lounge). Trev did the work himself......I was well-chuffed with my handy-man!

Trev did a similar thing with our bedroom, which involved blocking off a door in order to create a walk-in cupboard (for linen etc), and creating an arch-way so that the bedroom opens into a dressing room (and part-study) for me.

The pictures really don't do all the work justice.

The theme this week has made me think about how much work we have put into our HOME, and makes me very proud of what we have managed to achieve, even if it's not as much as we wanted to.

For me, it really is HOME.