Another beautiful weekend.
Jamie's been bricklaying for the first time ever - I told him I could channel my late bricklaying Yorkshire grandfather, but somehow he didn't think I could pull it off.
I guess he's right.
The space he's been bricklaying is the gap from removing a door, and I'll update more on this project next week.
But for now I'm reaching for metaphor - brick by brick, we've finally landed home.
It feels like a circuitous route - from coast to the UK, to many countries, and then to the hinterland, and back to the coast again. I'll never leave again. I've talked about my heart being stitched here with kelp and as I write this, my hair is salty from the second swim of the day.
I even surfed yesterday - those that know I've had hip issues will be happy for me I imagine. It was small and kinda slow so I had control enough to pop up on the board. To say I was grinning like a mad mermaid is an understatement.
We're constantly saying how lucky we are - and in some ways, it is luck - lucky that we bought at the right time twenty years ago and our acreage went up in value so we could do pretty much a direct swap for a small place on the coast. Lucky that our marriage is strong enough to withstand the stress it took to sell one place and buy another.
But it's also hard work. All those years teaching to pay off the mortgage. All that work on our marriage so that it could weather the storms. All those rooms painted, paths gravelled, floors sanded. So many screws and sheets of plywood, rocks carried, garden beds dug.
I don't think our old house would have sold for anywhere near the amount it did if we hadn't worked on the garden and the house as hard as we did.
And I don't even think this new place would be as lovely as it is if we hadn't worked so hard to renovate it.
Of course, it's a work in progress. There's still a hole in the wall.
But on we go, brick by brick. Supporting each other. Dreaming together. Getting shit done together.
How lucky we are.
This post is in response to the Weekend Experiences question: what have you had to work hard for and eventually achieved? Explain what it was and how you did it.
With Love,
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Yay for getting on a surfboard! I hope that means the hip is vastly improved and continues on that route?
It's still pretty sore - I'm not convinced the injection did much, but I was pretty stoked to be able to get up. I thought i'd just slide along on my gut - which I did - but then the next wave I just thought ah fuck it, let's go! Jamie was very suprised. I'm sore today but if I'm better tomorrow that'll be a good thing. I can't recall the last time i was without hip pain!
Chronic pain sucks! Hope you're better tomorrow :D
Surfing in the rain? If you have not had any yet it looks like we are bringing it from South Australia.
Bloody SA always sends the weather... I love surfing in the rain. You get wet though
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My heart is filled with joy this morning hearing this. So happy for you that you were able to jump on your board.
Tell Jamie that looks like some professional brick laying. I am not kidding.
So happy for you all to be in a home you love and really want to live in.
Big hugs to you both.
I was actually suprised he did so well. I've never forgotten the terrible job he did of tiling years ago. But he's more careful and less cocky these days - so he goes in armed with more knowledge than bravado and it turns out way better. Thanks for your happiness vote - honestly I can't explain how super chuffed we are.
I think that just comes with age and experience.
Good for you weathering those years of marriage and improving the old home and garden. It paid off! Now the new house in coming along as well, even if there is still a hole in the wall to be fixed! That's a lot of work to do, and as we age it isn't as easy as it once was back when we we were young and stupid. Little by little it sounds like you are getting there!
I keep considering selling the house and moving out of California, it's just too expensive here these days. One of these days I just need to pull the trigger and find someplace else warm to move to, maybe Florida...
It's definitely hard to move but dammit once you get there it's heavenly. I didn't even realize it would be better even than I imagined!!! Honestly chuffed to pieces. I hope you can manage it.
We are trying to get as much done as we can so poor Jimbo can have a rest or at least do the tinkering he WANTS to do, and cycling etc. Still, being where we are, we get to take breaks whenwver we like at the beach! Like last night, low tide, swimming in a big natural pool to ease the aching muscles. So good.
The old house swap! Did that two years ago. Wouldn't be in this house now, if it weren't for the other house. 48 years, it grew in value. Then my daughter's sweat to make it saleable. She added a fifth of the value of the house by making modifications.
Your house is beautiful. How close to the coast are you? We could only get within two miles, because of flood zones mostly. Anything close to the water that wasn't in a flood zone was more than $1,000,000.
I'm impressed with the bricklaying. Very neat! That will definitely hold up.
1.4 kilometres!!! Lucky we have big cliffs in between so that's not a problem - our insurance isn't too bad at the moment but we're more in a fire zone than floods. It's always something!
Awesome that your daughter helped out to make it saleable. It seems most people don't sell up because packing up and tidying up is just an insurmountable task! Especially as you get older.
I wouldn't say the outside of our house is beautiful - shitty brown '80's brick veneer - but it's surrounded by bush and i can hear the waves at night, the garden has a ton of potential, there's tons of wildlife and two huge gums in the front garden, a big shed, and did I say we live a kilometre from the sea? The inside is also coming up nicely with our administrations. If nothing else, we are good home makers :)
The cliffs/beach - https://www.google.com/search?q=angelsea+cliffs&rlz=1C1GCEA_enAU1148AU1151&oq=angelsea+cliffs&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIOCAEQABgKGAsYsQMYgAQyEQgCEC4YChgLGK8BGMcBGIAEMg4IAxAAGAoYCxixAxiABDILCAQQABgKGAsYgAQyCwgFEAAYChgLGIAEMhEIBhAuGAoYCxivARjHARiABDILCAcQLhgKGAsYgAQyCwgIEAAYChgLGIAEMhQICRAuGAoYCxivARjHARiABBiYBdIBCDMyMjRqMGo5qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D,ik:CAoSF0NJSE0wb2dLRUlDQWdJQ0UyTHpwMFFF