It’s so good to be home, even though Mischa has left a hole in our hearts and a huge vacuum in our house. It feels so empty without her. Phee has his moments where he revels in being the spoilt only child again but he is as lost as we are without her to talk to, play with, explore and wrestle with.
The upholsterer came and took away my long white (not so any more!) crewel work couch to fit for loose covers which will match the newly upholstered chairs and suddenly this house is really beginning to look and feel like a family home.
I have been in the Port Macquarie paper pitching my ‘no roads, no rates’ campaign to get the council to fulfil their obligation to our rural roads. Since the big floods they are rocky roads (literally) and our poor cars are taking a pounding. Other than that, just working my way through the mountain of washing we created while we were away and revelling in the warm winter sunshine. The snowdrops are out, and we are planting lavendar and fruit trees and I am planning my round vegetable garden. I envisage it like a Trivial Pursuit quiche with triangular beds with an apple tree at its heart. We have planted raspberry and blackcurrant canes and have clematis and fuschia still to go in, plus all the big shade and colour trees for the farm. Ged is still clearing his old shed, though, so I have to grab him in moments at the end and start of the weekend days, and, of course, the rest of the time he is out earning our daily bread.
I am really slowing down these days and the tiredness can be overwhelming. Saturday was a vile windy wintry day so I stayed at home and rested up. Sunday was warmer but I still spent most of the day cleaning the house. I have finished the window in my pantry and put the curtains back up so I spring cleaned in there. The nesting process is well underway! And its funny how much I just love being at home and have no desire to go elsewhere . . . putting down roots finally, planting trees and looking forward to watching our little acorn grow . . . .
