Friday, February 25, 2011

Open to View.

I am having such trouble sleeping at the moment!
My mind goes around in high revving circuits continuously.











I am mentally placing our furniture in our new house, my washing on that clothesline in the meadow.



My concrete chook in that garden.




I remain in a holding pattern, in house limbo.

Reflecting on how I will miss this house, but in my mind I am already gone.





I've been looking back on some of my favourite photos. Favourite memories.
Of each season in the garden, the Christmas my brother rode the kid's scooters up the drive way, flat out as fast as you can with a prosthetic leg,
coming home after 7 weeks at Starship after Callum's first kidney transplant. All those homecomings.











All those first flushes of spring.



















Re-decorating as each child left home, as a kind of compensation package for losing them.









All those tea parties.





And all the faeries I may or may not have found at the bottom of the garden.










Things I made with this house in mind.








The start of so many creative processes. The formulating of "Magpie Chic".
Luckily it is all movable, transformable and re-inventable in a Provencal Farm House kind of way.
Our first open home was on the sunniest day in February, so everyone was doing lots of other stuff and not coming to open homes LOL!
We had two people! But we've had quite a few people through during the week. Early days say the Real Estate ladies. I think this is what's keeping me up at nights reading blogs and watching the living channel, trying to avoid watching Christchurch or hearing about it on the radio. It is so awful I just can't even bear to talk about it.
I feel so lucky that my Mum and sister are no longer living there. I feel so lucky to be thinking about houses in such a way, when the people of Christchurch will be thinking about houses in an entirely different way. There's something about the guilt of the survivor about it.
I just feel so lucky.
I am making things again! I'm sneaking round to use the granny's sewing machine and making a mess at her house. Because you can't have a mess in house limbo.
Here at the Magpie House we are always "open to view".





6 comments:

  1. The hair on my arms stood straight up when you mentioned your sister and mom. What if. I have many Kiwi friends--all fortunately North Island--and the thought of any of you going through that just rips my heart.

    I had two toddlers when we sold--I learned about a five minute cleanup which let us live a normal life yet still look presentable when folks came to view.

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  2. awww such a lovely heart felt post, memories in a house are huge but you will take them with you, and the magic is that you will create more lovely memories in your new home and thats were the fun starts again. You do have a truely beautiful garden. Have a lovely weekend, dee x

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  3. Your home looks so beautiful, as I'm sure all of your houses have and will look with your special touches. I'd buy it in a jiffy if I so needed a new one. I really don't enjoy the whole tidy thing that goes with selling. Best of luck with your next open home.

    I have nothing left to say about the Chch disaster. I'm just full of emptiness now.

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  4. We have to keep going here in the north, we need to keep paying taxes, because as strange as it is, keeping going for those of us not directly affected helps...so does donating some money and of course sending warm thoughts and love their way.

    I can see why you will miss your home....but sometimes a change of house is a good thing.

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  5. wonderful touching to the heart post ;0)x
    memories last a life time even if homes dont.
    i have many many dreams of my childhood home, my grand parents home and their gardens- happy thoughts of happy times...wherever you go they follow you- and whereever you settle they stay ;0)xxxx and the same goes with family x
    I love the pictures of your home, your treasures and hand made beautiful things...like a step into a country living mag- beautiful x

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  6. And what a beautiful view it is also .. .. ..
    I wish you all the very best of luck in selling your home which is so much more than just a house - and all of its beautiful memories.
    I've just arrived home from the South Island (my Mum lives just out of Nelson) where there were plenty of Earthquake refugees - Auckland Airport was complete chaos with flights to and from Christchurch arriving . . .

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