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August 28, 2012

"Home is where the heart is."

It's an old familiar phrase, one we all know, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure I agree, or at least my everyday use of the word doesn't seem to agree. When I truly think of "home," I think of my parents' house, where I grew up, the place to me that I think will always be "home." And yet, I often refer to "home" as the place where I'll be lying my head for the evening. When heading back to the B and B last week in Buxton, I would say I was headed "home." Why is that?

The word "home" sounds so much warmer than "house." In fact, there seems to be comfort in the word "home" and perhaps that is why I tend to use it so often, as just the use of the word makes me feel more comfortable.

For the next year, I'll be living in Kelly's home. It is absolutely perfect - it is just the right size, extremely convenient, bright, cozy and the warmth that only a true home can give. Although it is Kelly's home and Kelly's things, I must find a way to make this home for the next year, otherwise, well, I just can't imagine living as if it was someone else's home for a year.

There was something about going away and coming back that in itself made this place feel more like home, it was something to come back to, a place I already felt comfortable in. I'm so glad to be back here, settling in, getting to know the town and making this a true home for me.

One of my first steps was adding a touch of green. I do not have my parents' talents for care taking of plants, but I do enjoy having a little spot of green to call my own - flowers that greet me and show the change of seasons. I went to a store just up the road, which I expected to be like a small nursery, but it was SO much more! It was huge - full of all sorts of treasures, and like I typically do, I had to greatly limit myself in my plant purchases. I bought a few herbs, some pansies, some heather and a rose. My grandmother, who passed away when I was only nine, used to grow roses. She had a true talent for it and a love for those flowers. When I got a place of my own, I wanted to get some roses, although, actual rose bushes intimidated me, so I went with a couple of miniatures. Now, I seem to add to the collection each year! I tried to resist getting a rose here, but I just couldn't help myself. They had a huge selection of beautiful miniatures, so I put my nose to the test to find just the perfect one. I found the perfect, vibrant coral-colored ones, and it was only after I had chosen them that I discovered they were called "Sunseekers." I couldn't have written a better name for them!

There is a dove nesting on the balcony now, and I know that they make a mess, but I must say that I am loving watching them! At home (my parent's house that is!), there are swallows that nest on the porches. They, too, make a mess, but we always enjoy watching as they come in, build nests, take care of their young and then practice flying. The dove, since I've been gone, has made a real nest and seems to be quite settled, warming the eggs that I assume are tucked under her wings. Every now and then, father dove comes by, doing whatever he can to help by bringing small trinkets of twigs to add to the nest. When I arranged the plants, I was a tad nervous that she may get up and choose to fly into the house, but she only watched me intently. I put a pot on the ledge just above her head, and she didn't budge. Maybe she knows I was just trying to add to her home.

Woburn Sands is an absolutely lovely little village, where I have just about everything in walking distance. Today, I walked to the surgery (to register with the doctor) then to the post office, passing the library, grocery store, church, restaurants, pubs, dry cleaners, knitting shop, fish and chips shot, and hardware store in the short walk. What more could I need? Yep, I think this is a place I can call "home," at least for a while!