The time is gradually drawing closer for us to move into our new home, and the excitement is building.
The painter has been hard at work inside, and once that’s done we will begin the process of shifting in!
While there is much to look forward to at the new place, I must confess there are a few features of our current home which I’m quite sad about leaving:
1 – Our walk in wardrobe
It might be only small, as walk in wardrobes go, but my Bear is a bit of a handyman. A few years ago he did a wardrobe reno, and customised the space precisely to our needs.
We were able to fit a lot more in once he added a double row of hanging space, and he even managed to create a fold out ironing station – perfect for giving something a quick press before wearing it! (I rarely iron – it’s usually just hubby’s business shirts that need ironing).
2 – My jewellery cabinet
For my 50th birthday, hubster gave me a mirrored jewellery cabinet, which he promptly installed in our walk in robe.
That means it’s now part of the house, so I will have to leave it behind. He’s already promised me a new one when we shift but I’m not holding my breath!
3 – The kitty chiller
This is what we call our cat patio; it was christened the “Kitty Chiller” back when the last Olympic Games were on, after the first female Australian chef de mission. Her name created much mirth and amusement in our household! It’s an undercover patio which we have enclosed with shadecloth, and is perfect for kitties wanting to bask in the sun. A kitty chiller is essential in our books so again, we’ll need to do something about a cat patio at the new house quick smart, but it’s still sad to leave this one behind.
4 – My beautiful laundry
The laundry renovation is another example of my Bear’s awesome handyman skills. He transformed a boring room with a washing machine, into a modern kitchenette/laundry, with cabinetry and even a bar fridge. He hopes to do something similar at the new place, but once again … it could be a while.
5 – Our backyard
It was the great backyard saga – we spent years fighting with the local authorities over filling our backyard – we even had to remove all the soil at one stage, only to be permitted to put it back in again after about three years of angst!
These days it’s a lovely lawned area with a south easterly aspect, which means it’s shady at just the right times of the day, and it’s also home to my vege patch. We began the backyard project about five years ago with the intention of selling and moving into something bigger once it was done, but it’s only now that it’s actually happening!
Our new backyard has the same aspect, and is twice as big 🙂 – it needs a bit of work, but I’m sure we’ll have a gorgeous outdoor space in the not-too-distant future.
6 – The pendant light fitting in the dining room
It might seem like no big deal but I’m rather proud of this decorator touch, which set us back all of $10 from the local tip shop, but I love it and will be sad to leave it behind.
7 – The double door pantry
Not long after we moved in, we installed a big double door pantry. The new house has a much smaller pantry so I think I’m going to miss all that space.
On the upside? We can replace or recreate most of these in the new house – it will just take some time. I’m sure it will be worth all the stress that comes with moving house!
And it has to be said, there are a few things I’m quite happy to be saying farewell to! These include the shiny white floor tiles which show every crumb or speck of dirt; ditto for the shiny laminate kitchen counters, which scratch so easily; and the lack of a proper entry space.
All in all, we’ve had nine happy years here – the first year as tenants, before buying it ourselves.
I wonder how long we will be in the new home for?
How long have you been in your current home?!
There’s always things we miss when we move Janet – I hadn’t given it much thought, but there are things we talk about occasionally that our last house had – the beautiful lap pool we put in, the 2 acres of land we were on, the 2 storey glass wall in the back of our house. But, even though we don’t have them, I wouldn’t swap what we have now – and I know you feel the same way.
We are now in the new house, and I am missing all of the above for sure. But do you what I am missing most of all? Furniture!!!! As most of ours is still in the old house while it’s on the market, for “styling” purposes!
I enjoyed this post Janet. Thankfully, a lot of what you have in your existing house can hopefully be redone in the new house. I can’t wait to read what you do in the new house. You will make your new home ‘home’ with your own touches over time.
It’s made me realise just how much we had modified it to our needs … part of me is wondering why we are doing it all over again, so much work!!! Just exhausted from the move at the moment I guess.
have only been in our current home for 12 months, it is everything our old home wasn’t. Lived in our old home for 35 years.
Wow that’s quite a long time! What made you pull up stumps and move after so long Susan, if you don’t mind me asking?