Our new home.

Today has been a long Sunday. James and I have caught Oliver's virus and it's quite the nasty little virus. So it's been full of television, sweat pants and ice-cream.

Yet today something wonderful happened. We found our new home, the setting of the next phase in ours lives.
We are not ones for material things, she says from her iPad but really we like nice things. But we have never needed them.

Our last home in Canberra was a brick home circa 1970's with pink wallpaper and orange carpet. I loved it. My favourite was the bay window. The kitchen was shabby, that was less important then. It wasn't perfect, it was far from perfect. But it was us, it was home.

Fast forward two and half years and we reside in a modern two bedroom apartment 6km from the Sydney CBD. It's everything I thought I wanted. Floor boards, open plan, and even a spa-bath! It's nice. It's fun. Sure when I close the doors I feel comfortable. Sure it's our home. Sure. But it's not home. I know that sounds a bit contradictory. To me home is a feeling. My family gives me that feeling. But this apartment never has.
To me, home is that feeling of pulling into your driveway after a long day and that sense of relief. Arriving into our apartments shared car port has never provided me with this feeling.

I don't mean to complain. I have complained, many many times about the suitability of this place for a child. But we have made do, and in Sydney standards we are reasonably lucky.

Our new home is so 'homely'. It is a peach. It is modern, but not brand new. It has it's own personality, its lived in and loved, and will be lived in and loved. It has space enough for our family to grow, for friends to visit, for cars to park and for Pandora to roam. But most importantly it has space for Oliver to grow. It has a backyard, and is located opposite a park. It is five minutes from James' work, and even has a spotlight (a craft and textiles store) in walking distance.

I have been filled with so much suburban envy of late. I have loved all that Sydney has offered. Yet I find it reminiscent of a summer fling. It's all consuming and makes you feel great at the time. But each day you feel more and more used knowing it can't and won't last. Eventually it breaks you down until you end up resenting it. Well that's what I've gathered from the movies, I've never had a summer fling myself.
I'll always have a special place in my heart for Sydney, but not a key on my chain.

Soon we will move to our suburban dream home. I'm sure it will come with faults, I'm certain there will be days I hate and there will be moments I crave for Sydney. Overall, however, I know our days will be mainly filled with joy and happiness. I know our future will now not be decided by the lack of bricks supporting our lifestyle. It will be decided by the way we feel at the time.

So I guess I could so that today was a very good day.