Sometimes you don't realize how much you love a place until you can't be there anymore. For my
whole life I had taken New Zealand for granted. Growing up in such a beautiful
place had in many ways blinded me to its charms but seven years ago I moved to
Perth and suddenly I experienced the most severe homesickness. That feeling
never really went away but recently we were able to
move back and what a wonderful homecoming it has been. I can't explain the
joy I felt to look out the window of our motel and see the waves crashing along
the beach, the sky in a constant state of turmoil and the lush green of the New Zealand bush.
Next Friday is settlement for our new home in New Plymouth. I can't believe how lucky we were to be able to own the incredible Victorian villa. Many villa's these days have been so transformed inside that they look like they have come straight from an Ikea catalogue. The period features have been ripped out and it seems these places have lost a part of their soul along the way. Luckily this house still retains much of it's original features. It is groaning with Rimu, even the skirting boards are 30cm high! The garden is enormous compared to our last house and it boarders onto a park. I can't wait to start working on the interior and Nik is excited about the prospect of many garden rooms!
