Isn't it romantic?

At first it was romantic - the way the leaves would quietly drift down from the pecan tree. I had images of my family, wrapped in scarves and wooly mittens raking leaves into piles in the back garden, and then trotting inside for hot chocolate. You get the picture?

Well, do not be fooled. The romance has gone. There is no hot chocolate to be found - only me, out there again, raking, raking, raking. 

I wish I could tell you that this shot was taken a week ago, when there were still plenty of leaves on the tree. No, I took this picture today, after raking up another lawn-full of leaves, the leaves that fell on my nice, tidy lawn during a three hour period when I was out yesterday. I came home to find the entire lawn covered. Looking up at the tree, I half expected it to be completely bare, having lost its leaves Whomping-Willow style (that's a Harry Potter reference for those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about). But, no, plenty of yellow leaves still hanging on, and a frightening number of green ones that seem to think it's still Spring. Oh dear.

Today's effort...

...even Tess looks confused and perturbed.

I've left them in a pile on the lawn, unsure of what to do with them. I had been raking them into the garden beds, but am alarmed to find that the garden beds are now about a foot higher than they were a week ago.

Hmmmm. This tree had better give me a lot of pecans come nut-season.

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Happy landings...

We have landed, and how nice it is to be tucked away in our very own close-to-school-and-work-and-the-odd-smattering-of-cafes home. Moving was akin to an episode of Man vs Wild, requiring strength and endurance (but thankfully, no killing of wild animals). 

We began last Thursday night, full of eager anticipation. We hauled boxes and ate takeaway on the floor (thanks to a lifesaver-of-a-friend). We continued shifting well into Friday and Saturday, when the reinforcements arrived with allen keys, cold meat and good cheese. 

And it was fun - nourishing to be around friends and family who happily helped with anything from stacking bookshelves to hanging pictures. A good omen for the start of a new chapter in our family's history.

I managed to snap a few pictures between heavy lifting....

...this, from Thursday night, when the only item in my fridge was a bottle of Moet given to us by the lovely people who sold us the house...

...and this, the new home for my favourite comfy chair (a sunny spot to sit and read).

So now this new (old) house and I are busy getting to know each other. So far I have discovered that the floor in my study slopes in a charming-and-not-at-all-alarming way (and yes, I will continue to tell myself that), and that the enormous and beautiful tree in my back garden is a pecan tree. 

I have also discovered that it's very easy to set off a house alarm (not once, but three times), and that pecan trees lose an awful lot of leaves at this time of year.

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Packing Up

I only truly realise how strongly I put down roots in my home when I am moving away from it. We have decided to move for completely practical reasons. We drive an exceptionally long way to and from school and work every day, sometimes twice a day, and earlier this year it became clear to us that it had become unmanageable. So, we tossed our renovation plans, bit the bullet, and bought a home much closer to the places we spend most of our time.

Tomorrow we start to move. Our life is now contained in what seems like hundreds of cardboard boxes with labels scribbled across them in black marker. Packing up makes me feel sad and excited all-at-once. There are lots of things I will miss about my home, like my fireplace that came with two hooks attached ready for Christmas stockings. They had been put there by the previous owners who also had two little girls. 

I'll miss all the 'old house' features like the ceiling roses (ok, I won't miss those lights)...

...and the decorative arches.

I'll miss the way my girls' rooms evolved as they grew, and came to reflect their own beautiful personalities. This....

...and this.

The home we are moving to is also old, but 1930's old instead of 1900's old. It is in a lovely tree-lined street, rather than an often-noisy cafe strip. It is going to be a wonderful place to make new memories, and to see our girls grow into young women. But for now, it's goodbye to this little terrace of mine. I hope the next occupants can make good use of those hooks on the fireplace too.

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Autumn in the 'Burbs - South Perth

Someone really needs to tell Autumn that it's Winter's turn now. South Perth looks beautiful, particularly on a sunny morning after  heavy rain. It feels a little bit like Mother Nature has decided to adjust the seasons but hasn't bothered to let us know. I'm thinking Winter should be here in about a month, fashionably late of course.

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