Today's prompt is for Home, and I am very thankful for a warm, cosy home.
Yes, that's me by the front door! (excuse the slippers!) We have lived here for 29 years now and moved in when Rachel was 5 and Jon was 18 months. Even though we don't need a 4 bedroomed house anymore I can't imagine moving for a while yet. We have firmly put down our roots in this area.
We are five minutes walk from the countryside in one direction and ten minutes walk from a small shopping area which has a supermarket, chemist, newsagent, hairdresser, dentist, doctor, pet shop, laundry and fish and chip shop. What more could you want! We are also 20 mins drive from London Stansted airport, 10 mins to the M11 motorway and we have train links which can get you to London Liverpool Street in 40 mins. When we are not in lockdown we have a good choice of shops in the town, and a market every Thursday and Saturday. We've lived in this town all our married life and I think we were very lucky in our choice of area.
PS Daily news - 2 days to lockdown and our last day of having Rosie here for the day and Leo here after school. The rules say we can only form a childcare 'bubble' with one family and as we look after children from two families that would mean choosing which one to help. That really isn't fair and so we have decided not to 'bubble' with either, then if there is an emergency and one suddenly needs help we can step in. It is such a shame as we will miss our childcare days but can't think of an alternative. It's like being asked to choose your favourite child! Rachel has been able to arrange an extra day with the childminder who has Rosie and Leo on the days we don't have them and Jon has been able to rearrange his work hours to cover the day we have Max so I don't feel we are letting either down but boy will I miss seeing them all.
Lovely greeting with you both at your front door. I am sure during these lockdown times you are very glad of the room so you & Paul can each have a "time out" space (col). I can not imagine how difficult a decision it has been for you to decide about the family bubble - like a true Mom you picked the "Solomon's Solution". Hopefully these 4 weeks will go by without incident for all.
ReplyDeleteHa, I almost waved at you when I saw you in your doorway! :) Glad you've been able to find a childcare solution that hopefully work for all of you.
ReplyDeleteHate what the lockdown means for your child-minding. And hate even more that you won't be seeing your children and theirs in the near future. I remember how delighted you were to be able to see the babies outside at a socially acceptable distance. And then how happy you were when the children could come again to your home. Surely, surely by the holidays, we will all opened up again and able to celebrate with those we love most. Your house is lovely. Not sure that I have seen it from outside before. We are in the same boat with our 4 bedroom house. Don't need that much room unless we have company. And that only happens 2-3 times a year. But we aren't ready to give up our home either.
ReplyDeleteAll of the windows are delightful on your house. Do you have a lot of windows in the back, too? Thank you for sharing!!
I know what you mean about having a house that is bigger than you really need. We're in the same boat. But, like you, we love the area we live in--so close to everything we need plus our family and friends. I think we'll be here for awhile--for sure!! I know that no one wants to be in lockdown, but I wish the US would act NOW. Let's just do it and get this thing overwith. I'm sure you will miss your grands--especially during the holidays. Let's just hope it won't take too long to get this virus under control. If everyone would just wear their masks! It's really not that hard!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very hard but fair choice you're making - but such consequences for you all ... Hoping the time won't seem too long. I wonder if it will feel too quiet or whether you'll sink into it and enjoy it? Lovely to see you and your home, and you seem really comfortably embedded in the area. Moving is such a big thing, isn't it.
ReplyDeleteHome is so important - and truly at the top of my gratitude list as well. We have more room than we need - although I did recently put 2 of my 3 guest bedrooms to use just this month when my sis and sis-in-law were both here for a scrapbook weekend. I am mostly grateful that I can still navigate up and down stairs to take full advantage of the space - especially during these lock-downs.
ReplyDeleteI think you have decided very wisely on the bubble choice; thinking ahead to what might be needed and being able to adapt is really, really smart. I hope you won't need to step in and the time passes quickly when you can burst your bubble to hug all those kiddos again.