Blossoms

I will have been here 3 weeks tomorrow. So far, so good :) And I haven't really been here long enough to miss anything yet, apart from my family of course ...... and Lily, my cat. But there is one thing that I do miss already and I wish I could do something about it. I miss fresh flowers.

If you've ever been to my place you will know that I always have a vase of fresh flowers on the dining room table. It helps to make the place homely. It brings a warmth and friendliness to the room, to my space.

So once I'd moved in, rearranged the furniture and made the place my own, I stopped to get the flowers. But where were they? There is no florist and the supermarket does not sell them either. I waited for the monthly Saturday morning craft markets because Rob told me that they sometimes have a flower stall. But not this month :(

So to that end I have planted some flower seeds in the back garden bed and hopefully, with regular watering and some TLC they will grow into beautiful blooms. But until then, I do have an alternative.

There is a wonderful bouganvillea bush in the front yard as well as a hibiscus. And the neighbour across the road has a frangipani tree that drops its flowers daily. So now instead of a vase of flowers on the table I have little bowls of floating frangipani flowers placed here and there, and little vases (glasses) of deep purple bouganvillea and ruby red hibiscus that unfortunately only last a day.

So together with the bowl of fresh fruit on the table and the little vases of flowers here and there my space is now looking homely and fun.

Waiting for my flowers to grow - life is blooming :)

My space

From where I sit here at the computer I can see the rest of the living area of the unit. It's actually one longish room that's half kitchen and half lounge/living (oops, I accidently typed 'loving'). And it looks great :) It's homely, comfortable and comforting. It's lost that sterile temporary-place look. It's amazing what a bowl of fresh fruit on the table can do to a kitchen :)

What makes a place homely? I mean this room isn't going to win any interior design awards and I doubt that Vogue Living is flying up to photograph us for it's latest issue, but - this place, this room, this living space feels and looks good.

Years ago I stayed with a friend. I stayed in the guest room - white bedspread, fresh flowers, guest bathroom complete with fluffy towels and potpourri - it was beautiful. But it wasn't homely. Every time I used the bathroom I made sure that I wiped down all surfaces until they were clean and dry. I felt guilty for using the towels. My friend's hospitality was generous and without question, but her beautiul home was not welcoming or ...... homely.

So what is "homely"? It's a feel. It's when people walk into your space and smile and feel compelled to make a comment. It's when they stop and look around and want to take it all in before they do anything else. It's when you like being there - in that space - and you want your friends and family to come and share in that space.

And it doesn't have to be Vogueish or trendy or picture perfect. But it does have to be inviting and warm, friendly and fun. And that's what I see when I look over to my right - I see warmth and hospitality, I see a living and yes a loving space.

Come and see me in my space - life is good.