Feest Isolation Days – 23 November
The weekend was filled with rain and rugby! There is an Autumn Nations Cup to enjoy and it makes the weekend feel almost normal! We watched England win against Ireland, and France bring Scotland’s winning streak to a halt. Wales beat Georgia, but not by an impressive amount of points. I do love my rugby! A bit strange without a crowd but hey, it’s great to watch!
With some bananas that were tempting me to do something with them, I made a banana cake. A first for me. Three different recipes offered me several ideas so I blended them all together and came up with my own creation. That was fun! I’ll let you know what it tastes like. Also, whether or not it is possible to freeze banana cake. I hope so. One piece at a time is plenty!
Enjoying being at home after all these months remains impressive. A friend’s daughter moved into home ownership for the first time this weekend and it got me thinking about places I have owned. New York is a renters place unless you have pots of money, which I did not when I lived there.
The first property I jointly owned was in Honiton in Devon. It was special because I had a home birth. This was not in the days when home births were particularly welcomed, but I insisted when I discovered that if I went to the local hospital to deliver, I would have to stay for nearly two weeks! If anything went wrong with the birth, I was going to be taken by ambulance to the main hospital in Exeter so it seemed sensible to push for a home birth. After a great deal of conversation between many health care professionals, a home birth was agreed. This was 1982 and all was well. Giving birth in a house does leave you with fond memories of a place.
The next home I owned outright was called Hollowhead Cottage and was a million miles from anywhere. Okay it was three miles from the nearest house, but felt like more. The name was perfect. When I left Hollowhead I left my first marriage.
I headed to Exeter and bought a house that became home for several years. It was perfect for sharing with students and big enough to give my son and I a great place to live for quite a few years. In an amazing coincidence, Terry managed to buy the house next door to mine and rented his place out to students. When we finally moved to Bristol, we sold both houses to the same buyer. Result!
Our Bristol home is the most fabulous place I’ve ever lived in and I love it to bits. We have been happy here and continue to be. We were fortunate indeed to have found our place and grew into it over the years. Neither one of us anticipated that we would live here for what will be thirty years next year. Our wedding anniversary is also thirty years in 2021 and both of these events still feel pretty special.
How many homes have you lived in and are you in your favourite place now? I hope so! It’s been a long year for all of us with Lockdown and being grateful for where we are at this stage of our lives is definitely a bonus in what has been a strange year.
Take care, stay safe and keep up the good work! In England the numbers are coming down. Long may that last. Stay inside your warm and comfortable home and thank you for your continued readership. It is most appreciated.
With love
Kathy x