Tuesday 4 October 2016

stepping off the home plate

Well this house on this street has been many things to me


It was where I was born, went to school, came back during University, where I lived after my parents passed away, where I did my masters degree and where I settled with my wife.

The house has seen many changes since my parents bought it in about 1958, starting life as a chamferboard house:



... and ultimately being rebuilt into the one above over years of iterative development.







Throughout my life I've been involved with this, helping dad as I could (depending on my age)




to ultimately doing renovations on it myself as an adult.



as my wife and I turned it into a home we wanted to live in, as well as making some steps towards making it our home.



I have no doubt that Anitas influence helped me to shape this place away from what my parents built and into something which was us. It was good to have the opportunity to build a home together even if it was short. Since her passing I have completed many of the works we started together, the downstairs bathroom and the kitchen are now newly renovated.





I have learned many life skills here, developed my relationships with my wife and my friends and developed myself too. Kiitos kulta.

I have left here and come back again many times in my life, and now today I leave for the final time, as I have sold the house.

It was not a decision I took lightly, but ultimately no matter what this place represents to me it is (without those people) just a place.

Over the last few months I have systematically stripped it of all the things which were reminders and items of significance. Some have been discarded and others have been kept. I've tried to be pragmatic about much of it.

So I now step off the "home plate" for the last time ... and head for the other side of the planet to see where the journey of life takes me next.


4 comments:

Lens Bubble said...

I am sure it was not easy to come to this decision, but you know the driving force behind it. Good luck with your new adventure; wherever your new life takes you. I wish you all the happiness.

Noons said...

A big decision that took a lot of courage to take.
Kudos, mate!
It'll be hard to see you again after you move to the other side of the world and I'll miss our yearly meetups when I travel to the GC.
But hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch via the net and the Global Village thing.
All the best and keep taking those amazing photos.

200ok said...

Big stuff and a brave move. Here's to the next stage :)

kinkuro said...

A Big decision for your new journey and Good luck with your new life.
We'll keep in touch wherever we are :-)