Day 112: Moving in

"I am grateful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and floors that need waxing because it means I have a home"  ~ Author Unknown

 

Project 365: #112

It was good to see our container arrived safely after it's long journey! AND all our belongings were intact...despite all the missing nuts, bolts, and screws, which hopefully we will find before too long to finish putting together the furniture that was disassembled! It was a frenetic day trying to find space for everything and fit all our over-sized South African furniture into the smaller rooms! We even managed to squeeze our 10-seater diningroom table into the 10-ft room! We did choose one of the hottest days of the year to move in with 80% humidity! Who needs a sauna?? The container was unpacked just in time before a huge thunderstorm and downpour! We did of course see all the things that need fixing or doing...but I am still grateful, as it is our home, and feels completely different to renting a home. When I was completely exhausted after unpacking all day, I went onto the deck for some fresh air, and this is what I saw:

An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoying the mint flowers in the little herb garden! I am in heaven here! It is much easier to escape the chaos inside and appreciate nature outside!

Day 111: New school!!!

"The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet" - Aristotle

Project 365: #111

Another first today, the girls are officially enrolled at their new school. While we already met with the school in April, and have been corresponding since regarding transitions, and keeping the same curriculum, etc, the public schools are strictly zoned, so we had to wait for the official sale documents on our home. There were also mandatory sports and health physicals which had to be completed, and vaccinations to be updated. But all good...it was a huge relief to tick this off the list...and we now have a rising Senior and a Sophomore!

Long story, but this is our school of choice so the girls can complete their IB programme with mostly the same subjects. It will be a little different from their previous schools, with over three hundred kids per grade! We are incredibly proud of how the girls are managing all these transitions, and learning such vastly different education systems. I think that moving schools must be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences ever! While all these changes are hugely challenging for them, they are learning to be adaptable, and completely multicultural, and I am certain that the fruits of their patience and perseverance will pay dividends for them in the future.

Day 110: New house!!!

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts" - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr

Project 365: #110

Well, today was an exciting day...albeit a long  one! We are officially home-owners again! Exciting but scary....so we closed on our house at 12, but the house was not vacated till after 7 pm! Anyway, here's the back garden and the house from the bottom of the garden. We did snoop around a whole lot, and even came across a chipmunk in the shed! It also could not have been a more stunning mid-summer day - 100 degrees F in the shade! The pool was most enticing! How blessed are we???? This will be a home where we love, that will always be in our hearts.

 

 

Day 109: Thunderbolts and lightening

"Thunderbolts and lightening...very, very frightening me" Queen

Project 365: #109

There is nothing nicer than an awesome thunderstorm after a boiling day! You can't see clearly in the photo, but it was absolutely pouring with rain after lots of thunder and lightening! After not having experienced many thunderstorms in the last few years, they are quite scary! The cats thought it was fascinating to watch until a loud thunderclap sent them scurrying under the bed. Our last big storm in Germany resulted in cricket-ball size hailstones shattering our windscreen and damaging the car while we were driving home on the autobahn with nowhere to find shelter...so I am a little wary of them. But this was awesome, I love the smell of summer rain on the tar! It brings back a flood of childhood memories of drenching rain after a hot summer's day of lazing around the school pool with all our friends, and eating freezing cold watermelon in the garden!

Day 108: Spooky Brook

 "Memory is a net: one that finds it full of fish when he takes it from the brook, but a dozen miles of water have run through it without sticking" - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr

Project 365: #108

Not unlike Germany, there are many small lakes and wetlands here....this one is 'Spooky Brook'! I can just imagine what gave it its name while wandering around in the forest next to it. This could not have been a more perfect mid-summer afternoon, without even a breath of wind. There were notifications around to say it had been stocked with trout for anglers, and although I have seen some fishermen about, I have not seen may catches, I think these fish have migrated elsewhere! So, like this brook, I have a spooky memory that does not seem to retain much!

It was late afternoon when we walked here, and the paths on the trail were starting to be lit up by fireflies. I also wondered why the trails were not cleared of the dead material in places, but then, after some movement caught my eye, we saw a shrew jumping about the roots of a fallen tree, and looking closer saw that the stump was teaming with bugs. Attached to one of these fallen trees was a notice - these decaying trees are actually called 'snags', (took me forever to remember this name) and their importance as ecological habitats and food sources is illustrated, which is why they are not removed! Yay, so exciting to see conservation in action!

Day 107: Hot air balloons

 "God made man to go by motives, and he will not go without them, any more than a boat without steam or a balloon without gas" - Henry Ward Beecher

Project 365: #107

This weekend there is a hot air balloon festival in NJ, and while we haven't had the chance to get there, the balloons have dotted the skyline. Several were flying at sunset - providing the most spectacular views to those flying them, and spectators. There was no wind, and an almost-African sunset, reddening the horizon. Without gas, the balloons would have flown nowhere, and without motivation we go nowhere. I try to keep myself motivated with daily goals, and that way, I find enjoyment and beauty in most things, making me look forward to the next day. Without goals, I am aimless, unable to fly! I love that there is such a diversity of things to do every weekend, and I LOVE summer!

Day 106: Roosters on Elm Street

 "A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind' - Eugene Ionesco

Project 365: #106

Recycling as art...this is one of the cutest roosters I have seen, perched on top of the old pick-up! Art comes in many forms, and can be an entertaining adventure. This recycled art adds a new dimension to 'Elm Street', transforming it from a nightmare, to something fun and entertaining! The added  bonus, is that the scrap metal has been up-cycled into a work of appreciation, instead of lying in a scrapheap somewhere. Of course, not everyone shares the same zany perspectives as me...the girls think I am somewhat insane with my love of this rooster! Perhaps I need to get out more!!