…Brindabella.
For those who have been following my blogging for many years will know our old home, Brindabella. They will know the journey we took whilst there, the many hours of hard work we put in at our ramshackle farmhouse, the enormous to-do list we ticked off whilst we lived there, the place our marquee farm wedding took place…and then the hard decision to walk away. Making that decision, I had to make it knowing that we would never return. Matt always said ‘never say never’, but I wanted it in my mind that we would not be returning, to make a clearer decision, cut ties, break free and walk away. It’s just the way that I needed to do it.
If someone had told me that in a few years time we would be living back at Brindabella, I would have told them to get their head read! To be honest, when Matt suggested it, I adamantly refused. No way, no how. I spent a fairly unhappy year there, happy in our home but unhappy in other areas of our life there. But things kept lining up, making sense. Damn logic. Things have a funny way of working out. Now, we will be returning to Brindabella – to the place we called home, to the place we celebrated our wedding, where we planted the trees given to us by family on our engagement, the home where I imagined bringing our ‘one day’ baby home and raising our family as the fourth generation in that rich red Thorpdale soil.
It’s been three years since we first moved into Brindabella, making it our home over the next year – we re-fenced the yard, had 17 large cypress trees ripped out, spent hours upon hours pulling those roots out, flattening, re-ripping, re-flattening, pulling more cypress roots, sowing new lawn, we built a palatial chook pen ‘Chateau le Chookie’ , agonised over paint colours, sourced the perfect doors, rewired the shed, had the entire exterior of the old peeling weatherboard house painted, bought curtains and light fixtures to suit the Art Deco period of the home, not to mention completely overhauling the jungle garden over many weekends, new garden beds, fruit trees planted, all that. It was a home we put a lot of love into, and we left a lot of love behind. It will be good to go and reclaim it.
Brindabella was our ‘forever home’ once upon a time. I’m not going to say it will be again. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. Eggs in baskets and all that. I’m wiser now, we’re different people, traveling a different path to the one we were just three years ago. Gosh, a lot can happen in three years.
So, to Brindabella we go. Again we’re throwing ourselves open to new experiences, new opportunities, new adventures.
Cest la vie.
Anne says
It must be comforting in many ways to go back to a place you put so much time and love in to and I hope that the time to come while there is good, that all the parts of your life are happy. Enjoy settling back in and decorating (and nesting).
Katie says
Do these homes that you live in actually have names or is that what you call them for fun?
Emma says
Good question – the properties we have managed have always had names (‘Ythanbrae’, ‘Carlton’). Brindabella is part of my family’s farm, but was purchased fairly recently (in past 15 years) but borders my grandparents original farm ‘Ballina Park’ and ‘Pine Ridge’. It never had a name, but when we moved in in 2010 we were given the option to name it – we chose Brindabella, ‘brindi-brindi’ is local Aboriginal for ‘place of large trees on water’ and ‘bella’ Italian for beautiful (another nearby property of my family’s is known as Terrabella – ‘beautiful earth’).
Ock Du Spock says
The future’s such an amazing place… you never know what it has in store for you! With a new bub, I’m sure it will be all good things 🙂
Jane @ Shady Baker says
It is funny where our roads lead sometimes isn’t it Emma? Good luck x
Kathy says
It looks lovely and a wedding and now a baby there…it all makes sense. Looking forward to your family adventures in your first family home…Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
corrie says
I love it! the colours, the doors and everything. I’m not allowed to say forever house anymore since we’ve just sold our 4th but I have a good feeling about our next one:)
Emma says
I’m not sure when I’ll ever say it either Corrie! One day. Maybe…
Leah says
How exciting Em!
Sharon says
I guess it comes with a certain amount of comfort, knowing that you 1. have a home and 2. have a home that you loved dearly. Hopefully the clarity that time and distance and experiencing a whole other life away from there help make the moving back and the next chapter of your adventures, smooth and exciting all at once.
Look forward to seeing how you’ve jooshed up the the old girl, it looks so very welcoming!!