My First Blog – An Introduction

Home is a very special place, not just defined by where you lay your head at night.

This was pretty forcibly brought home, (no pun intended), to us as a family in a December 2016, when we had a house fire.

The fire itself wasn’t so bad, although our Family Room, where it started, ended up being gutted back to bare brick, it was the all pervasive smoke that was the problem.

Now when I say smoke, I’m not talking earthy, bonfire, woodsmoke, that has an outdoorsy romance to it. No, this black fog of smoke was impenetrable, nauseating and deeply acrid – the staircase disappeared in it, the smoke alarms were blanketed and silenced by it, lungs were choked with it…..

But we were actually very fortunate; on a rare day when our two doggies, Bella & Buttons, were home alone for a few hours, an unexplained smouldering started, unobserved by anyone but them, when completely unexpectedly, and by divine coincidence, our eldest son and his partner, Josh and Charlotte, returned home early.

This thankfully saved our home, but more importantly our much adored dogs, (they’re not really just pets, but family members). So the good news was, that after some rescue heroics from Josh and Charlotte, and the closure of our road by several extremely prompt Fire Engines & thorough Crew, every living thing that mattered was safe and sound.

Our home however, was another matter.

Our insurers were quick to assure that we wouldn’t be left without a roof over our heads, which was a relief – there’s only so much sofa surfing you can do! However, after much searching nothing could be found – it’s not easy finding somewhere nearby that is furnished, (every possession had been whisked away for decontamination, restoration or, as we were to later find out, rubbish), short term rental, (we were hoping back then that it would only be 4 months), with accommodation for 6 adults, (all our children were living with us at the time), and that would allow pets, I mean, other family members!

Put simply, at the time, nothing could be found! By now it was virtually Christmas and we were the modern day Mary & Joseph, (minus the imminent birth obviously), looking for our very own stable, except with maybe a few more comforts and good broadband!

Back to the insurers we went for suggestions. Apparently, if we could find a dog friendly hotel with enough room, we would be able to stay there while looking for alternatives.

This is when the Christmas Spirit really kicked in, the fabulous Captain’s Club Hotel (CCH), literally just around the corner from our sad looking home, who just happened to love dogs, kindly shuffled things around to squeeze us in at such a busy time of year. We started out with several room changes in as many days, but ended up, together, in a suite, for Christmas Day. We had no idea then that an alternative would never be found, and that we’d be there for six months!

Now our time at CCH was lovely, the staff were very kind, the rooms and views were gorgeously appointed, it was clean, warm, tidy, safe, comfortable, well equipped, handy, etc – but, despite all this, and this is the crux, it wasn’t home. Despite the generous welcome and all the facilities available to us, that undefinable something was missing, that certain ‘ je ne c’est pas’, that sense of being where you belong and it being ok to completely relax.

That is what we missed through all the months of being away, and we couldn’t wait to return. And return we did midsummer; the hotel could no longer accommodate us during the fully booked high season, and in any case we were more than ready to get back!

Moving back turned out to be a shock though, not at all what we had envisioned.

Things weren’t ready, builders were still everywhere, lorryloads of our belongings arrived en masse, a myriad of boxes filled ad hoc with a mixture of 30 years worth of belongings in no particular or labelled order, new furniture and appliances were delivered and put wherever a space could be found, usually right by the front door. It was an horrific nightmare of cardboard, chaos and builders dust! And so we learned that home isn’t just contained within familiar walls either.

As days became weeks, and then weeks months, the tide of chaos slowly receded, fewer cups of builders tea required, an unexpected level of expertise in flattening cardboard boxes emerged, along with the shape, feel, soundtrack and smell of…….yes, it definitely seems like HOME.

Wonderful home, comfortable, comforting home, at last.

This journey, and we are way past the first year anniversary of what is known as ‘The Fire’, is still ongoing – there are boxes still unopened, jobs still to be completed by tradesmen, (who are now only conspicuous in their absence), missing possessions to be replaced,  pictures to be reframed and restored to their positions, and goodness only knows what ended up in the loft!

Re- making our home has been an arduous, at times painful, (physically and definitely emotionally), full-time pursuit, whilst also somehow being uplifting, satisfying (especially creatively), cleansing (there was so much stuff for charity that they sent a van – twice!) and rewarding, and has taken longer than it did to actually build it from scratch seven or so years ago!

Through this entire process of loss and gain, I have been reminded of who I am at the heart, and of what is of true value and great joy to me. Family – definitely, friends – of course, faith – goes without saying, love – comes with family and friends, creativity – a must have, and home – not a building, not belongings – just a place where you belong.