At the ripe old age of 48, and with four kids now grown (and a defunct marriage under my belt), I’m finally buying my very first house. Better late than never eh?
It’s a mega-basic, bottom of the housing-market house that happens to be in a nice part of a nice rural town within 2 minutes walk of a nice river. It’s got a good bit of land (for possible future redevelopment) but in the meantime will be a comfortable joint for me to kick back in. It also happens to be about 320km away from my kids…but that’s not necessarily a disadvantage.
And it’s got a virgin garden (except for a giant peppercorn tree on the back fence) so I will be in Seventh Heaven planning and planting my ‘Drought-Resistant-but-Needs-to-be-Lush-and-Green-With-Stuff-That-Attracts-the-Birds-but-Doesn’t-Need-Watering-too-Often-Garden’. With a bit of luck anyway.
The first things will be planting a vegie garden, and building a chook-house under the Peppercorn tree.
Congratulations! - I got my house last year. It makes me happy. Yesterday evening I had a glass of Famous Grouse, a pipe of balkan tobacco and a good book under my tree in my garden surrounding my house. I didn’t read the book in my knee, I just enjoyed the moment. I love having a house, hope you too find great enjoyment out of yours.
Glad you don’t care, because the answer to “After that…” is weeding. Lots and lots of weeding of the previously-virgin flower beds over which the birds spray plenty of weed seed.
Enjoy the euphoria while it lasts. Weeds have turned this first-time homebuyer into a bitter old lady in just 3 years
Amen, ZipperJJ! Weeds are the bane of the homeowner’s existence… my lawn hasn’t quite woken up from hibernation yet, but the dandelions seem to be growing larger by the hour. Aaargh. And we won’t get into the ongoing argument between me and the lawn over its attempts to sprawl out into my flower beds.
All kidding aside, though, congrats on the house, kambuckta. There’s a wonderful feeling about opening the front door and realising that everything that lies within is really, truly yours.
Also, I am jealous of anyone who has enough room for a chook house and a veggie garden in their yard… I can’t fit either in my little shady postage stamp of a backyard.
Congrats! I just bought my first st 49.5!! A wooded half acre, 30 year old house, comes complete with 30 year old decorations. LOVIN that foil wallpaper!
Some* weeds are a problem in this area, but nobody has a traditional lawn anyway…it’s a country town where garden maintenance is not always the highest priority. It’s been drought-ridden for seven years now (but some beautiful rain has fallen over the last five days) so most gardens were a mix of dust and some bedraggled shrubbery. The only time you get weeds is when you mix the horse and cow manure into the veggie-patch soil and the oatseeds germinate. That I can handle.
II’m looking forward to planting some citrus, an olive and maybe an apple and plum tree as well as a fruitful veggie and massive herb garden. Most of my herbs are in pots at the moment: coriander, dill, parsley, chives, tarragon, marjoram and basil. The mints and the sage I can take cuttings from and strike for the new joint. There is a massive front verandah that will make the perfect home for delicate cuttings and seedlings…keeping them warm and sheltered in the daytime, and covered from the frosts at night.
Settlement on the property is going to be 29th of May…just one month away.
And apart from the bank actually holding the title, it’ll be MINE, MINE, MINE.
I had to google peppercorn tree because everyone knows that pepper comes in bottles at the grocery stores. ( I had never EVER thought where does pepper come from? in my life.)
Next you will probably tell me milk comes from cows and not from the grocery store! Are you going to knock down my lifelong delusions in one felled swoop or just be like some Truth Ninja™, jumping out and surprising me when I least expect it.
Now, I wants a peppercorn tree in my back yard. ( Failing that, a picture of yours would be cromulent!)
Congrats on your home!
Sorry to disappoint you Shirley, but Peppercorn Trees do not grow pepper. Although the little seeds do in fact have a slightly peppery fragrance, they are not the stuff of which the pepper you put in your grinder comes from.
It’s heartening to know that there are people who buy houses later in life, as my lack of funds in this department has been a cause of concern for a while. Best of luck with the new place!
