Nine Months in Our New Home & How Things are Growing
It’s hard to believe we’ve already been living in our new home for nine months! Time’s flown, but at the same time, it feels like we’ve always been here. It’s such a lovely feeling when a place starts to feel like home – and this one really does.
The change in our everyday life has been incredible. We’re in a friendlier area, closer to family, and surrounded by the kind of neighbours you hope for. We spend so much more time outside now – whatever the weather – and I’m so thankful to have a garden where we can potter, play and just enjoy being together in the fresh air.
Our outdoor space isn’t huge (nor is the house), but it’s so lovely. We’ve got a patio area with a nice, big wooden outdoor table and chairs – perfect for family meals in the sunshine – and loads of pretty pots filled with gorgeous plants. (my mum’s had a big hand in this!) Then there’s a grassy area bordered with mature trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. One of my absolute favourites is a fig tree tucked near the back wall of the garden – it feels like a little secret corner and always makes me smile.
Until now, I’ve never really considered myself a gardener. At our old house I’d try to plant the odd thing in a pot or flowerbed, but I didn’t really know what I was doing – or how to keep anything alive! But here, something’s shifted. I’ve found myself gardening more and more, and I actually love it!
There’s something so satisfying about the whole process – from sowing seeds and crossing your fingers, to trimming back wild corners and finally spotting those first little signs of life. At the moment, I’m growing salad leaves, courgettes, mini cucumbers, sweet peas, and some herbs, and it’s just so exciting! I ate my first homegrown salad leaves the other day, and they were delicious. There’s something incredibly rewarding about growing your own food.
That said, it’s not without its hiccups. My courgettes and cucumbers have been invaded by some sort of bug (I think blackfly?), and they’ve suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If you’ve got any tips, I’m all ears! My mum suggested sticking a garlic clove in the soil, and my sister mentioned diluted washing-up liquid, but I’m not wild about spraying them with anything if I can help it.
We’ve still got a slightly ramshackle old shed that needs to come down, and I’m thinking we’ll use that spot to build some raised beds – especially for more veggies. And I’d love to get some tomato plants in too. My sister always has an abundance of tomatoes every summer and I’m always envious!
When we moved in, the garden had been left completely untended. The house had been empty for a while and the garden was, frankly, a bit of a jungle. There’s been a lot of chopping back, clearing dead growth, and general rescuing. Every time I head out with the secateurs, I uncover another lost ball or bit of plastic hidden in the undergrowth. Last weekend I even found some buried dog poo bags (lovely), a random ribbon-tied log, and a collection of fake stones.
We’re also in the process of turfing one section that had become totally overrun with Spanish bluebells and a tangle of rose bushes. While we were away recently, my amazing mum spent hours clearing the whole patch, digging up the weeds and carefully moving the plants we wanted to keep over to the border. It’s now prepped and ready for grass, and it already looks a thousand times better.
One of the loveliest surprises has been the little pond. We’d planned to get rid of it, but we all fell in love with it – so it’s definitely staying. It’s brought so much life to the garden. For months now, we’ve had frogs aplenty (very active ones at that!), and eventually – frogspawn! I thought it hadn’t survived, but now we’ve got a whole wriggly crowd of tadpoles. We’ve even spotted a couple of newts.
My daughter is completely enchanted by them. She’s outside every day looking for frogs and newts and checking on their progress – it’s like we’ve added a whole pondful of pets. Before the frogs arrived, I cleared out loads of the overgrown lilies and general pond gunk, then added some oxygenating plants and pond-cleaning pouches. It looked so much better… though now the water’s clearer, you can see all the leaves settled at the bottom. But until the tadpoles have grown up and moved out, I’m leaving it be.
Inside the house, things are moving a little more slowly. I’ve done plenty of decluttering, but decorating has taken a back seat so far. We might have had a new kitchen by now, but we can’t decide whether to open it up into the dining room. I love the idea – it would be so much more spacious and bright – but I keep hesitating over practicalities like cooking smells and sound carrying everywhere.
Another challenge is the woodchip wallpaper. It’s everywhere – on almost every wall and even the ceilings. And once it’s off, the walls might need replastering, so it’s not a quick job. Still, I’ve finally chosen the colour for the lounge: Dulux Heritage DH Blossom, a beautiful soft pink. That room, along with A’s bedroom, will be the first ones we tackle.
A’s especially excited because she’s never had a say in decorating her own room before. She’s picked a beach theme and brought back the sweetest little starfish trinket dish from Skiathos. I love having meaningful pieces like that scattered around – little reminders of happy moments.
We are still on the lookout for some furniture too. The house suits a mid-century modern vibe, and I’ve fully fallen for that style. I’m always scouring Facebook Marketplace for the perfect vintage unit or bookcase.
So, while we haven’t done loads indoors just yet, we’re loving being here – and the garden has become the heart of it all. I’m learning as I go, trying to embrace the slower pace, and reminding myself that it’s okay not to get everything done straight away (even if I’m a bit impatient!).
I’ll be sure to share another update when we’ve got some more progress on the garden!
Lou x
