Home sweet home

Kate and I have just eaten dinner sitting out on this bit of decking in the light of a mild Sydney autumn evening. Nothing special about the meal, but the feeling of being in our own place is blissful after so long living out of suitcases (even in North Bondi, we didn't have most of our belongings with us).

A few weeks ago we went to see the film Up In the Air. George Clooney's protagonist is pathologically obsessed with cutting off anything that could tie him down, and to this end he has a job which involves flying round the country with minimal baggage to sack workers whose bosses are too cowardly to let them go in person. He sidelines as a motivational speaker, where his catchphrase is "What's in your backpack?" As in, all the emotional and material things you carry around with you, metaphorically or otherwise, are holding you back. Needless to say, the film is in part about him rejecting his own philosophy.

Anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying that it's great now to have all our own STUFF again. Much as I can appreciate the principle of stripping life down to its bare essentials - I travelled round China for two months with nothing more than a shoulder bag, after all - I'm very happy now that I can go to my bookshelf and find that Upton Sinclair book I was thinking of. Ditto, that we can make banana smoothies in the morning when Kate is craving banananess. Ditto, having a printer/scanner rather than spending ages and $$$ in internet cafes every time I have to send off some form.

That's all the practical stuff. But the best thing of all is that feeling you get, when living in your own house, from making a cup of tea in the late night quiet; switching off all the lights; and climbing into bed with someone you love.