We are indeed home. It’s been a year and 10 months for us here on our Bear River property and we are happily out the other end of the chaos of building renovations and major changes to the land. (for now anyway). Year two in the garden has brought more raised bed construction so that now we are up to 8 beds plus the in ground garden now given over to a joyful jumble of flowers, potatoes and vining squashes.

Our most satisfying project, now that it’s finished, is the deer fencing, so far unbreached, that has given untold peace of mind each time I latch the willow gates. 5 of the very tall poplars have been turned into firewood, reducing the risk of storm damage, and letting more light into the gardens. I have visited loads of plant sales and lots of baby perennials have made a home with us here.

Each change, each improvement brings us satisfaction and a sense of home and rightness of place. Today it’s 27C and so we’ll head to the other nearby happy place, the swimming hole upriver, where I feel like the luckiest old person ever..