Make a house a home

After the first weekend I was quite proud of my achievements on the packing front. Almost all boxes had been emptied, and almost all furniture was where it should be. What more is there to a house? When the YCC came to pick me up for my first club weekend they were the first ones to get a glimpse. I asked Laura, who had knocked on my door, what she thought of it. She said "I thought it looked a bit empty..."

I then looked again. Yes it was much less empty than without furniture, but she was right. It was still too empty! It had these big white walls, with not much hanging from them. There weren't many nails or nail holes, and in a rental place you're not supposed to make some yourself. So what to do? And even without the nail issue: what top hang up?

I decided to buy a load of "command strips"; that was some gadget Roland told me about. They are something like blue tack that doesn't leave a trace when you remove it. Sounded excellent!

So what to hang up? I decided I had see so much beauty in the past few years that should be what I should decorate my house with. So I asked where one has one's pictures printed in this town, and on a quiet evening I selected some, and sent them off. Enough to choose from! Winter hikes in Norway and Iceland, random hikes in Norway, pottering around on Svalbard, going underground in the southwest... so much beauty!

I already had some pictures in my cupboard; the portraits of my close relatives. These had so far been standing, but maybe they were better off hanging too. Against a neutral, white background they stand out much more!

I still had a few frames from older times. But in this huge house I needed more! Where to go? To the trusted second-hand shop, of course! It's amazing how many frames you can buy there for a few quid. They tend to need some maintenance, but I can do that.

 

My favourite shop

And after all the choosing, printing, buying, repairing and framing I could start hanging! And the result was spiffing! Now my house is really a home. I can look at the depths of Wheal Jane and the freezing fjords of Svalbard without leaving my house!