Today I say goodbye to my home of 8 years plus – by far the longest I have ever lived in any one home.  Growing up I never lived in any house for more than a maximum of four years but usually less as my father had a job that was transferable.  I was born in Mumbai then moved to Prague then on to Hong-Kong.  After Hong-Kong it was back to Mumbai then London and next New York.  After that it was back to Mumbai and then I moved on my own to London to pursue my career in advertising.  I always planned to go back home to Mumbai but it never happened.  At the start of my life in London I moved homes a lot.  Then I got married and Richard and I bought this place a few years later and we’ve been here ever since.  I still remember the moment when we picked up the keys; the sheer excitement we felt.  It was our first proper home together which meant the world to us.  Three years after being here Anya came along.  More joy and more memories were created in this home.

Each room, each wall, each floorboard here has a story to tell.  Everywhere I turn in this home it’s full of wonderful memories – from the hand drawn height chart on the kitchen wall to each and every mark on my off-white carpet (yes I was over optimistic).  Many crazy fun parties have taken place here with secrets shared between friends over too much wine and many a night have Richard and I sat awake and watched the sun come up while agonising over a big decision in our lives or celebrating a positive moment.  These walls have heard a lot.  Perhaps the greatest memory this home holds is the birth of Anya.  This is the place where we welcomed her in to the world with equal amounts of love, awe and trepidation (being first time parents).  This is also the last home of mine that my father will ever have seen.  But these memories are etched in to my mind and I will always have them.

I guess I needed to write this post as much like this blog, this home is so much a part of my life, my story.  That living room in the top two pictures has been my home-office too.  That is where this blog began and where I hit publish on my first ever post.  That is the room where I conceived the idea for my new shop and packaged the very first order from.  But now it’s time to move on.  Our new home has everything we could want from a home but it needs a lot of work.  It’s exactly the place we imagined living in so we are really lucky to have found it. Once the work is done, in a few months time, we can enjoy our new space as a family and start making new memories there – I can’t wait.  As I close the door on this place I look forward with huge excitement to the change and the huge challenges ahead.  But while a I do that, a small part of me will always miss this home.

Do you feel sad when you move home or is it pure excitement for you? Any tips for quick settling in to a new place?

I won’t be posting tomorrow as I’m not sure I’ll have internet but hopefully I will be back to normal posts soon.  You have a wonderful weekend and see you next week.

A huge thank-you to Abigail Fahey for the beautiful photo’s she took of my home.

I have linked up to Pouting in Heels All About You and Honest Mum’s Brilliant blog posts.