What’s Inside is What Counts

I have never really been hung up on what my home looks like. I would be useless on Place in the Sun because as long as it isn’t about to fall down and it has the basics, I’m not bothered about the cosmetic stuff. The idea of what a home actually is for me is based on who you share it with.

Over the course of nearly 40 years together, my wife and I have lived in a variety of houses, all but one rented, the first with no central heating, some that were damp, some that were smaller than perhaps we needed. The common factor until we had our own house was the fact that all of them were temporary and we had no idea how long we were going to be there. However, there was another common factor, the fact that we made each one a home to the best of our ability, initially as a couple and then as a family. For me each Christmas is when a house feels most like a home, because it is at that time that core memories are made for me most strongly. Our traditions developed, our family came together and our home was epitomised.

Some people really value their houses and that’s quite understandable but I think of something I read in Japan which reflects that with the person you love, a cave feels like a palace. I think that is so true.