I waved goodbye to our Cobourg neighbours, climbed into my car, drove down the highway Kingsville-bound and now, at last, we are here!

Toiseach ùr*
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A new beginning indeed.  Walking into the still empty house that was to become our new home - a bit of an echo chamber with sounds and noises constantly reverberating - I was faced with the challenge of starting with nothing and having to create something warm and welcoming and pleasing to us.  At last, we are here, the myriad ‘what ifs’ are behind me, and the pressure eased - like a long, satisfying exhalation I didn’t even know I needed.  Now it’s time to settle in.

‘Though nothing has yet happened to unsettle my confidence that this was the right move at the right time for us, what’s become apparent is that there is a world of difference between settling in and feeling settled. Whilst the upheaval of moving is abruptly rapid, the settling in is much more of a gradual, bumbling, dawdle.

Colsie**
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The word cosy (cosie) comes from the Scots word colsie and dates back at least as far as 1709. ‘Though cosy typically describes the tactile, snug, warm, feeling of bodily comfort, it also describes that folksy, homey, inviting and pleasant aura we all want in our homes. Creating that is at the top of my agenda.

What, then, makes Cam and I feel safe, cosy, warm and loved?  Each other, of course.  For us, colsie is feeling contentment.  It is a soft, enveloping arm chair, a shaded lamp casting a soft glow on an adumbral corner, a flickering fire, a tray laid for tea, music playing softly, our treasures scattered throughout the rooms, Nana’s clock chiming regularly from the mantle, our bed made up with freshly laundered linen, having time and space for the people and activities we love… All of those.

St. John's-Wort 5 One of my idiosyncrasies is that my feeling of comfort and colsie is tied to my sense of smell.  During the first week in our new home, I cooked my favourite chicken recipe and, with it’s tantalising aroma filling all the spaces, this house became home for me that afternoon.

Another colsie factor is finding or creating a personal space - a reading nook or a writing desk or a spot to lounge and do nothing but daydream.  I am the luckiest one because I’ve found two in this home and I didn’t have to create either of them.  In both I feel cosie and peaceful and happy.

The first is the window seat in our kitchen which is fast becoming my favourite spot in this pretty little house.  From the window, my gaze very often settles on the wrought iron gate, evoking the sweetest memories of Nana’s garden and home. This window seat is as comfortable a nook as could ever be!

front gate

The second is our balcony.  It is small but magnificent! Or, as my friend coached me, bougie!  (Feigning high class or elite airs and graces.). We have two comfy chairs, two ottomans and a coffee table on our balcony which faces this:

balcony

Perfection, non?  This is where I am currently ensconced writing this blog post.

My two nook areas are welcoming and restful and give me that wholly contented “ahhhhhhh” feeling every time I perch in one of them.

Here in Kingsville, happiness and contentment have settled.  Bit by bit, day by day, we’re making a fine, colsie home for ourselves.

St. John's-Wort 1 ’Til next time, y’all…

*Toiseach ùr is an old Scots term for a new beginning.
** Colsie is an old Scots term for feeling snug, cosy, and sheltered.

The flowers in this post are all Common St. John’s-Wort (Hypericum perforatum), because it symbolises regeneration, joy, and new beginnings.