Halcyon
Days
After her husband was
shipwrecked, Alcyone threw herself into the sea and was transformed into a bird.
Taking pity on her, the Gods calmed the weather so she could safely birth her
chicks in winter.
My Moonah house is named
after a mythical kingfisher, and an idyllic peace, that can be conjured in the
midst of turmoil. Preparing to leave, This Girl is thinking about the many ways
my Moonah home has been my calm during a storm.
Difficult times are often
exacerbated by turning over and over the past and racing into the future before
it as arrived. My calm comes from finding ways to ground myself in my Halcyon
home.
My sea green bathroom is covered
in Italian tiles of various shades of green. The two 1950s fluorescent tubes on
either side of the mirror cast a mooted light into the room. It makes soaking
in the bath a little more soothing. For many years I’ve made sure it’s part of
my weekends and on weeknights, after big days at work.
The little deck off the
back room has space enough for the recycle bin and two chairs. It’s where we sit
on warm afternoons, looking over the suburb to Mount Direction. We sit and enjoy
the outlook and the quiet of being in the moment.
In its seventh decade, my walnut
tree never ceases to amaze me: its branches reaching out to the property’s
boundaries, full of a flock of cockatoos, or its leafy cool on a warm day. On a
nice afternoon I climb into a hammock and swing from its massive limbs.
The knowledge that someone
has your back is powerful. There is space for two on my lounge which has become
cuddle couch central. Date nights are sacrosanct and they always finish on the
lounge with the Lovely Deputy’s arms around me. The worries of the day no
longer matter.
“It’s almost like wearing
that asbestos suit – you go through the fire but you’re not going to be burned
because someone loves you, you are complete, you are together.”
I’ve always loved walking
down the hall, seeing the light streaming into my bedroom through the voile
curtains. On those afternoons, the bedroom is the most peaceful space in the
house, and I love to lie onto my bed and dwell there awhile.
These are some of the ways
my Halcyon home has provided me a place of calm regardless of what has been
happening on the outside.
How is your home a calming influence on
you?
Other posts on Moonah and
the move: