It Takes a Village

I like where I live. I do still miss where I used to live, Honolulu. I miss the familiarity of culture, scenery, history, family and friends. But I like where I live now, in the village of Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.

When I first moved to Adelaide in 2002, I told my husband I didn't want to live in the city. I've always lived with flowers, trees, birds singing. The mountain I grew up on and the little haven of Papakolea, the Hawaiian homestead where I was born and raised. was cool and comfortable and I wanted similar. No problem, he said. He'd always lived in the Adelaide hills and he knew that would fit the bill. So, since 2002 we've had houses in the hills: first at Verdun, then in Lobethal, and now in the village of Woodside.

We moved to Woodside a few years ago because my husband's job required him to have a larger home office, and the house we had was way too small. So my husband Glynn found the house we're in now, a lovely two bedroom with office space suitable for both of us. His office runs the length of the house and mine is smaller, adjacent to his. Perfect for his business and mine.

We have a large garden which I love. We inherited a white stone statue of a sitting Buddha from our friend Viv, and he sits tucked close to a large unidentified green shrub in the middle of the garden under some trees holding court and surveying the scene. We can see him through the full length windows of the kitchen/dining room and he adds a nice touch of peace to our surroundings. Rose bushes and the bluish-purple agapanthus line our driveway and fill the corner of the back garden, so I have lots to cut and dress the inside of the house. Pots of basil, parsley, rosemary, mint and thyme sit on two small tables against the green fence at the end of the patio. I've just planted some spring bulbs, so those pots are there too, waiting to bloom. Asparagus fern, a miniature lemon tree and a jade plant in glorious form round out the potted garden. A lone (for now) raspberry petunia pot hangs at the end of the covered patio next to the wind chimes and a lovely hanging sun metal sculpture from my friend Yvonne in Honolulu.

One good thing about this garden is that it is solidly fenced. Our Labrador, Tuscan, is a bit of an escape artist. In Lobethal, the entire neighborhood knew him. He'd dig his way under the fence and escape to the market, or go for a walk to the football oval. Sometimes our friends at the local deli would round him up. Luckily, he has a tag on his collar with our phone number on it so we met many people in the course of his escapes who phoned us to give their Tuscan sightings. There was one weak spot he found in the fence here that caused us a bit of panic when he went for a couple of walks around Woodside, but that's since been fixed. He usually doesn't get too far, as our red Kelpie, Nani, rats on him as soon as he leaves. She's very good at alerting us to his disappearances. And when he returns, she jumps all over him and growls her disapproval. Both dogs have lots of room to run around, and they have fun barking at the back fence at passing kids or council workers. Doggie fun! They're happy.

For me, because Glynn has the car all day at work, I'm a bit housebound. Bus service in the hills is limited. Luckily, our little village has all the conveniences I need within a few minutes walk. Literally. You can walk the entire length of the main street in about five minutes, possibly more if you stop to read the bulletin board outside the market to see who's got puppies for sale or read the posters advertising country fairs or garage sales. But within that short strip is a church (you can set your watch by the chimes every Sunday), the bakery, two pubs, the butcher, a fruit and vegetable shop, a masseuse, a clothing store, a bed and breakfast, the Foodland supermarket (the manager there has a side business - he cuts our lawn), a deli, a great little cafe, a news agent (newspapers, magazines, stationery and stuff), a couple of antiques/collectible stores, the bank, a ceramics studio run out of the artist's home, two hair salons and a barber, a veterinarian, a medical clinic, the post office, and the library. Not counting stuff like the picture framer, the service station, the pharmacy and a few other businesses. Off the main road is the public pool, the police sub-station and the elementary school, and where the rest of us live.

On our street, John Street, we know a lot of our neighbors. The kid who works at the butcher's lives across the street. An old woman who listens to the ABC radio show I do also lived there til she moved in with her daughter. Our plumber lives up the street as does the young woman who owns one of the hair salons. Up close to the end of our street is the couple who owns the deli the next village over. Our next door neighbors Bec and Cam held a neighborhood party last year for everyone to get to meet and chat. A couple of weeks ago they alerted us to one of Tuscan's escapes which they knew about since this time Nani also took off with him but ended up hanging out at their house instead of following Tuscan down the street. (I baked them a loaf of banana bread as a thank you.) They've just had a new baby so the neighborhood has grown. It's a comfortable and friendly little corner of the world here. I like that.

So while I miss Hawaii, my son, family, friends, the comfort of familiar surroundings and landmarks, I'm enjoying my new family and friends and getting to know my new home as well.

So what are you waiting for? We've got a spare room...when are you coming to visit?