Thanksgiving in little adelaide 2010

Today is thanksgiving in the United States (it’s the fourth Thursday of November each year). Generally I’m not a big fan of taking on any more holiday seasons than we already have (on account of the stress that can go into it, not the holiday itself!) but I do like the idea of taking a day to remember the things I am thankful for. I think it is a great opportunity to change my thinking about parts of my life that I don’t often consider. This year I’d like to talk about my suburb.

Kym and I love our home. We think she’s quite the looker and felt an instant connection to her when we first met her at the house inspection. We don’t plan on being here forever and one day would love to buy a larger block of land and build our own home that can fit a family and, fingers crossed, a home business. But for now, we adore her just as she does us.

Interestingly enough we don’t feel the same way about our suburb. We’ve both been caught telling friends and family that we’d love to pick up our home and drop her in a suburb that better fits our personalities, values and goals. Hmmmm…. I think my perception of my suburb is a little too skewed by this future-thinking. So, today I’d like to give thanks for the things I do love about my suburb and in fact, make me want to stay…

1. The trees
2. The open space
3. Location: 30 minutes from the city, 15 from the beach and 20 from wine region!
4. The walking and bike paths
5. The quiet
6. The neighbours
7. The library
8. The smell
9. The hills
10. The laid back attitude
11. People walking their dogs (we didn’t often do this with my childhood dog because of a series of attacks by neighbourhood dogs not kept in their yard by their owners, thus, every time I see a dog being walked, I smile)
12. The cats- we have a few resident cats that hang around in our garden. I am not a cat fan, however, for some reason, I love those cats. One in particular, who has completely disowned the ‘catty’ attitude and is more interested in playing with leaves
13. Neighbouring suburbs with old stone buildings
14. The sizes of the blocks of land (our area is pre-1990, when houses started to become bigger and backyards became smaller)
15. The anonymity
16. The access- we have good access to doctors, community services, sporting facilities… 
17. Our new community- Since moving here Kym and I have made some good friends in the area who have really helped me in particular to settle into our home. I love that it’s been so easy to meet like-minded, accepting people and build a community around me. 

What are you thankful for? 


Kate xx