SANParks.org Forums

When I'm on the forum, I always kind of try to imagine you all, while I'm talking to you.
What is your home like: do you have a house or appartment? Do you have garden with a view or no view. What are your surroundings like? (Nature or city) Where is your computer in your home?
For those of you who don't mind breaking the myth and the mystery, come on and describe your home to us...

I live in the outskirts of Paris in a three room appartment. I have a beautiful view from the bedrooms of our place, which is on top of a hill, over the whole surrounding region. We have quite a large living room with big windows and a view onto a running track surrounded by greenery. This is not bad at all for the Paris region which is very very expensive...(we rent)
My computer is in a small room with no windows but I'm saving up for a portable which I will then use on our small balcony.
(Don't need to give any idea about your social status or wealth, or lack of it, just give us the overall feeling and atmosphere)

Graemy

I live in a two bedroomed postage stamp with 5 cats. We are in a huge security complex on the ground floor. Oh, by the way we are in Johannesburg, maybe slightly North East.

My laptop is close to the one and only telephone point in my place i.e the breakfast nook.

That's it!

the outside of my home is like all the others, as the neighbourhood has building guidelines, so it's white, black roof. In front it looks out on the sea about 100m away, the back looks over unused farmland and a small mountain, where buck, mongoose, rabbits, birds etc live. In spring the open field is covered in yellow daisies. At present I have no neighbours either side or in front of me, only diagonally opposite.
The computer is in the office at the front of the house, and the office, as does the rest of the house, has a large window so that we can see the sea.
Where I live is semi rural, just three rows of houses from the sea and then further along(right) a gated golf estate on the sea, and then a small seaside village(left) on the other side.

I also have a flat - on the second floor of a small purpose built block on the edge of St Helier, Jersey's town. It is fairly new but has nice big rooms - a living/dining room, one large double bed-room and a bijou (but well-equipped) kitchen....


It is south facing (so gets all the sun) and has a nice big sun terrace - perhaps I should equip it with a braai....

Despite being on the edge of town, it is almost surrounded by trees which make for a pleasant view and help to cut out the noise

This is the second time I am trying to reply. I hope that all my children's concerned suitors... just ... disappear...
(from my side.. 1 s... 2 'ps.)
I have an impossibly blue sky from my window.
I am a morning person and when I get up, my heart sings..
until I see the chaos of my animals.
I have 4 dogs and 6 cats.
I also work from home... that is another story.
I live in a house that has a history. I am still trying to work out why this house seduced me as it did.
I live in a house where the labradors try to mount the siamese cats
children invite friends, wondering why there is ever an issue about acceptance..
I have arches in my house that remind me of a monastry. I look at the flow, and I think, ok, that is what is was all about.
Bottom line, I love my house, but is not going to reach the pages of "Cosmo".
I absolutely enjoy my house. It is just so not going to get into any magazine pages, it is just so in your face
my house does not understand rules...

even Freda could live in my house.
What is it about my house?
It is about the love.
As a mother, I sometimes miss the plot. I never miss the chance for mixed up love

This is our house [ in winter time]in the middle of nature. Our neighbours are wild pigs, red deer, roe deer, foxes and much more.We live their with 6 dogs, cats and a roe deer. Upstairs, I have a PC for making films, my son has a PC and downstairs Yvonne has a PC to put all here photo's on.My studio is in the back yard. For us the most beautiful place their is.

I'm thinking that I didn't do my place justice! I have a lovely sunny stoep (veranda) with an abundance of potted herbs - parsley, watercress, chives, coriander, basil even tomato.....

It is a very leafy suburb, so we are blessed with a lot of trees. And with trees come birds, which of course keep my cats on their toes! But I have you know, the birds have the edge!

Lets see
House built in 1930
Al wooden panel doors
orininal wooden floors upstairs
Living room is 7,50 long
4,20 wide
Kitchen 4.20 x 180
All new
2 big bedrooms
1 small room
1 small shower with washing machine
One loft where we stash our extra,s
Garden 5.20 x 7.50
With a small pond with ten salamanders
And i forgot the cat, 15 yrs old

Nice thing about our house is that we can cycle in 15 min to the city centre or to the outdoors.
And that in a city with 130,000 people

And with close to one of western europes biggest marshes, the Biesbosch. 20 min by bike

I live in a residential park home.(Trailer in USA.) We are in a national park The New Forest. Deer, foxes, squirrels field mice(and rats)countless pheasants, lots of other birds (I have bluetits nesting in a box on my paved patio) hedgehogs and of course the New Forest ponies.
We Have Lounge, Kitchen, Bathroom, One bedroom and a hall and porch, at the end of the hall is my computer "office"all in a 40ftX 10ft space. We also have a decking ares so lots of room for a braii.We do have all mod cons for those of you that haven't come across a park home ie. central heating electricity gas, tiled roof double glazing and a very lovely veiw We areabout 1-2 miles from The Solent,and can see the Isle of Wight from the road . Sadly not allowed pets but we do have goldfish in a pond and frogs and when it gets hot a grass snake cools off in there.

All your contributions have been absolutely wonderful!!!!

Some descriptions of homes are more physical, like my own, and some are more abstract, but they all give an idea of where we live and who we are...
Macho mouse gives relatively little physical description, but I'm sure we all feel that we've been in her home (some have!!) and that we know her a little better, thanks to that...

Isn't it funny how quickly we make any place become our "home". I mean after only night in a bungalow or campsite, and coming back after a day's drive, don't you have the feeling that you're coming home? After only one day.
This goes to show how important the concept of a home is for all of us mankind. And we can certainly see that as well through the warmth and commitment that transpire through your last posts...

Thank you

It is just so an extension of who we are.
I bought my home because it was built around a family.
There are rooms and doors that lost direction. Maybe, someone needed something at sometime and it felt like a good idea to just add another room.
There are skylights, atriums begging to be acknowledged.
When I sit in certain places, the arches remind me of a monastry. There is a flow, which was maybe not planned, but leaves me feeling good.
I have a damp problem that reminds we, we are all on our road to senility... or menopause

@Macho mouse

Your couple of posts seem to sum up a whole wonderfully rich and rewarding life in just a couple of lines. You have put such depth and feeling and blatant sincerity into those few words that they say just about everything. Like poetry...
Like you say, a home is more than just a few walls. It is a place full of joy and memories, trouble and sorrow, ordeals and triumphs...
It is one of the few places where we can let go and be ourselves, be faithful to our values, live with old memories and conjure up new dreams.
It is not only where we are, but very much more who we are. It is a place where we can try to shut out the hard things in life, only to see that they also seep in through the walls, because a home is simply full of life. Including the tough parts. Once we have accepted this fact, then a home will always be a haven.
When I think about all that you have said, then the words that come to mind are: love, patience, acceptance, chaos, joy and sadness, acceptance (again) wisdom and serenity...

I know my profile says Portsmouth - that's the biggest nearest town. I actually live about 10 miles (as the crow flies) across the harbour and along the coast. My town is a small coastal town, mainly filled with retirement flats (I'm about 30 years too early), on the Solent, one of the busy parts of the English Channel. We live about 5 mins from the sea front, from where we have glorious views of Cowes and Ryde on the Isle of Wight and also Osborne House, where Queen Victoria "retired" to.
During the summer there is always something going on in the Solent - yacht races, jetskiing, windsurfers and kitesurfing - it can get quite colourful. There are 3 pubs which serve food, 2 indian restaurants, one Italian restaurant, a kebab shop and a chippy, so all needs are catered for. Some photos of the area I live in can be found here and here

I live in a 30 year old 3 bedroomed house, an end terrace. My front garden, along with 15 other houses surrounds a pathway through the estate, forming a little square and is very peaceful. We are slowly modernising the decor. The downstairs consists of a large living room/dining room running the length of the house, with patio doors onto the back garden and a tiny kitchen. We have one bedroom, the cat has another (which he reluctantly has to share with occasional guests) and my PC is in the smallest bedroom. This is at the front of the house and in summer when I open the window I can hear the woodpigeons calling, which is so restful. On the wall in the study is a map of Southern Africa which I'm using to plan my visit to Namibia and various postcards sent to me by friends from their travels. One wall has full to the brim bookshelves, mainly of travel books and travel writing.

Yvonne made just this pics some minutes ago.





my studio

We live in a large 4-bedroom house in Maputo and also pay a massive monthly rental for something that is way to big for 2 people and 3 cats …was however only descent place that was available when we moved to Moz. My one cat however enjoys these expensive wide-open spaces and uses it as a racetrack.
Our house borders a wetlands area. In front of the house the stream is contained in a cement channel, but a small distance on there are true wetlands…subsistent farmers even grow rice there. The area in front of our house is also used by ladies for subsistence farming…they work from very early in the morning, everything is done by hand and then left for the rain that may or may not come (I often try to wet their crops with my hosepipe over our wall ).
Every mornings I’m also treated with a lady that brings her goats to graze. They are all on rope leashes and she walks them like you will walk dogs. When there is a young one, she always carries it in her one arm…as a Christian it always makes me think of Jesus as the Herdsman.
In Maputo there isn’t really “good” and “bad” areas…expensive houses are right in the middle of shantytowns. Next to our complex is also an informal settle. The Mozambican people are however such amazing people and mixing with them is a wonderful experience.
Everything is however not always moonshine in roses in a country that is one of the poorest in the world…lot of poverty and hardship. I’m constantly in a battle with the bird catcher who catch birds in front of my house and in the wetlands area. My SO has a few time threatened me with divorce because I go into the wetlands area to steal nets that has been put up to catch birds…might one of these days end up without a husband and in jail for theft. The community in the area has however found a liking in the crazy blond woman screaming at the bird catchers in an unknown language (I haven’t master Portuguese yet) and they themselves nowadays chase away the catchers.

Our house is one block away from the beachfront with these views



My view from our house includes this dilapidated building…for me this “see-through” building is beautiful…was upset when I heard rumours that it is going to be blown up. It is a real landmark in Maputo and even used by boatmen as a beckon when returning from Inhaca Island.



As I said in another post: Life in Africa is never dull…I always have something to see and find humour in…
Anybody for a pedicure?



Every weekend, if possible, we go to our REAL home…Marloth. This is however not where I chat on the Forum….no TV, Hi-fi or computer…only electronic gadget is the microwave.