Making The House A Home

A reintroduction to the podcast for its second season and readings of some poems about life and getting settled in the Australian family home.

I’m starting my podcast later in the year that I intended because of unforeseen circumstances, but it is good to be with you all again. My website is pamcarter.net as a lot of you will know. You might also be interested to look at some of my artwork that’s now been put onto the website.

Now I decided to have a change of genre this year, so instead of spiritual poetry, I thought we would look at various scenarios that have occurred as I’ve travelled along God’s road of life. Now most of the contents of these episodes took place from 1977 when I returned to Western Australia with my family. We had been living back in England for a few years for medical reasons. Now my family consists of my husband Philip and three children. Two girls, Dawn Marie and Robina were born in Australia and then we went back to England again and our son Stewart was then born in the UK.

In most instances the poems were then were taken from everyday events. Our names used are of friends, acquaintances and family members, and tell a story of an occasion. There are many happy events and fun times that we want to remember and reminisce over. Likewise, there are circumstances in life that set challenges through fear of the unknown, sickness and unpleasant past experiences. Whatever our personal lives entail, a positive outlook and sense of humour will enable us to meet each day with an open mind, sense of expectation and excitement for the future.

A good attitude to life and a happy disposition not only influences our lives but the lives of others. Our words of encouragement can make a person feel good about themselves and give them a sense of worth which will reflect in their relationships. I’m sure many will relate to the stories told through the poems, have a giggle over some of the situations and reflect on others. Now I’ve broken the topics down that I want to share with you into different categories as follows.

The first one’s called ‘That’s Just Life’. So I’ll begin with ‘That’s Just Life’ and in this category I’ll talk about instances that occur around the house. It could cover everyday objects, renovations or family and friend events. I’m sure you’ll be familiar with some of these occurrences happening in your home. It was so exciting to arrive back in Australia and to see friends and relations there to greet us. We invited to stay with some old friends until we found somewhere to live. With a few days, it was time to look for somewhere for the family to live and I knew exactly how I wanted our next home to be. The poem My Home is just a couple of verses of what I had in mind.

Happy and comfortable welcoming and bright,
Friendly and calm would do me alright.

Call and colourful, a house full of fun,
Overlooking a garden, of facing the sun.

Relaxing and loving with family around,
Lots of flora and fauna in a bushland surround.

Believing houses were bigger in Australia and cheaper than in England, we promised the children that they could have their own bedroom when we bought a house. We would disillusioned to find that house prices were much more expensive than we had anticipated. All we could afford was a state house in a poorer area that needed extensive renovation, and only had two bedrooms. The following poem explains how we solved this dilemma. It’s called ‘Back in Australia’.

We left the cold climbs of England again to return to Aus our true home,
telling our children that when we got there they could have a bedroom of their very own.\

But the price of houses were much dearer, so how could the kids have their own room?
For we bought an old house with two bedrooms, it was dirty, a musty with a sense of gloom.

The carpets came up and the paint pots went in. And the sleep out became Rob’s place.
And what about Stuart? What can we do? I empty the laundry and there’s just enough space.

Now Philips a great handyman so working hard the house soon looked all right light bright and clean and the kids had their own rooms as promised and the sunroom out back finished the scene. By the time it was finished and furnished it became a really nice family home and we stayed there quite happily for twelve years until the kids left home and they chose to roam. But often they came back home again with tales of their adventures and life. They got upset when we sold their home, so for a while mum and dad were in strife.

So when we first moved in, and neighbours lent us to chairs while we waited for furniture to be delivered, curtains made, and boxes of household goods and toys to arrive from England. The children soon settled into their new environment, even though the house was covered in drop-cloths, paint pots, and room-sharing while the whole house was decorated.

Philip also started on other projects, so wood was leaning against walls, hammering and soaring was constant and sawdust accumulated over floors and services, mixing with the wet paint. There was no hot water at first, and the cold grey water ran through the garden as there was a blockage in the pipes. The main thing lacking in the house was a decent bathroom, so Philip put that on his list of priorities. It wasn’t long before he started with the renovations, but neither of us knew what the major job would be. Let me tell you about it in my next poem, which is called ‘Renovating the Bathroom’.

We have renovated this whole house,
From the bottom to the top,
But when it came to the bathroom
Things came to a full stop.

Which really was a wonder,
For with black tiles and aqua wall,
Decoration of the bathroom
Was the most needed of all.

At last Philip decided
That now the time had come,
He surveyed the room most carefully,
Then said what would be done.

‘I’ve decided I will shell it,
Move bath and sink and all,
And when that job is finished
I’ll take down the shower stall!’

How my poor heart did flutter
At the thought of all that mess,
And wash downs in the laundry trough,
For six weeks or so, no less!

‘But dearest darling Philip,
Surely the fittings they can stay,
Apart from the tiles and cupboard
I like it just this way.”

He hawed and hummed and pondered,
Then said, ‘I guess you’re right,’
I sighed with relief and murmured,
‘You sure gave me a fright.’

You may think the story’s ended,
But no, it’s just begun,
For to replace the outlet pipe,
It first must be undone,

Which believe me is not easy,
For to get it free,
The only way to reach the screw
Is under the bath you see.

Phil tried via floor, wall and panels,
Performing acrobatic tricks,
But the only way to get it out
Was to remove the outside bricks.

When the house was half demolished
He finally got at it,
But when he tried to buy one new,
The darned thing wouldn’t fit.

The old one was re-chromed,
And laboriously replaced,
Now to get on with the rest of it,
No more time to waste.

The next job was the cupboard
Which went together well,
But when fitting laminate to the top,
Philip he swore like hell.

At last the cupboard was finished,
And indeed it did look nice,
‘Now for the tiles and paint,’ he said,
‘I’ll have them fixed in a trice.’

But the tiling was a mammoth job,
He started with the floor,
They were cut and fitted bit by bit,
Until they reached the door.

Next the tiles were grouted,
‘Don’t walk on them ‘til dry,’
How were we supposed to reach the sink,
Hover over them or fly?

Now for the part I dreaded,
The shower was the next to do,
‘You may not be able to use it
For at least a week or two!’

Phil bought a rubber shampoo spray
To fir to the tap in the bath,
He demonstrated how to use it,
While we had a real good laugh,

He knelt down in that cold, hard tub,
Held the spray above his head,
Then soaped himself all over,
‘That’s how it’s done,’ he said.

It may not sound so very bad,
But let me leave you in no doubt,
That sore knees, and a snaking spray,
I could do without.

The fortnight as I expected,
Dragged into a month or more,
But, by jove, it is appreciated
When you can let the waters pour

Over your whole body
After an everlasting break,
The luxury is fantastic
When that first shower you can take.

Hooray, now for the painting,
But before that can be done,
All holes and cracks we first must fill,
And the rubbing downs not fun,

For the whole bathroom filled with choking dust,
Like a city in a smog,
The extractor fan worked overtime,
And the toothbrushes did clog,

The soap covered in powder,
The shower hat turned white,
Phil came out looking like a ghost,
And we all screamed with fright.

The painting then we started,
‘May need two coats, no more,’
But as Phil’s luck would have it,
The darned thing needed four!

And now to the accessories,
Caroma, here we come,
I hardly can believe it,
The bathroom’s almost done!

So off we went to Alco,
And loaded we came back,
With hooks and shelves and towel rails
And a matching toothbrush rack.

The Italian crystal cabinet,
Looks lovely on the wall,
When you look in the many mirrors,
There’s six of you in all!

Which can be a bit off putting.
When from a steamy bath you rise
All creamed and red and glowing,
Your image stares you in the eyes.

The cupboard doors were varnished,
And fixed firmly in place,
Phil stood back with satisfaction,
And a smile upon his face.

For the job is now completed,
It has been a long hard chore,
But the tools can now be put away,
He won’t need them no more.

The bathroom now looks beautiful,
All pink and rose and white,
And with the finishing touches
It is a lovely sight,

For now it has net drapes and plants,
Bin, mat and shower curtain,
That all the mess has been worthwhile,
Of that I’m very certain,

‘Next time the bathroom needs doing,
I’ll get someone in my dear.’
‘They’ll never be a next time,
I’ll make that very clear!’