Happiness is a house in Lilyfield

We have had our first complete week together in our new house all together, since Rob got back from New Zealand. We are so blissfully happy here, it works so well as a family house and there's so much space for everyone and everything. On Friday we had the fireplace in the sitting room opened up and had our first real fire that night which was fantastic. Rob hasn't quite got over the novelty of it yet and has been lighting fires in the mornings as well as at night. We really need it now as winter is upon us, and despite lovely sunny days, it's still chilly in the morning and at night. We had a our first lot of visitors here at the weekend for a couple of boozy afternoons, including one with our lovely new next door neighbours. On one side we have Simon and Kirsty with their new baby Maggie, 2-year-old Charlie and 6-year-old Gabe. Scarlett and Gabe hit it off immediately and are in and out of each other's houses and gardens on a regular basis. Scarlett starts school next year and will hopefully be going to the same school as him too. On the other side are Steve and Barbara, and their grown up kids, who are incredibly friendly. We are a short walk from the organic markets held every Saturday, are only minutes from the tram stop to the city and my bike ride to work is now only 15 minutes instead of 35. There's also a massive park at the end of the road which all the kids love going to, and another one down the hill that connects to a wetland walk for spotting turtles, blue-tongue lizards and fish. In other news Florence is now walking. It took her until 15 months, just like Scarlett. She is the happiest baby I have ever known and is a super cuddler. She and Scarlett are starting to spar a bit more now, fighting over toys and books but they love each other to bits.