It might not seem like a year since I announced a completed house purchase, but it is. A year and a few days in fact! Actually buying the house felt like a huge achievement, buying our first home took 9 months, cost a lot in surveyors fees and involved 3 failed sales ... read the contents of the "house" category in chronological order if you missed the story.

On that day, it felt like we'd come a long way. And today, it feels like we've come a longer way still! In the year we've been in the house, we've

• Thrown out most of the contents of it (but the garage is still full)
• Re-acquired our possessions which were in storage for 18 months and (mostly) unpacked them
• Cleared the garden (still no lawn and some digging still to go but its way better than it was
• Got all the guttering fixed
• Added central heating
• Rewired the house
• Become an aunt and uncle
• Completely made over the front garden
• Acquired a piano
• We've both changed jobs and/or been promoted
• Been broken into
• Redecorated most of the ground floor
• Paid the mortgage for 12 months

All in all its been a pretty exciting time, and its hard to believe its a whole 12 months since we picked up the keys, and wandered around the house, not quite believing it was real (it was, filth and all!). Its been quite a ride, cost more than we thought, and been at least as bad as we'd feared :) We've had lots of help from friends and family and we're very grateful for everything everyone has done to help, advise, or whatever. I was at my mum's house last weekend, and realised with a jolt I was homesick ... for Leeds. I've been homesick for her home pretty much since I left it - but this is my home now.

I know there will be other events in our lives, and harder times probably ahead. But for now we feel lucky; we're happy, we're healthy, and I hope it lasts!