I have a secret I’ve been keeping from some of you and now that things are taking shape, I feel inclined to share the news. Remember what Virginia Woolf said about a woman needing “a room of one’s own” in order to write fiction…well guess what John is giving me. Yes, that’s right four walls that will exist just to serve me and I get to make all the decisions about fixtures, color, decor, flooring, anything and everything..it’s up to me. Now if a room of my own wasn’t enough by itself…John decided I should have an en-suite bath as well. As you can see by the building plan we’re actually adding two bathrooms so instead of the bath and a half we currently have, there will soon be three bathrooms and a loo. (half bath)
I can’t begin to tell you how loved I feel by John’s decision to add on to a perfectly reasonably sized 3 bedroom bungalow in order to make me feel more welcome and at home. When I came over last May for three months, he totally restructured the closet in the master bedroom giving me the bulk of the space, later he added extra cabinets in the bathroom and bedroom for me to have enough storage for all the things a woman uses on a regular basis, then he added bookshelves and space in his study for me before revamping the kitchen and later installing more cabinets for my kitchen things that should be arriving any day now.
John’s been so caring and considerate, commenting more than a time or two that he knows how difficult it must have been for me to sell off my things and leave my home and family and move here to live with him. He’s done all these things without my asking, suggesting, or mentioning anything about space.
It’s a tremendous gift he’s giving me and I’m not just talking only about a room of my own. I had an awareness the other day as I was making decisions in my head about how I wanted to do certain things. Having never had the opportunity to design a space from the ground up, I realized I was placing limitations on my creativity out of habit as I’ve always had to work within the framework of those who’d gone before me. The more I thought about this, the more I saw a pattern in some of my creative writing…as in too safe and too predictable. So you see, this room of my own, my quiet place for writing fiction has already has given me a bit of the freedom Virginia Woolf spoke of when she wrote about all the circumstances that kept women of her day from being able to tap into their creative voice. Going forward now, I need to remember sometimes the limitations are not those placed on us by outside conditions, but rather the internal ones we create for ourselves.
I’ll be posting updates in the building process weekly and I hope you’ll come back to see the progress.
Gifts Of The Journey 
How very exciting to see the photos of your new space becoming a reality. I relate to your wanting a space to call your own where your thoughts can flow freely and inspiration abounds.
John sounds like a very special, dear man.
Wow! This is fantastic! And you are definitely beyond the planning stages, I see! What a wonderful wonderful gift from John and how much you are going to love this space!!! I can’t wait to see what you decide to do with it.
What a wonderful partner to have thought about and realized how much all this means to you. I am blown away by the beauty of the (much more than a) gesture.
you are a very lucky lady he must be a very special man no wander you cam all this way to be with him
now that, my friend, is comittment! have fun making it your own!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel multiple exclamation marks are appropriate.
Wow, wow, wow. This is so awesome, in so many ways.
Count me in as an enthusiastic supporter and follower of this particular journey. I’m already looking forward to your upcoming posts as your (wow) space develops.
I too think it would be difficult to move into another person’s space. Clive and I were fortunate to be at a stage where we were both ready to sell and able to find a new place for “us”. I love how John made space for you in his place – and now this!
Cheers to you both and good on ya.
That is very cool! How fun. It will fun to see what you do.
😉
That is wonderful…how lovely that you will have your own space 🙂
So important to have your own space. My husband was also very considerate when I moved over and he made sure I had lots of storage space. However, he hasn’t built me a room. I’m going to show him this post. 🙂
That is certainly a fantastic gift, a very loving gesture 🙂
Swoon!!!! I love John and I’ve never met him! What a wonderful gift. ENJOY!
how exciting!! what a wonderful husband you have… a true gift
oh wow….
That is my ultimate dream gift.
WONDERFUL story on the making of the room too. 🙂 You clearly are enjoying every moment of the experience. How lovely. 🙂
PS… being on a rather smaller budget my hubby did a variation on this… he bought me a laptop I can use in our bedroom. 🙂
We share a rented house so there’s no room for privacy. I actually never got used to the laptop and have ended up back on my old faithful computer in the junk and everything room, but I do retreat to a very cosy old chair wedged next to our bed when I want to get any writing started.