Mr. Bill and I had been looking online for homes in Southern Ontario for at least two years.

It’s not that we didn’t love our friends and family in Dryden and Northwestern Ontario, it’s just that both of us suffer from arthritis and winters can start at the end of October and stretch through until May long weekend. It can be cold and very cold with lots of snow. Lovely if you enjoy winter sports, not so lovely if you don’t! We are a blended family of five kids and four grandchildren ~ many of the family members were living in Southern Ontario and the two members who still live in Northern climes, travel south frequently.

The winter of 2018, eh gad!

And so it was in the aftermath of the winter of 2018, when it seemed like the snow on the front lawn would never melt, and spring would never come, that we decided to act on our musings about moving to a location where the golfing season was longer than three months.

We didn’t have a specific location in mind at first. With options open, our key criteria was the distance to our mobile home park in Arizona, the location of family members and the number of golf courses. Other criteria was pretty simple, a garage for Mr. Bill and a backyard for a flower garden for me.

Searching the real estate sites!

We spent our evenings searching the internet and then compiling a list of potential homes and locations.

Once the search narrowed to a specific locale we contacted a real estate agent, and the search began in earnest.

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We booked a week-long visit, and our agent arranged for us to see several homes in various towns in the region.

One of the houses we had been particularly interested in was located a short distance from the downtown core, along tree lined streets and amongst other older homes. We had google mapped and spied on the street and the neighbourhood, and from the pictures, it appeared to be exactly what we had in mind.

Do you believe in living into your imaginings? Manifesting your destiny perhaps?

When we insisted on seeing the house, our agent tried to discourage us. “There are seven offers on that house” she said “don’t even bother”. However after a couple of days of travelling through the region, and viewing the homes we had arranged appointments for, we were disappointed. Often the pictures that accompany the listing, do not accurately reflect reality. As a result we insisted on at least having a drive-by of the house with the seven offers on it.

I recall quite clearly being impressed with the exterior of this subject house, it was lovely, but it was the house next door that piqued my interest and made me get out of the car and investigate further.

I found myself, standing on the front lawn of the house next door, and staring up at a bright pink door and a little white porch. Was that a circular pinky glow that suddenly appeared around the perimeter of “this little house”? In that moment I knew this was going to be our new home.

But it was not for sale.

“Should I knock on the door and ask them if they want to sell” I thought to myself. Would that be too bold?

After another round of appointments on the following day, there was still zero enthusiasm in making an offer on any of them.

We asked if we could return to the street with the house that had multiple offers on it. Reluctantly our agent agreed.

So much anticipation returning to that street. What is this??

Another For Sale sign! Whaaaat?

Yup, it was on the lawn of “that little house” next door. The one with the pink door and the white porch. The same lawn that I stood on the day before, and had contemplated knocking on the front door, to see if they would be interested in selling, that same lawn, now had a For Sale sign on it!

Well, of course it was meant to be!

And then Mr. Bill and I did something we rarely do ~ we acted impulsively, and bought that little house ~ with the lovely backyard, the garage for Mr. Bill (not as he would have wanted but at least it has possibilities), on a tree lined street, within walking distance to downtown and amongst some lovely old Victorian homes. To say it’s a work in progress might be considered an understatement. But it sure feels like home.

On that day, the Pollock Projects were born and that little house was, and still is, being transformed and given new life under our steady hands!

This blog was created in part, to document that journey. Come along with us and enjoy the ride!

Be bold, be authentically you!

~ Donna