Author: rayela

Brazil 18years + Chicago 20yrs + Paducah since 2005 These have shaped my path and interests. I spent many years as an active artist (ceramics and textiles) but have focused on promoting the creative community online since 2010. My current projects are Artizan Made and this site, Creative PlaceMakers.

Debra Dorgan, owner of AllThingsPretty, is a member of our sister site, Artizan Made.  Her main focus has been to create garments, accessories, jewelry and home décor items out of upcycled textiles.  She also paints and has been working with metals lately. She has sold over 1,000 products that she has made through her shop on Etsy!

Debra is a member of a drum group in Australia and enjoys performing with them!

We’ve been online friends for many years now and I’ve had the joy of seeing her Facebook posts, often photos of her walks through different neighborhoods or by the sea.    It’s a delight to have her share this story here on Creative PlaceMakers!  Find all of her links and more info on her Artizan Made profile.

the home within by debra dorgan

Moving from England, UK to New Zealand, 19 years ago, was a big journey with my then young family. Looking for a new home to rent was interesting and a bit tricky. Most of the homes I saw were damp and ‘thin’. I was used to brick houses so seeing weatherboard everywhere took some getting used to. It was a lovely place, living in Auckland on the north island. I still appreciate those spectacular views out to sea, with the occasional volcano jutting out. I met some lovely people whilst living there and made good friends.

I missed the food choices from back in England, especially a favourite food shop called Marks & Spencers. After nearly 3 years, we moved to Australia where I had to be talked into this idea for a year, beforehand. I was under the illusion that there were deadly snakes around you, flying giant cockroaches and spiders galore.

Well, yes there are all these magnificent beings but mostly they’re not too concerned in getting to know you. I was thankful for that. Something in me changed in regards to having a fear of such things. I became completely respectful of these creatures that existed way before me or any of us here and just asked that they please stay outside and not inside our home. I could hear a couple of snakes living inside the house walls, that we’d bought. Writhing about, most probably sloughing off their skin. It was right next to my bedside, so I became quite comfortable with this regular nighttime sound. The walls were thin, so I just prayed that they didn’t work their way through.

This particular house was set right by a creek, so I got used to seeing large Carpet pythons and Eastern Brown snakes, (one of the world’s most deadliest snakes), around the garden or in the trees. It was fascinating. I loved them but just ensured that all the pets were safe. I did catch sight of a python eyeing off one of the cats outside the front door, one day though. It was looking down at the cat from the roof edge of the undercover area, sizing it up. I just threw a couple of small stones on top of the tin roof to scare it away, which worked. Back inside for the cat, of course.

Another day, I videoed the fighting of two huge pythons that were wrangling on top of the neighbour’s carport. The entertainment there was wild. I did become a bit fond of one brown Carpet pythons that was hanging around in the small front garden. It was a beauty but the two Whippets were getting too curious and barking at this coiled Cyril, as I named him. Cyril wandered off after a few days. I never felt the need to call in a snake catcher as living on a creek, would be impossible to keep up with that expense.

A few years later, now living in a nearby suburb, there’s not as much visual snake activity but I do get to be occasionally graced by a pair of Tawny Frogmouths. They’re magnificent, kind and wise looking birds, commonly mistaken for owls. They’re actually from the Kingfisher family. They lived under my verandah roof for a couple of weeks, just being all cute and overseeing what I was up to, just feet away.

Living in Queensland – the Sunshine State, has high temperatures in the spring and summer months and mostly sunshine, even in winter. It is winter now and it has felt cold. My home is very cold in the winter with no insulation or heating but it’s usually warmer outside in the sunshine, if it’s not cloudy or raining.

England was icy cold in the winter and I remember only receiving a few weeks of warm or hot weather, so this is a big difference. New Zealand felt damper where I was living, so chesty coughs were rife. Nineteen years after moving from England, I still get to miss a lot from England, such as old architecture, stone cottages, and food cultures but it’s not the be all and end all. I no longer hanker after things like that, as there is a different kind of beauty everywhere you go.

The space here feels different to the last two countries. I noticed that when I first arrived. The sky is more vast. When I first went back to England for a visit, I was surprised at how the perspective of the sky felt like I was in a type of globe. It felt small and narrow. Very strange. I ate far too many favourite foods from the shops, cafes and restaurants but I also couldn’t wait to get back to the warmth and spaciousness.

There are a lot of housing developments happening here, everywhere you drive through, which is caused by high immigration intakes. I’ve already seen so many beautiful spaces taken over by characterless, grey units, also known as town houses. All cramped in and in nowhere near the same calibre as the beautiful, original Queenslander homes. Our own homes once sat on beautiful land, I’m sure. It’s the difference between profit and common sense/preservation of style and wildlife consideration etc., that is the issue.

I used to enjoy walking around neighbourhoods, taking photos of lovely houses. It’s surprising how little heritage there is. I hear this is happening a lot in many other countries too, unfortunately. Wooden houses are often invaded by termites here but they can be fixed.   Maybe there was something in houses being built of stone, after all!

All in all, I found these three countries that I’ve lived in, to be similar in many ways, such as governmental rules, people and social morals. I could easily live back in England or New Zealand. There is unique beauty in every country and I don’t have a favourite. Your children help determine where we need to be.

It’s what we carry inside of us that is the most important.

The home within.

And a pleasant environment certainly helps!

more photos from my walks