Yup, I've Changed

This past weekend, I spent mainly at the "Country House", i.e. Highflyer's home. This would not be such a remarkable event if it had not been for the fact that the Lord of the Manor himself was away and I chose to be there on my own...not for the first time. Two years ago, I would not have thought this possible and in fact I could not understand friends who met a partner with an address in the back of beyond and voluntarily chose to move there and commute to the big city. Well, I have no plans to give up my flat in Vienna, ever, but my attitude really has changed. Moreover, I have definitely changed. I attribute it to a combination of factors, the most important one being that I spent so many months of lockdown here and have so many happy memories of really getting to know Highflyer and realising that this is indeed the man I want to spend the rest of my life with as spending weeks together 24/7 did not result in a single argument or disagreement. Lovely company aside, I just became quite attached to this place that will forever be associated with this crazy period of all our lives. Another important factor is that what I first visited as a house with (to my taste at least) very questionable interior design choices (which were mostly the previous owners', but I didn't know that then) has now had a subtle makeover by yours truly and feels like my home as well. I treaded carefully at first, very carefully as I learnt the hard way that anything less than enthusiastic exclamations about furniture and decor can really offend some home owners so I didn't say anything, relieved that I probably would not have to spend a lot of time there. In those first months of our relationship, we mostly met in Vienna. When it soon transpired that the furniture, curtains, cushion covers, etc. had already been there and were not beloved heirlooms of Highflyer's family, I started making suggestions that met both approval and appreciation. This, combined with the fact that I have so much more space here for my hobbies, feels like having hit the jackpot and I love the generous kitchen counter space (my kitchen in Vienna is tiny) and my DIY room upstairs. Having a garden and terrace is an added bonus and something I don't have in the city so, yes, I love spending time here and now understand my friends who chose to always spend their weekends at a country home, much to my disbelief.