Before we moved to Diosd we spent nine of the best and hardest years of our lives living in a cozy (and by cozy, I mean small) apartment in Bucharest, Romania. I bought plants there like some people buy cut flowers - sparingly, and with the knowledge that their days were numbered. Our local playground, surrounded by concrete apartment buildings, was our backyard.

And then, three years ago, we moved to Diosd, Hungary. And the only house available in the area that would fit our family turned out to be just what we needed, with green space galore. We moved in near the end of fall, greeted by bright bushes of chrysanthemums. And the following spring we were surprised by daffodils, lillies, roses, blanket flowers, and more.

Just outside the front door our veranda serves as a cozy reading nook, a home for our rabbits, an herb garden, and a place to dry laundry without fear of rain. All our outside furniture pieces are bittersweet reminders of other expats who've moved away.  We miss them! But we're sure glad to be able to sit outside.

Our front yard is slowly being taken over by a trio of pines that I'm pretty sure were once potted Christmas trees planted by previous renters. They serve as yardsticks of our time here as they grow along with us and remind me of just how long we've been blessed to call this place home. At first I wondered if our children would be able to run and play because we don't have wide open space, but I was delightfully wrong. And I wouldn't give up garden beds and fruit trees for a bigger swath of grass. 

Between our house and our neighbors there is a strip of land just a few feet wide that slopes deeply. Somehow it sustains grape vines, privacy hedges, several fruit trees, a few berry bushes that crept in from our neighbor's patch and more weeds than I would like. I have given up trying to tame it. But whenever my schedule is looking full and I'm still trying to squeeze a couple more really good things into it, I look at that strip of land. It's growing a lot of good things. But none of them are as fruitful or beautiful as they would be if they had some space to grow.

Our backyard is dominated by a huge cherryplum tree that slurps up any water that falls there and thwarts all my attempts to grow grass. But for a week in the spring it does this,  and all is forgiven.

The land our town was built on was once covered with vineyards and orchards, and fruit trees and vines still abound amidst the houses. In spring, a walk through town is a feast for the senses as the fruit trees bloom in a variety of colors and scents.

During our first covid lockdown we went for days on end without setting foot outside our gate.  Even parks and outdoor spaces were closed.  So we decided to make our yard as fun as possible to get our kids outside in the sunshine and fresh air. The addition of a trampoline, hammocks, and a few simple swings has resulted in hours upon hours of outdoor play.

We can rest in hammocks or swing from tree branches, dig in the sandbox or dig in the garden. If we light a fire in the firepit in the evening, our kids will meander outside, drawn by its light. And if we have guests, eating outside is easier than jostling around our table indoors. This handful of square meters has brought us so much joy, a never ending gift from a good Father.

An added bonus of having a garden is having room for animals. While we keep a couple rabbits and a gecko of our own, a bowl of cat food on the veranda ensures regular daytime visits from a couple of neighborhood cats. At night, hedgehogs waddle over to finish off whatever food is left. We keep a sharp eye out for lizards darting across our paths, and when it rains the snails abound. We're rich in nature, which feels much like actual wealth after our apartment years.

Our little town is located just outside the city limits of Budapest, but feels a world away from the city. I miss being able to jump on the metro and ride wherever I please, but being able to walk through the fields and orchards on the edge of town more than makes up for the loss.

Our favorite outdoor space in town is an old limestone quarry surrounded by woods. We've loved it since we first discovered it, but recently it's been getting love from the town as well. Locals have added benches and swings and created a fairytale path through the woods with stories in Hungarian,  German, or English to listen to at each rest stop. Some of the teachers at our international school recorded the English stories, so it's fun to hear some familiar voices along the way.

 After years of searching for beauty (and finding it!) among the concrete apartment blocks of our former city home, I can't get over how the natural beauty of God's creation continues to surprise and teach me. Thanks for letting me share it with you!