"I have had to empty two family homes during the last few years - first, the house that had been my grandmother's since 1923, and then my own country home, which we had lived in for over twenty years"

In this poignant reflection, Penelope Lively encapsulates a journey of psychological and physical shifts connected to the locations that have specified her family's history. The quote speaks to the inescapable passage of time and the modifications it brings, especially the dismantling of homes that have actually long worked as repositories of memories and legacies.

The mention of having to "empty 2 household homes" suggests a laborious and psychological procedure, one that includes arranging through the residues of lives lived. These homes are not just buildings; they are vessels filled with artifacts of personal history, each item a prospective trigger for memories and stories. The job of clearing them is as much about facing the past as it has to do with preparing for the future.

The first home mentioned is her grandmother's, occupied since 1923. This date plants the home strongly in the past, a constant presence through years of societal change. It represents roots, a foundation laid nearly a century ago. The grandmother's house likely held wide ranges of family events and personal turning points, making the process of clearing it not simply a logistical task, but a deeply sentimental one.

The second home, her "own country home", represents a different, more personal loss. Having lived there for over twenty years, this home would be imbued with her own household's felt experiences, representing not just her past however that of her immediate family. The phrase "my own" underscores a sense of ownership and personal investment, separating it from her granny's home however equally substantial in emotional weight.

Through this statement, Lively discuss themes of continuity and change, the cyclical nature of life, and the approval that features it. The procedure of clearing these homes is emblematic of moving on, letting go of the physical remnants of longstanding familial legacies, while carrying forward the intangible memories that define one's identity.