using Kubuntu 8.10 & KDE 4.1.4 with Konquerer 4.1.4

I cannot get Konquere to display my home folder, '/home/terry'

It will ONLY display the Goggle search page.

If I click on the 'Home Folder' on the left side navigation bar, I get an error message:

File or Folder Does Not Exist
Details of the Request:
URL: file:///$HOME
Protocol: file
Date and Time: Tuesday 31 March 2009 01:28 pm
Additional Information: $HOME
Description:
The specified file or folder /$HOME does not exist.
Possible Causes:
You may have encountered a bug in the program.
Possible Solutions:
Update your software to the latest version. Your distribution should provide tools to update your software.
Contact your appropriate computer support system, whether the system administrator, or technical support group for further assistance.

HOME is defined and set as '/home/terry'

Even if I enter /home/terry on the location bar, it just displays the google search page.

It absolutely refuses to display my home folder. I work around by clicking on the root folder and then working doiwn the directory tree in the navigation display on the left.

Why won't Konquerer display my home folder????????????????????????????