Moving Houses

This year is the 25th anniversary of our move to permanant residence in Australia.

We arrived here on 31st January, 1983.

In some respects it seems like a lifetime ago.

In others, it is just yesterday.

In our 25 years here, we have lived in 9 different 'homes'.

The very first was a rental, which was partially furnished, & just what we required at the time. A lot of our personal belongings were being shipped by container, from New Zealand. It was quite exciting to be beginning a new chapter in our lives.

I turned 40 soon after we arrived here, & though it is a milestone birthday to some people, I barely had time to register the fact! Besides, in my mind I was 30something, still, & need not trouble myself about figures. Even bodily ones. I held up reasonably well. Not fat, not thin.

Here is Gom & Daughter J, with Son B, in the first house we bought in Australia.

Here I am in between DJ & Gom. Slightly blurred image.

Does this look like a woman who cooks 2 Carrot cakes daily!

Here is DJ, a teenager in her neat bedroom! She always kept it that way, in that house!

Here is teenage Son B. A tidy bedroom! Ghoulish in parts, but very tidy & neat.

Here is Meggie with Son B, about to rush off to work in Gom's Coffee Shop. Probably transporting Carrot Cakes as I went!

Must have been the same day, as here I am at the front door of our house, with DJ. They were about to rush off to school, me to work.

Stop sniggering, it was 1983! Fashions were ... well, different then!

I have a theory about houses. This house was neat every time we inspected it. It was a 4 bedroom house, & had a blended family living there. Between them there were 5 children, yet the house always looked neat & tidy.

I will probably blog about this first home again. We have a lot of laughs to recall from that house.

Somehow it seemed to remain that way, after we bought it. We are not a tidy family. Well, we weren't then. Gom was a worst offender at 'untidy'. Now he is quite anal about all sorts of 'tidy'. HAHA !

Over the following years we lived in all sorts of differing houses. Some rented, another we purchased. The second house we purchased was my favourite, & it was perfect for teenagers, & adults who needed to live together.

All in all, it has been quite an up & down life, living her in Australia.

I regard the stint in the Hotel as the worst. Though, I suppose it was safest finacially. The price was too high though, to my mind. I suffered ill health & a great deal of stress & grief during that period.

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We had SG here this morning. His mother had to work early, his father was at work very early, sister working also. He was so happy that we saw him in his uniform. He was so excited, he had a second breakfast here, a Peanut Butter sandwich!

I asked him to pose for a photograph. I wanted the hat & the boots, but he wanted to just sit. So here he is.

Didn't even get his boots! I will have to try again. He is still loving it, so that is good. Another wet day, & the brolly was needed. Not cold though.

"I dont need my jumper Mum!"

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Am I allowed to whinge? Here is a picture of my whinge. Hideous in the extreme. And the level of itch?? 4 beestings, or or.... I just don't know.

I consulted a Chemist. He suggested Antihistamines. This pic after I have taken 2 on consecutive days. Looks like a skin specialist might be the next step.

I keep thinking of that Beatles song ... what is it? "Come Together" ~ "Hold you in his armchair you can feel my his disease"?

I thought it might be claw-marks from the Black Dog.

Now I am sure it is why the Black Dog lurks.

Beatles, The Fool On The Hill.