Once again I have moved house, which means that I have lived in 13 properties in the last 9.5 years.

Just a warning, this post may bore you, I'll tell you all about my creepy next door neighbours and incompetent real-estate agent in another post

I once read an article that listed the major stresses in a persons life. I disagree that moving house is the next most stressful event in a persons life after divorce and bereavement. I imagine that "they" are talking about peaceful places without war, famine etc...You know places like my little Melbourne where people still enjoy creating and participating in art, staying in hotels and the like.

I have personally lived in 15 locations and spent a considerable amount of time in 6 others without having to physically "move".

• Ivanhoe (birth to age 3): a beautiful "tree lined streets" suburb of Melbourne (very expensive) best know for It's Christmas displays before Christmas lighting became easily accessible by the average "Aussie Battler" and taste went down with it. I often wonder why my parents chose to move from beautiful Ivanhoe to the next address on my list (price of housing probably played a huge part of their decision)
• St. Albans( ages3-5): Not to be confused with the lovely St. Albans in England. My parents rented a small brick veneer house while they pursued their careers as journalists and we (my brother and I) were too young to be aware of the poverty, drug abuse and general crime that surrounded us.
• Kings Park(ages5-18): Kings Park is actually in St. Albans as well. It holds the same post code and I guess the developers didn't want the bad name attached. . .  they didn't fool anyone. My parents bought a home here. It was burnt down by arsonists just before we moved in, with most of our possessions in it (my mum only cried about one pot plant). . .My poor mother dealt with the whole situation alone because my father was overseas playing foreign correspondent. She didn't tell him until he got home a few months later. The house was covered by building insurance. . .no contents insurance though.
• Murrumbeena (6 months): My first share house in the lovely little suburb of Murrumbeena. I lived with a brother and sister who I didn't realise were brother and sister for a few months. . .weird. Way to much tickling going on to be normal.
• Elwood (12 months): I lived in a cockroach infested block of flats. My first experience of  the eclectic group of people who live in flats (see: http://littleblue.mindsay.com/the_perfect_blend.mws . One neighbour died of a heroin overdose and I helped resuscitate the guy who moved into the flat after he died. . .also from a heroin overdose. When the Ambos came and gave him a hit of Narcan, he regained consciousness and refused to go to the hospital with them. When they left he asked us (another junkie who lived directly next door and myself ), to go and get him another hit because the Narcan had "cleaned him out". I explained that the heroin was still in his system and that the Narcan was just blocking the effects, I then told him what had happened to the person who lived in his apartment before him. There were good times there as well. I lived across the road from St. Kilda Botanical gardens and only a short troll from the beach.
• Carnegie (12 Months): Carnegie was pretty uneventful as far as locations go. Some big things happened in my life while living there, but the place itself was lovely and only a 20 min. walk from the University I was attending.
• South Yarra (3 months): Another area of Melbourne known for it's wealthy population (I don't know what I was doing there). I lived with an interesting woman and was surprised when the police and a locksmith came to throw us out and change the locks. . .
• East St. Kilda (12 months): Stupid life decision, to move into another property with the same woman. She lost her mind a few months later and got dragged away by the police, they let her go and she came back. I had to call the ambulance. I lived alone there for a while (next door to the alcoholic out of work singer/actress) and eventually let a guy move into the spare bedroom to help with the rent. He had problems too after a few episodes of waking up to find him sitting at the end of my bed I threw him out and kept his bond, to cover all the cigarette burns in the carpet.
• Kings Park (6 months): I moved back with my parents for a while to get my life in order and deal with the debt that had built up after living with the previous two housemates who had managed to use my mobile to rack up thousands of dollars worth of calls and rarely pay rent.
• North Melbourne (6 months): I thought things were going well so I moved in with the love of my life. Sadly I wasn't well and when I wasn't sleeping through depressions I was manic and acting as most bi-polar people do when they don't know their illness well.
• Williamstown (2.5 years): I moved out to the beautiful picturesque seaside village of Williamstown, but didn't really get to appreciate it because I was at my sickest there both mentally and physically. I gambled to survive financially and life was chaotic and exciting. . .I should also say that it was destructive.
• Delahey (3 months): I moved in with my best friend and her two children, again to get my life into order. . .this time it worked.
• Newport (12 months): I got my head together here. I walked around the lake every day and started to pay my bills on time. I also completed my degree. And repaired the heart of Mr. Blue.
• Gladstone Park (12 months) Mr. Blue and I moved into his parents house to pay off our debts and save some money. Gladdy is a strange bypass town. Everyone was going somewhere. . .except us.
• Williamstown (1 week) I'm back in my beautiful Willi. We've been here for a week and I'm so glad I'll now be able to enjoy all that this area has to offer. We live one block from the beach and Williamstown Botanical gardens. The restaurant strip is only 2 blocks walk and there is an art supply shop down the road. It’s only 15 minutes drive to the centre of Melbourne.

http://williamstowninfo.com.au/index.php

I really enjoy moving. I’ve had so many opportunities to start again.

I’m not sure if I’m capable of staying in one place for long. Mr. Blue and I plan to buy our own home in about 12 months. I guess I’ll find out then.

Hugs

LilBlu