SS blog challenge #14

Blog Challenge #14 - "There's no place like home"
This week tell us about the places you've called home. Have you lived in one place all your life? Tell us about it and why you've chosen to stay there. Have you lived in many places? Where have you lived and what have you done to make each place feel like home? What has been your favorite place to live and why?

Wow, where do I start? We have lived in so many different house (and countries too) that all I ever wanted to do was put down roots and stay in one place.

I was born in Mackay, Queensland but moved to Cairns at a few months old. Then Dad was posted to Singapore when I was about two. After that, we went to England (where my sister was born), then on to Fiji, which is where I started school. Then we headed back to Australia, stopping in Cairns, Qld for a few months, then on to West Aus. Once in WA, we only moved 3 times before we settled in one house for the rest of Dad's year off. Then it was back to Fiji for another two years and into another new house. Another year back in West Aus, Fiji for 18 months then Hawaii for a year. Apartment living was a real eye-opener having only ever lived in houses with backyards! Once I hit high school, Mum and Dad made the decision to stay in one place, Maddington in West Aus.

Then I moved out of home with my now husband to Cloverdale, Thornlie and Maddington (housesitting for his parents while they travelled the countryside). Six months after we were married, we moved into our own home in High Wycombe where we lived for 7 years. The opportunity arose to buy the house we're in now (Huntingdale) so we jumped at the chance (twice the size of the old place for not much more). This is the place I've felt most at home; the most "permanent" place.

Dad was in the merchant navy and was posted all over the world. I can see, as an adult, that we were lucky to be able to go with him, but as a child it was really hard to always be the new girl in the school. I hated moving and always having to start over so I've tried to ensure my kids don't go through the same woes.

Even though I hated all the moving, I loved living in Fiji. Maybe it was just the ages and stages I was at at the time, but it was a really good place to be a kid. Ultimately though, home was wherever my family was and still is. Family makes a house a home.