The house I grew up in is probably the coolest house in the world. It was huge, with heaps of places to explore, trees to climb, roofs to jump off - everything a kid could ever want. And being the person I am, I expected my parents to live there forever, then … well, I hadn’t really worked out what happened after that, but damn it, that house was part of the family forever.

So I was fairly surprised about four years ago when Ria and Josh decided to move. It wasn’t like I could’ve stopped them (or could I …?) and I was a grown adult with my own home after all, but somehow it just didn’t seem right. I’m pretty sure I cried, probably more than once, but ultimately had to accept they could do what they liked. Especially when they told me about the new place they’d bought, since they obviously loved it - almost as much as I loved the old place (only kidding, guys!)

The room that had originally been my bedroom had the best wallpaper, which had mostly been painted over, but still existed in cupboards under the sink (it had been made into the kitchen), so I asked for a piece as a keepsake, and decided I’d fly to Hobart with Miss M, in order to say goodbye to the house. But I couldn’t. We drove up there to pick up some stuff, and I physically couldn’t go inside. But while we were waiting in the car, two guys peered through the gate (it was being auctioned a week later), and I had the hugest urge to run over and punch them both, and shout “get the hell away from my house”. I think you’ll be impressed to know I didn’t.

In the end, it sold so cheaply I probably could’ve taken out a mortgage and bought it myself. But I didn’t, so of course someone else did. And they did things to it, like pulled down the tree house in the horse chestnut tree, and some other things I think I’ve blocked out of my mind. Some time last year my mother told me about something else that had been changed by the new owners, but I couldn’t say anything, it made me so enraged. Wasn’t it enough to buy the damn house - did they have to wreck it as well?

At Christmas time, we drove through the city a couple of times, down a street adjacent to the one we used to live in. I found myself looking towards our old house, but just like going inside before it got sold, I couldn’t do it. The second time I made it all the way to the house next door, but had to turn my head at the last minute.

So here, in no particular order, are some things I loved about that house:

The fish pond every single cousin and friend of mine fell into at some point

The flowering cherry tree in the backyard

The grapes and roses that grew outside my bedroom window

Exploring under the verandah while holding a candle, and accidentally burning off heaps of my hair (maybe not a favorite memory, but I can still smell the burning hair)

Sunbaking on the roof (usually getting sunburnt)

Using nearly every room in the joint as my bedroom during the time I lived there

When I was tiny, playing hide and seek with Josh in the garden, and getting absolutely terrified, but never admitting I wanted to stop

The lemon verbena tree outside the kitchen window, with the most gorgeous smelling leaves, which was also used by one of our cats as a vantage point for ripping into passers by.

The raspberries that grew in the backyard, and the reason for this post, because yesterday I bought a punnet of raspberries from the market, and they tasted exactly like the ones growing in Liverpool Street, which I’ve never experienced before, even though I’ve eaten copious amounts of raspberries over the years.

James doesn’t seem to be as insane about the whole house thing as me. Maybe he just hides it better - or is happy to let me take the heat for all the insanity, I’m not sure. Little Miss M can’t wait ’til we move to a new house. She’ll still be living here part time, but she views it all as an adventure. Maybe I need to take a leaf out of her book …

Today I’m loving: Josh and Ria’s new(er) house, which although what you’ve just read might not make it seem as though I believe it, was honestly worth the old one getting sold. Honestly!