One year ago this weekend, MR and I moved into the Ten by Six.
It feels like yesterday and years ago all at the same time. So much happens in a year! So much changes.
We had 3 friends to help us move and Operation One Truck was pretty much a success, with everything packed up by midday. Ofcourse the unpacking took us about 5 months and adjusting and culling to condense our 'stuff' into the Ten by Six, well, that's still an ongoing process.
We've adjusted fairly well to the 'home owner' situation with bills seemingly being paid on time and only recently did we finally decide to do a proper, 'grown up' budget.
So what have we learnt this last year?
How to use a drill - very handy for putting up shelves and pictures and things.
There's nowhere to go when you have a fight - so best just kiss and make up ;) Now that's a good one, in a space this small, you really do need to just air the fight and then let it go. Tension is just too much for the Ten by Six.
How to unblock a toilet - an experience I'd rather not go into, but let's just say it was shitty!
How to change a shower head - oh the sense of accomplishment I felt when I figured this one out... and then realised the shower head we'd bought still didn't fix our pressure problem and we still had to get the plumber in.
Two heads are not always better than one - in a teeny tiny space, sometimes, it's better if one person does this and the other does that. Two people on one job is often just too squishy, let alone stressful.
No matter how much you cull, you still have too much stuff for a Ten by Six - I think I would need to literally throw out everything I own in order for this place to have that chic, minimalistic charm I so wish it would.
Not forwarding your mail correctly results in hefty fines - enough said, I'm still paying them off! I think this counteracts the 'grown up-ness' of the budget by the way.
You can't do it all at once - no matter how many great ideas you have, you can't do all of the amazing things, all at once, there isn't the money and there certainly isn't the time. Some things have to wait... until next year.
All in all, the important thing is that we have a little piece of the world to call our own. A little piece of security in our busy lives, and a little investment in our futures. And at the end of the day - we love it!
So the big move is now only 2 sleeps away (I can here you all cheering 'will you just fecking move already!' - don't worry, I'm thinking it too). Although my excitement for moving into our first home, for operation one truck, for decorating my own space and for the next phase of my relationship is almost uncontainable, I feel it necessary in these last few days to farewell my current abode, Old Milney, and maybe pay homage to all those other houses that came before 'our first home'.
In my little lifetime, there's been a lot of homes. 27 to be exact, in as many years. Split amongst two families (don't worry, I didn't actually move every single year, but at one point we did move several times in one). I'm from a family of itchy-feeters, of courageous individuals who take the step to change their lives with only the positives of the experience in mind. Some of these moves were not always completely thought out, some were intended to be stepping stones, and some were more of a forced matter. But things always worked out in the end and I love that courage, drive and sense of adventure about each and every one of my immediates and about myself too.
There has been houses by the beach, houses in the suburbs, big houses, small houses, farm houses. Homes in the country, city and in the bush. Old houses, new houses and friends' houses. Caravans, demountables, even buses and sheds. Homes with parents, friends, boyfriends and people met through Gumtree who then became friends. Each house, each location, each situation has taught me something different and has influenced who I am today. I am thankful for the varying experiences I've had thus far and hopeful that the next 28 years will bring others just as diverse.
But Old Milney will always be my last rental. I spent two years here beneath the high ceilings, within the enormous suburban block (albeit mostly sandpit), perched comfortably on the elevated front porch overlooking the street from a small height. The porch at Old Milney was one of my favourite spots - probably the place I'll miss the most. It has seen many a party, heard many a tune and worn many a spilled beverage. Old Milney has been a place we've shared with friends and family and a space we've felt extremely comfortable in, despite the mice and pantry moths that come with an old girl like her.
While there will be a lot I won't miss about living here (rent inspections included), there will be a lot I will miss. I will miss the decorative ceilings, the fireplace (not that it worked), the sweet old original stove in the corner of the kitchen (not that it worked either), the art deco glass doors. I will miss the picture rails in every room from which I could hang whatever I wanted wherever I wanted, the crazy bright orange of the sleep out wall, the sweet picket fence. I will miss the big bedrooms, the real floor boards, the pretty front garden and steps up to the porch lined with all of my plant pots.
So thanks for the memories Old Milney, a place in my heart is stored for you forever.
