Top 5: Houses Lived In

Last night I went along to a house inspection for a rental property here in Ballarat. I am dreaming of a really great place, in line with my current Melbourne abode....but sadly last night's will tick off the second of 10 shit places you must see before you find a place to live. That's the rule, right? Tick! Yuck!

Of course, it will be very hard to ever top the mansion we lived in in Phnom Penh. Marble downstairs, all wood upstairs, our place for 4 of us, plus a regular guest, had 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and an amazing lounge space that acted as a dancefloor when required. The marble floor, you see! Massive yard, where Borin was our trusty gardener, guard and on call driver. My ensuite there was bigger than some of the bedrooms I've lived in. Really roughing it in the developing world!

I do love our current house. The pretty white terrace in Carlton North, with the white picket fence. Floorboards, big bedrooms, little private courtyard....we really haven't utilised it enough. Jen, and Jane, and I work too hard!

My first apartment in Hawthorn makes the list, too. It was my first place out on my own, and it was all white, four roomed place, with a little balcony. My first place to just spread out...and study my arse off as it turns out!

The Maxi-pad in London was awesome in it's own right. This funny little add on rooftop apartment, in a perfect location for everything, and our balcony for hanging out, and BBQ parties. This was back to shared living for me, but the only way to survive, but also to have loads of people around, and thus opportunities to experience everything there was to do.

Andrea, Dean and I in our double story in Raglan Street here in Ballarat rounds up the list. Great spaces in the living areas, and bedrooms....and the addition of the spa in the sunroom out the back! Again, an aspect that was under-utilised!

Fingers crossed I find something equally lovely for the next year, which may help me decide to buy at the end of it, or run away all together and avoid becoming a grown up for a bit longer!