Why we became the Beverley Hillbillies.

Michael moved into my duplex in suburban Perth in June 2010. We'd been together over a year, living in separate houses, me with my boys (Vanessa was still away for part of this time), Michael with his teenage children, who were putting more and more restrictions on our relationship. No, I wasn't allowed in THEIR house, so we saw each other at my place or elsewhere. No, they could have whoever they wanted over to their house, whenever they wished. No, Michael wasn't allowed to set up a roster of cooking or shopping or laundry for them all to follow. And good heavens no, they wouldn't participate in negotiation or compromise in any way, shape or form.

Michael's daughter had left in a torrent of abuse and attempted assault of her father and me - she threw a heavy pottery bird feeder at the front window of his house, intending it to shatter. For whatever reason, the window remained intact. Ruby the Beagle had already moved to my house in March 2010 - his children wouldn't care for her whilst he was away working. It was in Ruby's best interests to live somewhere she would be loved.

The situation came to a head at the conclusion of Michael's last job at Worsley Refinery near Collie in Western Australia's south west. He spent four days working in bitterly cold and wet conditions, mostly outside, repairing and providing maintenance on BIG conveyor belts. He also had a rumbling chest infection and was becoming more and more exhausted. 

I'd joined him in Collie on his final work day. We'd decided that as the long weekend was following, we'd stay an extra day and play tourist. The south west was at its green, lush, most beautiful best. We went on a jaunt to Gnomesville and a local winery. I took photos of Michael, which showed him gaunt, grey, stooped and pushing his smile for my camera. 

On our return to my house, I ordered Michael into bed. He looked puzzled and tried to protest. I asked him pointedly WHO would look after him at his house. He closed his mouth and surrendered. The following day, he was at my GP, being diagnosed with bronchitis and exhaustion. A week later, his breakdown occurred. 

Michael retired in August 2010. For the next three months, he hibernated at my house. There were five people, three dogs, three weiros and a cat all living in one little house with one bathroom and one toilet. Getting on each other's nerves doesn't even begin to describe the descent into disharmony. My three young adult children were bickering like toddlers, nobody had any privacy and Michael and I knew that we needed our own place.

Finally, I had had enough. I announced to my children that Michael and I were having a Change of Life and they weren't invited. I'd never been to Beverley before we drove up here to see what would become our home.Surprisingly, the kids took the situation reasonably well and we all went our separate ways...

Fast forward to now. We are the only ones who have remained where we moved on 7 January 2011. My boys, after an unsatisfactory stint living with their Dad and then in other shared accommodation, currently share a unit in Perth. Vanessa, after her third move, is now in a big Federation house near the University of Western Australia, with four other girls and two resident cats.

The House that Rocks has blossomed. We have painted, repaired, polished and renovated our dinky little doer upper. The garden was a blank canvas (!) of a some struggling trees and hardy little ground covers. We have planted and planted and planted. We have cried over corpses of shrubs that couldn't cut it. Through trial and error, we have discovered what can survive and prosper in our garden. Bands of sand and clay with temperatures ranging from -4 to 46 have tested us. Three and a half years later, we are seeing the fruits of our labour.

As I write this post, Heavenly Beverley has turned on the most magnificent winter day. Michael is pottering happily outside, Vanessa is visiting making our bed ( bliss!) and I am sitting in our snug little living room with our fire crackling. What could be better than this?

A work in progress - April 2011.