RETURN TO PERTH: the idea

This is a blog I should have started months, or even years ago. The original idea of a blog was a daily or regular commentary on the world but instead you are going to get a time stream compressed into a few weeks. It's the story about why I am writing to you from from Perth, Western Australia.

Once upon a time (i.e. in 2023), I woke up one morning and decided I wanted a swimming pool before I died. Clearly, that wasn't going to be an option in Melbourne (too cold, weather too erratic and housing too expense) so suddenly the idea of returning to my town of origin, Perth, surfaced.

I mentioned this to my sister Susan (with whom I shared the Pink House in Pascoe Vale South), she mused for about a minute and decided that she liked the idea. She was over Melbourne winters, sitting upstairs in front of her computer in fluffy socks, a jumper and a hoody with the cat trying to take over the oil heater.

The next step was a spreadsheet. Was it even feasible to make the move? We knew that we could never afford to live in the suburbs we grew up in (City Beach, Cottesloe, Claremont) but perhaps a house with a pool could be found that wasn't too far from a good beach. And at that point in time, it looked possible so more spreadsheets were developed and the serious research stage of our journey west commenced.

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