The inside walls of our old house on Misery were made of wattle and daub. That's wattle sticks covered with clay. We used to whitewash them now and again to keep them clean. The floors were bare boards, no estapol or polish or anything. We had roo skin rugs here and there. But it was still bloody cold in the wintertime. The house on Misery only had three rooms. The kitchen, Mum and Dad's bedroom, and the only other room was the dining, lounge, and everything else. There was just the one armchair in the lounge room and Mum or Dad used to sit in that. Us kids sat on the floor or at the table. I reckon we were lucky, though. We had everything we needed. We had enough to eat, even if it was just a fried scone for dinner. We had clothes to wear, even if they were patched and worn. We were happy and we were healthy and we had each other, and that's all we really needed. It doesn't do you any harm to go without. It makes you appreicate the important things. I reckon I had the best upbringing any kid could have. And I'm grateful.
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