I loved this question Denise. 'This too shall pass' is my motto too. I'm really sorry we've all had bad times.
Sharmaine, I hope you manage to get somewhere. Hugs.
5 years ago, at this time, I would have been peeping out of my window wondering what items of furniture the (I want to use unpolite words to describe them here) little um, 'hoodlums' would be dragging out of their houses to build a bonfire on the land opposite our house, which was the back of a park. I'm not joking. Sofas, wardrobes, chairs would be carried out by these knuckle draggers. I'm not necessarily against community bonfires, but this wasn't one. From the start of October 'til way after Bonfire Night, our lives would be hell.
They'd start setting off fireworks (which terrified Beth) as soon as school finished, would start drinking and then throw them at each other outside our house, metres away from the windows (Beth's window!) and cars. Ugh, I feel sick thinking about it. They'd smash glass, fight, damage things. Every Halloween, they would egg our house and shout abuse at us. It was awful. I'm SO glad we don't live there anymore. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad x a billion. The fire would be lit on Bonfire Night by drunk teenagers and quickly get out of control. I used to just call the Police/Fire Brigade as soon as they put a match to it.
We had so much trouble while we lived there - someone was killed in a fight just down the road, someone was attacked by his 'mates', someone went on a rampage with a baseball bat and smashed loads of car windows in (luckily, I looked out just as he started on ours and the little scumbag ran off). It was horrible.
We still had a nightmare after we moved after a pipe burst and ruined the whole place, but now I am
so, so, so happy with where we live. I look back and can't believe we went through so much there. {More unpolite words and thoughts towards the little horrors that made our lives miserable}.