Would really appreciate peoples thoughts on a housing situation !

[randomxx]

Hi to all.

lt's an unbelievable time in life to find myself stuck in this position, just don't know how to look at it, or what to do about with it, if l can anything at all. 

Problem is, at almost 60, yeah l've mixed up details in other threads just a bit concerned some l know may also be here and haven't wanted any connection here that l might know, butttt, yep.

Thing is l didn't get anything out of my last house, the people l went into the property with as it was a big place, went broke.

Well , sort of lucky although maybe a curse , not sure anymore but l do still have a 1ac country property, 18yrs now, from back when l was married.

l can't work anymore for mh reasons but if l took care l can survive until l can get the pension- living at the 1ac place- it only has a small over nighter atm but l could extend and it'd come up quite nice .

Problem is, it's in a ting town, 30mins to the main town which is a really nice place and there's also a couple of tiny ones in between before that main buttttt, out where this place is, is tiny and out on it's own .

l always planned selling it about now but problems are now that for 1, even if it did sell, it's just a cheap little country block it'd only be a good deposit on something closer in- but circumstances now that'd mean a new mortgage and l'd have to keep working too, don't think l could stomach either of those especially the stress in trying to make it happen.

2nd thing highly possible it doesn't even sell anyway.

l know l'm lucky to at least have it and all , with the housing crisis and so many in worser positions , l just never dreamed l'd be living on it though and honestly, just don't know but it looks like l might be forced to.

l grew up in the city and have lived in some of the nicest places in the country but to have to settle on this place out there now- look the property itself is a really cute block and in a nice little back street- if l could put it on a truck to somewhere else it'd be really nice - but this town.

rx

[randomxx]

Yeah spacey yaknow, in my book l just am, some are some aren't. l don't need to dissect it but l am dyslexic and if we need another label l'm fairly introvert to. l love company but need a lot of recharging later, space, l'm a thinker to.

Speaking of, opposite, 1 of my brothers for example, still just blows my mind. Great bloke but exhausting, relentless, 24/7,wears anyone around him out.

So hear you with your, ocean, calm, smells. This area has a lovey smell especially at night, it.s almost sweet, sugary, it sweeps in from grasses, trees, mist. Feels like your ocean, outside at night it's just beautiful. As you know l,ve lived near ocean to and yeah, same thing again only ocean, so spesh isn't it. Often you think everything else is the price you pay for that beautiful feel don't you.

This place really is such a lovely little block, land, area, l must be mad. As dad always said, we never get perfect , ldbloody know.

But yeah, it is nice going other places for hobbies interests to for sure, nice getting away and it does us good. l have been thinking about all that only trouble is the everyday driving l need to do doesn't leave more later for hobbies or other stuff too, ldk  ! Over where l was testing out central Vic was much better like that. Other towns and stuff happening were much closer, and your daily stuff was much closer to, so you still had the interest and energy left in the tank after your day to day stuff , yaknow. Bc that was all much closer and easier to.

But Melbourne yeah it has heaps of those little pockets as you describe, even Balwyn the other wk was a lot like that, really nice for sure.

Yesterday l came home again via the new block l've been thinking about but ahh, over all it's only 10mins closer to main which is a help but nah, it's still out in nowhere just like this spot soooo, gonna pass.

Atm yeah, thinking l might do some light extras to the property here, cabin, make it a bit more tempting and then maybe take off for a wk or 2, have a damn break.

Clear my head.

l dunno, l feel mentally though in such a twilight zone atm, even sleeping last night, wth am l doing. Here, vans, needed a new place or this one, something, l can't believe it tbh. Your unit would really help, at least it's and actual house. Gardens though, they'd only be small wouldn't they ? Although a few l found were as big as house yards admittedly so maybe not. Could you afford to hire a one off, they'll tidy it up a bit and then you can keep on top of it easier again later. Do you enjoy it ? lf you do and your physically able, sooo good for you.

l'd love a unit with a bit of a yard myself.

look after er eh.

rx

[Eagle Ray]

Yes, I am similar. I love company and I've realised it is so important to me, but I do need that personal space to recharge too. I relate to the introvert part too. I know someone who has described himself as a social introvert, and I think that is me as well. Not having human contact is definitely bad for my mental health and I do less well without it, but I still need space and quiet time to myself a lot as well.

I love your description of the smells at night where you are - sweeping from the grasses trees, mist - just beautiful. That is a wonderful feature of being away from the city, in that those things are more there somehow. You can experience those things in some parts of cities, especially if near urban bushland or the ocean, but it's just more there in a rural setting.

Larger towns do have that advantage that it's easier to pursue hobbies as more is closer and, as you say, there is more left in the tank when you don't have to drive far and wide for things. I'm remembering now staying on my uncle's farm when we were kids and they'd be like, let's go for dinner, which meant driving at least an hour to a town. They would just hoon all the way there in their Holden Commodore in the dark and back, seemingly not worried about the kangaroos. It's weird, a childhood memory is coming back now of one dinner in particular, eating steak with avocado on it when we went on one of those night treks from the farm to town. I'm being flooded by random memories at the moment.

I can understand it must feel a bit unsettling having the van and the cabin, but not an actual house. I was thinking about the idea of a mobile home today, not necessarily all that seriously, but just imagining that option. But then I do appreciate the solidity of living in a permanent structure. Although my backyard here is pretty small, there are a lot of plants crammed in around the patch of lawn including several fruit trees. It's more work than I anticipated and I'm always battling grass and weeds that grow through from the road reserve on the other side of the fence. I'm experiencing a lot of nerve pain in my arms as well, which I find so frustrating, as I actually really benefit from time in the garden but I'm limited in what I can physically do. So it's normally something I would enjoy but I just can't do all I want to do. The guy who mows the lawns here is going to do a major prune for me next month. It's great having the fruit trees and I picked 6 huge peaches off the peach tree today.

Thanks for your kind words and you look after rx too!

[randomxx]

Home grown peaches by the sea air, they'd have a flavour and texture all their own, very nice. l haven't had a peach for yrs.

An hr through back roads for tea, whata classic. l could l suppose walk round to the pub, but l haven't used it probably won't, it's a bit close to home that one.

The next good pub is about 30mins, but the same road l take up to the main. Couldn't be bothered going back again at night for a pub run to.

Well , the van thing , it doesn't feel like that when your off roaming, it only starts to feel that way when you actually at your place but yet still in a van. When your off roaming , or actually living in one properly, it is your house, it's different, and so easy , so all you need. Really nice feeling.

Tbh, dk how l'd truly feel back in a house now, can hardly imagine, been so long, weird eh.

l shall be back.

[Eagle Ray]

Rx, that makes total sense that it only feels unsettling being in the van when stationary like that, as opposed to when you are off roaming. I still, pretty consistently, feel better when I am out on the road with very few things with me at all rather than being stationary. Though if I did that for very long periods it might be a different story, I'm not sure. I watched a documentary about women living from their vans and cars who had become homeless. One woman who would have been about retirement age had her mobile van home kitted out and would stop off at properties where she would get work for a while, such as looking after the animals while the owners were away. Her main worry was the future when she might not be as physically able as she is now.

But I can't help thinking how humans have been hunter gatherers for most of our existence, for like millennia. It's only like a tiny speck of human history where we have settled into permanent settlements and things called houses. And then we have created this thing called a housing crisis where heaps of people can't even afford houses now. I get people just going on the road and saying stuff it all. I'm dealing with a lot of mental and physical health challenges and so I worry that it might be crazy for me if I gave up the stability of my unit. But I also find both my mental and physical health really improve in certain ways when I just get out of here and become mobile. I don't know how to really solve the dilemma. But I do think there is something about the novelty of seeing new places and going on a journey that really helps the heart, mind and spirit somehow. I just start to work better. It's so enriching to see different places and I find it at least a bit easier to meet and interact with new people too when out on the road.

I can only imagine it must feel weird now for you not having lived in a regular house for so long. I certainly think there is no right or wrong to it - it's just what feels right the most and what works for you.

[randomxx]

Yeah all makes sense er , with your differences and often improvements when your out away and free. That wasn't by a long shot my first rodeo, ex w and l shifted states and roamed 7-8yrs. We didn't mean for that to happen that way originally we were just moving up to QLD but ldk, things just happened and areas disappointed so bc you were still in free mode we'd just have a garage sale clean out pack the car go somehwre else. Prob should've made more of a go of stopping in some places but tbh , in a lot of ways subconsciously we couldn't wait to be out on the rd and free again we prob self sabotaged some places we'd set up. But l dunno to, like we'd go to a spot to try it out to so if we didn't like it off again. long story but the the freedom of no real base or life , all the trappings, was the nicest part l always found. Many things just went away when you were free, same with vanning, none of the bs, just freedom and doing what we were naturally meant to be doing just our hunting gathering.

Humans weren't meant to live in all the trappings rules and financial bs, the 9-5 the all of it, bills bills bills blls, none of that,  we live in in these days and ages and cope with , put ourselves through, well l don't believe anyway. 

lt's largely all that such unnatural existence we live these days bringing on all the other problems. The good old human condition, look that one up if you don't know it. Common sense if you ask me. That's why so many are turning their back on it all now too it's happening all over the world but l guess for the most part most of us are still knee deep and grinding away in this modern idea of life right.

Tribes had non of that total bs.Seasons and food and streams for their water, setting up where nature provided.

Great day yesterday, met d over the otways and we roamed, whata beautiful day. Swam in a beautiful pebble bottom stream, walked through the rain forests and drove about, catching up . Found the best water fall ever so far. Beautiful day, stinking hot but you get out into the forest and nature provides the cooling , so nice, instead of concrete and bricks and sweating like pigs.

God, now l've depressed myself, don't let me start on all that again er . ha ha ha.

At anyrate though , your an old soul and that's why you feel so much for all the things you truly feel so connected to.

Hmmm, back to reality aand my housing dilemma damn. Well l'm pretty sure l don't wanna put down root here now and so the latest l'm thinking l'll do a bit to the place make it more tempting and see if l can sell it off. lt won't be much work or expense but l think stuff l'm thinking has been holding a sale back ha, not that l've even been ready for one before now but atm l'm thinking yeah, might let it go.

So thinking about doing that work then maybe heading off in the van again for a bit, clear the head. Customers will be free to come check the place out don't really need to be here as such. Maybe just a few wks or maybe longer we see but l can just as easy be browsing property and stuff off vanning as here so why not. One of the benefits of our world these days and computers ta least right !

[Eagle Ray]

Hi rx,

It sounds like you were pretty spontaneous with the explorations back then which is great. Just the freedom to up and go if a place doesn't feel right can be such a good thing. There is something in that sense of movement.

Yes, it's so true we are not really evolved or adapted for the world we've now created with all its trappings. I've read articles about some of the remaining hunting and gathering groups on the planet. One group in Africa have none of the health issues in the middle age to senior years that we get in our society. People stay physically active into older age and have no blood pressure issues. Their health is regulated by their activity and a healthy, varied diet. With another group in South America it was found that the hearts of people in their 70s were healthier than the hearts of 30 year old North Americans. They just weren't getting all the heart disease type issues.

That's awesome about the great day with your daughter in the Otways. How beautiful to swim in a pebble bottom stream, walk through the rainforests and find the best waterfall ever. I've never forgotten Erskine Falls that I saw there and all the lush tree ferns. It just doesn't get that lush here in WA. I'd love to go back and spend more time in the Otways and see more of the waterfalls and go for walks.

I'd say you are an old soul too rx with your sense of connection to place/country - that spirit feeling and sense of what really matters. It sounds like you are getting a little clarity now if you can feel that you don't want to put down roots where the cabin is. Yes, maybe just knowing more that you want to sell will help somehow. I do think our intentions have an impact. I sure know how hard it can be making decisions though, especially when it's not clearcut. I'm dealing with another decision at the moment that's come up unexpectedly, and it's one of those murky ones - arghh. Anyway, it's one day at a time, isn't it. Sleep well rx!

[randomxx]

Morng er.

Funny , sleep well well, it's been weird sleeping of late , lots of mind fk. But yesterday it rained and l later discovered the van has a new leak and that flooded the bed. So l found some other bedding but the mattress was still a bit wet and l was dodging wet spots all night ha ha.

Old souls yeah, l've always been an old soul, d's the same. Weird really in other ways we're both very modern but yeah, it's the inside. Doesn't WA have the Maurie forests - dunno how that's spelt- or have they cut all that down ? Never made it down there back when, wished l did.

Ex and l ahhhh, tbh , l was a very restless soul back n the day we probably should've put down somewhere and made a go of it, ex would've for sure that was more her, we did try though. But there were things like heat, different people, states work differently, all in all we just found we preferred back in Vic over all in the end.

Now, look tbh er, of late, l'd like to just put down right now, right here, or somewhere, forever from here. That's what's made this decision here so hard bc l'd really love to just plonk and make life again now that's what l need and want and l could do it right here hassle free all paid for and done all l'd have to do is set it up and that'd be that.

We never ever bought this place back when with any living there idea though god no we were over on the coast it was just suppose to be investment. Seems l still have it and with my situation now it's just turned into a maybe that idea now is all.

So sure it'd be nice to take off for a few wks again vanning, need the break with all the ups and downs mentally of here last few mths but any roaming longer while waiting or whatever from here is just a solution while in wait l guess, while in decision, not really something l'd choose. lf l had a choice l'd be plonking right here and now forever. 

l guess  could just stay put until /if it sold later, and l might come back and just do that God bloody knows l dunno. lt has been hard being here though with customers doing drive bys and stuff all the time, or wanting to come in look around while l'm actually living here myself and stuff, awkward tbh and a real pain, so there's all that side to l just need a break from atm.

ldk, it's a bit of a confusing time and not where l want to be in life at this stage that's for sure so yeah l'm all over the shop. Certainly don't feel like effg about with a new place or all the rest of it either, God knows. Sometimes l have thought l'm just falling back into my stupid restless ways of old when l should be just stopping , be grateful and making do , just for once in my life.

A bit of a break away might clear the air is all , ldbloodyknow.

Have a nice day er.

[randomxx]

Ps , best of luck with that decision to er, know all about the murky ones, unfortunately.

Me, l just wish l could go to sleep tonight and when l wake up tomorrow the gods have done it all and l'm somewhere settled, happy and that is that. 

l can make myself dream of whatever l want in sleep but don't think l could make that one happen though damn it, l wish.

[randomxx]

Well, l resorted to a pros cons list today.

16pros against 5cons.

And the pros are huge stuff, stuff that just stops it all in it's tracks and sets me up for life andddd, pretty well easy peasy to boot.

The cons are just would l be happy, driving, distances.

Went for a scoot round town today, only takes 5mins. But there were people out talking on streets and sun and just peace, you just think, how bad is that you know, what's wrong with you ????

Sometimes l've thought maybe it's all a hidden blessing, maybe l'm suppose to just say well this is my lot and it ain't bad, be grateful and just go with it,  maybe blessings are just unforeseen right now, fate, the Gods, universe , just dk.  ! 

Unfortunately the gut is so confused right now l just can't hear it most of the time. Sometimes l've thought it's clear but no sooner it's a blur again.

[randomxx]

Lots of thinking and weighing up.

That pros list are all the obvious things that make the decision all such a muddy one. Own it, so much easier to just stay put, no bills, all that stuff.

The cons list is short but it is important stuff, big stuff long term. 

Two customers came to mind that sum it up basically and tbh , l should take a leaf out of their thoughts.

1 was 70. He really liked the place but said unfortunately, few yrs and l'm not gonna be feeling like this hill, or all the driving, and as l got older that'll just get worse.

The other 1 was 67. He loved it too but basically said all the same stuff.

Well , if l just stayed that'd be me in 5 or 10yrs time. lt seems later 60s-70ish, is a big turning point for people as far as practicality goes.

l mean it's one thing as time goes on if you've been there 20 or 30yrs already and you've had an established life there all that time, people, friends, probably family somewhere or married.

Quite another though if your just starting out here at that sort of age or only been here a few yrs or whatever and only have yourself.

So l dunno, from a practical point it's just not looking like a good move long term if l'm being honest with myself.The driving alone will be pissing me off in a few yrs.

rx