Catching up … on us

Catching up on us ...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

“What do you do?”, asks every stranger we meet. “We travel around to do home-sitting”, we reply.

“Aaah, living the dream, hey!”, they respond. 

It’s known as ‘living the dream’ here in Aus. Hm, we might see it as such, eventually. While we are grateful to be here, following this lifestyle hasn’t been a walk in the park. We see it more as trying to survive and be independent.

“What does home-sitting involve?”, we are often asked. “Why do you choose to do it?”  “How do you cope with the constant packing, unpacking and moving around from place to place?”

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

It’s been 5 months since we landed in Australia. It feels like 5 years, so much has happened. For those of you following this blog you’ll know where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to. For new visitors … it’s been an amazing experience … a new country, a new culture, a new lingo, a new lifestyle, new foods, new job experiences, new friends, new roads with new road rules … you get the picture. At 65 when you’d like nothing more than to sit on the porch with your reading or knitting, or to play with your grand-kids, it’s been interesting, to put it mildly! 

Hopefully this blog post won’t be too boring, but if you are interested in the experiences of a pair of nomadic immigrants, stay a moment if you can – we answer some questions and catch up with our comings and goings, battles and frustrations. 😊 If you’d rather read a travel blog, this post isn’t for you.

How is our home-sitting arranged?

Image by Alexa from Pixabay 

We have a subscription to the Mindahome website. For an annual fee your profile is active for homeowners to view should they need a home-sitting service. On one occasion we were approached by a homeowner who found our profile, but mostly we respond to an ad on the system. We do not get paid for home-sitting, but we get to stay in the person’s home for free with utilities and WiFi included. In return, we look after the home until the owners return, we mind their pets and follow directions that they have left for us regarding the animals or the house and garden. It’s a wonderful arrangement albeit hard work in some cases. Before we left Doha we were booked until January ‘23, and for 3 months through to mid-2023. Then after arriving in Australia, we secured another 3 home sits for other periods during this year. For now, we are not responding to any more ads until we are done with the September one, when we will re-evaluate our circumstances.

You have a van, why do home-sitting?

For now, this is the cheapest method of having a roof over our heads. Yes, we have our van, but to teach online, AJ needs a power hook-up. Our van does not yet have the battery capacity to run a training session for 6 hours straight. Caravan parks offer power hook-ups but they are not cheap. Home-sitting helps to save pennies right now when we need it the most. For the times we don’t have a home-sitting, we have the van to fall back on, but for now, we would need to book into a caravan park for power. Eventually, we aim to be self-sufficient full-time in the van, touring around. God willing.

Only at 2 months into it, did we realise the responsibility of home-sitting. Faced with homes with induction cooktops, Royal Doulton ornaments, expensive gadgets/tools, expensive pets, fine bedding and beautiful dinnerware, we stopped short one day after breaking a lovely tumbler and realised that we are probably not thinking this through. 😐 There is the risk of fires and floods too. Wild weather is par for the course here in Aus, where everyone is aware of emergency measures and keeps a grab-n-go bag ready.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay 

But, that said, there is a mutual understanding on both sides of the risk involved with house sitting; common sense goes a long way to keeping everything safe and whole.

Challenges we have faced

We have learned that a month is very short! If a home-sitting is for a month, we plan all sorts of interesting sights to see and tasks to do in that period, but inevitably life gets in the way. In the first few days we unpack, set up our computer stations, carry in our supplies, and make the space given to us in the home comfy for our use. Settling in and getting used to new surroundings (and a new bed 😅) is not easy, but you have to get on with the job of everyday living. Simultaneously, we also need to get to know the animals in our care and they need to get used to total strangers in their space.

In a blink, it’s over. Just when you’ve settled, it’s time to pack again.

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

Shorter home-sits of 7 to 10 days, are a bigger challenge. Soon after attempting to settle in, it’s time to clean up and pack again. We chose this lifestyle, so we knew that we would be packing and unpacking. But until you actually have to do it, you don’t fully realise how tough it can get. We have lost things, ‘donated’ things (aka, forgotten things), driven off with house keys and had to mail them via insured mail; we have packed an item belonging to a homeowner, only to find it a month later stored in Nadya’s garage with our ‘to sort’ items. We’ve had multiple bags to cart  … a grocery store, a supply of cleaning materials, clothing fit for purpose, tools, medical supplies … bags and suitcases galore. I haven’t even mentioned our computer gear, screens and printer. It’s embarrassing! We arrive looking as if we’re moving in permanently. 😣

The day before the homeowners return, we clean the house from top to bottom. We like to do a really good job, just in case the owners have a memory lapse and think we had messed up. 😅 

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

This is no easy task, but we love to hand over a sparkling house. If we can. Some homes have been sparkling when we walk in; a couple have needed a good cleaning here and there at the start for us to feel good in. 🥴

When it comes to the gardens, AJ is the one who makes the work harder than it should be … he has OCD when it comes to seeing a leaf out of place. So he is constantly at work with the rake in his hands. Have you tried to win against the wind?  😅 

I water the plants, always praying for God to help me not kill something off – gardening, especially with indoor plants, has never been my strong point. 😊 We’ve also constantly prayed for snakes to bypass us … so far God has been gracious. (This time we’re minding a snake, but it’s in a very secure cage otherwise AJ wouldn’t be here. LOL. )

He’s a beauty … a rainbow python from the Northern Territory.

Language issues

And then there’s the language. You would say that since we are in an English country all should be good, right? Well, we learn new words and sayings every day. We speak English but we might as well be from a different planet much of the time. How can something as simple as ordering a cup of coffee with a brekkie wrap be so stressful? 😳 Learning the slang is a must! 😄 Here's a clip, just for a giggle.

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

The next question everyone asks is, “Where are you from?” Their response? “Aaah, I thought you were from South Africa!” Thankfully most are welcoming and helpful, but with a few, we have noticed the fleeting resentment. 

Not everyone is open to immigrants, and you can’t blame them.

Relationship issues

 

Thrown together 24/7 we are in a whole new ball game in our relationship. We are adjusting, some days excruciatingly slowly. Sometimes we are fraught and at opposite poles. We have days where he’s from Mars and I’m from … not Venus… let’s make it the furthest one out… Pluto? Or is it Neptune? 

42 years of experience seemingly has not helped. We both have faith. We hear God’s promises. We are both aware of how immensely blessed we are. However, in a new environment, with new struggles, doubts and income anxieties seemingly grow into giants. Did we do the right thing? Did we follow God’s leading? Are we on the right path? 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay 

We have had days when we do not see a way forward. On such days we wonder how this will ever work – living in a caravan?! Thankfully, issues are eventually ironed out.

Image by Alexa from Pixabay 

Giants are slayed, through the mercy of God. No, we are not the perfect couple. We are sinners, saved by Grace. Still enduring the pruning process. Painful, but necessary for growth and preparation for future times.

 

Other frustrations/challenges:

• having to shop at different stores for groceries each time;
• easing into the process of filling up with fuel (Oh my word! You help yourself here in Aus, and don’t forget the pump number or you risk getting a telling off from a very tired till operator, while you delay the queue.)
• learning the layout of new towns and finding the places we need to be; 

Image by PixLoger from Pixabay 

• cooking in unfamiliar kitchens;

• constantly meeting new people;
• encountering local wildlife (including midges 😑🙄, frogs, spiders and rats inside a roof on the ceilings);

JonRichfield, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

• visiting new churches (which, mind you, on EVERY occasion, has been a major blessing);
• learning the quirks of each family’s pets (we’ve had dogfights, aged dogs with little bladder control, young pups bounding with energy, a dog that chewed everything within reach including the door frames, and pets that became joined at the hip to either one of us, crying when we visit the loo. 😁) At present we have a horse that would come inside if she could 😅 … 

Depending on factors that play a part on any given day, these can be fun or a pain. We know that everyone has these and other far more difficult struggles, but in a country sans old friends and extended family, away from comforting colleagues, far from all that is familiar, it can feel very intimidating.

Also never far from our minds, is the fact that we are still only on a temporary visa. Waiting, waiting, waiting for the permanent application to be finalised.

Why a caravan?

Unsure of income and dependent upon casual labour, digital or otherwise, a fixed rental is ruled out. In any case, the smallest unit rental is now beyond our means. We cannot live full-time with our children who are also renters, but we also need a place we can call our own. The least expensive way is the caravan. 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

Free camps in Australia are many, where you can usually stay for 24 hours at no cost. Some for 48 hours. But for these, your van needs to be self-contained (power, ablution, and water on board).

 

Low-cost camps are many too, where you can stay for anything between $10 and $20 per night. However, not all low-cost camps offer power plug-ins. Some don’t have mobile reception. Some don’t offer water. It is rare to find a low-cost camp that has it all. For that, a regular caravan park must be booked. They can cost anything up to $75 a night. Even more, the closer you get to a tourism hot spot. 

Image from NRMA parks

So, when not home-sitting, we travel – full time. At least we get around and have a different view every so often.

 

The caravan

 

The caravan! So much to learn. Even after watching hours and hours of towing and camping footage on YouTube, we still have many questions. The traffic accident shook us to the core. Loud bangs, sudden mishaps on the road, and unexpected conditions, all have us hyperventilating and sweating bullets. And now we have to tow a caravan. This insecurity will pass, we know … it will become easier. But we are nervous.

After taking delivery of our van, we had planned to fit it out over the month-long housesit during December/January so that it would be ready for us to live in. For several reasons that proved slow going. Eventually, we did what we could, when we could. Because the property we were on over the Christmas/New Year season was so large we were able to take a few opportunities to ‘pack down’ the van (pack up and stow everything away, ready for towing), hitch it, tow it (if only for 20 metres), practise parking it, unhitch and set up “camp” again without going onto any public roads. 

We were immensely grateful for these practice sessions. AJ proved to be a star with reverse parking, and this was proven at the next home-sitting when he had to reverse park it into the narrow downslope of the front garden in Kingaroy.  👏🏻😅

During one of these sessions, the shower door fell off its screws. 😣 We also noticed that the rear light was cracked and had rain water in it. We scrutinised the photographs of the van taken on the day of handover in the dealer’s yard and sure enough, there was the crack. They had not picked it up and neither had we when we took delivery. Another fault is that they forgot to install a full oven but only a griller. At the first service next month, all these will be corrected. One can expect any new van to have teething problems. Fortunately, these haven’t been major ones.

Trying to make the van “homely” has been a challenge. 

There is only that much one can fit into 17’ and the weight has to be considered too. We’ve had to constantly make concessions. In requesting an outdoor kitchen, we reduced the capacity to load stuff into the van by almost 50 kg. But after living 24/7 in the van for the first time last week, we are very happy about that outdoor kitchen! While AJ teaches, I can cook comfortably. We were gifted a ‘porch’ awning to provide shelter for the kitchen from the sun and rain. A huge blessing.

Moving around inside the van is an art! It forces us to move very slowly. 😆 One can’t do anything fast or you knock a knee or an elbow, or you bump something off the benchtop. The roof is high enough, but we’ve taken turns at bumping our heads on the overhead cupboards and at knocking things around. We have opened cupboards only to have an item drop out on top of us (we still need to put shelf dividers in to secure things). Rome wasn’t built in a day they say … well, it feels like the van is going to take a long while yet, as we budget a few pennies monthly to fit it out. It’s amazing – as prepared as we were with lists of items and gear that we would need, so unprepared we were for the little things that are needed for various reasons.

Our first full week in the van in a low-cost caravan park was exhilarating! Thankfully, we both enjoyed it immensely. Andries gave instruction online from the van and everything worked perfectly. As long as we have good Telstra reception, he’s good to go. 

We also had to start using the composting toilet, and as with anything new, it took a few times to begin to feel that this was normal. 😁 In the beginning we had to remind ourselves that this was good for the environment AND that we did not have to visit regular (sewage) dump points (which, we have heard, can be really yuk! 🤢) 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

Rest assured there is zero odour! The pee bottle fills up rather quickly because we drink lots of water. Especially in this heat! Luckily we have several bottles. When we pop in to visit our kids, our bottle(s) go with us for dumping in the loo! 😂 Apparently, when diluted, it serves as fertiliser for the garden. We haven't been that cheeky yet. 😆

Composting toilets are humbling. Very humbling! 😅  

When we walk into the van, it already feels and smells like a familiar place. It’s home. You know how you feel when you walk into your bedroom and you get that peaceful feeling of belonging? Yep, that’s how we are beginning to feel about our little space. 😍  

Counting our blessings

I hope you don’t read this post as one big gripe. It certainly isn’t meant to be. We have been in the country for only 5 months, yet it feels like a year. We have been tested, tried, and tempted. But, we have forged lovely friendships and met amazing people. We have lived in beautiful homes with adorable pets, in amazing locations, blessed beyond measure. We have discovered interesting little towns and visited interesting places and museums. We have learned a few things about Australian culture and history that will stand us in good stead going forward. We have been gobsmacked at the kindness of folk. We know how fortunate we are to be here, and on a national medical plan. We are grateful to have children nearby to assist us when we need them and vice versa. We are thankful for AJ’s job, even though the terms and conditions were changed by the company after 3 months, potentially halving his income. 😧

Most of all we are grateful to our Father God, who has repeatedly promised “Do not fear…I will be with you.” When the demon of fear comes calling, we call on the only One who can slay him. Being on team-Jesus is the biggest blessing of all.

We are in Gympie now until mid-March when we leave for a 3-month home-sitting in a country town south-west of Brisbane, called Esk. From Wednesday this week, we will be in our van 24/7 until we begin home-sitting in Esk. This month is set aside for sorting storage items, keeping appointments, servicing the van in Brisbane, servicing our tow vehicle and having the van weighed. 😟 

On the 18^th of February all will be revealed pertaining to the weight of the van and the tow vehicle and whether we are within legal limits or not. 

Each time we think of it we sweat bullets … 😅 Come what may, I don’t think I can stand off that outdoor kitchen. 😆

Hoping to post again in March, God willing, from Esk, with tales of our travels south. Thanks for stopping by. Stay well and stay safe. 

We appreciate every one of you. 🌼