Thujone

Belated Equinox greetings. Still on the bench. A life that would have seemed scary not so long ago is increasingly seeming normal... I probably wont be logging in much after this update. Thailand seems a long time ago.

I was in temporary accommodation for a month or so last year. Then was deemed not a priority and shown the door.

Yuletide greetings to one and all. I'm still out on the bench. I've tried all agencies/charities I can find, and all those suggested to me by groups who give help to those who are homeless. I am not deemed a priority, so am therefore not eligible. Others with priority status get the accommodation I would get if I were a priority. Some have suggested I should be economical/expansive with the truth to get priority status. But we all know what happened to Mac in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest as a result of that cunning plan... Employers aren't interested in my applications, due to my situation. But, in case it seems I am logging in to moan, I'm not. I'm just telling it how it is for anybody who's interested. My life has been a series of adventures and this one could be the ultimate. There is the fact that over the course of time I have become part of a loose-knit community of people who are also not deemed priorities. I hope this post is of interest to some.

What a long strange trip it's been. Apart from a few nights in emergency accommodation, due to the temp going below freezing, (the less said about that episode the better), I have been sleeping rough. Strangely, surprisingly, I've sort-of got used to it. And as I am homeless anywhere in England, I can move around, so my wanderlust is sated. I thought I'd pop back in , as it been a year since I came back, just to keep those interested up with how things are going. They're going terribly. Greetings from Down and Out in England.

You may have a point, if I had a home... Things going from bad to worse at the moment, I'll post back when/if things take a turn for the better. (Thanks to hotandsticky for the dark humour.)

Funny old world, innit? Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January. Then I will be out on the street and presumably frozen like a dog turd on the pavement by the night of the 6th. So...first idea is that if I can manage to beg/borrow the money for the flight, does anybody know the best way I can get a teaching job organised in Cambodia before January? There's only a slim chance I'll be able to do this, but if the alternative is making my bed on Hastings beach in January, I'll certainly have the stimulation to put in full effort. I always knew getting old was going to be <deleted>.

So, all in all, this is turning out to be a balls up. My advice to anybody who has decided to leave Thailand is, as I was advised, to give Cambodia or Laos a try first. The weather will be good and there's a chance you might have some money left to make another decision if things don't work out. The only positive I can think of regarding my decision is that at least I'm old and near the finishing post when I made it. Unless things take a turn for the better, I'll sign off now, as I don't want to post negativity online. I wish you well.

They were being choosy. I applied for the job, they said no. I'm going for anything feasible. As you say, one job may lead to another

Well, things aren't going quite as (not) planned. (Or maybe they are going quite as not planned...) So far, nobody seems interested in employing an old fart. I can't blame them. I wouldn't. I've applied any job I've felt I had a chance of getting. Even a Festive Colleague at Tescos. Mostly getting no replies. I got a reply from Hastings Council regarding a job as a housing liason officer, no experience necessary, dealing with people who are homeless. Thanks, but no thanks. Getting a job which pays the rent and has any money left over is going to be difficult. I'm checking out the jobs with accommodation supplied. So, basically I'm up the creek, and never mind the paddle, I haven't even got a canoe. But I do have accommodation, so at least my head is above water. There's room for optimism. And it's interesting to see what happens next.

A brief note on something I thought others may find interesting, what has changed in England while I've been away. And the answer is, not much. I was expecting digital currency to be in full flow, but on the contrary, many shops have signs up saying Cash Only. Getting change for notes is never a problem. When I read that Britain has 6,000,000 surveillance cameras in place on the streets, it conjured up images of a V for Vendetta type view while walking the streets. Nope, the black bubbles are hardly noticeable. The differences between here and Thailand are noticeable. It's possible to walk for hours without ever having to take your balls in your hand and jump chasms in the pavement or watch out for protruding pieces of metal. I haven't seen a stray dog since being here. When shopping for potatoes, for example, there is a choice of 6 or more varieties, as opposed to picking the least green of one variety. I usually cooked my own food in Thailand and cook my own food here, so the food is the same. But, it's drizzly and can get chilly. Thailand trumps here on weather.

Hastings Borough Council.

So far, so good. I've been given a studio flat by the council and am now very comfortable. It's temporary accommodation, but will continue until they find me something permanent. I can cook my own food, have my own shower/bathroom and the rest of the people living around are in the same boat and easy to get on with. The guy who manages the accommodation is also easy to get on with. I've landed on my feet. My advice to anybody who feels their time in Asia has come to a close is to take a chance and head somewhere else. Don't become a depressed drunk in a bar, but move on. My brain feels younger than just a few weeks ago, when I was forcing myself to feel positive because I knew that the alternative could quickly become horrific. The alternative was to become a depressed old man. I am now positive and optimistic. Of course this could still go belly-up, but not if I keep on top of it. A job is needed, and I am persuing many avenues to get one. Good news at last.

I was told by one person at the council that I wouldn't be considered for housing for two months. Another person in my position was told three months. I received a phone call on Friday telling me to come in to the council offices on Monday. (Today.) When I went in and answered a few questions, they said they would find me somewhere tonight. I then received a phone call saying they will find me somewhere tomorrow. I'll believe it when it happens, but if they do find me somewhere tomorrow, that will be two weeks and a day since I arrived in England. It seems a lot longer to me, but that's not bad, considering.

If anybody is expecting local authorities to supply accommodation if/when you return to Britain, forget it. You will be all but told to sod off. If you are expecting financial help, the same applies. It's been an interesting move, and I'm (possibly misguidedly) convinced that better must come, but for now it's a test of my positivity and thankfully several people are voluntarily helping. I'm getting too old for this lark...

I met a couple in the pub, and one of them made a phone call and got me a room above another pub for two nights, where I am now. I registered as being unemployed today, and one of the four muscle-bound security guards on the door, (what in the hell goes on in there?) gave me some tips on some cheapish bed and breakfasts. I went to the council office, and they have given me a phone number for a shelter. I have found a luggage storage facility online, and will wait on their reply tomorrow. I wouldn't say I am enjoying this experience, but it is interesting. Something I've noticed with living in Pattaya is that it's rare to meet a happy old person. Many or most appear to be bordering on manic depression or are drunken critical people-watchers. Whatever happens, I can't complain. It's been a good life.