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.

Due to drastic changes in circumstances, I am leaving Thailand and going back to England. I haven't been there for more than 10 years. I've lost contact with friends, no family, so I will be homeless to begin with. I thought I'd go to Brighton as, well why not, and if I've got a chance to pull things around, I've as much chance in Brighton as anywhere else. But...where will I leave my suitcase? A homeless person lugging a suitcase will be a target and I doubt I will hold on to it for long. Does anybody have any ideas as to where a suitcase can be left as cheaply as possible, which I may be able to adapt to leaving it in Brighton? The train station doesn't do luggage storage.