Category: Posted on the fly

Cold Canberra. Cold south, really. I survived, quite enjoyed, the cocooned sleep at the city spot, snuck away to discover closed toilets. Second coffee instead.

Fingers are cold. Been a while for that.

7.20 AM

Sunshine. May it bring warmth and cheer! And a good catch-up sleep.

The sun came out but the air and wind was cold.

Shower at civic was brilliant. Then to Mawson Woolies to be the subject of a nasty geriatric. Couldn’t handle me asking if someone else was being served. Truly vicious extremely old bastard.

Then to Lanyon Homestead. Paid for a tour, most uninteresting. But lovely surrounds and a boyhood connection then later with Tommy.

Typical tour guide feels she couldn’t know less than the public, on anything, and blocked to listening, abrasive. Pleased to have left, was there a while.

Then to Tharwa, then explored a little in quick time. Found back routes to the Cotter.

Lots of looks at the Murrumbidgee today. Total treat.

Now 4.25 PM back at Mawson carpark cooking dinner.

8.13 PM

Everything was going so well. I was about to fall asleep, very comfortable and unbothered in the Mawson carpark, then a high pitch sax fucked me over. Started about 8. Can’t believe it. Possibly a busker at the shops, or some night venue.

I could have fallen asleep in five minutes, now I’m stressed to the eyeballs. I don’t know where to go, if I have to leave, and too tired to drive. This is the nightmare of homelessness.

How could I have foreseen high pitched loud saxophone?!!!

My skull hurts constantly as well, which is aggravated by my sudden dark mood.

Woke at 12.26 to very strange repetitive music and a giggling girl nearby. Then again at 3.37 to cold wet southerly. Wind howling whispering screaming whistling jarring the van.

Having a coffee. Very snug, sealed off.

That’s light from the carpark lights.

8.06 AM

What an appalling morning. Dark wet raining overcast. Been awake since 3.30 or something. Went out into the weather at Mawson but the toilets were closed, 7AM.

Drove to the hospital for the toilet but staff were walking to it from the carpark without umbrellas in the rain and I couldn’t give mine to all of them, nor be the one with one.

So I drove to the Canberra Avenue spot by the lake. Idiot had his lights shining at me, both parked, I blocked it with unshield. I banged my head which hurts. Others next door leaving engine running. I feel trapped and heavily encumbered and weighed down.

9.01 AM

Lying on the bed, eyes tired, head hurt, claustrophobic, rain now spitting What the hell do I do? Where do I go? Where will I sleep tonight?

Freezing

12.55 PM

Parked at the city spot not far from Ainslie Infants (was). On the bed the other way round. It’s very cold and cutting and I may have already caught a cold.

Had a shower at civic. Warm but late. Struggled at the lake spot, possibly napping.

Going to stay here the night if I can get away with it.

The southerly sometimes howls through the van, easily penetrating.

I don’t feel well.

4.05 PM

Got dressed in vest and coat being everything I could and went under the blankets. Definitely slept. Disoriented when awake. Went for a walk at civic, head hurting, very windy blustery wet underfoot but not raining. Fresh.

Back in the van cooking dinner per usual.

Not sure hoe I’ll go tonight since I had the sleep. People turn up to their units here – I’m in their spot. But it’s a mongrel atmosphere so I may not get bothered.

Under covers in bed at the hospital carpark and frightened. I’m definitely not doing well at the moment. Bad dreams again didn’t help.

Tomorrow it’ll be cold and wet, starting today depending, and I have nowhere to go. No shelter.
I just cant think of anywhere. I don’t want to go back to the coast and get in the Moruya cycle, although that is the easiest and cheapest. I don’t want to be caught out without petrol either in a place that allows me to stay such as Yass.

Basically this minute I’m hiding from the world, not just nurses and staff arriving around me for work.

10.05 AM

At Weston Park and getting over the banking. Big hits with the inverter, car service including brakes and fan belt, and petrol costs. Heart thumping.

Boiled a coffee to enjoy the view and a fuckwit rolls in radio loud. Ruins it.

Rain has begun. Not much, and it’s not cold as forecast for tomorrow.

I have to work out what to do. And have a shower. Very late in that regard. Might go into civic to the pool. Coffee first.

1 PM

See how far away that blue car is, below? It pulled in beside me then crept forward, radio blaring. It’s disturbing from there. She opened the door, got out to take off a coat, and fucking blasted the place.

It’s like they’ve come to follow me, surround me. I’m at Southlands Mawson. It’ll thump down fairly soon, I wanted to get food supplies in case I stay here which I thought I would – but nit with this loud pollution. i can’t fucking believe it.

2.33 PM

I’ve gone around to the tennis courts and parked the solar panels under a tree. Rain has started to spatter. Been a storm forecast for a couple of days.

Got three deflectors out.

Current radar:

Now that it’s happening and I’ve decided to try staying the night here, fingers crossed, I’m quite enjoying the moment.

3.23 PM

3.55 PM

Most of it has passed and there’s not much in it. Certainly not enough to justify my sleeping here if I’m questioned. I was hoping for a blast. It’s hardly raining now, and pleasant actually.

Vegs are cooked. I put another deflector up and seems the steam went largely out the window.

Very tired now. Big problem potentially is a bunch of tennis players turn up this evening to play, unbothered by a wet court. Hope not.

6.52 PM

Can’t relax because action man arrived about 2 hours ago and hasn’t left. First into the tennis court then golf practise on the waterlogged oval, change shoes again and back onto the tennis court hitting shors against the return wall. Bit of a dickhead, this old bloke. Might be trying to prove something because I’m here. Looks a lot like a goose. Alone, little shitbox car, perhaps a local identity. Has to do sport. Is he waiting for someone? Hitting away. The noise is going to get to me.

One single goose, and I might have to move on.

7.30 PM

I move away. Down the street then up the other side to the big carpark at the top.

A car instantly zooms in with lights pointing inside so I’m busted and can’t set ip again. Checking me out.

8.10 PM. Set up and barricaded in. This will have to do.

6.40 AM. Just finished putting up the curtains, in the hospital carpark. In my cocoon.

Bad dreams again. Woke for the final time at 4AM, coffee, warmed the engine away from the only other overnighters, nearby. Shower in Queanbeyan courtesy of without doubt the best staff and management in the country. Truly wonderful attitudes and people.

This shot while warming the car at the top of tge turnaround taken at 5.20AM. Even now at 6.46AM it’s still dark.

First Inverter Ironing

9.30 AM. Set up the towel on the table. Cleared around. Checked fire extinguisher. Turned on the inverter after turning on the kill switch and it didn’t even beep. Instant green ligjt.

Ironed the shirt, using a spray bottle because the water injection is crap. Worked a treat.

No big numbers on the shunt monitor. No sounds. The iron cycled as it’s supposed to. No battery drop whatsoever. Took maybe 15 minutes. Amazing.

Worked a treat.

3.25 PM

Back in the van in the carpark, with no work done on the eyes. No injections and no laser. Next appointment two months. Doctor is going to see how it goes.

Two bad experiences here though. The ringing noise is particularly bad. So I decided to report it. Said it was harmful. Cranky lady at the desk said I had to fill in a feedback form. I was in red zone low sugar, told her I’m not doing that, to which she got angry at me!

I left straight to the pharmacy for jelly beans and a potato scallop next door. Felt like reporting the worker. What a bad attitude.

Then at the clinic it’s absolutely overflowing everywhere so I ask a couple of hospital people if we could put some chairs there for a woman sitting on the floor with her young son. He argued as cranky as heck, too.

I was polite to both. Possibly too polite, giving them an opening to get into me.

So I’m the bad guy, treated that way, trying to do the right thing by helping. Makes me not want to live.

Hot in the van. I can’t drive because of the drops, and have no place to go and no one to see.

I hope my life ends soon. It’s not good for anything.