Life on land may not be as adventurous as being at sea, but it’s certainly full of as many challenges. I frequently find myself uttering, “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” which relates to the fact that we have found ourselves in a strange situation or doing something that’s not considered normal. And, after eight years of living on a boat, never a truer word was said!
We’re currently in limbo as we cope with that awkward transitional process between two homes. When we left Australia three months ago, we thought that being chain free, it would be relatively quick and easy to buy a house in the UK. Wrong!
The property market is booming and, on the Isle of Wight where we’ve been looking, we’ve found ourselves in all sorts of cut-throat circumstances that are challenging us to our nth degree. The sheer frustration of having viewings cancelled minutes before an appointment as someone else has put an offer in, is doing my head in. We’ve even been asked for our best and final offer before even seeing a property.
It’s not surprising that I’m feeling very displaced as we are still living out of the two suitcases we brought back on the plane from Brisbane and are commuting between family homes in Milford-on-Sea and Cowes while we’re searching for a house.
I’m hoping once we have a place of our own to lay our sombreros – and when our 33 boxes unloaded from the boat eventually make their way back by container ship to Southampton – that life will feel a little easier. We will also need to find a suitable nest for ‘Salty’, our trusty wooden seagull, who for eight years sat in the boat’s saloon window keeping watch. He sailed with us all the way to Australia and now he’s on his way back by ship, keeping a beady eye on our belongings!
We’re trying hard to keep up with the changes in the UK over the last few years. We’ve noticed that Dolly Parton’s “9 – 5” working hours are redundant; she’s now working hybrid and, as far as the property market is concerned, she’s a little more difficult to get hold of! No one handles money anymore – splash the cash has been replaced by flash the plastic . And it’s like a different language when people talk about Tik Tok, Britbox, Hangouts and Viber and who on earth is Alexa and why is she so vocal?
But back to the fun stuff. Putting on the deck shoes and getting out on the water again has been our saving grace. We’re enjoying the occasional day crewing for a yacht charter company in Lymington and doing UK boat deliveries. Life could almost feel normal, aside from the fact we’re wearing more clothes and I’m now regularly seen in make-up!
We’ll keep you posted of our progress and day-to-day antics. But with my new 48-page UK passport arriving soon, a little overseas trip is now in the planning. And then our intrepid curiosity for adventure and exploration can continue!
© Two Drifters Travel 2022
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