Gumtree Sucess

I began selling off my belongings through an online service popular in Australia called Gumtree. Very much like our Kijiji back home. I was able to sell all of the furniture easily so far. I have only bare bones left now, my sofa, bed, television and camping tables/chairs, and my coffee table. I've bad people traipsing through my apartment for weeks as I sold as much as I could to those who stepped inside. I'm only mailing back 3-4 boxes to Canada, and the rest will have to fit in my suitcase and backpack. So that leaves me with a WHOLE lot of household stuff. I feel like I am living in a yard sale, with boxes and bins of stuff everywhere. I've packed all the artwork, so the walls are very bare. I've left my map of Australia up as I'm going to take that on the plane with me so I can show my mother where I've travelled. 

It is an emotional thing to let go of one's things. Some items, no worries, move that shit on. but others that just made me feel happy, like my blue cabinet I found in an antique store in Victoria, BC. And  my sofa. I just love my comfy sofa. I'll be reduced to clothing and souvenirs for the most part, awaiting my next home to settle into. I'll be spending two months on the east coast, sharing my time among my friends and relatives. Then off to Vancouver Island to spend the summer living in the Karma van again, based in Victoria. I will at least be able have my own bed and space in the Karma van. I remember sleeping quite well in there. I'll be living out of my suitcase and backpack for about 4-6 momths depending on when I am able to pick up a bus and get to work on my winter home. 

Surrounded by the piles and boxes of stuff is hard for me. I prefer things to be organized, tidy, and aestically pleasing. The only thing in my bedroom is my bed and a milk crate with my lamp on it. The sooner this part is completed, the better. I'm planning on an apt sale sometime next month to move the last of it all on and I'll get by with my sofa, fridge, and a place setting of dishes. I cannot wait to get settled into my completed tiny house bus with everything in it's place again, surrounded by those favorite things that remind me of the adventures I've been through. I've tried to keep my souvenirs to a collectable standard - not too heavy or big, and easy to transport. So I have a lot of tiny figurines made of metal and stone, paintings and cloths for the walls, and a small collection of books. Then of course there is my jewelry/ While my collection is not worth any great thousands needing insuring. they are a a variety of stones, crafted glass, and other interesting bits, like a piece of a topographical map with tiny golden flake attached to the map where it was found and enclosed in a tiny glass box. My daughter has given me most of them, and she always seems to know what to get me. I lost a few in the fire, but she has more than made up for it since then. I saw a neat way to store my necklaces behind a box-framed artwork on hinges. I'll be searching for the most space saving ideas in the bus. 

I'm still off from work. It has been a rough road, hardest I've travelled in many years, but I am still standing and determined to look after myself and have been doing a great deal of soul searching these past months. I try to explore somewhere new when I can, but it hasn't been as easy as it once was. I did go hiking in the Grampians to a place called The Pinnacle, and was quite proud of myself for making it to the summit in spite of my asthma, poor fitness. and anxiety. Then of course I rolled my foot on the way down. I scrabbled the last bit before it began to swell as I did not want to be stuck on the mountain! I saw several lizards scampering about, many birds hunting from the sky, and a handful of other hikers.