I’m getting used to a very new headspace.

Last Monday after having spent some time training up the new owners of Brighton Retic, I had no work. No need to accompany them and no caravan work in the wings either. Monday was empty. As was Tuesday, Wednesday and… you get the idea…

What happened is that I started noticing things that needed doing, imagining some new possibilities and dreaming about some fun activities. By the end of the week Danelle told me I needed to get checked for ADD!

It began with replacing the shower on our caravan – a Jayco Silverline with a crappy plastic shower that inevitably cracks and leaks. I had been pondering how I could do this for weeks – because once you start you’re kinda committed… I figured out a plan of attack and managed to get a much better shower base installed in just a day of work. That was enjoyable. I like fixing things and learning new skills.

Then we began thinking about how we could remove some lawn and build some retaining walls for veggies. Which then expanded into buying a dingo / bobcat to dig it out and then while we are at it to replace the existing sleeper walls with limestone – all 70m… With the right machine it couldn’t’ be that hqrd…right?… Cue a Gumtree and Marketplace search for dingo/kanga.

Then my son Sam began to talk about going halves on a boat… I don’t need a boat and I haven’t been hankering for one, but it could be fun. Maybe we could buy one for summer and see how it goes and whether we use it or not… I do like boating. So now I have a Gumtree and Marketplace search for boats too. I like the idea of using some of my free time to head out on the water with my kids. Unfortunately Danelle gets seasick so it’s not really something she could join in.

Improving my fitness has been a goal that has eluded me as the body refuses to play nice, but I have started walking (which honestly feels so lame after running) and then I saw Sam’s old bike sitting gathering dust and rust so I took it for a service and decided I’d break up the walking with cycling and swimming when things warm up. Another new activity to add to my life! I have taken it out a couple of times now and it’s a nice change from walking. Once my butt cheeks adjust it will be a lot more enjoyable.

Then… I have also noticed a fair number of people sleeping in their cars in our local carparks. I thought it would be good to put on breakfast for them one day a week. That idea has been shelved because we are travelling so much between now and January that we just couldn’t commit to a weekly timeslot. I did try and invite one guy (I call him ‘Mr Convertible’ because he lives in a soft-top Auid) to join me one day for brekkie, but he refused. So I’m pondering how we do that in a way that worjks… In February my car goes in for some panel work – for 3 long weeks – so that might be the time to get the ball rolling on that.

Then we saw a house for sale.. yeah I know… another idea… But it was for $275K! It was a legit house in Yanchep, that had been abandoned and squatters had moved in and trashed it, before it was repossessed by the bank. But $275K?… If Danelle and I spent 6 months doing all that needed doing we could probably double that value. So we went and had a look on Sunday, along with most of Perth! I doubt it will sell for $275K, but if it does then that might be our project for a time. My mind was zinging with the possibilities there.

Alongside these projects have been some new writing ideas, possible job opportunities that I am aware of and then general home maintenance that has been neglected while I have been in busy mode.

The great challenge is to know what to focus on and what to ignore. My goal is not to simply fill the free space with activity and commitments. But I realised very quickly that I don’t like sitting still and doing very little. It’s good to have a project or ten on the go.

This time of year I am normally squeezing in 8 or 9 retic jobs each day and running hard. This morning I slept in until 6.30am, went for a mountain bike ride out to the Yaberoo trail and then spent the day hanging with Ellie before heading out to lunch with her.

Tomorrow I squeeze in one more diesel heater before an elbow operation on Wednesday – an arthroscopy to clear out years of accumulated debris that is limiting movement and quite painful. Of course that will take 6 weeks to heal, so further jobs that involve physical work may well be delayed until my elbow heals. That makes it a good time to get some writing done… But here too I have so many idea bouncing around at the moment and I haven’t settled on where I want to head next.

A-D-D? Maybe… Or maybe it’s just the overwhelm that comes from so many possibilities, now that life has slowed.

There is an awareness that at least for a period, we don’t want to be ‘tied down’ and limited in our movements – but we also know that sometimes things of substance happen because we commit to longer processes and activities.

Tensions and opportunities. Just finding my bearings in this new space.

I guess I could just get stuck into Netflix…