I feel like I should finish this thread off since so many people contributed to it. I don’t want to leave it hanging but I didn’t wan’t to constantly update it with gory details or during the long periods where nothing was happening.
It’s been an eventful couple of months that’s for sure. I’ve spent way too many nights sleeping in the van in mostly unknown areas. You can’t really rest because you’re always scared something will happen or you’ll have to move. So you always feel exhausted and of course, you stink. This unusually hot weather has been a nightmare for body odour and general van stench.
The van had an MOT which it failed. I then had to wait for parts then a repair and retest. I could not drive during this time so spent around 48 hours on a bleak industrial estate while trying to pretend like I wasn’t there. I had to accept financial assistance at this point as I was wiped out. This was a pretty miserable period.
Oh, then I got foot rot. I had a pain in the ball of my foot which felt like a blister so I ignored it. Then overnight while sleeping on a mates floor it ballooned into a bright red, swollen monstrosity. It felt like it was on fire and I couldn’t put my foot on the ground at all. I hopped into a walk in centre and got an inspection and some antibiotics. I’d picked up some kind of skin infection and the Dr. predicted at least 4 to 5 more days of pain and swelling. He wasn’t wrong. You know when you stand on a plug? Imagine if the plug had 3 knives instead of prongs. Nothing I could do but codeine and elevation.
During this time I went somewhere that I was trying to avoid. My grandparents cat infested, one bedroom bungalow. They’ve got just enough room for my sleeping mat but at least I could put my foot up and take pain killers all day. All I had to do was endure the itchy eyes and sneezing triggered by the presence of felines. Once the pain and swelling went down, that’s when the skin came off. All of it. Like a big crispy pancake of dead yellow flesh. This was a grim week and a half.
Now the good news…
Using nothing but a smartphone and mobile internet I managed to find a full time job and somewhere to live.
I used Facebook groups full of bike riders to see if there was any industry jobs going anywhere. I was contacted by a manager of a shop who said their mechanic was leaving and they were looking for a replacement. Luckily I’ve got years of experience but it’s not something I was expecting to go back to. I went in for a chat and that was that, I got a start date.
Then I used Gumtree and Spareroom to start looking for somewhere to live. I’ve been to view some rooms this weekend and paid the deposit on my favourite.
So now I’m sitting in a BnB in Sheffield. I start work on Monday then move into an attic in a big, posh house next week. I’m going to be living with an old couple who seemed cool. I tried to avoid the more lively areas as I’m not up for partying or living in other peoples filth.
So yes there’s been ups and downs. I’ve had a lot of time to sit around and sulk about all the things I’ve done wrong in my life. I’ve done a lot of stupid shit. I’ve never killed anyone or anything like that but I’ve certainly gone the long way around on everything. I’ve always had to make my own mistakes, sometimes multiples times before I learned from them.
Right now though I just feel relieved. I’ve got nothing else to pay for. I’ve got a job that I can’t wait to get stuck into. I don’t have to drive anywhere. I’ve got a bed in a pitch black room and last night I slept for about 12 hours. The soft, pink, raw flesh on my foot is starting to toughen up.
Thanks for reading. Special thanks to everyone that got in touch and offered help and careers advice and tried to point me in the right direction.
I’m off to bed.
