Sunday, September 1, 2013

A life in boxes.


I have just completed an interesting little exercise... I jotted down all of the places I have lived and how many times I have moved house.

Twenty-one times.


Luckily, a large part of my work consists of moving stuff around, so I have learnt to do it fast. But it was rather challenging on Friday. Icy cold, intermittent rain, snow on Table Mountain.
Five times of the twenty-one was when I was still a child, living with my parents. Contrary to my mother's best intentions, I turned out to be a magpie. Moving my chattels is an epic production. My beloved swing gang were there to help me - Sam arrived with his trusty old truck and Julius and Roger laughed every time I warned them of a particularly heavy trunk or box. Being the ex wrestling champion of Cameroon, Roger lifts a washing machine with two fingers.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi
We finished the job in five hours. My worldly goods are now in storage and I have a few months to find a new place to live. This is what happens when your rent unexpectedly - shockingly, is to go up by fifty percent. This is what happens when you rent from friends, without ever signing a contract. It's also a city bowl problem, with rents sky-rocketing and people willing to pay anything to live there. I am not. So, for now, I am on the peninsula, with my batterie de cuisine, two bags of clothes and the one I love, in his snug house. A fire in the grate, birds gorging themselves on a peanut-butter-filled pine cone in the garden, key lime pie and coffee.

Driving over the mountain pass yesterday, all misty and sparkling, the waterfalls cascaded down the cliffs, ending in billows of foam. And I remembered something that I forgot to tell you about: the sound of thousands of bees when you stand on the edge of a canola field.


So loud the air vibrates.

7 comments:

Marie said...

FRIENDS raised your rent 50%???

And I'm bitching about our landlord, who is terrible, who raised ours by 31%?

Jislaaik.

Sterkte.

The restling Champion of Cameroon. Another jislaaik.

Also the pine cone.

Marie said...

Heheheh. 'Wrestling'...

Although restling has possibilities.

Rosie said...

Oh Lily. Your gorgeous city flat. I did love it, and dream of having something like it.

I hope you enjoy the gentle wild of the S. Peninsula.

SSH said...

To new beginnings!

the sourcerer said...

thank you all sweet friends.

Marie - it was time to go - that was just the final kick under the butt!

Rosie - I would love to pop in and show my long legged man your veg garden and garden in general. Though a vegetable garden is on the cards here, next.

SShhh: love

xxx

D said...

On behalf of Rosie, anytime, just check we're in. Lots of heritage seed to get started with too.

tanjawilmot said...

Magtig! May the force of perfect places to live be with you in your search. My name is Tanja and I am a compulsive Sourcerer reader this morning. It has been lovely, like sharing a cup of tea and a slice of something very wonderful with you under a jacaranda in a shady garden somewhere. Well, almost.