hi!

I appreciate its been a while since I updated the blog, to be honest nothing new has been happening..

We are plodding along, still waiting for our forever home, the last time we could bid we came 18th,  which was a few weeks ago. There's no houses out there to bid on!  So hundreds, probably thousands are left like us in no mans land, emergency housing,  I will be eternally grateful for our house, its a shame we cant just be offered it (we would take it!) the house we are in is classed as 4 bedroom, we have swopped it round to a  3 bedroom and have a separate living room and kitchen.    I am noticing more emergency housing popping up almost daily as you can tell from the blinds, but this house is costing nearly double the rent of the same house with a normal tenancy. So everyone loses out... us = no forever home, council = another homeless statistic, benefit agency = they make up the difference in rent... 

We just want to settle, at the moment we cant have pets.. a friend has our rats and Bearded dragon, another our rabbit, (we had to sign over to charities our cats and dog - I am grateful our older dog passed away before all this happened). I will be eternally grateful for the people who have put themselves out to help us, we aren't allowed to put nails in the walls or posters up   its a hard way to make somewhere your home.  We've weeded the garden and planted things, painted the outside walls.. but want to make a home.. want to get an allotment, want to plant, decorate, the kids want to make plans.... where do they go to college next year?  where do they look for jobs? where do we look for jobs?  where will we live next week, next month, next year?  have a think... have those conversations with your children..  imagine not having the stability that you cant give options or give the ground base they need.

We are incredibly lucky... we have amazing children, they work hard...  only one left in the school system and sitting exams this year..  the others are in further education or working hard. the little ones are being home educated which I love.. we should have done it with all the children years ago, I appreciate its not for everyone, but for us.. it is!   My huge concern is the social element, but when you walk into a home education meeting and kids run up calling their  names your reassured your doing the right thing, for today... tomorrow is a different day and no one knows what the future holds!  Its harder holding down adult relationships and can be isolating without the playground chats.. mind you I don't miss the playground politics and silliness!

There's people around us who still have no bidding number, and no homeless status..  but moved in, in June like us... imagine living everyday without knowing your even accepted as homeless....

The situation is shit, but in the summer the kids were all in the park and it didn't matter who you are, the colour of your skin, your religion... the kids played.. active parks came for a few weeks with an amazing group of staff, got all the kids involved and they loved it,  but that died off..   so back to nothing!

Its easy to say these kids are a pest, into gangs, etc... but if the infrastructure isn't there to give kids a belonging, an ownership, a community... (which gangs give them)     what the feck do they expect????   surely its cheaper and makes more sense to invest in the kids and not have to pick up the peace's??/