Where do we go from here?

Isabelle over in Scotland had an interesting post on her blog this week. She is looking at aged care homes on behalf of an elderly aunt, and this exercise has started Isabelle thinking about her own future (mind you, she isn’t even SIXTY yet). She has posed several questions for her readers, and already has 17 responses, so I thought rather than clog up her blog, I’ll do my own thing right here, and trust she will see it on her next visit! Aren’t bloggers funny – well maybe not all of us, but I know many of my blog friends write as if we are neighbours, and can just drop in and out of each other’s homes!

Isabelle writes:
I wonder if it would be too soon for me to put my name down…? A nice room looking out over a garden; meals made; housework done; laundry taken care of… . Would they let me bring thousands of books, my computer, Mr Life and the cats? (Perhaps I’ve put these items in the wrong order.)
My reply is that it would be far too soon to put your name down for an aged care home! Yeah I know it sounds ideal – nothing to do but enjoy all that free time, but while you are still working and enjoying your work, you may as well stay put in your present home with the books, the computer, the MOTH and the cats!

Isabelle: I’m torn between thinking that we should buy a really practical house for our old age and thinking that we should buy one we really like. I want to move back to the other side of the city, near the sea, where I lived till I was nearly forty. Or a nearby seaside town? What would you go for? Sensible or the dream?
My reply: Can’t you have both – a practical house for your old age which just happens to be by the sea where you want to live? Aside from your own dreams, what does Mr Life want to do in his old – sorry, older age?

Ken has always wanted more land (as in acres) out in the bush somewhere, but we don’t have that kind of money. And everyone else warns us that in our advancing years, we need to be near a hospital. WHAT?? Why, for goodness sake? I can’t see us popping into the local hospital on a daily basis to be looked over, so why would we want to live close to one? Ken’s health is stable, mine is fine, and as long as we see a doctor for a regular check up on his heart and my blood pressure, we don’t need to be NEAR a hospital! If we had an emergency situation, we’d do what people usually do in a crisis – call an ambulance.


I like the thought of living ‘in the country’, but not in a very isolated or remote location. And not on hundreds of acres of land. Five to ten acres would be good, in a small country town, or on the outskirts of a larger country town. I don’t have any urge to live near the sea, but a river in the area would be lovely. Somewhere Ken could thrown in a line, and I could sit and read. We’ve looked in the windows of real estate agents when we’ve visited country towns, and have seen our ‘dream home’ many times. Country towns seem to have the best craft shops and groups, so I would be in my element. Away from the car hoons and noisy parties in the suburbs, traffic congestion wherever you go, and too many people in close proximity. All that was fine 40 years ago when I was in my 20’s, and enjoying the company of hoons (I had my own motorcycle), and too many people in close proximity at noisy parties, but now a quiet life is what we both crave.

To sum up, we need to face realities. The first reality is that we won’t leave Melbourne until Ken’s Mum has passed away, as we don’t want to be too far away from her while she is still alive. The second reality is that we don’t have the money to move anywhere right now, but that could change with a lotto win (unlikely). The third reality is the thought of packing up everything in this house to move is frightening. Thousands of books (mine)like Isabelle, cupboards full of craft stash/fabrics (mine), hundreds of CDs, DVDs, video tapes, records (mostly Ken’s), the contents of a two car garage apart from two cars and two bikes)- how many removal vans would we need? The final reality is that I love living in Eltham, and we have a lot of good friends in Eltham and surrounding suburbs whom I would greatly miss if we moved very far away.

So, Isabelle – I’m sure this hasn’t helped you make any decision about moving, but I hope you got a laugh! Do any of my readers have any comments to make on this subject?