Today is our 34th wedding anniversary. WOW! 34 years! In that time we have lived in Germany and Australia, raised two daughters, owned two houses, visited some other countries and had a variety of jobs. In 2016, we made a spur of the moment decision to rent out the house, buy a caravan and head off on an indefinite trip around Australia. That was five years ago and possibly the best decision we ever made. (Click this link to read more about how it all started https://workingholidaypress.home.blog/2019/03/08/how-it-all-started/)

We love the lifestyle, visiting amazing places, enjoying new experiences, witnessing breathtaking scenery, finding and accomplishing different work opportunities as we go. We take a lot of selfies.

This post, and my whole blog, is more about what we have learnt from this lifestyle, than the places we have visited. My blog includes posts describing how we have learnt to slow down and enjoy life, to take risks, to know that we will find all that we need, that we don’t need much at all and to be grateful.

We are currently stopped to work, having got down to our last $100 by our first pay day. We don’t panic anymore, having confidence in our ability to find work when we need it. Over the years we have had a variety of jobs. Sometimes we can both work when we find a safe option for Beni’s care. Other times only one can work. We learnt to keep track of harvesting schedules and also tourist seasons. We have worked in six caravan parks, starting out just working in exchange for a site and building our skills and experience to now taking on roles running the park independently. Thomas has assisted in the harvesting of sugar cane in Queensland and almonds in Victoria. We enjoy the new and different challenges and the short term nature of these seasonal jobs. We start to get a bit restless around the three month mark and have only stayed longer once, when we needed a new car. (Here’s a link to my story about finding work. https://workingholidaypress.home.blog/2019/03/19/finding-work/ )

That brings me to the inspiration behind this post. The opportunities we have now are probably the best so far. We both have work, free accommodation and great money. Thomas’s job is on a nickel mine and includes accommodation and meals. Even though it is just 45 kms down the road, he decided to take that option. He works 12 hrs a day, for 12 days straight, before he gets two days off. He is better off there and they feed him better than I do.

I’m helping out in a caravan park, mainly cleaning cabins. I live in our caravan, on-site for free. So basically, our living costs are minimal and we are saving lots of money. We go exploring for two days a fortnight. We will stay for three months before heading up the WA coast over winter.

I recently wrote a post on our Facebook page The3ofus https://www.facebook.com/Greynomadmum/ about our life at the moment. Some people commented that it must be difficult, being separated. After all, we are used to being together 24/7, living in a little box. The thing is, it’s not difficult. I started to worry. “Shouldn’t I be missing him? Should I feel sad and lonely? Shit man, I’m not and neither is Thomas. How much do we really love each other if we can live seperate lives and not be affected?

There were also responses to my post describing us as a good team. I contemplated this as well. (OK, I have a bit of spare time. 😂 But this all resulted in this blog post) I realised this was not a measure of our love. We text and talk on the phone. We catch up once a fortnight. Together we are working towards a goal, just focusing on our individual tasks and getting done what needs to be done. We are a strong team. We allow and encourage each other to remain empowered, unique and independent individuals. We make each other happy yet we are not dependent on each other for peace and happiness. We love to take selfies, It’s a lovely way to be. Happy anniversary Thomas.