Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day and general ramble, ladies and gentlemen, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you.

My anxiety levels have been up this week. I haven’t been all that well so I’ve been fussing about getting old and needing another toilet in the house. We have only one toilet and when you have only one house toilet and you live with a house full of people, there’s often a clash of needs. The cost of housing has skyrocketed in Australia. It is now well beyond the reach of first-home buyers, unless, of course, mum and dad can help out. The cost of rent is also astronomical. Canberra (Australia) rents are the highest of any Australian capital city, and that’s saying something. So, the grown-up children will probably be living at home for a while longer.

I’ve noticed on my walks that a lot of shacks have sprung up in the back of properties in my suburb. Some of them don’t even have windows. They are either being used as grow-houses, meth labs or both, or they are being rented out as Air B&Bs, as you do. I’ve been drawing up various plans for an extension or granny flat on my property, and other creative ways for shoving in an extra toilet into my tiny house. However, it can’t be done without trashing my garden. It is so depressing, but probably not nearly as depressing as homelessness is to the increasing number of people and families that are living in tents across the country. Even tent space is at a premium in many tourist towns.

Anyway, back to the Friday song. I’ve chosen an old song from British band, Supercharge, called She Moved The Dishes First. It was so much simpler in the good old days. Enjoy.

Sorry, I don’t have an appropriate feature photo. I knew I shouldn’t have deleted that photo of Fynnie-the-dog doing a wee.

Take care, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

30 thoughts on “Another Toilet”

  1. I was talking to a nurse about this last week. It’s just awful, the ridiculous cost of accommodation. And I can’t see an easy solution. People have paid over a million dollars for their 3 bedroom, barely renovated house and if the value suddenly drops, those people are really in trouble. And you can’t suddenly raise interest rates either because then people can’t pay their mortgages. Somewhere along the line a horse bolted and this country is just along for the ride. Will we run into a fence? Will we fall off? Will the horse leap magically down a cliff like Thowra in the Silver Brumby books? We’ll just have to wait and see.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The risk for owner occupiers seem quite extraordinary. Surely it would make sense to get rid of capital gain tax concessions on investment properties? We have had a lot of tradies moving into our suburb. Work must be relatively secure for people in the building industry in particular. Too bad if you are a nurse, teacher, childcare or retail worker. Lack of secure, affordable housing must be a huge constraint on economic growth. I really do not know how this current national government can claim to be the better economic managers.

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  2. We went crazy here in the US back in 2008. So many people lost everything. Our prices here have also gone up again, but from what I read they most likely won’t drop like they did in 2008. I love to watch International Househunters. I’ve watched some from Australia. They also state how much housing has increased. Freaky stuff. …also, I can’t imagine a house full of people and only one bathroom 😱🙁 I hope you are feeling better Tracy! 🤗

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    1. Lisa, I think people have short memories, except perhaps those caught up in those GFC bad debts and who lost their jobs in the subsequent economic fallout.
      I had forgotten that I once had a dream to have a holiday house in France and would divide my time between France and Australia. Your comment on International Househunters reminded me of that dream.
      I will have to fix the toilet problem. I’m not getting any younger.

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  3. Maybe rental properties will be come more available once everyone has left and moved up here to Queensland now the borders are opening. BUT we already have a shortage and high priced rentals here too☹️🙄 As for the loo shortage, I remember my dear old Mam, many, many years ago in UK, lived in a 2 up 2 down house and the one and only loo was just off the back door. She used to have. “Poo” under the bed called a “guzunder”….🤭😳.

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    1. Commiserations, Pauline. People do seem to love Queensland. I encourage all the Canberrans and wannabe Canberrans to move up there instead. Guaranteed ensuite in every property. Who is going to start the bidding? 😉
      Times have certainly changed with the number of toilets in houses.
      .

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  5. House prices are crazy. I feel sorry for young couples who want to buy a home. Between the ridiculous prices and the difficulty in getting a mortgage if you don’t have a full-time job some may never own homes of their own. We were a lucky generation.
    Rentals are crazy everywhere too. Getting into a rental property is like applying for a job these days. You have to impress the agent with your resume. Even rural rents are expensive, if you can find something to rent. I heard of a lot of people where I used to live who were living with their parents or other family, crashing on couches or living in caravans or sheds on someone’s property. I am so thankful that I own my home outright. Being homeless is one of my greatest fears.

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  6. I didn’t realise that house prices and rentals were as crazy as here in the UK. Yes, it’s unrealistic, and awful for so many people. Meanwhile, we can share your pain. Off to spend the weekend with family – and 8 of us will be hustling for the only bathroom 😉

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  7. I hope you’re able to solve your toilet problem, Tracy. Having more than one makes life more comfortable for us older folk. Housing prices have gone crazy in the US as well, and there is not enough inventory to meet the demand.

    I loved the song. You come up with so many good ones!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Liz. Some may not agree with you about the song. 🤣
      I will sort something out next year, I hope. My husband’s philosophy is that if I want it, I organise it!
      A friend told me that the nuclear family is a relatively modern concept. Most of the world has always lived in multi-generation households.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m so sorry you’ve not been well lately, Tracy. I always worry when my blog buddies suddenly stay away for a good while. Housing here in the Florida is nuts. Not only are prices sky high, but instead of underbidding in the hopes of snagging a decent home, people are offering over and above the asking price–and we have out-of-state buying, sight unseen! That’s insane. I hope things work out.

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    1. People over-bid here too Lois.
      It does get much colder in parts of the US than it does here so I imagine that Florida’s sunshine is in high demand.

      Hopefully I will sort out an extra toilet plan this year. I won’t bore my readers with my toilet hopes and dreams again. 😄

      Liked by 1 person

  9. The housing situation is barely better here. Three of our adult children currently live with us, and rents are astronomical. We get persued to sell our house, but where would we go? The real estate people are aggressive, and last week I warned one off the property.
    We keep being told that this is not a bubble, but I remember being told that the last time this happened in the ’90s. One advantage to getting old is that you see the same rackets come around repeatedly with slight variations on the verbiage. but they are still rackets.

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    1. That is so creepy to have real estate agents casing your place, Lou. I hope your young adults help out with the general household chores. Mine get a bit slack but so do I.

      This housing shortage appears to be another sign of rampant consumerism and quite possibly inter-generational selfishness under the guise of capitalism.

      Like

  10. Fannie will NEVER forgive you for deleting that photo. My house has gone up in “value” 50%. Thank god I bought it 7 years ago. I’m toying with the idea of cashing out the equity and paying off a loan with it. The MAIN reason I haven’t pursued that is laziness. People selling you a mortgage are totally hyper all the time. It’s annoying.

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    1. Wow, that’s a lot, Martha. There must be a lot of filthy rich people making a motza out of property or there is a lot of international money being laundered through the property market. Apparently it is pretty easy to do in Australia if you are that way inclined.
      The thought of cashing out your home equity makes me very nervous.
      Our government thinks old people should reverse mortgage to self-fund care in a nursing home. Since my home is the only worthwhile thing I have to give to my children, my plan (if I am cognisant) is to help mother nature take its course. That might sound callous but going into a nursing home is not something you want to do in Australia. Sorry to end on that gruesome note.

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      1. Covid made people from all over the US think that living in the country would be awesome because they can work from home. That has driven property values up. If I were to cash out the equity I’d pay credit cards with the money, but I don’t think it would ultimately help me to do that. I can’t wrap my head around the math and if I call the mortgage company, they’ll try to sell it to me not help me. SO… I have debts still from my move and from the Evil X (one of the things that made him Evil).

        I also plan to help Mother Nature take her course. I’m alone. In the midst of being very alive at the moment I’m always aware of the NEXT BIG THING. I think nursing homes are great particularly for families who couldn’t care for their loved one (like my dad), and maybe I’ll go to one (no idea). BUT I bought this house recognizing the features I will be grateful for later — like a ramp from the driveway to the back door. I know that my imperative right now is to keep moving and keep sharp (if I’m sharp and not deluding myself). Personally, I believe that we should be able to choose our “moment” but…

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  11. You don’t understand how important a toilet is until you have to use one and the only one is busy. I hope you don’t have reading material in your one toilet! I’ve been lucky to have at least two toilets in the homes I’ve owned. Regarding the need to put another small house on your property, Sacramento just approved building small living quarters in your backyard (AKA a mother-in-law house). I wonder if they would be used as rentals or for aging parents. What a world we live in.

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