What's Next?

Happy New Year folks. I guess it's time to look back on the year that's been, learn from it, then look forward to the future. Well that's the way I run anyway....

So my goal for 2017 was to not over plan, because 2016 was full of so many trips I was just a bit exhausted by the end of it. To recap: 3 weeks skiing in Japan, 2 weeks back home, 3 months in Indonesia, 2 weeks back home, 3 months skiing in NZ, 2 days back home, 2 months walking the Bibbulmun Track. So the aim was to plan less and go with the flow.

I also decided to get the downstairs renovation done, allowing me to downsize and rent out the main house. That gave me the freedom to not have to fit in with house sitters' schedules and to gain some extra income. I'm lucky to have a friend renting the house, but my garden doesn't get the attention I can demand of a house sitter living there rent free. Plants regrow, I'd just like my fruit trees to survive...

2017 was to be my New Zealand year. It was to start in April when I was to buy a car, do a house sit for a friend in Christchurch, continue with some tramping trips, skiing in Wanaka over the winter, finish off my ski instructor qualifications, a bit more tramping, then back to WA for a windsurfing, camping on the beach summer. Things didn't quite go to plan....

I bought the car. She uses a bit of oil, but otherwise is still going strong. My friends reneged on the house sit. No worries because my home renovation wasn't yet finished. Flight dates changed. The renovation got finished and a friend got a job in Geraldton and needed a house to rent. Serendipity strikes. I flew to NZ late May, picked up the car stored at above friends' house and headed down to Wanaka. The ski season began and my skiing improved hugely. Then I had a fall and detached my retina so my ski season was over. And then there has been the roller coaster journey of more and extra surgeries ever since.

The beauty is that because I made those plans, because I did the renovation, because I had a tenant not a house sitter, I had the flexibility to stay on in New Zealand when this situation arose. Given the ongoing drama of my eye I wanted to stick with the same surgeon through the whole process, but to be honest, if Harry had been an arsehole I would have swapped ships and returned to Australia to see a new surgeon there. Especially as our local ophthalmologist in Geraldton is also a retinal specialist. But Harry is not an arsehole, and has been very supportive of getting me back doing all the activities I used to do.

Because of the extra retinal tear/macula hole that occurred, and the third surgery I had in November, the timeline for getting the cataract repair done ballooned out, meaning no surgery before Christmas. The good news is that when I saw Harry on Dec 22 I had a bunch of eye scans which showed that the macula hole has closed completely, and my eyeball shape is back to normal after the buckle had been removed. Harry also removed a couple of stitches to reduce some of the ongoing inflammation in my eye, for which I continue to require regular steroid drops to control.

The bad news is that elective surgery lists in January are generally closed for a few weeks whilst staff take holidays, so my chance of getting the cataract repair done before February came around was nil. And I'd told Harry I wanted to go skiing in Japan in February, something he wholeheartedly supports me doing, and so he suggested a solution that solves all problems at once.

The problem is that although the surgery was successful, I still have a lot of distortion of vision centrally, that may, or may not, improve over the next few months. So I needed to make a decision about how much visual correction we make to that eye when inserting a new intra ocular lens. Do we fully correct for distance vision, or correct for near vision so I can use that eye for reading?

Prior to my retinal detachment I wore contact lenses in both eyes. The right eye had a contact lens that fully corrected for distance vision - driving etc - and the left eye was under corrected so I could use it for reading. This meant I didn't need to wear reading glasses; you would be surprised how easily the brain works with this combination. But now the left eye has distorted vision, so it may be useless for reading, or may confuse the other eye if fully corrected.

Harry's solution is for me to try different strength contact lenses in the left eye, and decide what works, and then he can go ahead with surgery. So I can try the different combinations in each eye (both fully corrected, one fully corrected the other under corrected for reading), and then Harry and I will be ready for a decision. That means I can go on my ski trip, and my next walking trip in Australia, then return to NZ to get the new lens in. No pressure for Harry, and I get to get on with my life too. Win!!

So my current plans for 2018 are: head to Wanaka second week of January to see an optometrist to sort out some contact lenses. Harry gave me the name of an optometrist in Dunedin to see but I need to go to Wanaka anyway, to pick up my ski gear for Japan. Plus, Tui already knows most of my story already, as Harry works out of her office when he visits Wanaka for his clinics.

After seeing Tui I'm thinking of heading to the West Coast for a couple of weeks to do some tramping. Then back to see Tui before returning to Dunedin for my flight to Japan via Sydney. I am going to Hokkaido for just over 2 weeks with my ski buddy Kathy, more on that later. Then I'll fly back in to Sydney, visit some friends then head down to Canberra to finalise preparations for walking the next section of The Australian Alps Walking Track, from Thredbo to Kiandra. Matt, Iain and I will be walking that in March.

Late in March I will return to NZ, and hopefully Harry can schedule my surgery for some time in April. I can do some more tramping, before settling in again back in Wanaka for the winter and another ski season. I intend to do the Adaptive volunteering again, and to resit my instructor exams, which I'm hoping this time around will be a breeze as my skiing has improved hugely. I'll be doing more training with Rookie Academy again, as will Kathy who will be joining me again for 3 weeks in August.

I hope to return to Oz in October or November, and spend next summer windsurfing and camping on the beach. I might even make it up to Exmouth and Gnaraloo! Assuming the camper trailer doesn't fall apart!

So, there is light at the end of that long tunnel I've been in for a few months, and 2018 looks like it's going to be another great year.


Cheers!

Having now decided to walk the Bibbulman Track next year I am fully into preparation mode. At some point I intend to join the Foundation, if only to give them a little money for helping maintain such a valuable resource, but also to get a discount on any merchandising. In the meantime, I'm using on line resources, the two old guidebooks I have, and a few books on ultralight backpacking and backpacking food preparation.


The key to ultralight is to reduce the weight of your "big three" items - cooking, sleeping, shelter - without compromising safety or comfort. This requires a combination of trimming down what you bring to the bare necessities, bringing items that have multiple uses, and purchasing or finding lighter weight materials. A journey through the ultralight forums on the internet reveals many DIY solutions that don't actually cost a lot of money. For instance the penny stove I made last year!


That's not to say I haven't spent any money, because I have. For instance I bought a tent last year, and after realising on my Java trip that a hammock has limited applications at altitude I knew I was better off with a ground based shelter. But that means bringing along a sleeping pad.


So bear with me here as we journey through this process. I have a great sleeping bag that I used in Java last year, which is 492g without its stuff sack and has a rating down to 2C. Which is more than enough for the Bibbulman.

Next I have a 3 quarter length (which is almost full length for short little me) Nemo Zor inflatable sleeping pad. Last weekend I inflated it and slept on it just to see whether it could handle an entire night without deflating. Also, to see whether it was comfy enough for a good sleep. It stayed inflated all night, and I used my backpack under my legs and feet to insulate them from the ground, and found I slept quite well. It's not as comfy as a thicker mattress or pad, but with my seriously low comfort needs, it's quite sufficient. I normally sleep on a hard futon, so mattress softness isn't high on my comfort needs, but warmth is. The Zor weighs 292g and 15g less if I ditch its stuff bag.


Ditching the stuff bag achieves a bunch of gains, not least of which is 15g less weight. Every gram saved means those luxury items I wish to bring won't hurt so much, but the real gain here is in speed, reduced frustration and multiuse. By not packing that pad up into a stuff sack I won't be cussing away at how freaking difficult it is to get all the air out so it can fit into its teeny tiny bag, that then feels and looks like a small brick and needs to be packed somewhere. That will be an everyday occasion if I persist with the tiny stuff sack option. Instead, I'll be folding it up neatly and tucking it in as extra back padding in my backpack, and also to protect my laptop whilst trekking. A much tidier and hassle free solution...


Which gets me to shelter. Remember I said I got a tent. It's a four season light weight tent that's perfect for cold rainy windy weather, like Scotland (where I used my last Vango tent) or South Island New Zealand. Well that weighs 1.4kg, although I can probably shave that down a bit by substituting the pegs for lighter titanium ones which is not only an expensive option but probably won't save a lot of weight anyway. Thing is, a tent's not an essential item for the Bibbulman Track, because it has sleeping shelters all the way, and it's unlikely that they'll be full. Most people just walk small sections of the track, usually on weekends, and large groups aren't allowed to use the shelters until after 6pm to ensure that the small group and solo walkers get a chance of a berth, but bringing a tent is encouraged just in case, and each shelter site has spaces for pitching tents. From my reading of the ultralight literature "just in case" isn't something that should be considered, it's either necessary for your safety/comfort etc, or it isn't. And we're not talking extreme weather conditions either...


Bush camping along the Bibbulman track is really discouraged, mainly to try and preserve the pristine nature of most of the bushland through which the track passes, but also because large sections of the track are through water catchment areas. Usually public access to water catchment areas is prohibited in most of Australia, or tightly controlled, so free access through this area isn't to be taken lightly. And with so many shelters and campsites with water and toilets, it's hardly necessary to camp elsewhere. But down on the south coast, I'm planning to walk a little slower and stay in a couple of camping areas that don't have shelters, so yes, I do need to bring my own.

I love swag camping. For those non Australian readers, a swag is a bedroll made up of a foam mattress and bedding rolled up in canvas. You throw it down where you plan to sleep and climb in. You lie in your bed nice and toasty (the canvas provides superb insulating and waterproofing) and watch the stars as you drift off into nigh-nighs. And in our Aussie outback, the stars are amazing! In the morning you wake to the sound of birds singing as the gentle light of dawn approaches, and turn over for a few more hours of zeds!! Nah, I'm an early riser, especially when camping.

I've swag camped in Central Australia, where I've had to break the ice on a frosty morning, yet I've been snug and warm inside. Of course I had my snugglebug Hazel to keep me warm back then, what an awesome hot water bottle a cuddly little dog can be. However, a big heavy canvas swag is hardly for backpacking!!

The ultralighters use tarp shelters, and if combined with a bivy bag, there's extra insulation and warmth, the option to just sleep in the bivy if there's no rain forecast, or erect the tarp if there is. The tarp can be a pillow if not being used, or set up as a sun shelter should I want an afternoon snooze. And a tarp and bivy combination comes in at 750g! Plus pegs. Trekking poles can be used to erect the tarp, another example of multiuse!

I've gone and coughed up for some titanium pegs, which are 6-9g each. Once all the gear arrives I'm going camping for a night, so I can try everything out and see how comfy I actually am. Of course I promise to take lots of photos.

Can't wait...

My next 2 big adventures are skiing related. First Japan in February for 3 weeks skiing and one week sightseeing in Kyoto. I'm pretty well researched out on that trip, just need to get the body into shape. Hmmmm...

Then July I'm off to NZ again, for 3 months in Wanaka, skiing at Treble Cone and maybe a little ski touring, then return to Australia to do some long distance trekking on the Bibbulman Track from Perth to Albany.

That's what I'm actively researching right now. 11 months away but you just can't start planning too soon. Walking in the wilderness for 2 months does require a little preparation, something I've actually been doing for some time. In fact I bought the guidebooks a good two years ago.

As those who've been following my blog know, I've been trying to reduce the weight in my backpack for some time, to allow me to travel easily without the discomfort of heavy bulky gear. Wishing to bring a laptop, a quality camera and other peripheral electronics, means making some really hard decisions about what to bring and what to leave behind. Then decide to go walking in the wilderness with the need to be self sufficient and things start getting really interesting.

So I have been slowly and carefully researching and purchasing choice items for my dream system. Since I have a well paid job, price isn't necessarily a sticking point. Lucky for me. Though not everything has to be expensive. I still haven't found a better raincoat solution than a cheap 6ドル plastic poncho that only weighs 49g!

Yeah, I'm pretty nerdy when it comes to that sort of planning. Even before I read books on ultralight backpacking I'd begun using the kitchen scales to measure the weight of all my gear. Those books, however, have encouraged me to start hacking away at the extra cords and doodaddles on my backpack, remove extra weight by ditching superfluous items, and getting even more minimalist on the clothing I bring. Having done a fair bit of travel out of a backpack now, I've a pretty good idea of what I really need, vs extras just in case.

However, wilderness walking is quite a different scenario, because carrying enough food between towns is a limiting factor. Carrying less superfluous stuff means more consumables can be taken for the same weight. And your backpack gets lighter as you consume them!

I'm pretty keen to make my own dehydrated meals for the trip, and have been researching recipes and instructions for dehydrating vegetables, fruit and meat. There's absolutely no need to purchase prepackaged meals at 18ドル - 20ドル a pop when some time spent cooking and preparing can see you sending off some packages of home prepared meals to your food drops along the way. Australia Post offers parcel post for 17ドル up to 5kg, which I can send to myself at post offices along the way.

The longest stretch is 13 days between towns, if I take it slowly and stay at each hut. But if I travel lighter I can walk further and carry less food as a result. 10 days seems a good compromise, and there is a roadhouse enroute if I'm desperate.

For the record, the definition of ultralight backpacking is base weight of less than 10lb. This is 4.5kg in my lexicon. That includes your backpack and everything you carry on your back, excluding consumables (food, water, fuel), and doesn't include the clothes you wear. And since you carry it continuously, unlike sightseeing backpacking where your backpack stays in your hotel most of the time, there is no point taking anything unnecessary on an extended walk through the woods.

Over the next few months I'll be discussing what's going into this backpack, why, how and what it weighs. I know I won't make it under the 4.5kg mark with a laptop and a solar panel array (now there's a teaser for you!) but I'm going to give it a damn fine try!

I'll also be test driving some of my gear, especially those purchases I've yet to take out into the field.

I hope you'll enjoy following the journey with me...

After working out a rough itinerary of where I'm planning to go in Java, I got together all the gear I wanted to take. You see I plan to go trekking, climb a few volcanos, and do some camping, so I won't just be staying in guesthouses the whole time.

My last trip to Java there were a few times when I was limited by my lack of outdoor equipment, this time I want to be more prepared. But it all has to meet the 7kg challenge.

So: what's on the list?


Sleeping bag, hammock, sleep sheet, cook set and stove, sleeping mat, mosquito net.

DSLR camera with 2 lenses, batteries, cards, card reader, battery charger, filters, tripod, camera bag

Clothes, towel, toiletries, warm jacket/vest

Computer, 2 hard drives, charger, spare battery, cords

Phone, Kindle, GoPro, cords

Backpack and wet weather gear

First things first: Backpack. A heavy bag will chew up anything from 2-5 kg, especially those with wheels. Heavy duty backpacks can also weigh upwards of 2kg empty. I want to be mobile, and I don't want my bag to be weighing me down.

I have an Osprey Talon 33L backpack that I bought for my last trip to Java in 2010. It weighs a mere 820g, is exceedingly comfortable to wear and it performed really well over 3 weeks of walking and bouncing around on public transport. I had concerns back then that it wouldn't be tough enough, but it's not showing much in the way of wear, so it's my go to bag for this trip. I may end up purchasing a slightly larger volume bag for subsequent trips, but for 2 months, this one will do the job just fine.


Wet weather gear for me is a poncho. A cheap plastic poncho and a waterproof bag protector has worked well for me through lots of tropical deluges. I won't say I always remained dry, but I survived. Being wet isn't the end of the world, as long as there are dry clothes and warmth at the end of the day. I'm also an umbrella fan, but it's not always practical when you need both your hands to scramble around tree roots and such on some of the jungle climbs I've done. Poncho 49g, Raincover 79g.

Camping stuff has been a tough one, because I'm trying to work out what the absolute minimum I need if I wish to camp halfway up a mountain somewhere. Although it's easy to carry a couple of days of pre cooked meal packages - we did that in Sumatra - it's awesome to have a hot cup of tea or noodles when you've been up before dawn to see a sunrise at 2800mASL. So the cooker stays in. Weight 383kg with the penny stove. I will probably purchase a small gas canister and stove element at a camping store in Java.


Some of the treks I'll do will require guides, and so it's possible to hire camping gear. But I've found that some Indonesian guides can attempt to be amorous when you're a single girl travelling solo, so it helps to keep your options open. I love my Hennessy Hammock, and as long as there's trees or a few posts or big rocks, it's possible to have my own personal space. It's also lighter than most tents, gets me off the ground and the creepy crawlies, and is water and insect proof. I really wished I'd had it on my last trip for some clandestine bush camping. Weight 947g with snakeskin cover.


Keeping warm when trekking at altitude in the tropics is really important. With a sleeping mat and space blanket under me, and a sleeping bag and silk sleep sheet, I'm prepared for most temperature variations. I'm still unsure about bringing the sleeping mat as it's one item I may not need to use at all, given I'll need to hire a tent for those treks without trees and can hire a mat as well. I can probably survive a night here and there without padding - we did it sleeping on those bamboo platforms climbing Fansipan - and I think the space blanket will keep me warm in the hammock, so it's likely that I can take that out of the kit. That's 292g saved.

I've also decided to ditch the mosquito net now I'm not going east to Nusa Tenggara. Malaria isn't really an issue on Java.

Sleeping bag. My 25 year old Macpac down bag, weighing 1.2kg, has been forsaken for a new kid on the block. A Sea to Summit Micro II 850 loft down sleeping bag. This is a spring/summer bag, and a much better option as it has features that my Macpac bag doesn't. Like being able to put your feet out to cool down, and zipping out into a duvet. If I was to combine this bag with the Macpac in future trips, I'd have 4 season capability. It only weighs 550g and compresses into a teeny tiny package.


Sleep sheet 127g Space blanket 48g. So far we have 3kg on my back.

Next time we talk electronics.

Welcome to 2014, it's gonna be a big year.

In the bigger world I see more strife, more wars, environmental degradation, animal extinctions, wealth disparity etc as the political rhetoric gets more ultra-conservative, nationalistic and jingoistic. Whilst the general public dumbs down watching endless trivia on Netflix the Corporations do what they please. But some people care, although not enough yet to be able to sway the political climate away from its path of destruction.

I'm an optimistic person, so instead of becoming mired in the negativity of big picture politics I just do my thing. I reduce consumption, reuse and recycle, avoid chemicals and try to be as environmentally responsible as a girl with a big brute of a 4WD can be!! I give to charity, get involved in local community issues, and occasionally sign petitions. I try to lead by example, figuring dumb ass rednecks aren't uncaring, just ignorant. Words don't sway them, but action does.

In 12 months I retire. I have a whole lot of plans for my retirement, including travel and becoming more involved in my photography and writing, but until then, I've got to get through 2014. Yep, it's gonna be a big year.

Top of the list is to re-roof my house. It's an asbestos roof and not only is it leaking in a couple of places, there is no roof space to install insulation and I can't add solar panels or resite my aerial as no-one will drill holes in it. Removal of asbestos will only get more expensive so it's time to bite the bullet on this and get myself a tin roof, an insulated roof cavity, and some decent lighting. Hopefully, this is happening in February.

Also on the list is finishing the back garden landscaping. That's rendering the second retaining wall and steps, installing a pond and waterfall, and building a pizza oven. Well, maybe just the concrete base for the pizza oven, we'll see how time and finances stretch.

I need to mouse proof the house. All the old doors have huge gaps, meaning the pesky little smelly things can come and go as they please. Replacing them with new sealed doors and frames will make it just that little bit harder for them to use my place as a free hotel.

Then there's a long list of little jobs, like painting, shelving, replacing the broken dishwasher, creating a secure storage space in the garage for when I go travelling, sorting out the reticulation in the garden....

I sure have my work cut out for me. But I'm looking forward to the challenge and hope that this time next year it's all done and I'm ready to take off.


What are your plans for 2014?

My next trip to Indonesia, in April next year, will be to Java. Now that I've made my decision it's full steam ahead. And since I've travelled in Java before I sort of know what to expect.

The next step in my personal travel preparation is destination research. I'd done some pretty extensive research on Java back in 2010, but I need to do a little updating. My scummy old LP Indonesia (2007 edition) has already been downsized by separating the Java section from the main book and there's even handy little post-its from last trip indicating points of interest. There's little point purchasing a new guidebook, if anything the more recent LPs have less destinations in them, and I've never had trouble finding somewhere to stay or eat. Of course I already own a map of Java.

I love maps. I haven't really got into Google Earth/Maps for trip preparation as yet, but I love poring over large format paper maps contemplating heading off up some small minor road and seeing where it ends. Or sketching out a route to take...

In 2010 I skipped the entire West Java, so after about 15 minutes of contemplation I decided to book a flight to Jakarta and start there. Those 15 minutes were taken up with deciding between 2 scenarios:

1. grab a flight from Bali to Jakarta on arrival from Perth. Arrive in Jakarta at lunchtime, take a cab to the western bus station and head west outta there. Note the airport is to the west of Jakarta so I'm in the right general direction to start with. Start Java holiday in West Java and slowly head east. Jump on a through bus or flight to Denpasar when my time is up.
2. head east overland from Bali. Risk spending too much time in East and Central Java and not give myself enough time for the west. The thought of making my way in to Jakarta from I don't know what direction, to get to the airport, seems worse than getting out.

I'm now really excited, because I love planning my own itinerary. This isn't a day by day trip plan with accommodation and transport pre booked, but more a schedule of potential destinations to visit within a 58 day time frame. It's a what's out there, what's possible kind of plan. It's flexible and open to change. Except the end date - I still have to get back to work when my time is up. :(

It may still be over 5 months till I leave but I'm starting early for a number of reasons. I really like to research extensively. This means poring over maps, doing multiple google searches and then using Google translate for the Indonesian language sites. Indonesians are keen travellers, and frequently blog about their experiences. Finding these sites and information opens up so many more possibilities than what's available from Western language guidebooks. Of course this sort of research takes time.

I'm keen to use this trip as a trial run for my extended overseas travel once I retire in 2015, so I want to pack and travel with gear I intend to take with me permanently. Doing the research, selecting the equipment, and then giving it a test run is an awesome opportunity. I mean how often do you hear "I wish I'd had ....." or more often "I wish I hadn't brought ....." from travellers on their return? Certainly my lurking on travel blogs reveals gear talk to be a common point for discussion.

I have some issues with gear because not only do I want to travel light, I want to camp, trek and climb mountains. I was limited last Java trip by not having gear for sleeping outdoors, yet I had a number of opportunities to do so. I didn't fancy dying from exposure however. Don't be fooled into thinking tropical places don't get cold. Once you climb into the mountains the temperature plummets. Kerinci in Sumatra is 3800m ASL, it was freezing up there, as was Bromo, and the day I wanted to climb Lawu it was raining and cold.

Once I've got my gear together I'll write about it. That will be in a few months though. The challenge is to carry lightweight camping gear plus electronics/camera gear and keep it to 7kg max.

The reason for this imposition is I have a 7kg carryon luggage limit and I'm not checking in luggage on my flight out of Perth.

I'm loving the challenge!!

Having made the commitment to definitely retire at the end of next year I've been trying to make some decisions about where to start.

First I need to get some important home maintenance done on the beach house. I've decided I won't rush into selling it immediately, but if it turns out I need to, then it'll be in a better condition to sell for a good price. This means re-roofing the house to get rid of the asbestos roof and fix the water leaks, and add some much needed roof insulation. It also means being able to install solar panels if I end up keeping the house.

This also means getting the backyard finished. My tyre retaining wall project is half finished and I'm absolutely sure no prospective buyer would want to be confronted with this!


However a beautifully terraced back yard with water feature, fruit trees and a chook run would be a great attraction. I don't think I'll finish the pizza oven though, just lay the concrete block base.

I plan to put my Cairns property on the market after the wet season finishes next year. There is likely to be a big construction boom in Cairns in the near future so it's hopefully going to boost what is currently a stagnant property market into a buoyant one. This should knock 200ドルK off my debt.

I am not going to renovate the downstairs ex garage into a granny flat just yet. But I will build a secure storage space in there so I can store what I need to, and then be able to rent out the rest of the house. The dimensions of the secure storage space will perhaps morph into a bathroom/laundry space should the granny flat renovation follow.

I plan to sell almost all of my possessions. I will keep things that I'm personally attached to, plus some kitchen stuff and appliances, but anything that won't fit into the storage space will go. Big garage sale coming up!!

For the next year I shall be going through all my paperwork and scanning as many documents as I can. And throwing everything else out. Yes, I will make backup copies and store them elsewhere. I love that hard drives are now so cheap.

I'll keep my car and camper trailer initially. I can live in them for quite a long time, especially since I set up the solar power system in the camper, and travelling around Australia extremely slowly is definitely on my to do list. In fact, probably one of the first things I'll do in Jan 2015 is head off windsurfing and camping to Coronation Beach and then north to Gnaraloo.

As an aside, I have given up watching television. I decided not to start watching it again when I got back from NZ and I'm not missing it. I'm also finding lots more time to read and do other stuff, now I'm not wasting it lounging on the sofa. Which means I might as well get rid of the sofa too!!

So follow along as I begin to declutter and disentangle from my work life, and plan for my next great adventure.

The last few weeks since my return home have been difficult. Something really fundamental has shifted somewhere in my psyche and I am no longer content.

In fact I'm impatient.

Impatient to get on with my life and get out of the rut I find myself in. A rut that will take more than a little effort to climb out of.

Like many professional people my age I was able to enter the real estate market at a time when housing was affordable, and I now have assets worth up to 4 times what I paid for them. I also have no children to look out for me should I become infirm, so these assets are my way of ensuring I can grow old without financial worries.

I am a Taurus. I am not going to sell everything up for a "live life now" philosophy, my nature just won't allow it. There has to be a safety net, a backup plan should things go awry. I know what it's like to swing from monetary crisis to monetary crisis (it's happened in my own past as well as figuring highly as a causal factor in the poor health of many of my patients) and it is very unpleasant. I am not a free spirit.

Due to my investments over the years I have a lot of debt, and although I am receiving good income, I am not yet receiving enough to both reduce debt and provide a passive income. So the need to continue a paid job to reduce my debt remains.

I get paid quite well. I work for an NGO, I'm on a salary, I only work part time, but the pay is excellent. I could work more, but there lies the problem: I can't.

I seriously can not make myself work more shifts. I don't think I hate my job or workplace or anything, I'm just totally over the drudgery of going to work every day, listening to people's problems and helping them solve them. If I was to describe how I feel, it's boredom. It doesn't excite me, it doesn't challenge me, it bores me!!

Friends have suggested I might be happier in a different setting, working in private practice or something. No dears, seeing patients is the boring bit, and I can tell you that the medical scenarios I see working in Aboriginal health are a darn sight more interesting and challenging than "tears and smears" in mainstream general practice. Nup, I'm so over it.

I feel that I have given a large part of my life to a really good cause (caring for the first peoples of Australia) and am ready for something new. I certainly don't believe that I still owe anyone (especially not the government that provided me with a free education), that I have to keep being a doctor because that's what I'm trained to do. I think I've done my time, and I want to now expand my horizons.

I'm continuously befuddled by people who don't understand. Apparently doctors are seen as vocationally pure, that is, we want to be doctors till the day we die. Do we apply the same logic to teachers, nurses, carpenters, craftspeople, etc, many of whom have alternate careers?

I have to say, I still enjoy teaching, and am interested in policy, though appalled at the politics, of health care. One of the reasons I work part time is it gives me time to do teaching, although when I have attempted to expand this role I have not always been successful. Perhaps because I have been reluctant to reduce my clinical load knowing how much my knowledge and experience is appreciated. It's a fine line to walk indeed...

So here I am, coping with the drudgery of a paid job, but happily saving the pennies it brings in and watching the debt recede. I'm also trying to pass on the teaching culture and knowledge to some of my colleagues, so that they can carry on when I leave.

I'm staying until the end of 2014, mainly because of teaching commitments I've made. After that, I plan to be free.

I can't keep taking long holidays every year to stay sane. I have to get out of the mad house. These last few weeks have shown me this, that even long breaks are no longer working.

Please don't feel sorry for me. I'm perfectly capable of extricating myself from this predicament. And I'm putting it out there so that I don't waver in my commitment to get out of the rut.

By the end of 2014 I should have

1. reduced my debt enough to be able to finance my travels from passive income.
2. renegotiated the terms of any loans I still have so I am not forced to pay off principal as well as interest (it's a lot easier to renegotiate an interest only loan when you have a substantial pay check coming in).
3. trained up my colleagues to take over the supervision of training for medical students and GP registrars.
4. sold some property to consolidate my income into the better performing properties and reduced my overall debt
5. decided whether I will renovate and keep my beach house, or sell up and leave

Yes, number 5 is the big one! Do I keep my little piece of paradise in Drummond Cove, or do I cut myself loose? Selling would reduce my debt to zero, and would remove the angst of caring about whether someone was looking after a place I still had a close personal attachment to. I still don't know where I stand on this, but it's now a possibility in the equation, whereas six months ago I had not even contemplated the notion of giving it up. I guess it will depend on how my savings progress over the next few months as it may not become necessary. Then again, it may be what I need to truly cut myself free.

That gives me 15 months to get my shit together. Wish me luck!