After a very long time, I got access to my very old Facebook account that went back like 13 years to be able to download a copy of all my data. I had to prove to Facebook that it was actually me trying to gain access to the account as the email was no longer valid and also the password I had no damn clue what it was. It was none of my usual ones.
I have slowly started going through the data, the posts, the comments, my friends (at the time), the photos, the memories and so much more. As you all know I reached a milestone on the 9th September 2020, which was not being homeless for 2 1/2 years. Which just randomly scrolling through some of the photos in one of the data albums I came across a photo that I sent to my mum many years ago. She wanted to see where on the street I was sleeping. I was embarrassed and ashamed, but she wanted to see. So I took a photo with my phone and sent it. This is the photo below.
So, what we have here are my 2 backpacks which had everything I owned at the time. The black and yellow bag had my pride and joy in it, which was my laptop and some other odds and ends. The other bag had a change of clothes, a towel and medication. Being homeless you can’t carry too much around with you every day, it is just too much.
I remember this image well. It is the middle of winter and I have 2 blankets on a bit of concrete on the grounds of a church that I was allowed to sleep at (as I knew and still know the Ministers of this church – they would provide me with the blankets and something to eat, very very nice people indeed). These two blankets took away some coldness from the bare concrete (which I would sleep on in Summer due to the heat). And my Australian flag sleeping bag which fully opened up to cover me on those cold nights. And I tell you some, well most of those nights were bloody cold as ice. The sleeping bag wasn’t designed for cold weather, but I got through, I had no choice.
On the very far right of the picture you see part of a drain covering, the is the draining for the rain as this wasn’t a fully covered area. Actually, where this is set up right now there was no cover from the rain. I had to go onto a step with everything with was smaller then I was and curl into a ball and to cover my bags just to keep everything dry.
One image, so many memories, such bad times for the most part. All I know right now is after 2 1/2 years of being in a small dog boxed unit until my forever 1 bedroom unit comes up there is no way I can handle going back to that old lifestyle. The coldness gets to me indoors now and my health has got worse since coming into housing. Which is not a bad thing we found out some other serious health problems we never would have known if I continued on the streets as I hardly ever went to the doctors.
So, to the people who I used to talk to back in these days, this is one of the few spots that I used to talk to you from. Just outside of view from this image is a set of 4 powerpoints I was allowed to use which kept my laptop and phone charged. And I know none of you even knew of this until the newspaper article about all my belongings being stolen. I have attached that image below.
Anyway, that is enough for now. More from me coming soon and I will continue to share important things that I find whilst going through my old Facebook, which for the most part was during over a decade on the streets.
