Wide awake at 5am.I can hear Vanessa’s slow, gentle breathing in the room next door, still fast asleep. Nothing to do but lie and think, watching the window for any sign of dawn approaching.I go through the usual rigmarole of manoeuvring myself onto my side to pee into the plastic bottle by the bed, then
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The trip home in the ambulance was uneventful, at least from my side. Vanessa had asked me what time we’d arrive, and whether I had any paperwork with me. “No papers,” I’d replied. I’d simply been wheeled out of the hospital and into the waiting ambulance, after being told we’d need to pay upfront and
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The first few hours at the hospital are a drugged blur. Many doctors, many questions, people coming and going. Forms to fill in — my name, date of birth, where I was born, where I live. Discussions happened above me, about me, but not including me. I tried to focus and listen, but it was
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I think I managed to get out of the ULM on my own, but I have no memory of how. I just remember tumbling to the ground. My lower right leg was clearly broken — my foot dangled at an awful angle, half my leg still inside the doorway of the aircraft, which was now
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A bit of backgroundIt’s now almost 20 years since my life veered wildly off the rails in November 2005, when one of life’s sudden, shocking surprises changed everything I thought I knew about the future. The end of my marriage shortly afterwards ultimately led to my big “Life For Sale” on eBay adventure, which rocketed
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The automatic water system is installed and working for the veggie patch, and the solar system is now powering everything, including charging my e-bike. Here’s a video overview of how everything works, and progress to date…
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With the little cabin clad, cleaned and tidied, we decided it was time to spend our first night at our new property…
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As well as getting the veggie garden going, and sorting out how to water the crop, we’ve been working on other projects too…
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Our first priority at our new property was to get the overgrown land into some sort of order, and to make some of it productive as soon as possible. The final signing off on the purchase took place at the end of April, so it was early May before we really got around to doing much…
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Okay, so you’re probably wondering (like I did for a while) why we decided to buy a plot of land, and what we plan to do with it…
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I know, I know… in everything I have written about living a freedom lifestyle I talk about not owning property as being one of the three key components of that lifestyle, but…
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It’s a fast-changing world we live in, so it’s vital to remain flexible, aware of changes happening around you, and prepared to make a change in plans should an opportunity present itself, or circumstances beyond your control force your hand…
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Although technically the house were looking after in the Burgundy region of France is a long term house sit, we don’t have any pets to care for. Our home owner is quite happy for us to be away for extended periods, which means we’re free to take on other, shorter house sits…
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French Lockdown, which began in November (2020), involved all sorts of red tape. The rules were strict. To leave home you had to have an “attestation”…
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The weather was grim on the UK south coast when we woke on Friday 2nd October 2020. We had to get an early start, as we were booked on the first ferry crossing of the day to Dieppe in France, just across the Channel.There were only half a dozen cars and a few more campervans,
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As the end of lockdown approached it was becoming clear that house sitting and our personal version of the travel lifestyle was going to be very different for a while.We were going to have to adjust our expectations, and come up with a modified version of our freedom lifestyle for a while.We’d decided a campervan
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At the end of 2019 we enjoyed a great Christmas and New Year with family, and were looking forward to getting back to international travel, with house sits booked ahead through until August 2020.We had a couple of final wintery months in the UK to take us through to Easter, and enjoyed a chilly visit
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In the past I have used my blog writing as a form of personal diary, happy to have others who are interested follow along for the ride.I’ve always simply wanted to live my own life in my own way, and for the past five years, since I last did any serious blog writing, that’s exactly
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I’m going to make this my last post here on IanUsher.com about the pandemic, loss of freedoms, and the roll-out of vaccinations… for now. I guess it really depends on what happens next, and whether our freedoms are returned, or whether life has changed forever…I plan to get back to blogging on this website about
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On the evening of May 10th 1933 the streets of Berlin and 33 other German university towns and cities were lit by the orange glow of huge fires. The fuel for these bonfires were books by authors declared to be writing on topics considered “un-German”.The Nazi university student association had created a blacklist of books
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Do you believe the COVID-19 narrative? Us: So what’s happening? Them: There’s a virus in China. People are dying. Us: Nothing for us to worry about though? Them: Well, it is spreading from country to country… Us: Like SARS, MERS, Zika, and lots of others did? Them: It’s just been declared a pandemic. Us: Do we need to wear masks, like in
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Between 1982 and 1985 I studied at Liverpool Polytechnic, working towards my B.Ed. teaching degree, with the goal of becoming an Outdoor Pursuits instructor.On a winter trip up to the Scottish mountains in December 1983 I took along George Orwell’s dystopian classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four, aiming to read it before 1984 actually began. I finished reading
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Nineteen Eighty-FourOn 8th June 1949 one of the world’s most influential books on the topic of totalitarian governance was published. George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, praised as a classic literary example of political and dystopian fiction, is still widely read to this day, and has introduced numerous new words and phrases to our language:Big BrotherThought PoliceThoughtcrimeNewspeakMemory holeTwo
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ONE BY ONE OUR FREEDOMS WERE TAKEN AWAYOh the irony!Just over a year ago, having done very little updating on my personal website for quite some time, I decided it was time for a bit of a re-brand.What was my main message?What did I want to write about?What was my passion?Since my 2008 “life for
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SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH BLUE EYESPeople with blue eyes aren’t as smart as people with brown eyes. People with blue eyes are ignorant, lazy and inferior.The pigment in the body responsible for brown eyes and dark hair is called melanin, and there is less of it in people with blue eyes. Blue eyes let in
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MASKING THE TRUTHMany of our favourite heroes have a trusty sidekick.Robin was always there to support Batman.Han Solo had Chewbacca at his side as he went into battle.How would Captain Kirk have boldly gone so far without Mr. Spock’s logic?And how could The Lone Ranger ever have helped so many without his faithful companion Tonto
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Back in timeThe digital speed readout on the dashboard of the car approaches 88 miles per hour as the young driver’s hands grip the steering wheel tightly. The car hurtles along the dark main street of the small town. Meanwhile, high up on the clock tower another figure struggles to connect the all-important electrical cable
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The sands of time run thinInterest rates on mortgages in the UK hit double figures at the end of the 1980s, and for some reason, I decided 1989 was the perfect time to buy my first house. When I look back now I wonder what on earth I was thinking.I’d graduated from Liverpool Polytechnic with
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There’s a storm comingThe man’s face is haggard from fatigue, as he holds the woman’s wrist tight and looks deep into her eyes, forcing her to pay attention, desperate to get his message through to her.“Listen and understand. [It] is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel
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The astounding nature of exponential growthHow good were you at maths?In 1979 I was proud to receive an A grade in O-level mathematics. I went on to use some of what I learned as I continued to study Physics and Biology to A-level.Obviously some parts of the maths we all learned at school are useful
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Vanessa and I spend quite a lot of time writing and talking about our lifestyle. Our hope is to inspire others to consider their own lives, and perhaps to make some changes too. While we’re happy that we really are living the life we want to live, we don’t suggest we have “the answer”. We
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Vanessa and I have been working hard on the first issue of our new digital magazine, “House Sitting Magazine”. It’s ready! You can read the latest issues on the magazine website, here: House Sitting Magazine House Sitting Magazine will help you to enjoy a life full of travel and cultural experiences. Discover how to live
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“You should write a blog about that,” said Vanessa. “Ahh, it would just sound like I am blowing my own trumpet… ‘me-me-me!’” “Just write it to show what someone can achieve in ten years.” So here goes. Sorry if it does sound like trumpet-blowing. It isn’t intended to be like that. I simply hope it
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Here’s my latest article, published on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin.com Entrepreneur blog: Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a project, a business or a relationship, only to see it crumble and fail? Are you familiar with that overwhelming feeling of devastation? The failure is a crushing blow and the future looks dark
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Sunlight dapples the road in front of you, filtered through the amazing canopy of mangrove trees that line the quiet road. The electric bike hums along almost silently beneath you….
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Living in Shenzhen in China can be quite an eye opener. We have been here for almost a year now, and we are still often surprised by new discoveries and cultural differences. Recently though, I have been struck by many similarities between east and west. In a modern city such as Shenzhen, pushing for western
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