The Hoose

The morning was nice and quiet and the kids amused themselves so I got on with some of my sewing projects.

One of the few items I brought with me from Scotland is my sewing kit, and I’ve used it way more than I expected, so no regrets there! One of the cool things about the Hoose is the carpet material on the roof: it’s just like the soft, fuzzy side of velcro, so we can stick almost anything to the ceiling by sewing velcro onto it. This is how our curtains are attached, and we have a ‘moveable wall’ using the same method.

We drive to our spot by the water and Daniel cooks some lunch while I go out to busk. There is a couple of kid buskers playing snare and trumpet by the coffee shop so I go to the spot I was at yesterday and set up. I play two, maybe three songs, when a policeman stops me and asks for my permit. I tell him I wasn’t aware that I needed one and that I’ll move on. I later research it and find out it’s $300 a year- a wee bit out of our price range!

So that’s how our wonderful time here comes to an end. I return to the Hoose, eat lunch while Daniel and I plan our next stop, which he has already researched incase we get moved on, then we hit the road on our next adventure.

We arrive at ‘The Beaches’- where Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach meet.

I jump straight out, eager to make up for lost time, and Daniel takes the kids to the beach. It’s quite quiet where I pitch up but I have a few conversations with the locals and find out more about the local area. I bust a string (I really should have replaced them by now) and send a message to Daniel asking if he will come to fix it for me- he’s a genius! He arrives within 20 minutes and mends it in no time. He was talking to locals too and finds out that it should be a busy night tonight, as the Jaguars won their game which brings lots of people to the area, so we opt to go back and grab some dinner before I do another shift.

When I try to turn on the hob, we find out that the propane has ran out. We are parked right next to a U-Haul with bulk propane… but it has just closed! The nearest Tractor Supply is about twenty minutes away so we drive along. It takes an age to fill and repair the tank, as the pressure holds it together so when we let it empty completely, the seals come loose. Thank God Daniel can fix all these things- he’s really handy and I’m grateful for that.

There is a snowcone vendor in the car park, and they give the kids a free snowcone while they wait- it must be their lucky day!

I chat to the couple and they are really lovely. The lady tells me that they work with kids through the week, and when they get an A on a test or have a birthday, they give them a free snowcone, which is just great. I think it’s people like them that hold communities together. I was grateful to meet them.

After a time we drive back to the beach area. By now it’s 7pm but I still want to go out for an hour, so I make a quick stirfry and walk down to the spot I had earlier. It’s very quiet, so I go around the corner to the Jaguar statue that a local lady recommended I play at. It’s a great spot!

The music from the bars is off now which is why I didn’t try it earlier. I don’t make many tips, but everyone who does put money in thanks me for coming- apparently there are never buskers here and the locals want them! This makes me keen to return to this area, maybe this weekend.

Tomorrow we plan to take the kids to spend their hard-earned pocket money and catch up on some chores.