TAT

In ten years of squatting I have seen many unofficial rules and practices develop. If the ballifs are coming in the morning to close a place I am upset if there isn't a group of mad squatters and a couple of vans on a "tatting mission" seeing what they can make use of which people have left behind.

Last night there were people removing powershowers and toilets and picking up books others had left. Some were going through clothes and carefuly wrapping up vases in old shirts which had either been forgotten or discarded as junk. We also had the time honoured arguements over which bikes had been left for which ballifs how many squats ago? (the peculiar rule here seems to be that if you fix a bike, however long it has been left in pieces, someone will always claim it as theirs.)

In the normal world moving looks a little more dignified. I prefer this. It shows humans as the trasitory beings we really are and in truth I will miss it, though it has driven me beyond insane. For now I have had enough.

I went back this morning with the dog to see if I could get the lock off the front door. The ballifs were long gone and there were 3 cheerful guys inside bricking the place up. The dog didn't even bark at them, he seemed to realise it wasn't our home anymore.