november 2006

Back again. Tired but intrigued.

My hands suffered the worst. They are covered in cuts and blisters and ached for days after I got back. I lost a couple of centimeters around the waist and put on a couple of kilos. Most of it in my fingers I think. However I did get a fairly good insight into life in general. I spent a week with Pete working around one of the properties to tie off some loose ends; we strained fences, fixed troughs, put in gates and built a shed. I also got to drive a tractor. Not one of those dinky little ones ('garden tractors' I heard someone call them), but some big hulking piece of machinery with enough grunt to push over a house (I would imagine, I never got to try it out).

So, as for the future, I think I will be heading back that way to work there for a bit. 3-4 months to start, then we shall see.

In the meantime, I need to think about getting myself a car. My first thought was a 4x4 diesel dual cab ute. But unless I want to go right down into the dodgy end of the market, they are a little out of my price range at this point. Which brings me to my next idea; a Lada Niva. I always wanted to get another one of these. In many ways they are pretty close to a idea farm bus; 4x4, rugged and cheap.

So basically, that's the plan for the moment. Get a car, sort out some other odds and ends and go back to the farm for a few months. As usual, the after that remains kind of vague. I have been thinking about working my way north for a bit. Ideally I like to spend some time working on different farms, and with horses. I still think that traveling around South America and working on the big cattle and sheep stations there would be fascinating.

Perhaps after that I will buy a boat and sail home via, say, Europe, Asia and America.

thotd

september 2006

the plan

I didn't really enjoy my first winter in 18 months. I used to love winter, and struggle in summer. Now it seems its the other way around. I really struggled to get started during the cold mornings. Fortunately the weather is getting warmer again. Perhaps that explains this sudden burst of activity.

After the wedding I am heading up to Sydney. I have some friends there I haven't seen since getting back. I thought about taking the train rather than flying, but 10 and a half hours seems like an awfully time to cover 800 km. I like slow. Slow gives you time to relax, read a book, have a snooze. But that's painfully slow. So it looks like I'm flying.

And after that, if all goes according to plan, its off to the country. Friends of my sister have a dairy farm, and I have volunteered to help out. Milking cow at 5 am in the morning in return for learning how to drive a tractor and do ... well, other farm-type things. Not really sure what they are yet, as you have probably gathered.

And that, for the moment, is pretty much the extent of my plans. So this is pretty much it for this update.

thotd

nothing comes to mind

It has been almost a year since I got back from overseas. I can't remember exactly when I returned; it was late August or early September. I have never been any good at remembering dates. But I remember that summer was drawing to a close as I packed up and prepared to leave.

Life has been idyllic in many ways since then. I don't work. I get up when I want. I have as much time at the computer as I like. When I am ready I do a little plastering or painting or building, whatever is in the works at the time. Or I don't. On occasion I have spent the whole day at the computer. A couple of times I have pretty much spent the whole day in bed with a book. While I was working, I often found myself staggering home each day completely drained both physically and mentally. Compared to that my life now is pretty ideal. But ideal has become a little too much like idle and I find myself getting restless.

My friend is getting married in September. We went to school together. Five of us have remained close friends from those days. One got married before I went overseas. Two others got married while I was overseas. I came back each time. Seeing as this time I am in the country, I figure I will stick around until then.

And then? Well, that remains the question.

* woof *

I've been promising people that I would, seeing as I am hopeless at staying in touch, try and get a blog up.

This is it.

Now all I have to do is tell people where to find it.

thotd

ps: Oh yeah, and put something in it worth reading.