Miss Mandie

One thing about my life – it’s never dull. This morning the lawnmower man discovered a tombstone in my backyard.

Backyard Tombstone

No kidding. It was hidden behind a tree, in a patch of grass that is not normally mown. I haven’t yet managed to speak to the owner of the house to find out the full story. In the meantime, I did what any person in the 21st century would do when they want to know something – I googled it. And discovered this:

Hoping to Live, Preparing to Die

Alia Kazan

High up here in my oak tree. Strong. Solid. So unlike me at this time… so small and frail… here in my sacred place I am nestled in giant branches. Held… like I am never held by anyone. High above them all, I am safe, without a care in the world… except perhaps I wish mom and I saw eye-to-eye more often. But here I am with my reverie. Free to dream and plan the life that lies ahead… the children I’ll have, and how happy I’ll be, and of course how healthy.

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then flipping through the above album will be equivalent of reading a 57,000 narrative on the recent road trip I just completed with two friends. It was an epic journey of 10,500 kms (6500 miles), from Mullumbimby, NSW to Uluru, NT, up to far North Queensland to see the Daintree Rainforest and back again,  conquered in the short time frame of just a month. We set up and packed up our campsite nearly every night, stopping only occasionally for longer than a night to catch our breath and luxuriate in the bliss of not having to roll that bloody camping mattress up AGAIN (self-inflating foam = extremely comfortable but is also a big pain in the arse to fit back in the miniature bag that it comes with).

We didn’t really plan for our trip. It was a spontaneous decision to take Charish (USA) around the country before she headed home, accompanying us was Scotti (NZ) to help with the driving and do the “boy things” that are required on any outback road trip (such as hammering tent pegs into hard clay – thanks Scotti!). My friend Steph had done the journey a few months before us, and handed us all we needed (camping/rest area “bible” that listed all free campsites in Oz, tent, camping stove, cookware). What else did we need other than a fierce determination not to let the desert get the better of us!

Enjoy the pics – the best way to encapsulate the unique journey just experienced