There’s something about travelling and writing which goes together so well for me, and for those of you who know me well, you’ll know how much I love to capture our journeys and put them into words. It seems as soon as I leave home that the words start to flow and today is no different.
Is it only me who had this romantic figure from my childhood who seemed so magical and amazing to me, when even as a child a life of writing and travelling seemed like the ultimate goal to aspire to. Francois was from France, she was a writer and was travelling around Australia with her back pack, a typewriter (the old style ones - and nothing like what we have today) and her obligatory bottle of wine. She stayed with us in Perth when I was a child.
She was probably lucky she came across my mothers’ family, and because there were so many of them spread across the country she was able to move from family to family across the country, writing and exploring as she went. She wasn't young, because I remember the grey hair (so there’s still hope for me yet) but she seemed so young and carefree, and in my childlike memory she seemed to be having so much fun. They were the things I remember most about her.
Today is the first day of our road trip and I’m reminded of her as we hit the road. The words as always are tumbling around in my head and wanting to take shape and form, and my need to weave stories ignites my imagination once more.
Holidays are a little bit different this year with Covid, well realistically life in general is a lot different with Covid this year. Normally when Pete is on leave we head overseas, or at the very least we head interstate, which was the original plan. But then Covid had different plans for us and so we‘re staying in our own state and heading for the Eyre Penisula, no plans, no schedules, just the open road and the opportunity to go where we want.
We get to choose swag or cabin, and tonight we’ve chosen cabin. We’re staying in Cowell tonight which was an eight hour drive (well five hours driving, but stopping and exploring and food along the way) Oyster heaven apparently, well just one of many towns which doesn’t excite me in the least, but hubby is happy.
Is it because I’ve been working from home and closed up in my home office for the last four months that the sky seemed a hundred shades of blue today and the paddocks were the most vibrant shade of green which I‘ve seen in forever. Maybe...but either way, today was such a beautiful day for driving and I was enchanted by the open road, nature’s beauty and no schedule or timelines to follow.
Maybe that’s all it takes to change our perspective - nothing really changes because the sky is always blue, the paddocks are always green, but perhaps our appreciation and level of gratitude is what makes things appear differently or more vibrant.
So this is my first time blogging via my iPad on my website, so we‘ll see how that goes and this is also my first time blogging in the longest time. As I write this I realise how much I miss it, surely there’s a job that enables me to travel Australia and write about my travels. A job that keeps my inner writer happy and my gypsy soul comforted. Definitely on my bucket list and not when I’m hunched over and too old to enjoy it. Watch this space...
Keep smiling, Fi 🌻