Well dear friends and regular (or occasional) readers all......the time has finally come.
For some months past I have realized that bringing our adventures to you in the detail that I have been over the past almost nine years has become increasingly challenging.
Whilst the early morning mental stimulation remains welcome (and undoubtedly necessary from a practical perspective as I slip inexorably closer and closer to my inevitable and decidedly unwelcome dotage), I have finally confronted the inescapable realization that the present method of awakening the neurons on a daily basis, and keeping them clashing in some form of recognizable order, is becoming increasingly difficult.
It has, in fact, reached the point where I find that, rather than the real creative pleasure it has been, there are now a steadily increasing number of mornings when the need to put electronic pen to paper seems something of a drudge. I am equally and disturbingly aware that my jottings are suffering from creative torpor as a result.
To some extent this has been brought about by the fact that just editing and selecting appropriate photos from the myriads I invariably take is a demanding task in itself (particularly when I am as far behind as I usually find myself). Other challenges have included poor internet connection in many of our stopover points, the time and effort demands of constant relocation when we are on the move and so on. I think I may have mentioned in the past that an offering of the size of my last, for example, involves upwards of 10 to 12 hours of work.
And honesty demands that I agree with Liz's harping of late (dressed up very charmingly in quite solicitous inquiries as to my progress!) that I do become far too involved with detail, but for me there has been no acceptable alternative if these missives were to form the records of our travels I set out to deliver from the outset.
Frankly I am just running out of creative puff and without trying to sound in the least self pitying (which I am certainly not), my auto-immune disease is increasingly stalking me with its one of several symptoms I hate the most......fatigue.
And folks, would you believe it? The last brought up my 700th offering since we began our life on the road in April 2012. I'm not sure what it is about round numbers and the human condition, but the realization that this milestone had been achieved somehow added impetus and some odd form of justification for what I am about to announce.
Things are about to change.
For all the reasons I've outlined, from now on I shall be recording our travels in much less detail, and the camera will not be going into the meltdown it so often has in the past. Exactly how, I'm still contemplating, but hopefully I'll still be able to provide some degree of entertainment along with much balder facts.
PS
For the seven or so of you who waded through the jumble which was my last, long and clearly unedited missive, you may wish to revisit.....it has now been tidied up with proper formatting and all the embarrassing errors of both style and syntax sorted.
And finally, another brief update.
We are back on the road again. As I type this morning I am gazing out of our front picture window over the (now) green and rolling hills which surround Tenterfield, that small NSW town just south of the Queensland border immortalized in Peter Allen's song 'Tenterfield Saddler'.
We did not make a final decision as to our route south back to SA until yesterday. In what is typical of this grand country of ours, initial concerns about the location of the many bush fires have given way to the need to establish where the recent heavy rains belting the east of the continent were presenting the twin impediments of challenging driving conditions and flooding. Our commitment to be on Yorke Peninsula by a certain date was also part of the mix.
Inland was the only rational (but somewhat reluctantly made) answer.....so from here we are off west to Moree and Bourke where we'll turn south to Cobar and thence head further west across the all too familiar Barrier Highway. At this stage stops at Moree, Bourke, Wilcannia, and Burra are on our agenda of the next ten days.
All things being equal, Friday 21st should find us pulling into the farm at Koolywurtie where we'll be looking after the many animals of one of Liz's oldest and best friends whilst she and her partner toddle off on a holiday for a week.
We are still on track to be back in Adelaide for a fortnight from 9 March (diaries at the ready KG and MD!).
Now I would invite you all to take a proverbial 'Bex', have a good cuppa and, if necessary, a lie down, whilst all this sinks in.......I certainly am!
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