Name your favourite Australian adventurer-documentary maker?

Outback Dusk - Longreach

Back from an overnight trip to Bundaberg - my last work trip for a couple of months. (I've also been to Townsville, Mackay and Cairns in the last 6 weeks, plus a family trip to Tasmania - sometimes I feel like the missing Leyland^[1] sister) No rest for the wicked though, as we're planning on going camping this weekend. Yes, it's winter, and yes, we're nuts. But I'm rather excited as I'm taking Friday and Monday off, so it'll almost be a proper holiday!

Why camping? Because there's a winter solstice doof on, and we haven't been out to get our groove on in months. We did go see the Chemical Brothers back in March, but it was at a festival full of yobbos with no room to dance, so the last time I bust a move was New Years when we went Extreme Doofing^(tm). When does a doof become Extreme^(tm)? When there's a tropical depression off the coast, causing continuous dumping rain and gale-force winds and the day after you get home the roads get cut off by floods! It was awesome - we completely destroyed a re-enforced tarp and witnessed our very first tent-splosion (thankfully not our tent). That said, I'm not going this time if it's raining. Not with forecast minimums of 7^oC.

First though I have to shake the nasty sore throat I woke up with yesterday. Just for the record, strawberry-flavoured Strepsils taste weird but are very effective (and certified gluten free).

What else should I tell you about? Work's been insanely busy lately, though I paused for reflection this weekend and decided I've been suckered into covering for poor management decisions again, so I'm easing off a bit. I did intend to spend a bit of time on the weekend working on the paper I'm preparing for publication, but I had to see the family on Saturday, then Sunday was side-tracked by more pressing relationship matters, and Monday (a public holiday) saw me struck down by the lurgy. I barely managed to pack my bags and drag myself to the airport. So tomorrow I'm going to turn up to my writing workshop without my introduction finished, and the universe is just going to have to deal with that ^[2].

The family mission was good but a bit odd (not helped by lack of sleep). We went to the regional art gallery down in Murwillumbah to see the Salon des Refuses - the portraits that didn't make the cut for the Archibald Prize. Some brilliant work, some utter rubbish and a lot of plain old mediocrity, all topped off by a bored 4 year old (my parent's were looking after my niece). Still, it was good to get my art on. The gallery's a beautiful space too, with magic views over the valley and mountains. You could sit there forever watching the light change. Next time I'll take the camera with me.

Anyway, I should go clean up from dinner^[3], unpack, shower and get myself off to bed (via some quality snuggling time). As always there's so much I want to do, and never enough hours to do it in. Big LJ loves to you all!

Sunset Silhouette - Longreach

[1] Travel all over the country-side; ask the Leyland's, ask the Leyland's, travel all over the country-side, ask the Leyland Brothers! I always preferred Malcolm Douglas myself. The Bush Tucker Man was a wanker though.

[2] i.e. I need to deal with my own hyper-active sense of guilt.

[3] Veggie stew type thing with quinoa and melty parmesan cheese - yum!