It’s November already! I have been on camp at Tamboritha for the past three days and missed the start of the month. I took some videos whilst I was there which if you are interested, you can see here. Some of them are from the previous camp I went on last week. I’ll probably post more later about camp.
Last night in my weary state, I realised I was three days of writing behind in the Nanowrimo writing frenzy I managed to complete last year. I attempted to start, because I have honestly been giving it some thought, but was really too tired to get much more than a thousand words out of myself. This morning I had a big think and decided, I can’t do it. I have to let it go this year. I felt a bit of disappointment to be honest, as it felt great last year and I really enjoyed the challenge of it. I realised though, it is not the time of the year for me to be doing this.
Living in Australia, as I do, I have become annoyed with doing things at the wrong time of the year. If it were May and the days were getting shorter, I know I could nestle in to do some serious daily writing, but November is not realistic for me.
Last week, in my year 7 class, we discussed Halloween. Some of the kids are really into it and I can understand why. Some students said it is an American custom to trick or treat, and we shouldn’t take it on here. I agree, but not because it is American or because it isn’t a relevant thing to do. It is just not relevant in spring, as summer draws near, to be behaving like we are heading towards winter. We have just started daylight savings for goodness sake!
It is the same issue that I have with Nanowrimo. It’s not the right season for me here. We should be celebrating spring, spending time outdoors, not holing up with our writing and not embracing darkness and symbolic death. It’s all wrong. Perhaps I can start a Southern Hemisphere, May writing month! I’d have to come up with a better title!
I have been barely keeping up with writing blog posts lately. It’s been a busy year I guess. I feel a restructuring of my life coming on, partnered with a major spring clean!
Tamboritha 06 – 1st trip
It’s almost a week since I’ve got the moment or ten that it takes to write a post. I have been to Tamboritha and it was great. We rode horses up past Licola and walked, as well of spending lots of time laughing and eating and just being away from it all. It was great. I enjoyed sitting in the creek in this video, whilst the water rushed by, however much slower and lower than it has been in the past. It is dry up there. As we walked across the snow plains there was very little squelch that makes it a big challenge. I love it up there though.
It is so refreshing to be away from it all. We had heaps of laughs and challenges and always when I return to school, it is tough.
Family
My brother Brendan is heading up to Townsville tomorrow. I have 4 brothers and a sister. We are all very different and don’t see that much of each other. Brendan is the brother I see the least of and he has lived away from the family most of his life. He has been home at my parents for a couple of months. He was living in NT. He is also quiet and hasn’t got a lot to say. We have little in common and very different lifestyles. Yet being my brother means I can pop into mum and dad’s and borrow his sleeping bag from him to go to school camp like I did a few weeks ago. He can ask me to type up a resume for him, which I haven’t done yet, but will today. It is the same with all my siblings. I see my sister Kate the most and enjoy her bright personality and have quite a close relationship with her.
I know if I needed any of my brothers or sister’s help, I would have it if I asked and they would in turn have mine. We shared a childhood. On Christmas day, most of us usually get together and laugh together about the memories. We phone each other sometimes on our birthdays, but not always. We see each other at extended family occasions. Our lives are not really entwined externally but in my heart they are.
There is a wide range in our ages from me (40) to Kate (24) so it makes our family life interesting. The six of us all have different lifestyles and jobs. It makes diverse conversation when we are all together. We find links through people we know and share stories about now and the past and enjoy being together. We can quickly resume our childhood roles and it is fun to do that occasionally.
I admire my parents their ability to let us all go and keep a good relationship with all of us without interfering in our lives or trying to control us. It is probably what keeps us all returning home willingly and happily. I hope I can be like them with my own children.