Home again safe. My sister drove to Melbourne with me (interstate, about a nine hour drive) as for Christmas she gave me a ticket to see Nick Cave. It was a great concert and trip. We drove home through the Grampians, got bogged once in soft sand and spent the night there, but dug out this morning and headed on. I missed Rose like crazy, and it was strange and painful to be dealing with our first finished cycle apart. But it also kind of worked. We both did our thing and came back together at the end. Cave was perfectly timed, reminding me that I’ve never sought a life that’s less painful, I’ve always wanted a passionate life. To be deeply alive.

I hurt like crazy and went down into that and came up again to find myself feeling deeply contented.  We drove through bush, slept under stars,  did a lot of thinking about and writing for the book, and a lot of gentle sitting with my own headspace. Something in me runs free when I’m out in the bush. I’m very lucky to live in this country.

And home again, to beautiful Rose, and a long shower, and my own bed, and the animals. Glad to be here, glad to be alive.