The Next Block #7

The back end of a wild year and my favourite January ever.

I sort of just forgot, or more so just lost motivation, with this blog I had going. It was a personal goal to keep it up and going and I won’t use the excuse ‘life got in the way’, because I actually don’t know why I stopped when the writing never really stopped, but oh well, I’m back and I’m still here. I’m going to break this blog post up as much for my convenience and yours, as I prepare to write about the last 3 or so months. Short and sharp, and then we are all caught up ready for an exciting 2021.

The back end of 2020.

The last two months or so have just blurred into one, after some of the best months in the NT. We arrived home, and didn’t have much planned. That being said ,there’s always things to do, and I’m never one to say I’m bored. Anything would seem fast paced after spending three months on the road. Where your days are dragged out longer because everything just takes longer; Want a coffee? Pull out the cooker, get the kettle out from underneath the pots and pans, connect up the gas, get the three cups down from the hooks above the sink and so on, you get the picture. Things just take time, but the beauty is that we’ve got time. It isn’t wasted, its just how long things take when you live out of a car. 

Arriving home for me can be very overwhelming. I have a large family that I most definitely love all very much, but finding time to see everyone before you leave again can be a task on its own. Sometimes I don’t even know how long I'll be home for; my years and months haven’t been and still aren’t very planned out, and probably never will be. I like to float and I will continue to do so. Straight up I can confidently say I’m so different to what my other siblings are like and I think sometimes this can make it quite hard for loved ones to understand on why I do what I do. The question most asked is: but what about the money? Or when is your next job? Saving for a house I hope? In my eyes all very tough and annoying questions to answer, so mostly I just tell them what they want to hear (sorry mum).

All up I was home for two or three weeks. Luke and I started to build a big deck and pergola for his family friend, and then we got the call up; a shop fitting job in the heart of Sydney. We went from working on this deck for a few hours a day, going to the beach on the nice days, to now working twelve hour days to get it done before we had to leave for Sydney. Of course we got it done. 

Sydney - Exciting. Overwhelming. Different. Happy to not go back. 

I’ve been to Sydney once before, for a weekend years ago, and I hated it then. This time it was a lot better. The main factor for that is we didn’t have to drive to work, we walked or rode bikes. What a vibe. It was really different to what I’ve done before. The morning commutes with Lukey were my all time favourite parts of the day; 6am watching the day come to life, just two tradies in the big city, joining all the business men ready to tackle another day. Three weeks of that, along with plenty of light jogging, sight seeing and a few laps at the Olympic Park swimming pool, and our time in Sydney was done. But not without Luke and Jess buying there new house (on wheels) a Toyota coaster! That by far takes the cake with the most spontaneous thing they’ve done in a long time. But that’s why I love them. 

January 2021- A new year. What will happen? Where will I end up? What goals do I want to achieve? 

I looked at the weather on the Eyre Peninsula and noticed that the following nights were going to be some of the warmest for the next four days. So on Christmas night I jumped in the van and drove for four hours and camped in a truck stop before waking up at 5am to finish off the drive. I boosted it to Greenly beach, arriving just in time for morning coffee with some of my favourite people. Luke and Jess of course, and 2 new friends, Glen and Kendall. All of which have been living on the road for well over a year. 

I could write a whole blog on this one day, but I think I’ll let the photos below speak for themselves. Waves, rock pools, cliff jumping, dolphins and crystal clear water! I think its still up there with one of the most sensational days I’ve had. 

After a week of exploring the Lower Eyre Peninsula we made our way up, arriving in Streaky Bay. A place I knew was going to be home for a while, because I just genuinely froth it here. But I didn’t think I’d end up here for as long as I have. The opportunity to live and work here for the first month of 2021 popped up and I just couldn’t say no. More ‘yes’ to cool experiences like these. My first hospitality job, I’ve now moved up another level in life with a new skill to carry with me. I love people and talking. I’m a people kind of guy, so I most definitely got carried away with a lot of chats, sort of forgetting I was working. But hearing their stories is just something that excites me, its motivation and its inspiring, especially when you get into some deep conversations with other travellers who priorities are very similar. The why, The how, and What’s next, was a common conversation.

Learning new skills can be so overwhelming but it can also be some of the best things you do for yourself; for your mind, health and just for genuine human curiosity. 

I see it as every time you learn a new skill, you unlock a new level or open a new door, like moving up in a game. You can only go forward when you are taught a new skill.

I’ve got one more day here in Streaky Bay before I head back to Adelaide, and I’m a little bit emotional about it. I know I’m not going home to ‘normal’ life and I know I won’t be home for long. But when you fall in love with a place and the people you meet, its always tough to pack up. I’ll be back, maybe not soon, but summer in South Australia is my all time favourite location - so you just never know. Maybe next summer I’ll be back at Drift cafe and living out of a caravan again. 

I hope you take some time this year to see the world from a different location and with some fresh eyes. At the start of my time here in Streaky Bay I had written out some 2021 goals and to be completely honest, half of them have been erased and new ones have been written. It’s amazing what the people you’re surrounded by and a new location can do. Life is so special. Enjoy it.