Backstory.

Backstory. I was sitting on my varandah in January 2020 wat hing the fires as they made thier way toward our ridge and valley. It was not a good feeling. These fires were different and everyonein the ommunity was freaked out. I was thinking that if the fire made it into the end of our valley/ridge my place was extremely vulnerable. the Fire Brigade would not even other coming down the driveway because of all the trees overhanging the driveway. My house would surely burn and I would have no chance of saving it. My car was packed with all the essentials and all the stuff I could not bare to loose. so the emergency was covered, but what to do if the place does burn. The answer flooded back without hesitation.... I would have to sell. Once that thought had come, the next one came seamlessly; If I can contemplate selling if the place burnt what would it mean if I just sold the place period? I can now answer that question with absolute certainty. I have been liberated to the edge of community and civilisation. I now live at 45 Tel El Kebir terrace, Arno Bay, on the Eyre Penninsula. It would be appropriate to refer it to "The Outback" It has all the qualities as well as fishing. I love it, it is very isolated and quwerky in a whole lot of ways too complicated to explain. When I bought my place I promised myself that I would :- 1. sort everything out with the Harley. 2. set up tthe house with all the bells and whistles 3. organise garden and veggie beds 4. set the shed up for motor maintenance and what knot. Then I would also drive across the Nullabour to Perth and back. then I would go to Asia. Hanoi for almost a month, then on to Pakse in Laos, off to the 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Dong ) At the moment I am in Long Bien on the 5th floor of an enormous housing complex. there is a swimming pool a myriad of shops all doing roughly the same thinng, some cute little resteraunts that specialise in one dish only are to be found. the common space between the buildings plays a pivitol role in creating a sense of community. The sense of this means a very healthy sense of community of belonging. Being here is a charging of my soul. I am absorbed by what is around me. It is a most fortunate circumstance. Hanoi is creeping warily from the Covid Shadows. People practice the social distancing and mask wearing expected of a population warn down by successive strains. Most people I reckon would like it to all go away thank you very much. I know I would. The old girl is still there. That elegance and sophistication is hard to repress. She might be a little warn and threadbare on the seams she can still draw a wondering crowd and be happy and gay. It is interesting how Hanoians have adapted to the changes brought about by the absence of backpackers and foriegn expats. They appear quite comfortable with the low numbers. I am sure that when backpackers return this will all change fairly rapidly. I sense that there is a feeling of waiting for something. This can look like anxiety or a sense of forboding. Whatever I intend to ride this baby to a standstill