We’re leaving Tasmania on Friday, 3 days from now. Its quite amazing to think we’re about to dovetail the various piles of stuff around our house into two cars… and the fun part is we’re not really sure where we’re going to land yet!

Well, we know where we will be for the first month – kicking back on the shores of the Mitta river at Bel’s parents property living the unconnected life and enjoying a really very necessary slowdown. No mobile phone, no TV, no internet, no mains power. Ahh..

I have a month off, so its time to unwind, and time to organise the next phase of life. Oh, and since we’ll be just down the road from the snow, time for a mission or two. I’m looking forward to slogging it out in the white stuff – it seems like its been a long time since the fires of wilderness adventures have been let loose to burn bright.

..and once I’m thoroughly cold, wet, exhausted, and burned out, I’ll come home to an amazing little family, a warm wood-fired home by the river, and peace.

My only fear is that the time will pass all too quickly… better make sure every moment counts! Next post? from the north island, and some time away…

seeya then!

In other news, Joe is growing like crazy – he’s now more than double birth weight, and 20cm taller! yikes! A few new photos have also arrived: http://adstereo.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=354

…and thats a wrap. Busy, exciting, interesting times.

I rode a trail I have neglected for a long time the other day. In fact, I’ve ventured down it twice in the last week and a half. It has drawn me in, with a subtle mixture of technical intricacy and moments of unity with the trail, the bike, the air.

So far, I haven’t managed to keep the bike between me and the dirt on it yet. But I’m compelled to go back. Its a problem and a solution in itself. The solution will come, but the problem will still remain as challenging and interesting as it was at the first attempt. Its almost like rock climbing at your limit – the problem will only be solved when you’ve found that unity of body and mind in the moment, applied at the exact time and place. Like climbing, its not just one moment – a series of connected moments, requiring that unity to be carried through from one to the next.

And having found that unity, and carried it from moment to moment, there’s nothing to stop it being carried from day to day, from year to year. The enduring peace of a mountain bike trail.

Bel and I are just amazed constantly by the little fella. Yes, he keeps us up at night, but I’ll paraphrase a friend of mine here: ‘he could cry for three weeks straight, and then he’ll smile for a minute. In that minute, you instantly forget about the three weeks of crying’..

Baby magic huh?

Bel’s sister Tess is here for a few days, so we’re ordered to go out to dinner tonight, and leave Joe with Tess for the evening. Our first ‘date’ in ages! But we’ll miss him after a few hours, I’m sure…

The past two weeks has been filled with many moments of sheer wonder, and some of sheer helplessness/frustration/terror! As any new parent knows, I guess, this business of looking after a freshly-minted human is quite the extraordinary adventure.

I will say, no amount of reading books, antenatal classes or advice from other parents will really get you prepared for the real deal.

However, it is a quite incredible thing to behold. The bags under our eyes are a fixed feature, we’ve not slept more than four hours at a stretch since Joe arrived – but we’re still smiling, still happy, still smitten with this amazing little wise man who changes every day…

beautiful!

It has a beauty all its own, something strange and amazing. I’m still not over it, a month later. Its absolutely fascinating!!

we found a nice little self contained unit to stay in at Mount Beauty, and spent most of the time soaking up the relaxing atmosphere there. Its a winner.. despite almost constant rain during our stay.

So now, we’re keeping an eye on real estate, and putting aside the pennies in preparation for a leap back to the big island in the forseeable future.

I’m looking forward to seeing snow more than once a year again… and having a nice little home base with Bel!

Unfortunately for our science group, we’ve had no time to do things on the sea ice – but we have succeeded in one instrument ground truthing exercise on the fast ice and we’ve done plenty of aerial surveys over the ice edge and the Vestfold hills.

But at least, we’ve got something done. The Australian Antarctic season has been reshuffled and some science scheduled to happen later on has just been dropped outright, so we’re thankful to have something done.

All that aside, its quite surreal to be writing from this amazingly, devastatingly beautiful place. Lots of penguin and iceberg watching to do, and just soak in being in this vast white wilderness…

I hope all is well in the north.. its certainly fine here.