I forgot how windy it is in Lorne. This is a case of hang on or walk sideways …
“I’ve been away for a while, and I’m sorry about that. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, I don’t blame you. I’ve been relocating! And yes – it’s a relocation that’s taken me four years… I’ve never been one to do things quickly.”
My family and I are now home in Melbourne; after what was an amazing but short 2 years in California. While we were there, we made some great friends and enjoyed some incredible experiences, but Gilroy. Gilroy changed everything. Gilroy made me feel insecure.
We landed in Australia late December 2019. This was just before Christmas, and as it turns out, just before Covid-19 and the legacy that was the Melbourne lockdowns. Melbourne was to be a return to community, a return to familiarity, a return to a lifestyle that would keep my family safe. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Melbourne lockdowns that followed created an insecurity entirely of their own.
This insecurity created a different focus for a while. The idea of sitting down at a computer and generating some words was the last thing on my mind. Instead, I focussed on looking down, putting one foot in front of the other and moving my family through each stage of rehoming. It wasn’t easy!
So here I am. Back. Writing… Things are feeling more permanent, and our life is returning to the familiarity that home had promised. How have I finally found my feet again after four years? I think it’s because my family is genuinely happy and at home at last. They’re starting to find their friendship groups, they’re starting to be independent again, they’re starting to smile and laugh and clean up after themselves. They’re starting to rely on me less. It’s lovely to see them begin to uncurl and flourish back into our Australian life.
So now I’m looking up, instead of looking down. I’m finding those creative and inspiring moments that I felt like I had lost. I’m finding myself sitting in these extraordinary beautiful places and am once again taking deep breaths and absorbing those moments to find the stories within. I’m rediscovering my creativity and carving out the time it takes to write words, or paint or knit, and honestly it’s lovely to be back!
Thanks for being here with me for this reboot. It’s so great to see you again.