Awakening

After a reasonable night's sleep, I'm at home on my own today with a goal to achieve something tangible by day's end. It's raining at present so I'm hampered in my next job of hanging an external blind on the windows over the downstairs kitchen (three down, three to go!).

I've already lopped some trees and shifted branches this morning, as well as continued my reading of the next Nesbo novel The Leopard. I'm desperate to finish this and a Jane Haddam I'm halfway through to move onto Jar City. Arnaldur Indridason is an Icelandic writer and superior but similar to Henning Mankell. He comes highly recommended so I have him lined up as my next purchase and a treat for when I've finished this round of marking.

It's been an interesting change of gears this week - from idyllic and restive surroundings like Berry with old friends, to the mundane but comfortable feeling of home and family. There is of course the obvious sense of displacement of place and time and the awareness of intrusion on other's lives. David and Susan gave generously of their time, friendship, counsel and their warmth is genuine both as a couple as well as friends.

I return from my sojourn refreshed and inspired to be a little more optimistic in my view; to read more widely; build more in terms of my house as well as the people who pass through its doors; to walk and exercise a little more. (But you all knew I needed to do those things anyway!)

Burn brightly, Pete

Images of Berry

Having spent the last few days in idyllic Berry, it seemed reasonable to at least post a few images of my whereabouts. Susan and David's property is nestled near Kangaroo Valley on Broagas Creek outside of Berry, south of Wollongong.

The house is about 20 years old and is built at the base of a ravine with a road and the creek dividing two parcels of land. On the other side of the road, David has built a studio/writing shed where he and Susan work. David is currently working on a doco for Channel 7 and Susan has an advance on her next book due at Penguin by June.  

                                       

Behind the studio, the creek runs and they have rights to land halfway across the water, with a steel cable bridge stretching across the creek to a neighbour's property.

They've made a home for themselves in this rather isolated community and have a wonderful circle of friends from nearby properties who call in unannounced for a wine or a pizza or just a chat. David is trying to convince me to sell up in Brisbane, leave the kids to their own devices and head south to buy the property next door for $600k. He thinks I could invest the balance from the sale of the house and live off the interest and become a neighbour (it is tempting!).

David has a wonderful theological/philosophical/history library under the house and a great home theatre system powered by Bose.

Tonight we watched his step-daughter Maeve McDermody in "Beautiful Kate" with Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths whilst sipping some of his wonderfully smooth Kentucky Bourbon. Life at the moment is verrrry good.

Burn brightly, Pete.

Berry Enjoyable

So I'm in NSW outside of Berry on acreage enjoying fine wine and food with friends. I've managed to eat pizza from a woodfired oven, talked with printmaker David Preston, driven a boat up the Shoalhaven River to Arthur Boyd's property, eaten fresh oysters , trekked through the bush and help fix up a water pump to bring water from a nearby waterfall. Last night we drank red wine, watched "The Happening" (until it became unbearable), drank bourbon and slept deeply. So life is good!

Burn brightly, Pete

Goin' South

.... to get my shit together.

I've just made the bookings to see Dr Dave down in Berry on Friday. Flying out at 5.30am and looking forward to a few days on the Shoalhaven River.

Burn Brightly, Pete

Ups and Downs

Life of late seems even more rollercoasterish.... from the joys of watching a student produce a successful work - surprising classmates and themself.... to those moments of dark introspection when the black dog bites and the frustrations of the past month seem to bubble to the surface.

This month I've been given a free "Get out of Hell Card" from old mate David Millikan and I hope to be joining him and Susan on their property near Berry in NSW. David has been in Brisbane and Kingaroy recently working on a piece about a cultist who purports to be the reincarnated Jesus and we recently caught up. The woman in Dave's life is Susan Dermody, mother of aussie actress Maeve Dermody who is making waves in a newly released Aussie film "Griff the Invisible" so it promises to be an interesting time living with filmmakers again.

Road to Berry - Lloyd Rees  1947

Berry is the area where Lloyd Rees produced his iconic "The Road to Berry" as well as being near where Arthur Boyd lived and worked for so long producing his wonderful landscapes on the Shoalhaven River. So much of Australian art has such a strong sense of place and ownership of a locale so spending time talking about art and theology and life will hopefully renew my soul. One of my favourite authors, John Updike said there are three great things - art, sex and religion (we'll probably get around to third at some point - boys will be boys). I'm looking forward to the time off and the chance to unwind and sort through some of the accumulated clutter in my life at present.

Reading is on hold at the moment.

By the bedside is :

The Snowman - Jo Nesbo (Norwegian Noir on loan from a friend)

The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp (40 years of wisdom on the creative process)

The Headmaster's Wife - Jane Haddam (American version of Agatha Christie)

Drive - Daniel Pink (The nature of human motivation and the mismatch between science and education's understanding of the process)

The Politics of God and the Politics of Man - Jacques Ellul (One of my favourite theologians  and ex-resistance fighter explores the political response)

Moonwalking with Einstein - Joshua Foer (cutting edge research and techniques for memory and total recall)

... and I've just recently picked up a book of Lichtenstein's Drawings and Prints to replace the Egon Schiele: Drawing and Watercolours I've recently completed.


So here's to the glimmer of hope in our lives as we reconsider, reconstruct and reconnect.

Burn Brightly, P.