Sydney to Siena

On the road again, Megan and I have noticed that we fall into different 'travel modes'. Each mode has a distinctive style, and even a kind of mental state or consciousness that goes with it. Now, being a good experimental psychologist, I have to reduce this to a standard 2 dimensional grid, with each axis being an independent variable. One axis is whether we are travelling on land or water, the other is whether we are staying in the one place, or moving about. In a standard experimental design layout, it looks like this (tongue firmly in cheek!):

	Stationary	Moving
Land	Visiting Home	Hotel living
Water	Marina life	Sailing mode

So, over the next few months, we should experience each of these modes. We have just left Ballina, where we were staying with my mother (Stationary Land mode 'Visiting Home'), and we are now travelling circuitously back to Sicily (Moving Land mode 'Hotel Living'). Once back onboard Pavlov, we'll enter Stationary Water mode and experience 'Marina Life'. Come April, when we throw off our lines and head west, we'll enter Moving Water mode as we sail into the Tyrrhenian sea.

Our last 'Aussie Beach' - Terrigal

Breakfast in Hong Kong

Dried goods in the New Territories

Mom and Pop shop

Fancy a bit of pig?

So firmly in Hotel mode, we've adapted to lugging our heavy luggage from small box to small box. It's an interesting mode of travel consciousness: we emerge from our small hotel room, where we've draped ourselves in familiarity by watching downloaded tv series and Skyping all our friends, into utterly unfamiliar surroundings. We see all the sites that we're capable of seeing until our joints wear out, often joyriding on public transport just as a cheap way to see stuff. We go to elaborate lengths to find ways not to eat in restaurants (to avoid the expense), so tend to eat pot pourri of supermarket. As soon as familiarity seeps in, we ups and offs to the next destination. So there it is, the Moving Land mode of travel consciousness.

Overcast Hong Kong harbour

Megan, puzzled by this expat enclave, the walled escape of Discovery Bay

Soaring metal and glass abound

You might have figured that our first stop was Hong Kong. We spent 2 days puzzling over this bastion of consumer capitalism wedged between mainland China and the rest of the world. We then flew to Rome and immediately hopped on a train to Siena in Tuscany.

View from our hotel window in Siena

A Siennese Piazza

Street vibe in Siena 

The main Duomo: St Maria of the Assumption

Siena rooftops from the Cathedral

Siena skyline

Siena was a delightful example of medieval Italy. It was a bit wet and overcast, but wonderfully free of tourist crowds, very little grockle and everything was reasonably priced. We spent most of our 3 days in the museum, the extensive Duomo and wandering the charming streets.

A panorama of Siena from the Duomo roof.

Cherub sculpture in the Museum 

Medieval church art

Church art 

Looking towards the nave of the Duomo

Duomo nave

Painted frieze in the Piccolomini Library

Ceiling of the Piccolomini Library

Medieval Italian master

St John the Baptist by Donatello

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Baptismal font by Donatello

So we've transitioned from Land Stationary (living with my mum) to Land Moving (Hong Kong to Siena). However, both Megan and I are looking forward to a bit of Water Stationary mode. Returning to Pavlov will be a long awaited home coming, we've been missing the old girl. But needs must.... we have to go to Switzerland first to audition a new guitar. Having sold off all my tools (see my blog on the Plaint of the Tool-less Bloke), I can now afford the ultimate tool extension, a new guitar. So, it will be Florence, Milan and then to Basel, before we take the long train ride back to Sicily. Ciao for now!

Hong Kong 37 years on

I last visited Hong Kong in 1979. We were about to spend three weeks in China. Hong Kong then was a British colony under a 99 year lease dating from 1898. In 1997 it was returned to the control of China. Hong Kong historically was a listening post for the west. It is amazing to remember now the fear and hatred that was expressed by governments in the west during the cold war. China now is a major player in the global economy and governments in Australia, Labor and Liberal, have courted her.

My impressions of the island in 1979 was of an Asian destination infused with British overtones. I remember visiting the Mariners Club, after our tour of China, to buy large chocolate milkshakes unavailable in China. Dairy was only in cans or powder in China. An odd thing to remember, but in 79 China was still largely unknown to western tourists and the country untouched by western products. Of course the other British influence was on the names of streets or geographic sites: like Aberdeen, Albert Road or Victoria Harbour. Though these names are still here others have been added like Hanoi St and Sun Yat Sen St.

ferry ride in Hong Kong harbour

Visually one sees a busy, populated and polluted city. It's amazing skyline has featured in many films. It is also a city determined to look after it's people. There are clearly two aspects of this paternalism. As you travel on the escalators a voice in Cantonese and English warns you to hold the rail as you may fall, another voice warns of the water on the station footpaths a result of rain which may cause you to slip. There is no water. Signs on bill boards and in trains and buses remind you to look after the old and young. "This is a breast feeding friendly work place" and " know your rights and be aware of your award in your work place" I liked this. However it was all a bit much. One had to think who was behind all of this "caring" culture. Was it caring or controlling?

Street on Hong Kong island

2014 witnessed a series of protests in Hong Kong which became known as the Umbrella Revolution. Reforms to their electoral system had citizens of Hong Kong up in arms. China is after all a dictatorship that does not care for dissent. The Chinese communist party was to screen candidates in elections. These events split Hong Kong society and galvanized the youth into political activism. Police used tear gas and even triad members were reported to be attacking the protestors. Just prior to our visit, coinciding with Chinese New Year, other demonstrations were held. The local paper stated that tourism from the mainland was down as a result. I spoke to a couple of employees of our hotel. One said Hong Kong changes day by day, never the same. The other said the days before 1997 were the good old days.

So much we don't hear about in our press. As always one has to have work to find out what is really happening outside Australia.  One needs to begin by listening to the ABC of course.

The Australian Crawl

I had a wonderful belated 60th birthday celebration while Megan and I were back in Australia. I really appreciated catching up with old friends, and it made both of us realise just how many loyal and caring friends we had. Since then, we've been swanning around Australia, catching up with these friends. Craig and Lesley are a couple we first met in Turkey, when we were still new to our boat. They were very helpful in getting us up to speed, and have stayed good friends ever since. After several years in the Med, they have recently shipped their Bavaria 'Shirley Valentine' back to Australia, and have bought a water side home in Hope Island, Gold Coast. That's their own dock below! We were privileged to be taken for a jaunt in Shirley up the unspoilt Broadwater on the God Coast.

Shirley Valentine, tied up to Craig and Leslie's own dock.

Leslie and Megan, catching up on cockpit time

Craig still thinks you have to rub the kettle for the genie to come out.

Shirley Valentine, sailing on the Broadwater

Some of the anchorages on the Broadwater

Chris and Kim are also great friends. Chris and I were old teaching comrades at Casino High School. Chris left his position and went to teach in a private and exclusive school outside Istanbul, Turkey. We visited them when Pavlov was in Turkey, and they came and spent some time sailing around the Bay of Twelve Islands. Two years later, they visited us again in Greece, and we spent a wonderful two weeks sailing around the Ionian island with them. They were kind enough to host us at their home outside Casino.

Chris and Kim on their porch 

Their lovely property outside Casino, Northern NSW

Chris and Kim love adventuring off-road in deep Australia, and we had the good fortune to be taken into some wonderful off-road country high up in catchment area of the Clarence River.

Kim scanning the Upper Clarence

There's gold in them there creeks! 

Campsite on the river bank

Information board outside Tooloom Falls

Toolroom Falls

Wonderful camping spots in a pristine riverine environment

That off-road look ... 

A remote and unspoilt paradise

We also spent time with Julia and Tony, sharing some wonderful musical evenings and re-living some of the high points of Australian rock and roll. Geoff and Jenny, another teaching couple, took us out for a memorable breakfast in Lennox Head.

Geoff, Megan and Jenny in Lennox Head.

Realising that we have all these special friends back in Australia has made the thought of returning quite palatable. We felt quite adrift when we first started thinking about how we'd swallow the anchor and return to Australia. Megan and I looked around Gosford and similar areas so that we could be closer to Megan's children. But we both felt alienated and 'detached' from these environments. We actually felt very connected with friends and family in Ballina, so that will be the site of our eventual return. We are even contemplating building a house on a block of land we found at Angel's Beach. But for now, we are leaving Australia again, and we're both excited by the thought of getting back to Italy and Pavlov. Next stop is Hong Kong.

Oh, why the Australian Crawl? We've been 'free styling' with our friends in Australia, reminiscent of the travelling ‘pub crawls’ of Australian legend. It was an Australian, Richmond Cavill, that developed the fastest free-style of swimming, which came to be known as the Australian Crawl. I do so hate it when I feel impelled to explain my own obtuseness!!

Time in Ashes :- the plaint of a tool-less bloke

Robert Bly, one of my favorite American poets, wrote a book that influenced me greatly: Its title was 'Iron John: A book about men'. It was a cornerstone of the mythopoetic men's movement, which sought to liberate men from the constraints of the modern world, and re-acquaint them with their true masculine nature.

Support act for the Mentals.

These guy's played wonderfully original instrumental guitar music.

One of the central images of the book is how men seek the heights. In this conceit, the feminine gender (not women per se) are of the earth, rooted in the matrix of connectedness and blood, childbirth and community. Male gendering,  in contrast, is condemned to heaven, to make the aspirational climb, to become something. He paints a picture of the dis-embodied male competing to climb the mountain of his own ambition. This is a clear reference to the career driven modern male, spending long hours at his work, donning that symbol of aspiration, the suit, seeking to be the master of destiny.

Mental as Anything, live in Woodburn.

New guitarist for the Mentals

Bly then describes the 'time in ashes', when the aspirant male, having reached the pinnacle of his ambition, senses the taste of ashes in his mouth. All that striving; the BMW's, the Rolex watches, the beautiful silicone-enhanced girlfriend, all of it suddenly seems worthless, pointless, meaningless. The man is then forced to consider his life and values, to re-create meaning for himself in the more essential and fundamental things of life.

Martin Plaza, one of the original members.

Martin Plaza, looking rather aged.

Well, I've been feeling a bit like we've been doing our 'time in ashes'. The first blow was the loss of Sophie's child, at 24 weeks. Megan and I had been feeling a re-newed sense of purpose, with the thought of becoming grandparents, and the hope of establishing family connections with Megan's children. Shockingly, suddenly, this was gone, and our hearts went out to Sophie for her loss.

Support act for The Black Sorrows

Joe Camilari and 'The Black Sorrows'

Joe channelling Van Morrison.

We also started to finish up our old life in Lismore. We put our house on the market, and that meant that I had to process the contents of my shed. Now, my shed is a true blokes refuge. It was bigger than the house, and full of potent tools. I had BIG TOOLS, I mean, industrial size tools. There was a metal lathe, a gear head mill, bandsaws and drill presses. Well, I had to sell the lot, which I did with great alacrity. But it was not without some grief, and a sense of loss. Lismore represented our working life, we loved living there while we were both working, lately at teaching. But the tools also represented that male sense of potency, the ability to make things, to fashion raw material into useful objects.

My beautiful lathe

Can you sense the potent power in my mill?

Now, retirement is hard enough for a lot of us blokes, we lose that ability to provide for others, and to establish ourselves in the social pecking order. But the loss of all my tools was a particularly low blow (pun intended). There went my sense of agency, of usefulness with my hands. I had loved being able to spend time in my shed, fashioning beautiful things out of raw elemental stuff like wood, metal and fibreglass. Now, I have to seek new ways to define myself. Got to love the challenges of getting older (NOT!).

One partially finished product of my shed, an ocean-going kayak.

Another shot of the kayak, only needing the two halves to be joined.

You might notice from the photo's that we've been seeing a few local bands. It's great to see acts that we grew up with, still out there performing. In fact, it seems that it was our generation that went out to live music. In the clubs and pubs circuits that we frequented, all the audience were our age or older. The musicians were as well. In fact, I went to high school with Andy Smith (who is now Greedy Smith, frontman for 'Mental as Anything'. We really loved seeing some live Australian music again.

So, even old farts can rock out!

 Its been great to have a break from house cleaning/selling, medical procedures and family meetings about wills and powers of attorney, to catch up on Aussie Rock. We're keen to start extending our musical vocabulary to include some of those distinctive Australian sounds. Australian rock music has always been a bit raw, but throbbing with power and excitement. In fact, Megan is currently doing a great job rocking Billy Thorpe's 'Its Almost Summer'; so maybe we are finding new directions and passions in older life. Maybe I can survive being a tool-less bloke!

Plans of mice and men .....

"O.K. Someday—we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and—"

"An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted. "An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that George."

"Why'n't you do it yourself? You know all of it."

"No…you tell it. It ain't the same if I tell it. Go on…George. How I get to tend the rabbits." (1.119-123)

I loved Steinbeck's " Of Mice and Men" when I was at school. And later I encouraged students to read this slim novella.

Our return to Australia could have easily been part of such a novel. Themes like redemption, appreciation, hopes for the future and love of family all apply to this journey home after two years away. The reality has been more akin to the novel than I could ever have imagined.

In November my daughter told me amazing news. I was to be a grandma. My baby was to have her first child in April 2016. I went into grandma frenzy. Everywhere I went I saw baby shops. She confided in me that she was expecting a baby boy. How marvellous! So naturally baby clothes, a musical merry go round were bought, wrapped and packed. 

I rang weekly, as prearranged by me, to keep up with the news, and ensure I knew how she was going. Teaching had become our meeting place, now a baby would help, I hoped, for us to reconnect: my constant desire.

Steve and I had begun to plan our return home to Australia. Trying to get closer to my children was the plan. Domain, a property website, became my favourite internet addiction. But reality said we could not return to Sydney. It was too expensive. So Brisbane Waters became our place of choice: near water and a train line. Even rethinking our next years sailing had begun. Where would we leave Pavlov for 6 months as we made our move south?

However as in the novel, plans often go awry even when it seems like nothing can happen to alter such wonderful times.

Sydney is always a shock to us on our return from Europe. Hectic, crowded and expensive. Great to catch up with my family. Michael my son met us at the airport and immediately he took us to meet his partner Jason. It was wonderful to see my boy happy. 

Sophie was well. I gave her my gifts and we planned a dinner on the following Monday. On Sunday morning I received the worse text I could ever have . Her baby had died that night. I was devastated for him and for Sophie and her husband. But what could I do? 

As the days past and I didn't see her the reality of this loss took hold. I felt helpless. 

We left for Ballina and it felt like our life and plans for our future had changed again, as radically as the change I had felt were needed in the November. A message from "somewhere " miraculously enabled my flowers to arrive in time for Sophie to take them to the funeral. Thanks mum and dad.

We both miss Pavlov and the security and freedom she offers. In a life that really is so tenuous the familiarity and enjoyment of our cruising life is sorely missed. 

Life has served us all a massive sledge, from which I don't know how long it will take to recover. My hopes for a better future and resolution seem dashed. Will we cruise forever?

However as the sea beats against the rocks and gradually alters the shape of the coastline, I know things will change. Though I am generally a pessimist, about my children I am always optimistic.

Megan