Indelible Adventures

When I first moved to Darwin in 1984 there were a host of personal adjustments that I needed to make.   Some of these were weather related because Darwin is in the north or “Top End” as the locals refer to it.    If you drew a line around the earth you’d see that Darwin is at the same latitude as Lima, Peru and if you flipped it to the Northern Hemisphere Caracas, Venezuela would be its equivalent.   Dare I say it’s hot all year round, as it only 1378 kilometres from the equator? Darwin, Australia in relation and proximity to Asia It took me about a year to get used to the climate or one full cycle of “wet” season or monsoon and one cycle of the “dry”, each approximately six months in duration, both with an average temperature of between 34 – 36 Celsius each day, except that in the wet season its 100% humidity so you sweat just by thinking let alone being under the hot tropical sun whereas in the dry season it’s the same temperature but with the cooling t...

Someone asked me recently if I ever got sick of traveling…   No seriously they did!  How do you respond to that?   I mean really…it’s me they’re talking to.  Traveling is my lifeblood; it’s the thing, other than Zach and Sami that gets me up in the morning.  It’s in my genes…deep! I’m not sure if I have a favorite part of traveling, I’m just as excited at the prospect of planning a new adventure as much as I am of embarking on it.   I’ve always had a very fertile imagination, which was developed at an early age and quickly refined into an art form.  I guess in actuality it was a form of escapism for me, as often I’d sit as a child wishing I were always somewhere else rather than where I was at that moment.  That imagination was formed in the crucible of poverty and alcohol abuse that surrounded me as a child growing up.  I would often retreat into my imagination whenever I felt like I needed to be somewhere else, which to be honest was qu...

Whenever I get back to Australia I’ll go into a shop and they’ll ask if I need any help, of course when I respond they almost always say ”oh, what part of the states are you from”? WTF!   I then try and explain that I was born and brought up locally to which they often shake their heads and with a look of disbelief think I’m taking the piss out of them… It’s particularly strange because when I’m here in either Canada or the US that’s the first thing people say to me “where are you from?  Are you Australian?”   Quickly and often followed by how long have you been here as if I’d just got off the boat.  And its then that I endeavour to explain that I’ve actually lived in Canada for many years, to which they invariably shake their heads and say “yeah right”. Clearly I can’t seem to win on where I actually belong based on my accent.  Very useful on your trip to Australia Read it before you arrive though as you don't want to look like a "dag". Now occasion...

It was always on the cards, but now its arrived in full force!   This week both Zach and Sami went back to school, Zach to start year 9 in the senior school and Sami to begin year 7 the first year of middle school. The kids are with me this weekend; Sami and I had a wonderful day, which included going for late lunch (she only had a ½ day of school today), and then a long stroll along the Danforth in the beautiful afternoon sunshine.  As we neared home she sheepishly asked if she could go to a friends house for a sleepover tonight.  What was I going to say but yes.   So tonight after dinner I dropped her off at her friends house, then in the morning I’ll pick her up before her soccer game, which is her first game with her new fall league team.   Can you say taxi service? ☺ Zach's Gr.8 Academic Award - History & Geography 2012-13 Zach’s first few days of school this week were spent at a camp up north with all of the grade 9 boys.  Surprisingly...