Yesterday Jemma made Tamales. Tamales are a Latin American food, I don’t know which country they started in first, but they have them in Peru and in Mexico. I am having one for lunch and it is really reminding me of Peru. When I was there I ate them a lot. There was a woman who used to sell them on the corner of my street. She would stand there yelling out “Tamales, Tamales” for hours. Often on my way home from work I would stop to ask if she had vegetarian ones. At first she didn’t but after awhile when she saw me she would yell out “señorita, señorita tamales vegetarianas for you, for you.” So I felt I would have to buy them. So they bacame my regular afternoon snack with a cup of tea. Next week I am going to get Jemma to teach me how to make them. Maybe they will become a regular snack here too.

Before I get on to Alice and the desert journey I just want to say how good is this weather. I am writing this post on my front veranda. I am in jeans and a T.Shirt and I am so warm. The sky is so blue and through the green leaves of the big tree just out the front it looks so beautiful. This is what the weather was like in Alice in fact. Perhaps we brought it back with us.

So, we had an amazing time in Alice and on our desert journey. Quite profound really. I love mum and Keith house. It is just so beautiful sitting on their veranda and looking out over the white gums and the blue skies and red rocks. Even though I have only been there twice it feels so homely and makes me feel so relaxed. I think being beside mountain ranges that are millions of years old helps get one’s life in perspective.

However most of our time was spent on a journey through the desert. There was twelve of us, mum and Keith; Steve and Miriam; my mum and Keith’s friend’s Anne, John and Jeremy (who lives in Alice as well); two people we didn’t know at first Yvonne and Cam; Martin and I and John. They were all wonderful people, very different people but all really open to everything and cruisy with whatever happened (which was very important because we never really knew what was going to happen).

John was our guide. He is an indigenous elder, and it was his country we journeyed through. I think it was John who really made the trip for all us. He certainly was what made it for me. He took us to pretty remote places that we just never would have gone had he not been there. We went to the most majestic gaps as well as across never ending flat plains. He found us wild honey in the trees and water in the most unbelievable places. Most memorably inside some rocks we would have just walked past never knowing it was there. It really makes you realise how his people survived. He also always found us great camping spots, in river beds (not flowing obviously) and under the most magnificant ranges. It is such special experience waking up and emerging from a tent to just look up at a burning red rock on a crystal blue sky.

Sometimes it was really easy, cool, shady, still and stunning. Other times it was really hard, hot, windy, dusty, flies everywhere (not to mention we were filthy and my skin was coming up with eczema). However, it was good to have the hard times to make the easy times more special. I think that really is one of the lessons that desert teaches us. And as I have been reflecting a lot on Sabbath Economics ever since the TEAR conference I began thinking about how the desert does provide for the needs of the people but it does not provide in excess. To survive one needs to take care with what is there and use it wisely. It needs to be shared. It was in a place like this that God taught his people how they were to live in times when there would be abundance. For thousands of years indigenous people did do this and many still do. We don’t, I certainly don’t.

I have been wanting to write about being in Alice Springs and our desert journey but since been back I have been so overwhelmed by all I have to catch up on at work as well as my life that I haven’t got to it. Hopefully soon. Holidays are great but it is pretty stressful coming back. Not to mention kind of sad. I miss been on holidays and been with my mum and my sister.

Also kind of miss not really being up to date on the news and what is going on in the world. Driving around today and listening to the radio was also pretty overwhelming. I know they do that on purpose and I am trying to ignore it but not succeeding very well.

Good thing about being back though is my home which I love and seeing some lovely people like Jem again. Also started pilates which makes me feel good.

I am actually in Alice Springs at the moment. I am very happy to be here, weather is perfect and so are the views, but I am going to write about Melbourne as I didn’t managed to do that while in Melbourne. I will do Alice and the desert trip on return.

So Melbourne. We had a great time there. My main agenda was to get into Gem’s world a bit and meet her friends and see what she does. Everyone was so wlecoming and kind so I felt I was able to do that. Gem and the Urban Seed people are doing some great stuff. I also got to catch up with David which was second on my agenda. He very kindly had us for breakfast at his house one morning which was good and we spent many an hour walking around Melbourne drinking coffee and wine too which I thought was very David.

The final thing on my agenda was to see Melbourne and little bit of Victoria. Neither Martin and I had been before so we were keen to see the sights. So we went down the great ocean road and saw the twleve apostles. They were spectacular and it was really interesting to read about how they were formed and see other places where one day there will be more apostles. We spent the night in Port Campbell. My dad who was with us decided we should stay somewhere a bit nice and kindly helped fund that so we did. The place had the nicest view and a spa which was just divine. We came back via the Otways National Park and did some short walks. In Melbourne itself we visited St Kilda. We didn’t see any cake shops which upset my mum greatly but we had a great time at Soul Mama. We also took a ferry along the Yarra to Williamstown. Apart from that just a lot of wandering around town eating and drinking coffee in the many exciting streets of Melbourne.

All in all a lot of fun and so good to catch up with my family and friends.

I don’t have to go back to work until 17 September. How good is that. Not that work has been bad lately, as said in previous posts it is actually quite fine but holidays rock. And I am really happy that in the next two weeks I am going to see my mum, my sister and my dad not to mention some other awesome people who I don’t see much like David and Keith and Steve and Mim.

My grandparents came to visit today. It was the first time they have seen my house and I was a bit worried that they would not like it very much. However they said they loved and I think they really did. They like old things so were fascinated by when it was built etc. The back step which is sort of in the shape of the bum which I always look at and think about all the people that sat there and laughed and cried and drunk tea they too were excited about and asked the same questions. We had brunch and they asked about my paintings and my teapots and how we are settling in. They talked about their trips and the family and even some of their struggles with getting old and losing many of their friends. It is not always easy with but today was all just lovely so I will cherish it.

Now we have a local peruvian family coming for lunch and then Hannah in the evening so I better go prepare for hospitality number two.