Further to my last rant... It seems that I (Rachel) have also developed a desire to buy those dinky little Australian flag patches. I think this arises not so much from pride in the state of the country, but because I am terrified by the thought that I will be mistaken for an American. Not that I have anything against Americans... only most of their accents, their government (yep, Australia's so much better), their LOUD TALKING. I have not as yet acquired any of this Australiana, and I doubt I will, but the fact that I have actually considered it makes me slightly queasy!
*
Now, onto real travelling business. Here is a list of stuff I am putting in my bag. I am doing you a service, because one day YOU might be trying to pack, and wonder if you've missed anything, and you can refer to this HANDY LIST.
Sleeping Bag (I lerv my sleeping bag)
Travel Sheet
Pillow case
1 x Jeans (they say they're heavy, I say I'll only need to wash them once a month!)
2 x Fisherman's Pants (Fishermen's Pants? Fisherperson's Pants?)
1 x Nice Skirt (for a wedding... you might not need this)
1 x Sarong (can be used as a skirt, a scarf, a sheet, a curtain, a tablecloth, a bag... wow)
1 x Nice Shirt (again, wedding)
3 x T-Shirts
2 x Sleeveless Tops (many, many E's in that word)
1 x Shearer's Singlet (also known affectionately as a Wife-Beater)
1 x Waterproof/Warm Jacket
1 x Hoodie
1 x Thermal top
1 x Spencer
Many Undies
Many Socks
Bathers
1 pair Nice Shoes
1 pair Sneakers
1 pair Thongs (in the Australian sense)
Travel Towel (eep! so cute and small)
Flannel (or facewasher if you will)
Plastic Bags!
Calico Bags!
Toiletries (soap - and a stocking for it!, sunscreen, insect repellent, first aid stuff, much painkiller material, safety pins, earplugs, gaffer tape, needle and thread, alarm clock... the list continues...)
AND! In my day pack, I will have:
Diary
Journal
Pens and pencils
Guidebook
Novel
Beanie
Sunhat
Glasses
Sunnies
Emergency Socks and Undies!
Swiss Army Knife
Corkscrew
I also have some padlocks and such things. And, of course, money-things, passport things, ticket things... and PHOTOCOPIES of all!
So, I hope you have found this long, rambling blog useful. If you have any suggestions of what to take or leave, then post a comment! Hope you're all well, and remember to come to our party this Saturday, and to the garage/loungeroom sale on Saturday and Sunday!
29 March 2005
23 March 2005
20 DAYS TO GO
20 days to go... For some reason I considered buying a Tim Winton book yesterday. I've never liked Tim Winton, because when we had to read him in high school I felt like I was being force-fed "the country" (as in rural Australia). And it felt fake - not like the country I was living in. And I thought he was probably a wanker. Now, I'm probably wrong (I hope I'm wrong), and I know I haven't got any basis for this Tim Winton disgust, but it's there all the same. It felt like the writing of a city-dweller who decided to rough it for a bit in some small rural town. Not like someone who had actually lived there all their life. But then again, he's writing mainly for aforementioned city-dwellers, so maybe that's the only way they/you can see "the bush." Tim Winton is like an updated version of... I was going to say Henry Lawson. But maybe Banjo Patterson is a better example. A middle-aged white male writer. And, whether or not this is in any way accurate, you can now see why ME considering to buy one of HIS books is cause for concern!
Maybe the words (Dirt Music, or Cloudstreet) could stretch like an umbilical cord from my Europe-bound belly button to Australia. I was going to write "to my home," but that's a little innacurate, as Tim Winton does not connect me to my parents, or to the house in which I grew up, or to my friends. Just to an abstract notion of a nation. A nation in which dwell thousands of people who will also be reading Tim Winton. And that's not nothing, that's something.
*
In other news - aside from that rant - I (Rachel) have only 2 shifts left at the bookshop, and 5 at the post office. Only 20 days. Dan has 1-2 weeks of work left. If you're reading this, then you probably already know about the going away thing on Saturday 2nd April. If not, give us a call, or email, and we'll update you. We are starting to pack up the house. All the books are going into boxes. I didn't realise we had so many! We are also planning on having a garage sale on Sat 2nd April from 9-4, and on Sun 3rd April from 10-4. So come along - there will be clothes, furniature, kitchen stuff, books, general crap. Also selling a mini-disk player (Sony). It cost me $400 when I bought it about 3 years ago. Asking $200. It can also record, and I can throw in a really dodge mic. Have booked some internal flights in Europe (UK-Spain, Spain-Italy). Very excited! See you all soon, I hope.
Maybe the words (Dirt Music, or Cloudstreet) could stretch like an umbilical cord from my Europe-bound belly button to Australia. I was going to write "to my home," but that's a little innacurate, as Tim Winton does not connect me to my parents, or to the house in which I grew up, or to my friends. Just to an abstract notion of a nation. A nation in which dwell thousands of people who will also be reading Tim Winton. And that's not nothing, that's something.
*
In other news - aside from that rant - I (Rachel) have only 2 shifts left at the bookshop, and 5 at the post office. Only 20 days. Dan has 1-2 weeks of work left. If you're reading this, then you probably already know about the going away thing on Saturday 2nd April. If not, give us a call, or email, and we'll update you. We are starting to pack up the house. All the books are going into boxes. I didn't realise we had so many! We are also planning on having a garage sale on Sat 2nd April from 9-4, and on Sun 3rd April from 10-4. So come along - there will be clothes, furniature, kitchen stuff, books, general crap. Also selling a mini-disk player (Sony). It cost me $400 when I bought it about 3 years ago. Asking $200. It can also record, and I can throw in a really dodge mic. Have booked some internal flights in Europe (UK-Spain, Spain-Italy). Very excited! See you all soon, I hope.
7 March 2005
SMALL BITS OF INFO... FOR YOU!
firstly - YAY! RACHEL HAS GRADUATED!!! (refer to her as Rachel, BcA (Hons) if you will!)...
secondly, for those that are interested - and face it, would you be here if you weren't? - here is a sketchy itinerary...
APRIL
12th - LEAVE! fly via Japan (overnight stop).
13th - GET TO LONDON!!! yay!!!
25th - VISIT ROSS IN MANCHESTER
29th - WATCH HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (nerds!)
MAY
3rd - fly to Girona
6th-ish - to Barcelona
11th-ish - to Madrid
16th-ish - to Valencia
18th - fly to Roma
the rest of may - florence, siena, venice... oh the pain!!!
JUNE
to switzerland, to visit heidi!!!
to germany, to meander through the black forest, maybe do some cycling...
to holland to see some relatives, do more cycling, do amsterdam, "etc"...
ferry back to the UK.
Will write about the UK adventures in a later post. Hope you are all well, and we promise to upload some sort of photographic evidence of our existence soon!
secondly, for those that are interested - and face it, would you be here if you weren't? - here is a sketchy itinerary...
APRIL
12th - LEAVE! fly via Japan (overnight stop).
13th - GET TO LONDON!!! yay!!!
25th - VISIT ROSS IN MANCHESTER
29th - WATCH HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (nerds!)
MAY
3rd - fly to Girona
6th-ish - to Barcelona
11th-ish - to Madrid
16th-ish - to Valencia
18th - fly to Roma
the rest of may - florence, siena, venice... oh the pain!!!
JUNE
to switzerland, to visit heidi!!!
to germany, to meander through the black forest, maybe do some cycling...
to holland to see some relatives, do more cycling, do amsterdam, "etc"...
ferry back to the UK.
Will write about the UK adventures in a later post. Hope you are all well, and we promise to upload some sort of photographic evidence of our existence soon!
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