hello stranger

It's been a while but, boy oh boy, do I have some stories to tell. I've had a lovely couple of weeks... catching up with family, soaking up some culcha in Perth, chilling in the forest + exploring the south-west. The wildflowers are lighting up the bush, the wineries are buzzing + I wouldn't be surprised if Fremantle has more gelato per capita than Rome. All good!

Some highlights...

--OUR FAMILY GET-TOGETHER: We had a long weekend in Perth to celebrate my Nana's 90th birthday. Such a treat to see my immediate fam for the first time in three months + to hang out with 'the kids'. Most importantly, I think Nana was thrilled to have us all together for the first time in a long time.

--MY BIRTHPLACE: There's been a bit of whinging about Perth but I thought it had a good laid-back feel. And actually it felt like a laid-back mega-metropolis after all my quiet time in the country. My flying visit gave me just enough time to hang with the monkeys, explore Freo + the city, devour the contents of several galleries, catch a good flick + spend way too much bookshop money. I was stoked with the state gallery's Wonderlust exhibition. It included several old favourites and a handful of pieces that I've long loved from afar (i.e. in books + not in the flesh). Culture Warriors (the National Indigenous Art Triennial) was on too + was a stunning, challenging, moving show. Really, bottom line, it doesn't take much more than art + gelato to keep me happy!

--PEOPLE: I had heaps of fun with my Mum's mate Kath in Perth, then was the esteemed first guest at Libby + Martin's new farm. After bidding some sad farewells, I started my slow drive back to Albany + spent a night with the very gorgeous Billy + Elaine. I was shy about rockin up on a stranger's doorstep but am sooooo glad I did. Billy has built their place from scratch in the forest near Pemberton + it is serious fairytale stuff. The creative inspiration continued - beautiful home, delicious slow food, amazing stories, a few sneaky joints. (Honestly, those older folk are corrupting!) I've been such a lucky duck, surrounded by wonderful warm people in my time away.

--NATURE: Holy moly this is a beautiful part of the world! The southern forests are majestic, enormous, ancient. Billy + Elaine recommended a fabulous sculpture walk at Northcliffe, which combined art + nature + even more wildflowers. I could have spent another 100 days just wandering about + breathing it all in.

Unfortunately there's no 100 days left at my disposal. The last moments of my wild west adventure are flying by. It's hard to believe that next week I'll be making the long trek back to the eastern states but that's the truth of the matter! More sad goodbyes + happy hellos to come.