Megan Online: November 2009

Well, it is hard for me to fully realise it, but uni is over. That little monkey that's been sitting on my shoulder saying 'you should be studying, you should be studying' for most of the last 21 months or so is starting to slip off her perch ...and I am beginning to realise what it is to be fully alive again! I have only had a few days so far, so it really hasn't sunk in...

At any rate, I do know now that there is time to write a long overdue post here. So here it is: a brief look at my life, love and other lessons over the past few months:

I have spent a lot of that time down at Byron with Mookie, riding bikes, walking on the beach, being domestic, loving and sharing our lives and thoughts - love at our age is precious and beautiful. However, despite all we have in common, we have had different life paths and now have different commitments to families and places so it seems we will continue to spend time apart - but who knows what will happen next? Life is an adventure, after all...

Mookie is a musician

and I have loved to be around lots of music once again -

learning new songs and even becoming the proud new owner of a tenor ukulele called Mahalia. She sings tender little tunes even under my inexpert hands and it is sweet to have an opportunity to learn a stringed instrument. Although my brain doesn't seem to hold information the way it used to, it's gotta be good to keep trying. Mookie is pretty encouraging of my efforts and now uni has finished I can become a bit more focussed on music.

I also plan to anthologise his songs over the next few months, he is a great songwriter and has written hundreds of them. And I need a few little projects to keep me busy ... I don't know what is around the next corner and the habit of writing and organising has gotten pretty strong over the last year.

There is a remote chance that Mookie may get funding to continue the recording of traditional Fijian music that he began this year and if I could use my degree to research that also - that could be fantastic!

I bought Sunshine - a little yellow campervan - on impulse a few weeks ago, not sure if I will keep it but we may use it for a few months of getaway times.

We took her to Woody Head folk gathering for her maiden voyage and she did well, despite rain and not very good music. Mook amused himself taking some great photos and we coped well.

The van is in incredibly good condition and I should be able to resell it if I decide to but it uses a lot more fuel than my serendipitous little red wagon and it seems the cost of gas conversion has risen astronomically since the government rebate was introduced...

Meantime, back at the ranch there are the usual myriad tasks ...

here is Ben making the new classy staircase to the loft. I have been fixing up the house with the intention of being able to share it with another person who can be here when I am away. The place is lovely and peaceful as ever and I have been lucky enough to have a friendly young couple, Ash and Nicola, with a gorgeous cheeky 2 year-old daughter as neighbours - they are renting the little house and the builders have almost finished adding on a bedroom for them. Tuntable has been blessed with an influx of young families, great people who really want to be here - there is a renaissance happening, it is so heartening to see little troupes of blonde toddlers playing in the creek and hanging around the Centre with their parents all sharing them. Just like the old days.

There have been lots of funerals - and Doug and Biko's wedding,

which Lisa came up and stayed for, was wonderful. Their vows were especially touching - the celebrant asked if they might hurt each other - to which they answered that they may - and then affirmed that it would never be their intention to do so. It was great to see their big kids up there smiling and Zelly read a beautiful poem she had written, before we all feasted and partied in true Tuntable style.

The cafe continues - Mookie helped me with the cooking a couple of times which just made it so much easier and more enjoyable for me and he also played music, which is his forte wherever he goes. We have another one this Friday and I hope it will be a success and not too exhausting for me. Getting too old to do everything (maybe!).

The Bundjalung people held the first corroboree for over 70 years at the Nimbin showground recently - a beautiful peaceful event, hopefully the first of many. Some amazing dancing and excellent music from Chris and Marcelle and others - they just carried on carrying on for hours, it was brilliant.

And Tara's tutus in the Nimbin Fashion Show last weekend were brilliant too! What a girl!