Category: Posted on the fly

6.24 AM.

Neat slow sunup of heavy mist and isolation. Been good to me, this hilltop rest area. Haven’t had to deal with noise ir people parking too close, but one (who moved).

No idea how Moruya is faring from visitors. Not looking forward to it.

But it’s Monday after Christmas and New Years, now mercifully past, and with it hopefully goes the worst. Sad as always to see a tormentor go. I so easily and deeply relate.

Enjoying fog and coffee and all NYT commentary options closed. Peace.

8.40 AM

Packed up and now down at Quaama Dry Creek (low) stop. Filled up water bottles in case, scrub the face, and now leaving Quaama altogether.

Aiming for a shower at Narooma.

Arrived Bodalla SF

11.05 AM

Boiling a coffee. Long Narooma shower, then groceries, Narooma packed, Wild Fin is out but C’s car not parked. Then here.

Acutely aware this and Moruya won’t be as easy or wonderful as Quaama hilltop. Travellers everywhere. Could get cramped out and expect I will.

Anyway, I have a spot with a table to paint on.

6.25 PM

A prick turned up. Could tell by him inviting himself to the table where I was privately reading and looking into my can twice. Cantankerous self-righteous fuck. He blocked out a potential neighbour by putting redundant solar panels on the ground – in rain and a thunderstorm.

So the lovely couple who arrived are on an angle. Then he invited another huge van onto his spot and is talking loudly.

Prick. Going to be here a while too, by the look of his set up.

The entire rest area is packed out now, people drinking and set up with florid decorations.

I think I’ll be okay tonight, but it’s nothing like my isolated beautifully-lonely hilltop.

Then this week Wed Thurs Fri is deadly heatwave. I detest summer holidays. Good luck to everyone else though.

As I write, the caravan on the other side has fired up TV or music with noisy talking and a beat. You have to be joking!!!!

Fucking hell.

(I’m using earplugs for the news. Aren’t I the idiot.)

7.25 PM

Now a 4WD has driven offroad and parked nearby. This was also the only view I had but now they both block that slither and can look in.

I’m surrounded 320 degrees by vehicles.

This place is nasty. The rationale is that if there’s a patch of ground it can be taken, no matter that it’s adjacent to someone else.

People who get here late, instead of preparing and getting early, push in and destroy the amenity of those like me who do the right thing. They simply have a fuck you I’m selfish attitude and barge in, usually noisy too in setting up.

As for the prick. He’s into the beers and talking loudly to his little, organised social club.

I knew it would be bad here.

Seconds ago, using "night" mode on the camera.

The shots of the rest area are actually taken in the dark. In others, barely light from predawn with the moon receding behind mist shrouded mountains.

I noticed this morning a couple of other vans had stopped over. Lovely foggy, warery morning. A real joy to see and feel it unfold from the night.

UPDATE 7.35 AM

Just went outside to get these shots of wonderful persisting fog and got assaulted by a hundred voracious flies.

UPDATE 12 NOON

Thunderstorm brewing. Here at Quaama low site having painted all morning. A bloke prior to that stuck his stickybeak head in the window to see if I was alright Sure. He lives up the road and my being at hilltop day after day spun out his little head. Lives with his wife, who’s been doing watercolours all her life, won Quaama awards or some such (birds), on their daughter’s property.

“It’s not normal, ” the daughter told him so, on his way for the daily paper at Quaama store, he stuck his head in.

Nice enough, and had a lot to say about neighbours.

A few people have called in to the toilets, and the highway is very busy. Nonstop.

It’ll be good to leave here after tonight. Been a very good escape. Not at all looking forward to Waldren’s Swamp rest area, mainly because of the jamming up close and, particularly, the Pests of Waldrens Swamp. Daniel and Jarnie. Guaranteed to disturb, and act like it’s theirs and not the community’s. Smug selfishness. Horrible.

As soon as I can (Bluetti hold up) I’ll get up on the tablelands.

2.15 PM

Gone up to hilltop. The storm has passed. Going to just chill and enjoy the spot, leaving tomorrow. Bit weary from painting earlier.

The updated works from today. Still a long way to go on some.

7.45 AM

Requiring food I’ll have to go to Bermagui or Bega today, which gives me something to do and therefore a false sense of purpose.

I might paint for a few hours beforehand.

No one stopped over, here at hilltop Quaama. Very damp landscape to wake to. Actually woke at 2 15AM and listened to radio, couldn’t turn the damn thing off without glasses and sparked another sleepless passage.

I’m really just counting out the days right now. Christmas to New Years and their relevant weekends are the worst for me. I need to reduce everything to the task of getting through the period.

So it’s not long now. Three more nights, storage opens and I can hopefully finish with the idiotic Bluetti and get away properly.

UPDATE 2.45 PM

Back at Quaama. Today: shower at the bush spot near Bermy turn off, then into Bermagui. Groceries. Down to Cuttagee after the lookout. Faffed around the whole time. Lunch at Cuttagee.

Back to Cobargo where I checked out the field on which the Dolphins I coached beat Cobargo in the Grand Final. Good memories.

Then low blood sugar after lunch, unusually. Took food nibbles but no good. Stopped at Cobargo pub until it came good, had coke no sugar.

Months ago I put $10 into the pokies at BBay Ex Services and took out $40. Today I put that 40 into Cobargo and won two jackpots and took out 200. Could have easily been a lot more. I got out of there. I’ve known for days I’d win.

Photos from the day.

Cool, still morning.This looks over the low range to Bermagui. 

Mist shot through an unclean window, later:

Oats And Peanut Butter Breakfast

After six years of oats and almond meal for breakfast, today is a first. We’ll see how the sugar levels respond.

9.25 AM

Showered, leaving hilltop for creekstop

Glucose levels are brilliant.

Loving patches of sunlight, playing with the landscape.

UPDATE 2.30 PM

Big day. Went down the hill to the creek stop, put on the flynet because the flies were horrendous, and painted all day. Three new ones inspired by the Quaama valleys landscape.

Met three motorbike riders, serious travel rigs both bikes, and struck up immediate rapport. They fed me bits of unusual foods they were carrying, had studied nursing and were from Sydney, going to Melbourne, and with hearty goodbyes roared off on their way. Indonesian heritage. Terrific to meet them. Man, wife and probably friend.

Sun is out now and belting.

Glucose levels have been superb all day. No big post breakfast hike or pre lunch plummet.

Going for a short walk to the creek, then up the hill. Hopefully the repetitive noise isn’t thete this afternoon. Hate it. Should be banned but no one else (probably) hears it.