Next Steps

I’m coming to the end of a wonderfully restorative break in Adelaide and this time next week I’ll be knee deep in boxes trying to unpack my belongings in Tokyo and build a new home.

The weather here in Adelaide has been cool; cloudier and wetter than I’ve experienced in previous years. I’ve basically been living in the same “uniform” (IceBreaker tops, Seven for All Mankind jeans and Ecco or R.M. Williams boots) for the past five weeks. I’ve gone for long bike rides most days, though yesterday I had a long walk, after bursting a tire close to the turning point of my ride.

Normally I take a lot of photos on these trips, but this time, apart from daily iPhone images on Instagram, I’ve been taking fewer images. In fact, I’ve spent a big chunk of my time writing and the moments in-between managing some boring server and host issues on my websites.

And, I’ve also been soaking up some creative inspiration from SALA, the South Australian Living Artist’s festival, which has new work from local artists in all kinds of venues across Adelaide and around the state. It really is an extraordinary event, the likes of which I have not seen in any city I’ve lived in and a living testimony to the amount and diversity of art made in this place.

Pretty soon I’ll be surrounded by to-do lists and all the steady stream of chores that come with setting up life in a strange new city (including a much needed haircut!). But, for now, I’m leaning into the last wintery days of this restful sojourn, letting the quiet of this place heal my tired soul before I board that plane for Tokyo.