Jessie Casson

Three weeks have flown by since we pulled back into Pt Chev. I said to matt the other night, “The three months away seems like a distant dream now” and he replied, “I know”. As I write this Matt is cleaning the car and when Dylan wakes we are going shopping for a posh frock for me. We have slipped, rather seamlessly, back into city life and the weekends are now filled with lattes, brunches and walks to the playground. I wonder if everyone who had a childhood running free in fields, climbing trees and stone hopping in streams feels the same strained confinement of living in suburbia. But right now I am happy, the book is taking shape and I love lying out the small contact prints in a line and standing back and admiring the work. It’s my project; my book and I feel proud.

Back to large beds, showers that do more than dribble, a dishwasher and a large static house. For the last day of the trip and the following days I felt exhausted, headachy and very out of sorts. Whether this was a reaction to the end of the mission I can’t say but I think perhaps the mental adjustment back to “normal’ life might have played a part. The last week saw more beach action than the rest of the trip put together and 4 more champions were collected. Allan making a last minute entry as a winner of the ‘Wearable Arts’ held annually in Wellington. Allan lives a 20 minute walk into the bush, past the lake through the goats field and across a couple more stiles to reach his incredible abode. We all went to visit Allan, who has lived without power since 1971 raising a family there and working as an artist.

Matt did twelve hours at work to day, next week the clocks go back and things seem slightly grey in comparison to life in the sunshine bus on the road. But there is still plenty to be done, we have a book to edit, an exhibition to create and a two year old to potty train.