not going to back-blog and catch up from where I left off, but just wanted to priopritise and let everyone know I'm doing ok and haven't been affected by the fires. There was one burning about 70km away on the really bad Saturday when we were staying in Halls Gap in the Grampians, and that was a bit worrying (given our lack of support vehicle..and that we were surrounded by big trees for kilometres around), but it didn't move closer. So, safe n sound, and none of the towns we'll be going through have been directly effected either as we're mostly in the West of Vic and they were mostly eastern.
The fires have hit home to me a lot more than the ones 3 years back, which I thought sounded terrible and everything, but didn't seem quite real or tangible. But now I can really imagine the communities they've effected, and have ridden through areas effected by the last ones, and heard what it was like being a town over from those ones (not being able to see you hand in front of you from the smoke), and met an awesome woman who we hung out with for a few nights, whose uncle lost his whole family in Marysville. It's just a lot more real, shocking, and sad.
Can't believe Bolt and other right winger's are taking it as a chance to sledge "the greenies", but not all that suprising I guess, given past patterns.
ok moving on, only got a really short time left on the computer.
In Castlemaine right now, seems like a funky little town, nice people, bikes. We arrived a few hours ago, rode 50km from Marysboough.
So far gone...Smelbs->Geelong->Winchelsea->Colac->Camperdown->Warrnambool->Portland->Hamilton->Dunkeld->Halls Gap->Stawell->Ararat->Marysborough->Castlemaine.
Next stops are...umm.. Bendigo->Kyneton->Woodend->Smelbs..and I thibnk I've forgotten one town but whatever, you probably don't know where I'm talking about anyway :)
So...it's really amped up since I last wrote. We've done way more schools and had a much busier schedule, which has actually been in some ways more energising rather than exhausting. Had some really awesome responses, from all different sorts of age groups (we presented to year 5's and 6's yesterday!), who respond to different aspects of the play and workshops.
ok really really have to run. But otherupdate is that we've lost 2 of our team members. Anna fell off her bike a few days ago and has had to go hometo Adelaide, which is really sad, but should hopefully visit us again before the end of the tour. Be has had to leave us, as we knew she would, too. It's funny how much yuou feel 2 people, or even one, in a gorpu of 14 but you really do feel their absence.
But, I'm doing well and lovin it, as a conclusion! Here's a snapshot of the beautiful things we see each ride...complete with bushfire fluorescent red/orange sun
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