Was so lovely to wake up with nothing to do for the first time in ages.
Had a relaxing lay in for a while, listened to the ocean, enjoyed not thinking about housework, work alarms, or anything other than 'what fun can I have today?'
Dongara is a tiny little town but I really like it. Quaint little shops, lots of artsy stuff, a great little op shop, really friendly towns folk, and a really admirable collection of pristine houses all neatly kept to showcase the town as one filled with people who have pride in their location and joy in their community. I always feel that a run down house front reflects on the state of mind of the owners: unhappy, disconnected, turmoil, lacking of respect and control. Of course some people are unhealthy or disabled and this is not physically an option, but for the most part that is just how I read into it. A good network of community spirit would have that person helped out anyway, and I believe that is the feeling I get in Dongara. I want to be in a community like that and for the most part I think I have built up a good strong network of caring people back home, but cities are just so big it has you feeling overwhelmed and disconnected if you don't do some reaching out.
We walked through the town centre and went in and out of all the little businesses along the main streets. It is lovely to chat to all the store owners who are so welcoming and genuine, telling you stories and having a laugh with you. These are the 'feels' that have you coming back to these little towns. We found a little surf shop and Hobbit (who normally never wants to buy anything) found a great pair of sneakers and a gorgeous jumper in a fabulous shade of cobalt blue which looks fantastic on him. The lady in the shop was so helpful and it was our pleasure to support her business, better to buy there than go to the big companies and help some rich overpaid CEO to achieve figures he doesn't deserve so he can underpay a team of people who don't like their jobs and don't give a shit about customer service because that is exactly the atmosphere an uncaring and statts-driven CEO creates.
There was a huge yellow shed set up as an arts and crafts fair. We enjoyed looking at all the quirky crafty items and admiring the imagination and talents of the locals. I particularly liked smelling all the soy candles and reading the wooden sign stand. My favourite read "The cats have been fed - don't believe their bullshit" this is so appropriate for us as Hobbit and I often have to sms each other when we are passing through otherwise the cats will act starving in order to get a second meal, the buttmunchers. We then visited the bakery and bought way too many cakes and meringues, with absolutely NO regrets hahaha! Stopped at the BP cafe for the best pies in the north, and took them home so we could enjoy them in our little villa facing the ocean with that lovely gentle sound of the sea crashing against the shore.
After late lunch we took off for a lovely long beach walk. It was very sea-weedy on the beach and in some areas where there were pools of water and rotting seaweed the smell could get really bad, but this was no big deal as the walk was really lovely and just what we needed to help lunch digest. Of course me being the socialite I am we stopped for a nice convo with an elderly couple walking their dog. We had a pat of their sweet little dog, Daisy, who is a tan kelpie, and the owners told us some fantastic tales of fishing the Shark Bay area when he was, young, carefree, and no fear. He told us of boat trips on rickety boats that broke down and the ingenious ways they thought of to fix it with whatever was on board to get them back home and out of dangerous waters. He told us of falling in the water after too many King Browns whilst catching great big snapper and coming back up to the surface with the fish. Great stories! I love chatting to the grey nomads and northern locals, they always tell the best stories.
I thought about it on the walk back and asked Hobbit "What stories will we be telling youngies when we are the grey nomads? we haven't done anything even near as interesting as that" Perhaps we will have something to say by then, maybe these adventures are our stories? We have certainly had many of them. Maybe what we do now doesn't seem all that memorable now but when we are older and looking back these will be the days we talk about? I hope that by blogging I have something to look back on that will refresh my memory. I certainly hope that my life is interesting enough when I look back on it someday, I certainly do not want to think at any stage that I wasted this time where I am happy, healthy, and able and squandered it. I know my 20's was definitely a wasted decade but that was due to a really unhealthy state of mind, thank goodness I woke up to myself and started living.
It is always a good recharge of my whole mind, body, and energy being in the outback. I walked along that sand and soaked in the sunshine and enjoyed the warm salt water circling my feet and splashing against my legs. Just us and nature. No cars or houses anywhere to be seen, just some sand dunes covered in coastal plants and the ocean coming up to meet them. It is amazing how when you pay attention and are interested, a little walk like that can uncover so many fascinating things. It isn't just an empty long beach, it is a chance to reconnect with your partner, to chat, to laugh, to plan, to hold hands and steal a sneaky kiss. I am really and truly lucky to have found the perfect person to partner me in my life adventures. Hobbit certainly is everything I needed, wanted, and then some.
We got back to the villa and had some quiet time so Hobbit could catch up on his online studies and I caught up on my social media commitments, marketing for Rock n Metal Revival, setting up a new case on Perth Vet Bill Assistance, and then checking my personal page. I absolutely love Social Media, the things it has enabled me to do is incredible! There is no excuses anymore for sitting around wishing things to happen, in this age of internet and social media you can make any idea or passion an action, I love it. I also finally got around to some more reading, YAY.
Today I tried a new medication for the ADD that the doctor had told me might be worth a try. It went well throughout the day, I felt more like 'me', more chatty, less robotic, less 'dazed' and notably less jaw-clenching which was something I was not enjoying with the other medication. I took two in the morning and thought I would try three in the arvo but this saw the jaw-clenching come back so I wont do that again. But boy did I have amazing focus and concentration! So intense. I love being able to focus, normally I am so scatty which makes every single task such a chore. When you can focus you actually enjoy doing things, you can just get into it and be absorbed in the task at hand. Even just watching tv is easier. Still experiencing a loss of appetite and thirst which for me is the most bizarre experience in my life having always lived with food being the center of my world. I now have to force myself to eat and drink, to sustain my activities. Anyways, this little experience in my life continues, hopefully soon it will just be second nature and something that happens in the background without my notice. I just want to be a functional productive Tammy.
We are now settling in to snuggle in on the lounge and watch some movies on TV, the sun has melted into the ocean leaving behind a faint orange glow and a chill in the air. The last Dongara sunset for this trip. Tomorrow we pack the car again and move on towards Denham, 5 hours away.
Thanks for a lovely little rest stop, Dongara, it has been wonderful.
