I’m the human half of Sundazed Strayz. I don’t care if my t-shirts have holes or my shorts hang low. Blame it on the lockdown.

Those cold winter nights sitting under the old fig tree at Atkinson’s Dam drinking bubbles or beer, actually carved the kilos from me. Add homemade pizza to the mix and it was the perfect way to wait out iso.

I did volunteer work with animals during the day and gazed at the stars after dark. There’s something magical about life on a rural property. It took a pandemic to show me what can be achieved by following your heart.

Sundazed Strayz was started in December 2019. But I needed to sort out things in Brissy before taking to the road. There was so much stuff to offload. Back in January this year I parked a washing machine in a friend’s garage and it’s still there. Maybe it’s an anchor to something more tangible than this life I have on the road? Clothes, linen, furniture, all went out the door. And on my return from Adelaide I offloaded more stuff and put it into storage.

You don’t need much to live well. The less I drag from place to place the better it gets. Though I somehow manage to lose things which is a mystery.

My journey began at the end of January when I boarded a cruise ship. A week in the waters off PNG snorkelling was followed by a flight to Cairns. Back in the water as I explored the reef and soaked up the sun. Then down south to retrieve the tug from my cuz’ house. The drive to Adelaide marked the beginning of my unemcumbered life.

But, no, there are things I needed to do and we can explore that more in future blogs. I like to think I’m travel savvy ‘tho there’s much to learn. My premature return to Queensland was both expensive and frustrating. Why is it so pricey to live up here? I’ll delve into that as we move on. The one thing I can promise you is this is not a political blog. With one exception and I’ll bury that so deep you’ll need a backhoe to retrieve and read it.

Some 18 months back I would have told you that rolling solo was not my thing. Back then there actually was someone who wanted to travel with me. But should I wait for someone else to unstick their life? I know the only way to climb out of a rut is if you really want to. So if that’s you and you can see the how good your days and nights could be? Choose life! Or sit down and shut up. This is not the way for you.

I have hit the bitumen, the dirt and mud. Got bogged on a sandbank and towed another vehicle out of a roadside ditch. Climbed trees and crawled under fences in search of geocaches. Returned to the fig tree and hung 500 fairy lights so my friends could sparkle in the moonlight. Planted olive trees on my bush block. Snuggled up with Abbey as a storm raged outside.

Sometimes I sit here at night listening to the cicadas and wish for something more. My son is now a pilot, yet he’s so far away. A baby grandson came into the world during the lockdown. Time invested in new friends and those I’ve known since childhood. We are here, and here is where we are. It doesn’t matter what you do. Do it well, and do the best you can.

The love, the hate, the frustration. The curiosity that brings me to places. The niggling feeling that perhaps there’s more to life. It’s all a symptom of my human mortality. And maybe yours?

Everything I experience, I want to share with you. Let’s roll.

You’ll find my bio on the About strayz page.