BYWAYS

There is a basic small tin roofed cottage beside the backroad I am heading down. The sole building visible on an empty flat grass plain, it is painted a deep slate grey, a modern shade, not commonly seen outside decor magazines. On the tiny front porch there are two white Adirondack chairs, stylishly contrasting with the grey walls and carefully positioned to take in .... not the view, and not the sunset or rise. I turn to follow their direction and there, starkly visible above a straggly clump of Blackwoods, is The Dish. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope as it is more formally known, is in the true sense of the word, awesome. My awe does not diminish on closer acquaintance, as I am treated to the spectacle of this huge dish turning through the morning sky seeking a new position.

It is early and surprisingly the car park is full and there are a large number of people milling around. A dapper white-haired man is being interviewed and as I eavesdrop, I learn that he is the mayor of Parkes opening an exhibition at the centre. He has an avuncular charm as he talks up the prospects of his district, not dismissing the impact of covid and of recent floods. I am struck by how perfectly he seems to represent regional Australia and its determination to " spiral up ". " Spiraling Up " appears to be the new descriptor for what it is we do when we survive difficult times, and it differs from resilience in that it is not just about enduring, but also rebuilding individuals and communities in ways which prepare for the impacts of what will no doubt be turbulent times ahead. I have been listening to lots of learned discussions on the ABC as I have wheeled across the country. I love the ABC.

I take several back roads today including a detour to an unprepossessing sprawling dusty town characterised by several huge old pubs built in the Victorian era. Whilst at university I shared a flat with an extremely introverted and intellectual young woman. We both worked in a spaghetti bar owned by a massively obese man who originally came from this town and after university finished, my flat mate moved here and managed the big man`s pub. Most of the trip is through a forest and I meet or am passed by few other cars. I think of her travelling this road and of how incongruous her choice was to come here. The day turns into a reminiscence about our complicated friendship which ended almost thirty years ago.