Okay… So Sydney did not go to plan.

Plan???

I know, I’m practicing detaching from outcome, but this was something pretty cemented that was in place since Airlie.

But Sydney had other ideas.

I was so excited for the weekend and the Halloween fun, but long story short: Parking in Sydney is mostly underground and I didn’t even think about how much it would cost.

I drove into a car park aaaaaand got stuck.

The cargo on my roof got caught on the ceiling.

Talk about cortisol. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get out of the carpark and couldn’t really see a way forward if this whole ceiling was this low.

Lucky for me, the blue box was under height.

I lost my water carrier, the bags my hammock and camp mats were in and an extra bag.

I hastily chucked everything on the passenger seat/bed and got the hell out of there.

I really didn’t think about the fact I’d be paying for accommodation and parking. In hindsight, I probably could have just paid for parking and slept in the car. But fuck that, bad vibes all ’round.

You guys know how I feel about big cities.

I drove out to Newtown and went to Miss Sina – ultimate pick me up.

It’s a strange feeling – I couldn’t afford to get out of the car in the city and the atmosphere felt tense. Waking around Newtown felt so relaxed and breezy.

Miss Sina is such a welcoming place. The staff are so lovely and everything in the cabinets looks incredible.

I arrived after 12pm and was happy to find there was still plenty of stock to choose from.

I would have liked to spend some time in Newtown, but this isn’t the time for an inner city holiday. I made my way down to Woollongong.

I see this whole episode as Divine Intervention.

As you know, I’ve been letting my intuition guide me. There were some stress tears, but I was ovulating and my higher level of serotonin helped me bounce back and see the silver lining.

I stopped at a lookout just out of Sydney.

This has happened to me many times – I vaguely have a plan, change the plan at the last minute but something happens and the original idea is executed.

I had originally wanted to travel right down the South East coast, but I would only have 4 days to get to Melbourne in time to housesit for my friend.

I ended up leaving Sydney way ahead of time and made the most of the extra time by exploring the coast.

I had been to Woolongong once or twice pre-covid and really, really enjoyed it. I would go as far as to say ‘Oh Woolongong? I love Woolongong!!’

But I found it wasn’t quite what I was expecting this time around. Could be because some experiences are better shared. I don’t enjoy what cities have to offer when I’m travelling on my own. It’s a very quiet, inconsequential existence.

I was happy to find a Bunnings and bought a new water carrier and got it filled up.

Daylight savings has still been messing with me a bit. After long days driving, I am keen to find a safe place to get cosy, but closing the curtains while it’s still light outside doesn’t feel right.

In the morning, I spent the morning in Shellharbour. Happy to find a place to park and settle for a few hours.

I adore these swimming pools and would have loved to do some laps, but it was a tiny bit too cold for me.

For someone who grew up in Tassie and was exposed to awful temperatures for two thirds of my life, I can’t believe how sensitive I am to the cold. More on that later.

I have all this time to myself, but I still really struggle to ground and return to self. There is so much opportunity for me to engage in fulfilling activities, but I keep finding myself operating as a human do-ing not a human be-ing. It’s difficult for me to relax.

Putting on my yoga playlist and turning my attention inward, connecting with my muscles and listening to my body is the ultimate grounding for me.

It’s easy for me to get carried away and intellectualize grounding practice, but it is very important for me to embody to counteract the intellectualisation.

I spend a lot of time in my head and it’s good to get into my body and into the real world from time to time.