Happy New Year!

Last year I brought in the New Year by live-tweeting the Amanda Palmer & Neil Gaiman Trash Masque in Melbourne. Following on from Neil’s NY reading I blogged about ‘scaring yourself‘, which is precisely what I have spent the year doing. 2012 might be over but a new, even more scary part is only just beginning.

I really don’t know precisely where i’ll be when the clock chimes – or even what timezone i’ll be in! i’m writing this in advance, from Adelaide in South Australia, because where I end up might not even have a data signal for me to connect to (**). As the fireworks explode and champagne corks pop around the world I will be enjoying my first ever night in my new home.

all loaded up & strapped down - ready for the off

all loaded up & strapped down – ready for the off

She’s a beautiful shell right now, so it’s more like ‘camping in a tin can’ than ‘moving into a new home’ but that’s all part of the adventure. I won’t have the solar system for a while yet so aircon, a fridge and all of life’s electrical luxuries will have to wait. I’ve borrowed a swag from Tamsyn (from Hackerspace Adelaide), bedding, esky (& heaps of other things) from my most recent couchsurfing hosts Jan & Robin (Alison’s parents) and am off to a friend’s 40th near Mudgee. Having couchsurfed for 16months the plan is to then head to Sydney to collect my bike, duvets, pots and pans before heading to Canberra for some project development (which I’ll blog about soon) and my first Linux Conf. 

Living permanently in a bus is going to take a bit of getting used to. The next month or two will be all about personally learning what she needs to become a home, foraging for ‘found objects’ to become her furnishings, and discover what changes i need to make to my life in order for us to be happy together as digital nomads. It’s also about learning how to manoeuvre a 6m+ bus!

This year’s ‘resolution’ is really more of a general mission. I’m still scared of all the new things I’ve started to explore, but I now know slightly more about what I don’t know and what I need to know next. So the mission for 2013 is to become better at some (at least) of these things: arduino, 3d printing, sewing, knitting, bus mechanics & renovation, and being less of a hermit.

first drive - photo by @adelsalison

first drive – photo by @adelsalison

2012 has been the most astonishing year of receiving. I have honestly never been given – or asked for – so much; that in itself has been a huge learning curve. Next year I look forward to returning the kindness and love that has been shared with me as this journey takes shape.

Thank you for the encouragement, couches, hugs, laughter and, of course, the bus. 2013 will – hopefully! – be a year of getting better at all the things i’ve thrown myself into and a year of meeting face to face so many of the people i’ve come to know through the campaign. If i see you anywhere along the way, give me a wave or tweet to say hi.

Wishing you every joy and happiness for a fabulous 2013. For me “Home, James” and I will be together properly for the first time; what an idyllic way to bring in the most exciting year of my life!

(**) – I got so excited about driving the bus for the first time I forgot to schedule this, so posting on Sat 6th Jan 2013 even though it was written on 31st Dec 2012, which means I can post the last photos I took in 2012 here too :)

first of many beautiful parking spots

first of many beautiful parking spots

g'night 2012

g’night 2012

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