living like a local in Clare

Exquisite Aboriginal art with vibrant colours and stories to tell. Australia's past and Aboriginal culture is something I should learn, and know more about. Bernadine Johnson Kamara, an Aboriginal artist was a real favourite as her signature piece was the 'Circle of Life'. Her work and more than a dozen others are on display at the Clare Valley Art Gallery, and I aspire to be able to someday splash some cash on a beautiful work of art like the ones hanging on those walls. we spent most of Saturday morning admiring the gallery and were lucky enough to watch Cindy (another Aboriginal artist) paint. her motions were fluid, instinctive, and effortless.

We managed to catch the last half of the South Clare vs BSR footy grand final. the atmosphere of this country final was entertaining to say the least. hearing "are you headed to the pub after?" more than a couple of times made us ask ourselves the same question. so we grabbed some apple mango juice (arguably the best flavour), threw some makeup on, and headed around the corner to the local pub. Despite South Clare's loss, the pub was a vibe. decent music and the relaxed simple nature of having a drink with people who will happily scoop you up as newcomers was good fun. We got chatting and they were very interested in our method of living and traveling and vice versa. it was almost charming to hear what it's like growing up in a small country town where it'll become public knowledge within a few days if you do something stupid. apparently even options on tinder are limited to the girls from just down the street.

Waking up at noon on Sunday (27/9), we headed to the local coffee shop for a pick-me-up and charged our laptops and read. the cafe eventually shut so we headed to chill on a table in the sunshine just off the main street. I napped on the bench hoping to get my tan on whilst emi clicked away on her keyboard. we had weirdly spicy sweet potato patties with salad for dinner but the steady murmur of male voices skrrting around the skate park next to us till 11.30 pm was entertaining but a little concerning. we now have established that our emergency weapons of choice if in need are, a fire extinguisher for me, and a frypan for emi..

Yesterday (28/9) was peaceful and I spent a solid 1hr 30min chatting to Matt and colouring. we also finally did 3 days' worth of dishes, making numerous trips back and forth to the van. the twelve-year-olds chilling at the skate parks whilst waiting for their mums to come pick them up, found it amusing. emi finally tackled the column shift gearstick and cruised around side streets, even managed a cheeky 10-point turn. we made green Thai curry for tea and decided we would head to Burra in the next few days.

Today, our laziest day yet, it has rained all day, and have only gotten out of bed to refill drink bottles and make buttered bread for brekkie. mellow thoughts on a rainy day still in bed at 5 pm observing the world surrounded by rain and nature is calming. people watching through our tinted windows is entertaining and intriguing. we've spent the day snacking on leftover curry and Mayver's crunchy peanut butter by the spoonful. please sponsor me i've eaten half a jar whilst writing this. We are headed to Burra tonight hoping to snag a HOT shower this time and for Prati's long-awaited arrival. Then we hit NSW or maybe Queensland, it's still undecided lol.