Back in Mount Isa

Well, I'm back in Mount Isa where it's 34º with a UV rating of about four million. But at least it's a dry heat, which has the added bonus of drying my washing in ten minutes (that's not actually exaggerating).

Being back home was awesome, as was the training that I went to. The best part was getting a tour of The Sydney Morning Herald office, and getting to sit down with the editor for half an hour and ask questions. There was also a really good session on photography, and a lot of stuff on writing. Also, I learned the beginnings of shorthand and now have to practice a lot so I can try to get it up to speed.

The week after the training I went to Mum and Dad's at Moss Vale, and borrowed a car to go to Newcastle to see some people. I also went down to Kiama for a day, which was absolutely lovely. Then back to Sydney for a night, and I've flown back to Mount Isa via Brisbane today.

So here I am, absolutely exhausted, waiting for my washing to finish. There are a lot of mixed feelings about coming back. Part of me really didn't want to, but part of me was excited to come back and see my friends up here again.

But back I am, so I will just have to make the most of it. Actually, one of the things that I realised when I was back is that I actually have grown fond of the place, or at least some of the people. If I contrast that with how I was feeling in the first few weeks, it is a big, big change. I wouldn't say I love it or want to spend the rest of my life here, but I'm two months into a twelve month cadetship already, and I want to make the most of my time in the north west.

So it's back to The North West Star tomorrow, back to getting up early and ironing shirts. But there's also a lot to look forward to.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to catch up with me, I really appreciate it.