Wake.
5am. Alarm. Sleep.
Awake 5.15.
Three dogs shake and scatter off bed, step around four on floor.
Four puppies in bathroom cloud around feet, escape as slash splashes – mayhem.
All dogs, bark, howl and puppies yelp – doors open.
Bull outside fence, munches grassily.
Dogs bark madly. Bull clops-clops off. More dogs wake, bark.
Cigarette, yelping cloud of puppies underfoot eating laces.
Stumble for coffee.
Wait. Cigarette. Coffee, better.
Second coffee, best.
Dogs breakfast. Dog mess, dog blankets.
Pat all dogs. Again. Again.
Puppies to cage.
Two devil dogs – Tiger Lily & Miel – to vegie patch.
Baby mudlark in own cage gets water – parents watch closely – waiting for wings to work and fly away.
Meal worms for all. Parents harass all within sight or sound.
Dogs dinner, add vegies to meat cooked and soaked overnight, rice, boil. Rest.
Sort, fold, pack, lift. Again.
Pack car. Disappoint dogs – no. No?
Expectant dogs. Car. Us?
No. Sulks.
Food. Pats. Rethink sulk.
Pack, pat, pat and pat again. Cuddles to specials. All special.
Inside. Close door, open gate, car out.
Dogs outside. Sole, Linda, Linda & Nangaly inside.
To car. Shades, Stetson Open Road. Water. Gear, clutch, engage. Wheels roll.
Town, leave, rubbish.
Tanami Road. Hundred kilometre dust plume at rear.
Rough road. Rocks.
Roadworks. Smooth road. Long.
UHF radio chatters, roadworkers, roadtrain.
“You have to send me some money”
“What for?”
“Maintenance at Yuendumu”
Silence.
“Joke”
Pass roadtrain on inside, radio thanks. OK mate.
Bitumen. Two hours. Highway.
270 kilometres.
Stop. Piss. Coffee. Cake.
Give stranger 10 litres diesel. Stranger gives a lobster in payment.
Highway. Long. Longer.
World Today fades away from Alice Springs. Aileron.
At Ti-Tree fuel. 470 kilometres. Fix IPod FM transmitter.
Static turns to quality. Good.
Coffee.
Ti-Tree Roadhouse camp dogs eat the same chips I fed them a week ago.
Highway rolls with sound, paul kelly manu chao beethoven tex don & charlie statler brothers john williams paul kelly johny cash van morrison compay segundo dennis brown burning spear beach boys nick cave celia cruz the fall the pogues rodrigo y gabriela tito puente lee perry.
Whistling Kite chick in nest on power pole scrawny, baby bottle brush white and fluffy.
Brown Falcon, Butcherbird, Willie wagtail, Honeyeater, Wedgetail, Buzzard. More.
Flat, trees, spinifex, butte mesas, red, white ochre spills from scree walls.
Sun drops, shifts shadows.
Road longer, Tennant Creek closer.
On the edge of every town spun tyre donuts.
A bad day for red cars. Two and owners, bonnets up. Arms out.
Into TC the “Golden Heart of the Territory”.
800 kilometres. Or near enough.
Enough. Stop. Drink. Shower. Food. Hunter. Sleep.
Tomorrow, Tennant Creek – Katherine.
