Weclome to Outback Views

Well, with some trepidation, I begin to type my first posting to a blog page. I don't really know why - Blogging should be just my sort of thing. I have lots of opinions about things, I love sharing my opinions, and I love getting feedback. So - where's the problem?

As my Personal Assistant tells me - problem number one is I don't have time for such games. True enough, life is busy. But maybe this is recreation, and will actually put something back? Maybe it's an outlet that will save time in other places? Mmm, actually, I don't know how that will all work out - but this negative has eventually been overwhelmed by the positives. As I always suspected it could be

Yeah, I know the real reason I am nervous about this. The scary thing is that blogging puts your views out there, and you just never know where that might take you, or with whom. I mean, can I really talk about issues at work when some of my readers will be colleagues? Can I really talk about worries I have in my church life when it can find its way back to my fellow worshippers? Or about the challenges of home life when readers might well be at least as close to my wife as me? Truth is, I don't know how this works, and how much of me will come out in my blog. I guess that is something that I will need to consider and develop over time.

So, welcome to my blog. And I suspect a part of that is I am saying welcome to a window to me. If you know me personally, I guess you know some of the stuff I am likely to get commenting about, and I trust you'll keep reading. But if you don't know me, I hope you get a real insight over time, and develop a sense of who I am from the stories.

My hope is to put up a story once a week or so, and I have plans for material for the next couple of months. But - I well suspect my priorities might change over time and I end up doing different things. Presumably that does not break the rules!

There will be plenty of time to share personal stuff about who I am. But I think I should at least start with a comment about the name of the blog. Since I got my drivers license in 1983, I have periodically needed to head for the desert in Central Australia. "Red dust in the veins" - I have sometimes called it. I have always lived in the city - mostly Melbourne apart from 7 years in Sydney, and I have a great love of the tropics and the Whitsundays in particular - but there is something about the Outback that calls me back, over and over. For the last 6 years, I have owned a 4 wheel drive that has opened a few more doors in this regard. I am not that interested in the really hard, long tracks across the desert - Canning Stock Route and the like - but I do love to get off the road and see some of the special hidden parts of our country. One outcome of this is a collection of photos and stories of the outback that evoke great memories. My screen saver on the computer scrolls through some of my most loved photographs. These outback views help me keep balance with my urban world. I'm sure they will play quite a part in what I have to share in coming months.

So - here goes. Look forward to hearing from you.