farmdoc's blog post number 71

It happened so quickly. Late on Friday afternoon – three days ago – our darling youngest daughter, having completed her 2-year writing fellowship in California, decided that instead of flying from San Francisco to Melbourne via Sydney, she’d like to divert at Sydney and fly direct to Launceston to spend a few days in Mole Creek with Sweetheart Vivienne and me. I made the internet booking on Virgin Blue in a flash – as I invariably do the moment any of our darlings expresses a wish to come here. And yesterday mid-morning – less than two days later – she is here with us, lying on the couch in the guest cottage in front of the woodheater, reading and resting and, I expect, listening to the silence. Such is the miracle of modern life – even taking account of carbon emissions from plane flights because there are so many trees on our 78.16 Mole Creek hectares that 12 members of our extended family are without doubt net carbon fixers. Until yesterday 5¾ months had passed since we had seen our youngest darling. Leaning on the parapet along Launceston airport’s outdoor concourse, and glimpsing that tiny figure in a light blue jacket, head in hood, at the plane’s door smiling and waving to us, I shed a quiet tear. I couldn’t stop it. It happened so quickly.