I have the sense that I’m slogging away at the computer most of the time, and tend to feel like a drudge, and so it's always great to remind myself of all the little adventures and treats I had during the year to reassure myself that life is not entirely passing me by. And looking back on it, this year I probably can’t complain much on that score.

Michele with Sandi, Aunty Viv Karahoutis, Luci, Laeti and Dr Shane Burke, doing a bit of historical investigation of the back doorstep of an old house built in a floodway… Brett, Luci, organizer-extraordinaire Dave Guilfoyle, Drew Kenworthy, Uncle Wayne Web, Zak, Sandy, Laeti, Caitlin, and Michele saying a round of ‘goobyes’ in Albany		In fact I have had a great year in terms of my exposure to new ideas and experiences. It started with the National Trust's/Gabbie Kylie Foundation's archaeology Field School for a month over January and February. You can read the article I wrote about the experience, published in the Trust’s national newsletter here. On the deck of the STS Leeuwin… Time spent learning how to recognize, identify and describe aboriginal cultural material, hearing from and exploring with archaeologists of various kinds (shipwreck, aboriginal, historical) geologists, palaeontologists – just a fabulous experience. Found out a lot more about the South West of WA. The trip ended with 5 days on the Sail Training Ship Leeuwin which had been chartered to take us out to the Recherche Archipelago off Esperance. We had some professional film-makers along on the Esperance component of the trip, and promo clips using footage taken from the trip can be seen on YouTube here and here.
Spent my birthday atop Flinders' Peak on Middle Island! For me the exciting thing is to see the mapped overlay of cultural information associated with previously identified environmental/landscape values – I think this is a big leap not just for recognition of the scientific significance of landcare but in particular for the integration of cultural values into formal planning processes. Really excited by the possibilities of seeing what might be done in terms of a more holistic approach to articulating the meaning significance and importance of 'environment' to the whole community. The formal field school report of the trip and outcomes – and a lot more fantastic photos - is downloadable here.			Group photo with UWA students and Dr Joe Dortch and Aunty Viv Karahoutis at Kin Kin, near Manjimup
On the beach – Middle Island (pic: Caitlin Ridley)
Pink Lake – Middle Island (pic: Caitlin Ridley)
View from Flinders Peak – Middle Island (pic: Caitlin Ridley)
Then in March I went to the Planning Institute of Australia’s annual conference as my excuse to finally see and learn about Darwin and the Top End (early dry season – wonderful). Taste of tropics, bathing in a croc-free fresh water pool in Litchfield NP and eating lots of wild barramundi. Historical Mosaic - walkway	Falls and swimming hole -Litchield National Park

	As you may know I have turned into 'dog lady', with my adoration of Mollie and Isabel and efforts to involve them in lots of things I do. While I haven't quite made it to the stage of taking them to work (though I think about changing jobs for that purpose – true!), together we have had a few adventures. We started with a weekend cosying up during some dramatic wild winter weather with Bronwyn and Ella in Seashell Cottage down in Busselton. Another weekend in August together with my cousin Danny visiting Cathy and Paul (and Sooty and Kiki) at Wongaling Beach (near Mission Beach) North Qyeensland (so the Westies are now jetsetters too!), and then a drive up to Mingenew in the northern wheatbelt of WA in late October to help celebrate the 80^th birthday of a relative. So now we know we are good in cars!	Dunk Island Tully Gorge
Danny and Paul	Danny, Cathy and Michele - Innisfail	Cathy and Paul’s backyard - Wongaling Beach
Danny and Cathy – Innisfail	Michele  - Tully Gorge	Cathy – Dunk Island

Extra curricular professional time was also spent  this year contributing to the organisation of a study trip to western Europe scheduled for May/June 2010, to look at housing and transport initiatives, rust belt area rehabilitation and what we hope will be cutting edge examples and ideas of how to do more with less (ecological footprint-wise). (Unfortuately, my webwriting skills are inadequate to enable me link to the beaut flyer put together by our talented committee for a taste. But the trip involves Freiburg in southern Germany, the Ruhr Valley, Groningen and Utrecht in the Netherlands and Copenhagen.)

Work-wise the year has held some interesting and demanding challenges - I've had the first of my actions become the subject of an appeal to the High Court (currently awaiting determination, so don't know if we've won or lost though possibly a mixed outcome), plus had one other piece of litigation exceed a 6 week time allocation in the Supreme Court and wind up scheduled for another 8 weeks in the second half of 2010. We will not get judgment until 2011, so it is a long drawn out and particularly energy-sapping matter. As the solicitor on the other side is a former protégé, I expect that there will be war-stories in my 2010 newsletter… (For now, see this animation - especially the first 10secs but covering about the first 2/3 of the clip - for what is currently one of the most litigated stretches of soggy dirt in Australia).

Next adventure: I'm currently arranging a doggie-centric trip in mid January 2010 to Melbourne and Canberra – in particular we will have 5 days promenading the dog-accessible beaches, cafes and bars of St Kilda – yay!  Can’t wait to visit all our friends, spend a day at the tennis, and read a few books (yes, I forgot to say – a bunch of us just started a book club last month too, so now I have summer holiday homework!)

Wishing you a wonderful, healthy and content year in 2010, and would love to hear your news.

With love

Michele

Michele Payne

5B Teague Street

BURSWOOD WA 6100

www.michelepayne.org

mpayne@westnet.com.au

Mobile/Cell:  0409-106-049