Alright it's T-4 and finally we're more or less ready.

One day, in the distant future, the background details will make interesting reading.

You can no more liberate touring from the task of overcoming obstacles than you can liberate a fish from water.

The smoke and fires have made life hard for us as well. Not as much as our good mate Pete D, who we send our respects to, or to a few other Friends Of the Band, but enough to share in the common disaster.

Some of our mates in the states have stepped up to help us get it together.

In particular, the assembled collective of the good ship Stormcellar extend our thanks to Travellin' Mac and Susie for going above and beyond the call of duty to make things work for us, as they have done now since 2013.

Yeah imagine that. We started touring the US in 2013.

It's been said that to see afar is to have stood on the shoulders of giants. I'm not Mark Twain enough, or Banjo Patterson enough to improve upon Newton speaking of Hooke (I only know this cos Hooke's Bio has been random background reading).

When i think of it, it feels more to me that if I have traveled afar, if I have voyaged, it is because I have found shelter, kinship and courage in crisis.

I watch the US and the media presentation. How can we not. I wonder if maybe those better angels of the American nature are merely waiting to alight once more on shoulders and whisper the divine, simple understanding, that we are more alike than not.

We have a great blessing before us, to travel again, to voyage once more, after a careening of the ship these last three hard years.

Once more we make sail. 

Thank you O, W & M from T. Thank you to Mr D.G and the KC All Stars and Frank for the welcome. Thanks to the Sydney Blues Society, patrons and members, and thank you to all the places that have opened the bar at a late hour for a weary traveler.

The whole world is made and remade from a single act of kindness.