Skyberries and Voidmelons or Voidberries and Skymelons

I read about the Drift Deck on BLDBLOG a few weeks ago, but forgot to print out the cards until yesterday.

I started to walk, flicked through the cards and almost collided with a bicycle. I continued to read them as I walked and read "Bright Light. Slow your pace by half." The card had a picture of an astronaut on it. I was getting close to a street lamp that was on, despite bright sunshine. I walked slowly towards it and took a photograph.

I decided "Valentia Road" sounded like a nice road, so headed up it, and saw a children's playground in the distance. I then noticed an alley and remembered there was an alley card that said "Explore. Linger. Document what you find. If there's anything truly curious, photograph it and call it treasure." I did that. I took photos of drips on the metal bars at the end of the alley. I photographed a word that looked like it said "test" written in silver on a fence. I photographed the fence fibres up close and they look sparkly. I noticed the ground had words written in it, presumably before the surface had set properly, but they were unreadable.

I reached the end of the alley and it was then that a pigeon appeared, looking at me, and I remembered the card which had a picture of a pigeon on it and said "Real, Jarring. Change course."

I then went right, up Grays Road, Cardwell Crescent, and then Stonor Place. I was looking for people with red shoes or phone boxes, but I did not see either. Back on Valentia Road, I looked at the noticeboard by the playground and saw photos of police officers.

I then continued and reached Headington Road, took a photo of Headington School and then turned back. I noticed a lot of worms stranded on pavements, elastic bands, and a caravan with broken windows.

The cards reminded me a bit of Mundane Journeys by Kate Pocrass, which I used to help me explore while I was in San Francisco.

This lunchtime, I decided to try the Experimental Travel technique, known as Alternating Travel, from my work place. I turned right, I turned left, I ate some blackberries, I saw a silver spoon lying abandoned in the meadow, and also a man with a microphone. Was he recording the sound of crickets or the sound of lawnmowers, or something else entirely? I continued onwards, and ended up on a path I have walked down a few times before. This time proved more dangerous. Not only did my legs get very stung by nettles, but also my nose. Ouch. Perhaps I should eat my lunch at my desk in future, like everyone else.

Alternating Travel was used as a method today to attempt exploration of North Melbourne. After you leave your house, you turn right, and then take the first road on the left, then the first road on the right, and so on.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of blossom before I headed down the first laneway that I found, which had writing that said, "life is here now". I passed a strange looking church, picked up some peeling bark and purple leaves from the ground, and then got stuck in a laneway that had no left turn. I decided to head home, but noticed an old sign painted onto a wall, advertising brandy.

I was almost home again when I heard a guy singing, "I know why." When home, I decided to try again, this time turning left after I had left my house. I found some birds without heads stenciled onto a wall, as well as a few mushrooms, but then found myself stuck down the same laneway again!

I gave up and went to the park, and found the billabong actually had water in it, and many birds were gathered there. (Billabong! Billabong!) I also found trees which were shedding their bark. Some seemed still tangled in the remnants of their bark, but others seemed to have shed it all.

This week's tactic for adventures is: Experimental Travel.

The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel collects together details of experiments, such as travelling somewhere blindfolded, choosing a destination using a dice, or wearing a horse's head.

My first attempt at Alternating Travel (taking the first road on the right and then the road on the left, etc) was conducted inside the building where I live and ended abruptly when I found myself outside Flat 52.

Deciding to be a little more adventurous, I stepped outside and headed right and then left, right and then left. The first time I was unable to turn left, I found myself outside Southampton Central Station and watched a freight train go by. Next time someone wants directions from my house to the station, I'll easily be able to direct them!

After that, I cheated just a little to avoid dead ends and took a path instead of a road and discovered revealing messages on scraps of paper from other travellers, such as, "I feel that protocol will pay you from tomorrow". After getting into the true holiday spirit of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, travelling right and left, right and left, I eventually ended up back at my house, which was quite a coincidence really.