June 2021 – Notes from a Big Island

The one in which Neil loses his phone at 38,000 feet… ‘Do you come from a land down-under?’ What with a world-wide pandemic and the wide-spread paranoia surrounding any form of overseas travel, the spring of 2021 could not have been a worse time to plan a permanent move from up-top to down-under; but in…

Who are we?

Hi, I’m Neil Hillman and welcome to this digital potpourri of travel writing, starting with the move of my wife Heather and I from our home city of Birmingham, UK to our new home in Brisbane, Australia. With no fixed agenda or range of topics to cover, this is a journal whose intention is to free-flow words over the screen in a hopefully entertaining, possibly informative and at times, maybe, even an educational manner. Two out of three would not be bad, but I make no promises… This is basically our story as it unfolds, it’s shared with you first-hand and it starts with some of the history leading up to us leaving the UK.

To tell you a bit about us, Heather is a haute couture trained seamstress, who truth be told, can actually turn her hand to almost anything. She does however seem to specialise in emigrating, having done so four times between the UK, New Zealand and Australia. She promises this time will be her last.

Conversely, I am an emigration virgin, a writer for hire and the author of two books and several academic papers on sound for film and television. I have also spent a working lifetime as a film sound professional, recording on location and travelling the world extensively at other people’s expense… Having to now do so at my own expense has come as a huge shock.

Month: June 2021

Leaving Cotton Lane – Part One

Getting here