Off the Radar by Te Radar

Author:Te Radar [Te Radar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780730445678
Publisher: HarperCollins

Apart from being cold, damp and mouse-infested, the caravan has the added advantage of featuring several things that I am unable to use. These include light bulbs, power points, and even a small fridge. All are useless, as electricity is a joy forbidden to me. They serve as a tangible tribute to a world I have left behind (as if I need reminding).

Whereas others may choose to civilise their caravan, I keep mine in a raw and rugged, frontier-like state. It’s very much a man’s world. Tools lie strewn near the door, out of the weather—hammers, toolboxes, even on occasion chainsaws and drills. Work boots are kicked off inside so that they won’t get wet. Piles of work clothes litter the floor. An industrial-sized container of sunscreen sits on the bench, waiting to be slathered liberally over exposed skin before I venture out.

The manliness of the environment prompts a conversation with a visiting lady friend about the civilising role of women on the frontier, with special reference to their role in the mythology of the old Westerns.

‘Women’, she says, ‘represented civilisation, in opposition to the cowboy, whose untamed manliness echoed the wilderness of the frontier. Women brought with them teacups and linen tablecloths. Men moderated their language and actions around women.’

I have a nagging feeling that she is trying to make a point about something.

There is little evidence of any womanly civilising in my world, despite Jane’s best efforts. I like to think of my caravan as an archetypal single man’s dwelling, existing as I do on the borders of society, on the frontier, positioned on the furthest outreaches of the civilised world and the unexplored never-never.

I consider myself to be the post-modern personification of the iconic New Zealand Man Alone—all of this in a paddock surrounded by million-dollar lifestyle blocks and a golf course.

The frontier isn’t where it used to be, it seems.

I blend into the environment, rather than attempting to civilise it. Whereas other people see a landscape cluttered with drums and timber and half-finished projects, I simply look past the clutter and see the landscape.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.