...and today we leave the 5 acres at Leanyer for the last time after twelve years . Sadness. Last night cleaning up a small snake turned up to say goodbye - one of many many snakes very large and small, spiders, frill neck lizards, big goannas, growling possums, rats (oh - the rats!), Guinea Fowl, Scrub Fowl, climbing cane toads, noisy screeching bats, mango-feasting magpie geese, hawks big enough to take a small dog, peacocks, that bloody dog Socks from next door who keeps coming over to raid the kitchen - dragging away food cans, sacks of dog food, clothes, small children. Battling bushfires from the back, riding out on the blacksoil plains (worst ever bogging of a bike). Clearing the 5 acres with a push mower and bush hook until a nasty industrial accident earned me a ride-on. Nathan's massive birthday party where every teenager in Darwin turned up, and a couple of gangs trying to get in. And the serenity. Driving down the driveway and the suburb disappears. Nothing was ever locked - like Darwin of the old days. In 12 years no intruders apart from that bloody Socks next door. Goodbye Block.