Sounds of Home

Like the beautiful and talented Clare Bowditch, I also have a parent who happens to be an avid Radio National listener. In my case though, it happens to be my mum. In the mornings when I'd hitch a ride with her on the way into work, we'd jointly roll our eyes and bag the host of the breakfast program, Fran Kelly, often switching over to 774 to listen to AM, hosted by the lovely Tony Eastley. On the way home, we'd often listen to PM with the very cool Mark Colvin, or the Evening Show on 774 with the giggly Derek Guille (he has the funniest chuckle I've ever heard). And much as he's starting to get on my nerves these days, I still marvel at the razor sharp wit and intellect of Jon Faine, who I've always loved to listen to on those mornings when I'd be heading off to work a bit late, or when I was putting off writing that thesis of mine.

Old-school and unhip as the ABC is, the one thing they've really pioneered, particularly Radio National, is offering many of their shows as podcasts. It's only since I've: a) owned an iPod (thanks girls! every time I listen to it, I think of you!); and b) been living abroad, that I've come to appreciate the benefits it affords. I've probably mentioned before that it doesn't take much for me to marvel at a particular piece of technology. For example, I think fax machines are out of this world. I also still think it's amazing that a piece of mail can get from its sender to recipient - no matter how far apart they are. Anyway, given that I'm surrounded by foreign accents all the time (although I've nearly become oblivious to the way I make heads turn when I ask for something at a counter), you can just imagine how my jaw dropped in a mixture of adulation, wonderment and awe, when I heard the dulcet tones of Jon Faine, Andrew Denton and Dr Norman Swann when I downloaded some podcasts from the ABC this evening.

As I was saying to a workmate today, with all the available ways to communicate these days, it's very easy to feel as though you're actually not that far from home.