After two weeks of rain, my garden was lush with summer blooms on the weekend.
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In the Mist (No Gorillas)
“What did you do on the weekend?” asked a colleague this morning.
“Well, I went bushwalking on Saturday…”
Yes, I knew it was going to be wet, but for some reason I’m a sucker for walking in the rain. After all, I did a whole week of it in Tassie and after that experience I thought I could handle a few hours in wet shoes.
Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to meet up with members of the Bankstown Bushwalking Club, a nice bunch of folks they are, to tackle the clifftops of the Grose Valley, deep in the Blue Mountains. No blue haze on that day, but there was plenty of mist.
The weather actually wasn’t that bad – I had more trouble with the miles and miles of stairs (well, it is the Blue Mountains after all). 3 hours later I was thoroughly soaked, but surprisingly contented, because despite the inclement weather, the valley was still beautiful.
Give Me Some Water – Part 3
I only found this place yesterday, but it’s on my list of favourites already. Not ‘found’ exactly, since I’ve known about The Basin for ages, but I have never managed to rustle up a trip there until yesterday.
As with most natural still water swimming spots, access isn’t easy. To get to there one has to drive all the way to Palm Beach (that’s as far away from my place as you can possibly get in Sydney) where a 20 minute ferry ride across Pittwater into Kuringai-Chase National Park awaits. But the effort is worth it, because The Basin has to be one of the prettiest places in all of Sydney.
Now, I’ve always thought that Wattamolla was lovely, but this place is even more lovely and 10 times the size. Surrounded by bush, the lagoon is blue-green and goes for a mile or more. Because of its sheer inaccessibility (the only other way to get there is by foot via a 6km track), I don’t think it would ever get full. It is so pristine and calm and beautiful that I liken it to an Aussie version of The Blue Lagoon. Only without Brooke Shields.
Give Me Some Water – Part 2
Since the weather’s still damn hot with no sign of letting off, I’ve taken to exploring Sydney’s natural still water swimming spots. After Wattamolla, another favourite of mine is Karloo Pool. Karloo is a secret and cherished spot to people of the Shire and avid bushwalkers. It’s reached by walking 45 minutes into the valley from Heathcote Station to where Kangaroo Creek makes a lovely, deep, freshwater pool. It sure was a welcome sight on this year’s visit in 30C heat and humidity. The water was cool and refreshing and there were some rock platforms on which to sit and take lunch. Apart from other visitors, there were no other signs of civilisation though we’re only a mere 2-3 kms from the edge of Sydney. The uphill return trip was rather interesting in the heat, but the discomfort was worth it.
Black and White Memories
It’s been 3 months since I returned from my holiday in Northland. I took my trusty Olympus OM-2 to NZ – a 30 year old camera that was my dad’s – and yesterday I got the film developed. I miss the thrill that you get upon first glimpsing your photos. Never happens any more in this instant digital age. I like the moodiness of these shots. There’s something about black and white photos that can’t be replicated with a digital SLR – character.
Dawn Greetings
I started off writing this song about love found… but it ended up being about love lost.
Download the song here.
I picture your face in the quiet hours of morning
I trace the lines of laughter and of pain
You take a peek from behind long lashes
You smile as we lean into a soft, dawn kiss
‘Cos when I am with you, warm in your arms
Free from the barb of words
There is nowhere else I’d rather be
It’s here that my soul entwines with yours
Love, where are you?
I miss you
I love you
Love, where are you?
I miss you
I love you
‘Cos when I am with you, warm in your arms
Free from the barb of words
There is nowhere else I’d rather be
It’s here that my soul entwines with yours
Love Past
I accidently came across this beautiful post from blogger Tea and Cookies, about love found, love lost, and fond memories. It resonated with me strongly, given the happenings in my life over the past fortnight. So it is that love comes and goes, but life is always there to be lived – and there are always little joys to be found in the sorrow.
Music to lift the spirits
I haven’t been the best lately, but I think I’ve turned the corner and am beginning to recover. A friend gave me an extract of Caroline Jones’s book An Authentic Life – Finding Meaning and Spirituality in Everyday Life, and it’s inspired me to write down the things that make me happy, that are lifegiving. For me, music has always been lifegiving. Whether it’s listening, playing, singing or writing, it’s something that resonates with me, that is in me, that needs to be expressed.
When it comes to listening to inspirational, uplifting music, Sigur Ros is the band to listen to. Their albums are amazing enough, but live, they are astonishing. Listening to this lifts me out of my gloom, beyond my everyday struggles, and into something ethereal.
Give me some water
A couple of stinking hot days and I’ve only had one dip this year, so time to take a day off and enjoy a swim at one of my favourite places, Wattamolla.
Blue, blue sky
Green, salty water
I dive beneath
Into water warm
Burst the surface
Into sun I float
Gazing up at
Swaying gums
My blues washed away
On this lifegiving day
I know this is supposed to be cute…
But in my current fragile emotional state, this made me cry.
Static and Silence 