A week of contrasts

I’ve just returned from the Wheatbelt and the South West.  I had forgotten to take my files with me to Margaret River, so I could do nothing but relax.  Perhaps fate had a hand in this.  I’ve driven over 1000 kms in a few days.  I needed the rest so I listened to my body and did just that.

Being in the South West means I can shop and enjoy the experience.  In Bunbury, I love Eshe, a boutique.  The owner only keeps select jewellery, bags and scarves.  It’s a visual feast for me.  I rarely shop in Perth where I consider major retail shops are visual pollution.  Yes, perception plays a part in my bias!  I find special occasions a nightmare.  But I love to shop in country towns especially Margaret River with fine chocolates, fine wines, beautiful olive oil, cheeses and other quality local produce.  I returned home with every spare inch of my car boot crammed with goodies.  My Christmas shopping done.

Margaret River is our premier wine growing region.  It has changed so much over the years.  Once a sleepy surfing hamlet, it is now thriving with suburbs.  I’m not sure how I feel about this.  I drove around the small town and found a beautiful grove of trees at the end of a dead end street.  To my dismay there was also a sign advertising blocks of land for sale.  That beautiful timber is due to be felled.  I drove away from the trees, already feeling a sense of loss.

One of the places I love visiting when I’m in this part of Western Australia, is The Berry Farm, just a few kilometres outside Margaret River.  The cafe has a lovely old English garden and the birds are everywhere.  I enjoyed a pot of tea, with scones, strawberry jam and cream.  A lusciously wicked treat while my eyes feasted on my surrounds.I sat in the shadow of roses, their heads heavy with petalled beauty.The cafe garden was a world apart from the Wheatbelt, where I sat roadside to eat a sandwich in the car and watch this quintessentially rural scene.

It has been a week of contrasts.  In Margaret River this morning I woke at 4:26 am to the sound of laughter from the lone kookaburra high in the gum tree.  Without my files, I had no reason to rise, so I snuggled deeper into bed and smiled at my reality.

This is life, as I know it.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird