At Meelup Beach …

I’m leaving home again today.  Last night was a rare night where I could cook myself a meal.  With autumn here, the nights and early mornings are cooler.  It was time to get the slow cooker out while I caught up with my chores at home.  I tried something new, a slow cooked Vietnamese beef stew.  It was delicious.  This morning the air in the kitchen was fragrant with ginger, star anise, and lemon grass.

In the South West earlier this month I spent a night in Dunsborough.  It’s a small coastal town.  One of my favourite places to visit here is Meelup Beach, a favourite of others too.There was just one other car in the car park when I got there early morning.  As I walked along the coastal walk, I found it belonged to a young fisherman wetting a line in the distance.The waters here are generally calm but on this day there was a swell coming through.  Hopefully he got what he came for.  I know I did.The birds were not awake yet so I spent some time looking at the path I walked, metaphorically speaking too.  I found one can find colour in the most unexpected bland places.A gumnut caught my eye.  It rolled down an embankment and came to rest against a small edge of a big rock.  A cm here or there would have made a difference to where it landed and perhaps, never seen by me.  Much like chance encounters.I love dragonflies.  I mean, what’s not to love about them.  They have wings of sheer shimmering lace and yet they are long distance fliers.  I find strength in that.Soon my walk was filled with sound.  The little Silvereye were everywhere.And if you ever want to see kookaburra, Meelup Beach is the place.  They were at least a dozen birds sitting on low branches or foraging in the leafy carpet.Then there was this one who decided to do a full dive into the water and came out looking like a rag!  High in a nearby tree I heard the plaintive cry of a young eagle as it rose up to stand in the nest.Magnificent bird.I was glad I got here early.  I had the opportunity to enjoy silence before the laughter of families.  Although I confess, I enjoyed both equally.

Time to get packing again.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird