I tried to leave home earlier than my scheduled departure to the Wheatbelt. The roadworks are a nuisance, as are the monster harvesters that slow traffic. I dislike driving in this region at dusk, so I drove with a sense of urgency. As I headed East, just past Muchea I noticed a big swathe of pine trees have been levelled and the new highway that will join Brand Highway is taking shape. It saddened me. The trees are disappearing before my eyes. I can do nothing about it except avert my gaze.
Candy Bush Reserve, Moora, Western Australia
When not at home I seek the company of trees if inland, as much of the Wheatbelt is. The trees here have a delicate elegance to them. Tall, slender limbs and the brown bark is smooth and glows in the sun. This is the main road I take from out of Moora, a good 20+ kms before I get to the main highway. I often park in the shade and eat a hurried lunch before heading back to the clinic. This is farmland country. The paddocks were summer beige and speckled with hundreds of sheep. There were clouds of white cockatoos everywhere. There is something very calming about this journey.
It won’t be long before these trees will be earmarked for destruction, to widen the road, no doubt. In these regions, due to the roadworks everywhere, I seem to have road workers for company, rather than miners. These folks work hard in heat. At dusk, they are on their front porch of the chalets, downing a few cold ones and talking about their day. Much like me, these folks are away from home and family. They create their own community. I’ve learnt to do the same.
Sunrise, Moora, Western Australia
Like me, they wake early, coffee in hand, some with cigarette in the other and watch the sunrise. It’s an easy feeling, waking among strangers and feeling completely at ease. Or perhaps, it is a feeling that comes from being among trees.
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
In response to RDP – Monday – Evanescent
A Shared Space 
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