Tag: Nature

This jolly life …

One morning while walking on the beach in Exmouth I found the things that make me happy and I knew I will spend the rest of my life seeking them.

I realised …

Curiosity makes me happy.  As does a feeling of hope.  Finding a happy place within, unexpectedly, is a special feeling of joy.  Stillness makes me happy.  Silence makes me happy, so does solitude.  And, the oneness that comes from real connection, even if transient.  All these things are free and found within.  I spent too many years, window shopping.  Now I wander in and take whatever I please.DSCN7686.jpg
The variation in shades of blue makes my heart beat faster.  I had never stopped to observe this before.  I do now.DSCN7711.jpg
The crumbs of seashells underfoot that coat my bare feet make me smile.  This was just a sandy beach once.  Not any more.  I had no idea sand looks like this up close.DSCN7772.jpg
The humble feather that glitters in dawn light catches my eye.  It never did before.DSCN7808.jpg
My child like curiosity is piqued peering into these wonderfully perfect ‘windows’.DSCN7829.jpg
The scoop of sand left by tide.  A reminder always, life is finite.DSCN7852.jpg
I find life, in unexpected places.  From it, I learn poise.DSCN7940
I find love, too, in unexpected places.

Why wouldn’t I spend the rest of my life doing just what I am doing now?

Hope you are doing exactly what you were meant to do in life.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

In response to Word of the Day Challenge – Jolly

Walking into wellness

My son has been on a mission for several months and determined to get friends on a health kick.  He started a walking group for his gamer friends which has proved quite successful with the young men finding new tracks and trails in the city.  My son tells me they open up and talk and just enjoy being outdoors and have started to alternate the outdoors with indoor activities in poor weather, like indoor rock climbing, balance bar work, etc. thumb_IMG_5593_1024.jpg
Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Today my son was determined to get me out walking too.  He is always concerned about my sedentary lifestyle, imposed on me due to my work.  Despite the clouds, he insisted we go to Lake Monger, a wetland area that is only about 5 kms from downtown Perth.
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I had forgotten how lovely this area is.  It was teeming with birds, some I had not seen before.  Because he insisted I leave my camera behind, today was for talking and walking, so we agreed to visit again, next time for photography.Lake Monger 1.jpg
I did manage to get a few pictures with my phone camera.  Such a peaceful place, right in the heart of the city.thumb_IMG_5624_1024.jpg
The gum flowers were coming into bloom.Lake Monger 3.jpg
The walking circuit is just under 4 kms.  My son and I were surprised I wasn’t exhausted, no muscle strain, no aching feet.  (I may feel differently in the morning!).  For years I’ve wanted to take part in charity walks but didn’t feel I was fit enough.  With camera in hand I’m often too preoccupied to walk fast enough to get my heart rate up.  I made a commitment today, I would set aside time to just walk.  Walking 4 kms today without effort proves I can do this.

But unfortunately I undid all the good exercise.  I was thirsty and indulged in a beautiful shiraz with my lunch!

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Tuesday: Strain

Always the pupil …

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I was early so I waited at the designated spot to watch her arrive.  When she does, our greeting is hushed.  She has come from a distant shore. We are both indifferent to where that is.  She is here and that’s all that matters to me, and her. DSCN8063.jpg
She scatters gifts at my feet.DSCN8255.jpg
I walk alongside her.  Her generosity knows no bounds.DSCN8290.jpg
Soon I’m walking on a welcome carpet.
DSCN8336I am alone with seagulls, and pelican.  The pelican reads the tides like a book, scanning it from left to right.  I enjoy a moment of stillness, watching him, watching tides.DSCN8262.jpg
At her side I am learning.  Look for small things.  They bring joy.DSCN8366.jpg
I bend down and start collecting the smallest shells and pebbles I can find, some the size of rice.  At home I bring out a small glass jar, and despite the handfuls I collected, they barely fill an inch.   The jar is hope and the void is one I will fill, one day.DSCN8319.jpg
Lost in thought, I find joy in symmetry.DSCN8313.jpg
I look for pebbles that have melded and find them, marble like.  How long did this process take?  I will never know.  I’m loving the mystery she brings to me.DSCN8267.jpgI find hearts of stone in softest sand and hold them in my hand.  They beat, alive.DSCN8380.jpg
I’m so tempted to run my fingers through this landscape, but leave it like I found it.  And, that’s the lesson I learnt that morning.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

In response to RDP – Tuesday : Pupil

Among trees, I breathe …

 

I love being in timber country.  I find something spiritual among trees, a healing presence.  I love being silent when walking or seated among tall trees.  My earliest memory of childhood is being draped over a low hanging branch of a guava tree and pretending I was a leopard and watched the activity down below me at the water tank.  I believe one is never alone or lonely in the company of trees.   DSCN0742.jpg
This is in the timber country of Collie, in the south west of Western Australia, one of my favourite places to visit in winter/spring.DSCN0757.jpg
I just love this region with eruptions of flowers.DSCN7575.jpg
Have you ever seen ducks in a tree!  Yes, ducks!  (middle of the pic).  I was walking through Foxes Lair early morning when I heard the nasally honking of the Australian shelduck.  I know a pair to live here and often watch them do a circuit over the tall gum trees.  This morning I thought there were more and could not believe my eyes!DSCN7578.jpg
How cool is this?!DSCN7598.jpg
I love the colours of the shelduck.  On a dismal day, they were vibrant.DSCN7592.jpg
I love how a fallen tree offers a place to rest.DSCN7593.jpg
And, gives one a moment to consider a fall can be graceful, too.DSCN7676.jpg
This is one of my favourite trees between Moora and New Norcia in the north east Wheatbelt.

I had gone further north on my recent trip and found myself in beautiful beige country, almost painted in water colours. It felt like I was driving live through Hans Heysen’s art.  Heysen was an Australian artist.  I absolutely love his work.  He knew the bush by heart.  I’m learning how to do this, too.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to Lens Artists Photo Challenge – Trees

 

 

What the eyes see, the heart hears …

Winter has arrived in my garden.  There is a carpet of sodden leaves under the mulberry tree that stir imperceptibly with each gust of winter fury.  Rugged up, from indoors, I watched them struggle to move and wondered whether that happens to people too.

I was never someone who didn’t move.  I have always been productive but there was a time of losses when my mind was too focused on lesser priorities, like career, which I erroneously thought was for the survival of my family, and me.  On reflection, my mind stirred but did not move.  I did not survive because of career.  I survived because I found new meaning for my existence.  Back then … I was meant to be, where I was meant to be.  Today I am where I am meant to be.  Each time I travel, I am where I am meant to be.  Acceptance of this was key, and then the universe opened doors for me.

I move now.  I see things I didn’t notice before.  My hearing is acute for small sounds.  I heard a bird call yesterday while working and went outdoors to investigate.  I couldn’t see the bird but I heard it.  I now live life with curiosity.

End of financial year is an incredibly stressful time.  There is extra work on offer.  Invoices have to be submitted by deadline and can only be done once the reports are in, so I’m tied to the computer for long periods of time.  My home is in disarray.  I have damp clothes drying indoors.  I hate this!  (But, I refuse to use a dryer).  There’s dirty dishes in the sink.  My bed is unmade.  Where ever I look there is something to be done.  I felt overwhelmed.  With limited time before I drive out today, I took the best option available to me.  I looked outside.DSCN7494.jpg
This morning, coffee in hand, I looked at the leaves around the crepe myrtle tree.  It bloomed well this year, when I saw the last of the leaves.DSCN7491.jpg
I had to go out with camera. On the bleakest of days, the leaves are the colours of sunset.

On a tree full of flowers in spring, I did not notice the foliage.  Today I saw they were the last of autumn, with winter following close behind, so I knew I would never see them again. Their time had come.

I had to share a moment with the leaves before the winds blew them away.  They will be gone by the time I return home from my trip.  When they do, it will be a reminder, all life is lived in seasons. Sometimes, overwhelmingly abundant.  At other times, there is starkness.  It is in that space of stillness, of inertia, where hope finds a home and leads to ‘movement’.  Nature tells us, no matter how bleak a winter, spring, a time of renewal and abundance, will follow.

May you find that space of hope today.  This is my gift to you.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

At a billabong …

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Billabong, outback Kimberley region, Western Australia

I thought it was somewhat ironic the picture I was drawn to for this post is that of a billabong in harsh country, so far away from the manicured lawns and gardens in the city.

The Kimberley region in Western Australia is north of Perth and vast, hugely vast.  I’ve visited many times to towns and also indigenous communities, for work.  I have also holidayed there frequently when I visited a friend in Broome but never ventured to the true outback.

This is remote, harsh country in East Kimberley.  The dust is red and the foliage a beautiful green.  The billabongs are magnificent and lush.  I sat with a group of strangers, all writers from around Australia, at this billabong for a writing exercise.  The memory makes me shiver with warmth.  There were blue dragon flies that buzzed around me.  The purple water lilies shimmered in the heat.   It was one of the most memorable peaceful moments I have experienced.  The water looked so tempting.  This is saltwater crocodile country and this billabong may have been safe … but we did not take any chances.

I know I’ll return one day.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Saturday: Verdant

 

 

 

Home is, where the roses are

I have two and a half days at home before I leave again.  It is such a luxury that I woke this morning like it was Christmas and didn’t know which present to open first.  I gathered my thoughts and made a list that included some down time.  I’ve had a great day and feel rested.

On returning home from lunch it was like I saw my front garden for the first time.  My footsteps veered away from the front door and to the flowers.  The delicate roses survived the fiercest storm and that in itself, is a teaching moment.
thumb_IMG_5281_1024Some of the white iceberg roses are tinted in the palest pink.  They belong on a wedding cake.thumb_IMG_5283_1024.jpg
Some bloomed off course.  Something familiar, to me!
thumb_IMG_5291_1024Some were ethereal angels in flight.thumb_IMG_5289_1024.jpg
And others, so beautiful, even the bee stepped outside for perspective.

My focus today was one directional.  I set a task for myself to practice self-care and rest.  I achieved this without a twinge of guilt.  And, that’s how a day of rest should be.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Friday : Directional

Nature vs Nurture

The concept of self-care was introduced to me about a decade ago.  It is not a self-indulgence.  It is vital for physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health.  The premise is quite uncomplicated.  If you don’t look after yourself, you can’t look after others.

I sought to be nurtured in different places and by different people.  The mix was never right and left me wanting to fill the void.  My only regret in life is that it has taken me so long to discover, nature can be a powerful nurturing force in one’s life.

And so my journey began …DSCN9464.jpg
I sought the embrace of tall trees.  IMG_1100.jpg
And in the outback where the wide open spaces and empty places are filled, within me.thumb_IMG_0906_1024.jpg
Usually solitary, there are times I seek footprints left by others.
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I neglected this boab bonsai at my peril.  It did not survive.  The warning signs I’ve since heeded, make time, those who nurture me, deserve my nurturing too.0-1.jpg
Best of all … no matter where I am and what I’m doing, just a glimpse of my daughter’s dogs, makes me smile.  Their loyalty and companionship is uncomplicated, with the only complication being in the gaze.  My kind of relationship!

Winter has arrived in Perth with fury.  I returned home last night in a storm.  I’m exhausted from the stress of the flight.  Today, I plan to have a hot stone massage, get a pedicure, do some cooking and then get back to ‘catch up’ work while watching the steady rain outdoors.

I’ve mapped my day and it looks perfect for me.  Wherever you are, may your day be perfect too.  Isolate some time for yourself.  You deserve it.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Thursday : Nurture

The exchange – sea art

For some the value of the work is in the dollar.  I’ve long moved on from that exchange.  I still feel child-like excitement as I prepare for each trip, even if I’ve been to the same place three times in a month.  I always find something to look forward to.  Mostly, I anticipate the natural environment and find an anchor in something wherever I visit.

One of my favourite natural anchors is a rock platform I’ve written about in another post. The word prompt jogged my. memory of the moment of exchange.

It’s the end of a difficult day.  I have nothing else to anchor me except the memory of that sea art.  I do feel it is an unfair interaction when I visit it; the rock gives me so much more than I have to offer it.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Wednesday – Exchange

‘Ikigai’

Yesterday my son invited me to breakfast, just the two of us.  His exams start on Monday and he wanted to go over some work with me.  He is 18 months away from graduation from a four year degree and can’t believe how quickly time has passed.  He now realises, when one enjoys what one does, the concept of time is irrelevant.  He’s been tapped to do postgraduate study and he’s conflicted if he should or not.  His lecturers also asked him to give a seminar to the incoming students, a pep talk, which he really enjoyed doing.  It’s such a pleasing thing to see others also recognise his potential.  After graduating from a four year spatial design degree and while working ten years in retail, he never worked in his chosen field and made a huge switch by returning to study.  I would never have imagined he would be a natural for what he wants to do with the rest of his life.  His choices are many but he’s really keen to work in clinical rehabilitation.  His mantra, “I want to make a difference”, encapsulates his chosen life.

I was telling my son about a book I’ve been reading, ‘Ikigai’, The Japanese Secret of a Long and Happy Life.  I’ve been trying to integrate this philosophy, at times unconsciously, and other times, with awareness.  One of the things I’ve been trying to do, is do something new each day.  That was enough cue for my son.thumb_IMG_5268_1024.jpg
Instead of having breakfast at home yesterday, we went to a Korean/Japanese restaurant and I had the best breakfast Asian broth instead of the standard Western fare.  It was just what I needed.  It felt nourishing and I came home feeling nurtured. thumb_IMG_4729_1024.jpg
Today I feel so distant from my city.  I no longer recognise the skyline.  It has changed while I was not looking.  I’m not enamoured by concrete, glass and metal.  It leaves me with the sense of window shopping life.  But, I do have plans to walk under the arches of the new bridge.  When Pink was performing in town, the city council lit up the bridge in pink lights.  It was pretty!DSCN7455.jpg
To leave the city and work in rural regions, is something that makes me happy.  I’m immersed in the moment, which is my chosen life.  This is lunch time in Coolgardie, in the Goldfields.  I’m far from home here!DSCN7456.jpg
I’m off again to the mining region where the mulla mulla is just starting to bloom.  There will be carpets of pinky mauve fluffy flowers soon.DSCN7459.jpg
And, of course, the golden gum flowers that signal winter are making an appearance.  Like me, tightly wound but waiting to bloom, when the time is right.

So I’m off again today.  The last two weeks were eventful.  I had little sleep but the down time to play, made it worthwhile.  That’s just about the sum of my life, for now.

May you experience the philosophy of Ikigai today.  May you find what intersects your passions and talents, that makes your day worthwhile.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Sunday: Sum

Beyond the deck …

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Beyond the deck, life is …thumb_DSCN4978_1024.jpg
Photographing new growth after a bushfire, Esperance, Western Australia.thumb_IMG_0146_1024.jpg
Sampling beer tasting shots, Margaret River, Western Australiathumb_IMG_0250_1024.jpg
Walking along the Fascine at sunset, Carnarvon, Western Australia
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Falling in love with life and love, iron ore freight lines, Pilbara region, Western Australiathumb_IMG_0867_1024.jpg
Cosy nights in … romantic B&B, Great Southern region, Western Australiathumb_IMG_0559_1024.jpg
Best of all … finding joy and purpose working with children, with special needs.

My life journey has not been linear.  The sharp twists and turns are now rounded curves.  What was, was meant to be.  This I accept because it has brought me to this point beyond the deck … a good place to be.

As always

a dawn bird

In Response to Judy Dykstra-Brown Photo Challenge: All Lined Up