Tag: photography

Every step I take

While studying at uni, the pressures on me were crushing and having to raise children within a tight budget, the only affordable release I had was to go for a walk.  I did this three times a day, totalling 12 kms (approximately 7.5 miles) every day.  I walked fast as if it would distance me from all that overwhelmed me on the day.  I was slender as a reed.

Now my steps are more measured.  And, despite the frenetic pace of professional life, my personal life, is measured too.  I touch base with me when I walk.  It is meditative.  I am whole.  It renews me.  My pace is slow.  Of course the down side is, I am no longer slender as a reed!

I’ve been in Esperance for the last few days and returned home this afternoon.  It was cloudy but warm and balmy and quite unusual for that town.  As is my routine, I woke early this morning and headed out to the Bay and my other favourite spots.  I love to walk here in the mornings.DSCN8263.jpgThe Whale Tail is iconic.  I’d love to rip up every other structure within sight so the beauty of this sculpture can be fully appreciated.DSCN8274.jpgBefore dawn, the colours across the Bay were beautiful in pale blues and greys.  This is a town where I feel so safe and secure.  It is my soft place to land each month.DSCN8366.jpgI walked around Windabout Lake where the pelicans cruised like ocean liners.DSCN8339.jpgAcross the board walk, the bankia cones were everywhere.DSCN8342.jpgAnd just when I thought I was alone!DSCN8343.jpgA joey.  Look at those eyes!

I’ve come to realise when I go for a walk each day, there is so much about me I leave behind intentionally.  I know a walk in nature, is where I find the authentic me.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

Fleeting moments that matter

I slept in my own bed last night, the first time in many after spending just about every night in a new town for the last few days.

I know for sure I could not do this without my little intakes of breath every time I go for a walk with camera.  I’ve brought home hundreds of photographs.  As the wind blows up a storm outdoors, my thoughts are with the mornings I spent elsewhere.DSCN8172.jpg
I started and ended my trip in Bunbury, this time I stayed closer to the estuary.  The silhouette of Bunbury Tower is always stunning at sunset.DSCN8233.jpg
As usual, when in Bunbury, I head off to Big Swamp wetlands.  The Welcome Swallows are gorgeous here and love facing the sun.  They are quite fearless and only fly away when one is almost within touching distance.  I love how plump they look!DSCN8109.jpg
I’m always on the lookout for fairy blue wrens at Big Swamp.  There’s always a pair somewhere.  This one looked like a young one.  It was hesitant for a moment as it gauged the distance across the pathway before it launched itself to the other side.  A moment I was waiting for.DSCN8187.jpg
The Willy Wagtails were plenty, some fluffier than others and quieter too, which made me think they were young ones.DSCN8221.jpg
Gorgeous, I thought!DSCN8249.jpg
The tiny brown honeyeater is the size of a small leaf.  It has the sweetest call and so difficult to see in foliage.  This one was visible for just a nanosecond before it disappeared again.DSCN7922.jpg
Further south in Dunsborough during a bush walk I found small flocks of Silvereye feeding among the Bottlebrush bushes.
DSCN8256
Look at the beautiful detail in the feathers!

There is no way I could do what I do for a living, either on a physical or emotional level, without having these moments in my day.  I know this for sure.

I now know Nature doesn’t heal.  Being in Nature, is healing.  I feel renewed just revisiting these moments.

Hope these photographs bring joy to you, too.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

Autumn Song

DSCN7672.jpg

It was summer twenty four hours ago
my skin is still burnished brown
the dawn sun ignites a signal lamp
and spells in code,
slow down.

My girth is too wide for embrace
but where my wisdom is kept
I am matriarch
alive among sapling and dead wood
I am old, as I am young again

Come closer, yes, closer
lean in
hear my autumn song.

a dawn bird

(In response to the RDP word, diametric)

Communion

I have yet to get to Narrogin well before dark to enjoy Foxes Lair at leisure.  I’m always pressed for time and promise myself, I’ll do better next month.  I was in Narrogin a few days ago.  I drove into town just before it got too dark for me to drive through the reserve.  What I saw fulfilled me, much like a sacred communion does.DSCN7633.jpgI caught the last rays of sun through these flowers.  Love the detail in the leaves.DSCN7696.jpgThe bush is getting ready for autumn.  The sphere banksia groves were a brilliant green lace.DSCN7761.jpgIt was late at dusk.  The bush was quiet.  The birds were resting, their day done, when I saw this Painted Lady flower vine climbing up a tall tree, the limbs looked frosted but on zoom, the flowers were gorgeous in detail.  These flowers are quite small and grow in clumps.

I have become accustomed to the sounds in this reserve.  My hearing is acute.  I’ve learned not to startle at the sound of rustling leaves.  If I listen, the rustle is usually followed by a rhythmic bounce that can only mean one thing, kangaroo.DSCN7635.jpg
This time it was different.  Sitting in my car I heard subtle nibbling grass sounds.  I peered around me.  Nothing!  Must be a rabbit, I thought.  I leaned back in the car and rested when this took shape.  Oh! the thrill!DSCN7637.jpg
They were just beautiful.DSCN7657.jpg
This little one is learning to be discerning.  His ears twitched, one this way and the other, that, with mother nearby, doing the same.

I’ve travelled to the Eastern Wheatbelt and south west region, hitting several towns in a few days.  Many, many kilometres on my own.  I loved it!

I spent last night in Bunbury.  Weary, I treated myself to a nice hotel room.  It was 8 pm before I realised I had not eaten all day.  The evening was warm, so I decided to walk into town and buy some dinner.  It felt exhilarating to walk at night on my own to the centre of town and not feel a skerrick of fear.  I have come a long way and my spirit celebrates this at every opportunity.

I’m off again tomorrow, this time east of Bunbury to Bridgetown, Greenbushes and Balingup, and, then to the coastal towns of Dunsborough and Busselton.  I hope to share some of my life on the road with you when I return.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

Through new lens

This post comes with a warning.  There are a lot of photographs to scroll.  I’m enjoying a moment of indulgence.  Why haven’t I seen these before?DSCN8599I’m an amateur at photography.  I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing so it was a delight playing with light.  I love the glowing crown on this little silvereye.DSCN8938Can a duck have too many colours?  I’ve seen these ducks so often but never really noticed this.DSCN8625.jpgI love these pink gum flowers.  It’s a pink I would not dare to wear. (Having said that, maybe I will, one day).DSCN8650.jpg
I love camelias.  I once met a family at a conference who had twin young adult sons.  One completing honours at university, the other either homeless or in and out of psychiatric facilities with schizophrenia.  I planted two camelia bushes in my garden.  One for each of them.  One flourished.  The other did not, but did not die.  I never knew, which was which.  I still think of the young men.DSCN8998.jpgOne of my favourite flowers is the Geraldton Wax.  They have been planted along the freeway to reduce sound.  The shrub grows high and wide.  In spring, they are covered in flowers and make a beautiful vase of cut flowers.  I’m planning to have one or two of them in my garden.  I especially love the white flowers.DSCN9420.jpgIt was winter in Margaret River when I rugged up and went for a bush walk.  This caught my eye in the garden as I headed out.  I had never seen a fig growing on a tree before.  Luscious little thing!DSCN9432.jpgI recall this flower was tiny.  It took ages to get this pic.  Worth it, I think.DSCN9124.jpgThese snowdrops bloom in August at my front door.  Why don’t they all droop, head down while others perk up to light? Perhaps they are a reminder, hold on, spring is next.DSCN9424.jpgI’ve grown to be curious about lichen.  I love the ‘colonies’ that coat limbs.  In nature, life goes on.  There is no death.  Or perhaps, there’s life, in another form.

Without a security blanket, I think I’ll take that thought to bed.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

It’s Morning, again

DSCN2992.jpg

The sun came out today
from behind a laden sky
to colour my world,
once monochrome
The grey clouds parted,
(they seldom did before)
So I laid my claim
that spilled into the bay
scooped that molten gold
to carry back with me
to share.

a dawn bird

 

In response to the Pic and a Word Challenge:  Colour

Teeter totter

DSCN7625.jpg

Finding balance in a busy world, is an art.  And like art, highly subjective.  What works for one, does not work for the other.  It all comes down to knowing the what, when and where for oneself.

I get to visit some beautiful places for work and sometimes, holiday.  The coastal towns of Broome, Exmouth and Esperance come to mind immediately.  But even in these tourist towns, I seek solitude in the crowd.  I find a quiet spot away from the people and that’s not hard to do on Cable Beach with 22 km of beach.  Esperance is my second home.  I know exactly where I’m happiest in this small town.  I also know in Exmouth, I’m happiest near the ocean at sunrise and sunset or delighting in smooth pebbles or shells.

But away from the big name places, I look for the ordinary things.  Looking at them differently generates a mind shift for me.  I’m never sure what I am photographing.  I just instinctively feel the need to take a picture and then months, or years later, see something special in that moment.

I’ll share some of those moments with you.DSCN6755.jpgOn the banks of the Fitzroy River in Willare (Kimberley region) I found these leaves along the banks.  The wind had created this perfect formation.  They were tightly wedged in.DSCN6864.jpgAt home the bees in the front garden love the roses.  I love the tiger stripes and colours.DSCN7940.jpgI have become addicted to the crunch of my boots in the silence of the bush.  Sometimes I stop and check what’s at my feet.  Often I find perfection.DSCN7930.jpgI always seem to find heart shaped rocks on the beach.  I now find heart shaped leaves in the bush.  The universe is speaking and so I stop and listen, ear to the ground.DSCN6899.jpgI love photographing surfers.  They are passionate and fearless.  I learn from them, it’s okay to be the same.DSCN7309.jpgSurfers find balance, in balance.  A hard act to follow.  I’m fine tuning that.

Photography has been my lifeline.  I need a few minutes every day with my camera.  And, in a crazy world, that’s how I steady myself.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

 

A new year begins …

The month of January is coming to an end.  I’ll be travelling from later this week so I thought I’d pause and collect my thoughts.

Last year was a year of learning.  I discovered I’m not a 25 year old any more!  My mind is clear as but my body let me down.  Fortunately in the last couple of years I’ve come across two wonderful books that made me rethink and rework my priorities.  Quite different in their approach and content, they are the foundation on which I’m nurturing a lifestyle.

A colleague recommended Paul Kalanithi’s ‘When Breath Became Air’.  I felt overwhelmed as I read it.  I will re-read the book for sure, but next time with texta in hand.  I expect the tears will flow again.  The overall message for me was quite simple.  Live life well.

When I bought Charles Duhigg’s book ‘The Power of Habit’, the sales assistant told me the book had flown off the shelves.  After reading it, I knew why.  Duhigg integrates the art and science of habits into an accessible text.  I immediately started to set about change in a meaningful way.

I’m a big believer in the power of meditative imagery, in mindfulness, in stillness, in silence.  The image below is one I love and often used in these exercises.  I’ll explain why.

thumb_img_3601_1024

In simplest terms, habits are formed through repetition.  This lays down neural pathways.  Repeat the action (or thought), the pathway is strengthened.  Uproot/disrupt the pathway, you can start to break the habit and form new ones.  This is how I understood and ran with it despite the challenge of heavy neural cabling I knew to be there.

Depending on the terminal my habit at the airport is to check in, clear security and head for the book shop.  It is rare for me not to buy a book.  It’s one of my few indulgences.  But the habit I wanted to break was buying chocolate at the newsagents.  For me, reading and chocolate go hand in hand, so this was a harder task.  Then I remembered a strategy I used years ago when folks were allowed to sell charity boxes of chocolate in the workplace (a practice that no longer happens).  I would walk past the box and visualise each bar made of lard.  The smell of lard makes me feel ill.  It worked!  I haven’t bought a chocolate in a shop in months.

The evolution of petrol stations becoming eateries troubles me from a health perspective because once again the emphasis is on short sighted convenience.  If I’m not in an airport terminal, I’m at a petrol station and naturally, another habit I wanted to break was to limit my purchases there.  I made it a habit to purchase only petrol and if needed, water.  That worked too.  Instead of wandering around, I go in with a set purpose and don’t deviate from it.

Developing a list of tasks before I go to bed comes naturally to me.  It provides a template for my day when I wake.  It also keeps me productive.  I write at least seven lengthy reports every week.  Picking up on another team’s work practices, my colleagues and I are trying to complete our reports on the day we see someone.  It’s a work-in-progress task and we are fine tuning our practice.  I suspect we are going to nail it this year.

With injuries last year, I’ve spent a lot of my time at home catching up on old reports, so my health is a priority I cannot ignore.  Making excuses now seems an excuse.  I’m time poor is a reality not an excuse any more.  I made a list of the easiest and most enjoyable exercises I know.  Pilates and walking emerged at the top of the list.  I realised I could do this in just about every town I visit.  It’s been too hot to walk in Perth, so I go to the shopping centres for an hour long walk in air conditioned comfort.  I’ve also enjoyed a few sessions of Pilates, the studio within walking distance from home.  How did I not know that!

What I’ve learned last year was breaking habits does not have to be painful.  Understanding the art and science behind it gives hope.

Each night I visualise the beautiful gossamer lantern of the Cape Gooseberry.  I see my brain developing this delicate, lacy network of new neural pathways.  There’s a sense of excitement in this growth.

And that’s where I’m starting from this year.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

Willie the Brave!

After a very hot weekend we are expecting a winter storm.  What’s up with this weather!

I woke this morning to absolute stillness and silence.  I took a hot drink to the sofa and gazed across the patio.  In the past few days I’ve noticed a tiny Willy Wagtail.  Still a chick it is mostly silent.  I watched it yesterday struggle to fly up to the fence, and once it gained momentum, over it.  I wondered if it landed in the swimming pool next door!

This morning, an hour went by before I heard a tiny chirp.  It was Willie the Brave!  DSCN0218.jpgI stood at the window and there it was.  Flitting around under the patio.  It feeds off the insects in the cobwebs, and flies around with ‘crumbs’ stuck to his face.  I watched it practice fantail, unsuccessfully, and smiled like a parent while gazing at it with affection.

This morning I went outdoors with my camera.  I hoped my presence would not scare him off.  It didn’t.  We shared the same space for a few moments.

This tiny bird shared a moment with me this morning.  A tiny one but big in generosity.  This little creature with no other agenda, no angle, just curiosity.  Much like me.

This is one of the simple joys I’ve enjoyed while being home most of this month.  I have a few more days at home before my gruelling schedule resumes.  My job mostly entails giving parents bad news.  It’s not everyone’s cup of tea for a profession.  I know the toll this takes on me.  So I seek other ways to soothe my spirit.  And I’ve learned, it’s moments like I experienced this morning, that uplift me.

When one realises life is finite, the value of it grows with each passing day.  So I’ve learned to find joy in the mundane which is best said by Anais Nin:

A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked.

May you find joy in whatever path you choose to walk today.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

 

 

Sea child

I’ve just returned from the South-West.  I based myself in Busselton and travelled around within a 100 km radius.  At dusk I walked the 1.7 km jetty and tried not to get blown off in the stiff breeze.  Like others, I stood as sunset and watched it, like I had never seen one before when a little girl caught my eye.  This post is for her and to those who bring joy to others unexpectedly.  The sequence of photographs is how I saw it.DSCN0118.jpgDSCN0119.jpgDSCN0120.jpgDSCN0117.jpg

Sea Child

Along a strip where sand meets the sea

a little girl plays tag

dipping her toes in

she races away

as the sea chases her unexpectedly

She returns once more

to do it again

a game of chicken, with the sea

this time the sea claims victory

she concedes

arms billowing, she spins in the breeze

throwing her head back with laughter

I watch this child of joy

listening, seeing, touching,

breathing in, senses alive

alone in a crowd, by the sea

yet connected to all

she dances in the space where,

with you, I yearn to be.

A dawnbird

 

Much like birds …

I find it fascinating that most birds pair for life.  How do they choose a life partner?  Do they ever make mistakes?  How do they work out differences? Do they ever fall out of love?  Do they ever yearn for the way it used to be?  How do they cope when their partner is no more?  So many questions.  I have no answers.

With the birds I observe, the males like the fairy blue wren are gorgeous whereas the female is less vivid.  Male birds work hard to get the female”s interest.  I once watched a bower bird diligently collect green objects (including an unattended key ring) for his potential love.  In the bird world, it’s Girl Power! all the way, it would seem.10960430_931215490224047_2663591319257657208_o.jpgThe pink galahs make me laugh!  It would appear, when it comes to love, no different than you and me.

I went through a phase after my divorce thinking it would be nice to be in a relationship.  I hadn’t factored in, life had changed me.  My standards and priorities were different.  I was stronger.  (Yes, Girl Power!).  Financially secure with adult children, was an attraction for some men, but they did not meet my criteria:  a man of integrity and social conscience.  I asked for nothing more.  You’d think I was asking for the world, but I know a man of that calibre would mean the world to me.

This evening the word prompt jogged my memory of a beautiful poem that encapsulated everything I felt in those days of search, so I’ll share it with you.

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer (@ http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com)

I love this poem.  It speaks of a journey and many other journeys, some taken, some yet to be taken, some to be taken individually, others jointly.  It speaks of togetherness, of oneness of self, and with another.  I love the inherent spiritual nature of relationship in this poem.

So where am I today?  I no longer look.  I found oneness and togetherness in Nature.  I am in a happy place.  The danger, I’m told, is “this is when it happens”!

How contrary is life?

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird