Shell Beach, Western Australia

This is Shell Beach in Western Australia.  Given my love for beach combing, I was anticipating paradise.  It was.DSCN7586.jpgThe beach is 60km long and the coquina shells are about 10m deep.  One needs sunglasses here!  It is sheer brilliance.DSCN7574.jpgThe sea did not look too far away, but it was a deceptively long walk.  DSCN7577.jpgInterestingly, the wind has furrowed long gullies, so one disappears from sight while walking towards the ocean, dipping and surfacing, like a fun ride.DSCN7607.jpgTrillions of shells as far as the eye can see.DSCN7591.jpgAnd shells within shells.DSCN7599.jpgWe reached the water finally.  The colours of blue, beautiful.DSCN7601.jpgThe sea shimmered like plastic wrap.DSCN7628.jpgOn one ridge, I found spring in a bed of shells.

Another item off my bucket list.  Well, maybe not off my list completely.  I’m going to visit again.  The serenity of this beach, was amazing.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

A little break, as good as a holiday

There are some places I visit for work and happy to return to enjoy at leisure, even if time is brief.  Exmouth, about 1200 kms north of Perth, is one of them.  It has the most beautiful beaches and well known for deep sea fishing, swimming with whale sharks and the Ningaloo Marine Park.  For me the charm lies in what others may not see.

DSCN9695.jpgEmus rule here.  On wide empty streets, they slow you down.  They are the traffic jam.  The speed bump.  I love them!  Once at the local school, I even saw one checking out the children’s backpacks that were left outside class!DSCN9629The sun rises over water here.  And, as is true anywhere in the world, each day is always different.DSCN9761.jpgDid I love the vivid colours of one day or the beautiful serene pewter shine, the next?  I really cannot say.  Both were equally breathtaking.DSCN9782.jpgI love visiting Pebble Beach.  The rocks come from the escarpment on the other side.  The sea brings them in, and leaves them polished, and smooth.  DSCN9780.jpgFor me, these are the pearls of the sea.  They are old.  Smooth.  Tactile.  Melded.  You feel the story in one’s hand.DSCN9684.jpgThis time I visited Jurabi Point Beach.DSCN9687.jpgWas it worth it?DSCN9683.jpgYou bet!DSCN9604.jpgAmong the pebbles, knowing they are there, I always search for heart shaped stones.  Why does the sea shape them so?DSCN9584.jpgThis one is for meditation.  When adrift rudderless, at sea, it is a reminder.  Like the tide, one always returns to shore.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

End of summer

It’s the second last day of summer.  Autumn is in the air.  There’s a chill in the early morning.  My feet need warmth.

I recall the warmth of the sea that encased my feet, not long ago in Jurien Bay.

DSCN9022The morning was tinted in muted colours.  The beach, nearly empty.

DSCN9005When the jogger was out of sight, the seagull kept me company

DSCN8925I stepped off the jetty to watch the dolphins play.  They enjoyed the limelight.

DSCN8929As if it noticed me, one flipped on it’s back and swam a length, to show off the latest party trick.

DSCN8959The tide was leaving.  The sun arrived.

DSCN9142I started to see things that first startled me … a mouse?!

DSCN9076I relaxed.  Angel wings, or perhaps a butterfly.

DSCN9176I realised, the pristine sand was just shells, waiting for time, like me.

DSCN9027There was plenty to distract me, like the honeyeater in the scrub.

DSCN8973The cormorant on the pontoon, in the early morning sun.

DSCN8983The pied oystercatcher, with mate.

DSCN8996As the day ended, lovers, like lovers often do, stopped to watch a setting sun slide into the sea.

DSCN9096Like I said in the previous post, yes I’ve travelled the world, but every morning I wake in awe, to find it at my feet.

May you do too.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

 

 

Starry eyed …

via Daily Prompt: Astral

Years ago a friend introduced me to the work of Theodore Roszak, and a newer, more beautiful world.

Ecopsychology promotes, quite simply, the connection to wider systems that make up life on this planet and beyond.  Ancient cultures practiced this as a way of life.  As we come to grips with the devastation caused by disconnection and dislocation, it is vital to understand this.  Underpinning this, is the yearning for connection.

I set about to find my way through the maze of work-life balance and as I did, my ‘connectedness’ to the world became stronger.  I started to understand the meaning of ‘country’ and, with each step, I returned to mine.

Astronomy left me wondrous with the galaxies, planets and comets, but unattainable.  So I looked elsewhere and found stars within reach.

thumb_IMG_0408_1024I found them in my garden.

thumb_IMG_0124_1024Viola! in the strawberry, waiting to fruit.

thumb_DSCN5145_1024Among bush tracks.

thumb_IMG_0097_1024.jpgAgainst a fence.

thumb_IMG_2583_1024.jpgIn the neighbour’s garden.

thumb_IMG_1668_1024.jpgIn the eyes of the magpie lark, as it picked through the remnants of my breakfast.

thumb_IMG_0193_1024.jpgIn the eyes of a sick dog, who knows she is loved.

thumb_IMG_0850_1024.jpgIn my eyes, when I found the heart I left behind.

thumb_IMG_2688_1024.jpgAnd, when I walked among the ‘sea clouds’.

thumb_IMG_2685_1024I found my very own Milky Way.

thumb_IMG_2735_1024.jpgSo I took it home, and like a child at Halloween, emptied my pockets of loot.

My astral experiences may be different but if they help you seek yours, our lives have been enriched by sharing this space.  Stay starry eyed!

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

 

 

Sea dialect

via Daily Prompt: Conversant

I know …

DSCN9100the tide is receding, when I find lines drawn between sand and sea.

DSCN9086they chronicle time

DSCN9088or memoralise life, between the lines.

DSCN9093The sea may leave a sprig of foliage.  An oasis, when you least expect it.

DSCN9145Sand from far away places.

DSCN9170Tiny shells, from who knows where.

I catch a glimpse, a fleeting glimpse, of sand in the making.

And, as the tide leaves, I become more conversant with the language of the sea.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

 

 

In shells, a memory …

When in Geraldton, in the Midwest of Western Australia, I often find myself grabbing a quick lunch at St Georges Beach while seated in my car.  I angle myself comfortably, to watch the distinctive trees.  In the still of the moment, they look like they are responding to a sea breeze.  They are poised, but do not break.

During the last trip, the trees took me where I’ve wanted to be each time I visit this sea city.  Just beyond the beige.

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Is white a different shade of beige?  I’m not sure but the difference is remarkable.

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I zoomed in for a closer look, and saw so much more.  In a cup of a shell, there were smaller, tinier shells.

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Some fused with coral.

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My first blue shell!

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A sea sponge, as distinctive as a hairdo.

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Thousands of broken and whole shells, pieces of coral too.

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A translucent shell, agape.

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I missed the details on the countless trips I’ve made.

Moving from the beige to beyond, I returned home and read up on shells.  There is so much about them I do not know and have yet to learn.

What I did learn is, shells once belonged to living creatures.  They are remnants of what was and become footprints in the sand.

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Just like memories.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird