Exmouth Gulf, Exmouth, Western Australia
Friends by side
connecting, with lines
he reels in
a dawn bird
In response to RDP – Monday : Sputter
Tag: work life balance
Courage, in an uneven footing …
Silvereye, Foxes Lair, Narrogin, Western Australia
It’s just after 6 am as I write. It is freezing cold in my clean but old motel room. The ceiling is high, the air con heater sluggish, it will be hours before the room warms. I’ll be gone by then.
Yesterday I finished work on time, drove into town, just a minute away, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to Foxes Lair. I barely had 20 minutes among the trees before it got too dark to be there on my own. It was all I needed. I was renewed. I am myself again.
I’ll drive home this morning listening to my favourite playlist. If the roadworks are more accessible by day, I may stop off at The Woolshed in the tiny farming town of Williams and see if they have a jumper or two that I may like. The quality of their merino wool garments is beautiful, light and warm. I have an afternoon at home to tidy up some work before I drive to the north east Wheatbelt tomorrow, around 300 km away, where I’ll spend the next few days. And then … a much needed break, in a warmer place. The thought, quickens my heart beat.
I’ve been able to survive the rigors of the last few weeks convinced in the knowledge, all days are not equal. Some days the load is lighter, and others, crushing. Yes, my shoulders sag at times but thankfully I’ve discovered ways and means to rejuvenate. A grove of trees, a strip of beach, even an empty paddock roadside, is all I need, to feel energised again. I reflected on this early morning and found, I don’t resent the load, but I do feel lost when I don’t have the opportunity during a work trip, to be in nature. I have professional supervision once a month but I feel my spirit needs ‘guidance’, ‘supervision’, every single day. Without it, I careen under the weight of lifestyle.
It has taken a long time to realise, it is okay for demands of the day to be uneven. It takes courage, to find core strength. One just needs to ride it out. I’d much rather have this, than a predictable lifestyle. When I think back to the years when Monday to Friday, 9-5, was my compass, was the way to the bank, I’m surprised that I survived. I guess, one never knows what one is missing out on, unless one has the courage to try it.
I woke up grateful this morning, I had the courage to be curious about what was around the corner, much like the tiny silvereye. It would have been a life un-lived, if I hadn’t.
May you find and enjoy your moment of gratitude, curiosity and courage, today.
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
In response to Word of the Day Challenge : Equal
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.
Some of the white iceberg roses are tinted in the palest pink. They belong on a wedding cake.
Some bloomed off course. Something familiar, to me!
Some were ethereal angels in flight.
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
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.
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. 
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!
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!
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.
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
Last day of autumn
I’ve spent half of autumn in mining country north. I’ve enjoyed this more than I can say.
I’ve enjoyed the gum trees road side along the highway in the Goldfields. Gorgeous sky line.
I took a lunch break at the lookout overlooking Lake Lefroy, a large salt lake near East Kambalda.
Oh! the colours of this landscape!
And despite the big trucks, open skies, magnificent landscape and ‘earthy miners’, I managed to find this. Invisible to the naked eye, I zoomed in to a speck thinking it was an insect, only to find it to be an exquisite flower.
Much like finding the tiny flower, there are other unexpected pleasures. I’m going out to dinner tonight. It will be nice to have company instead of eating alone. Dinner and drinks sounds just about what I need right now, before winter kicks in tomorrow. I’m not ready for it.
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
Taking a break …
To some the Cape Barren Geese are unattractive. I find them fascinating. They are a large bird and with a tab on the top of the beak, stuck on like a bandaid. Whenever I’m driving into Esperance from the airport I swing by the Golf Course where the geese like to hang out. This trip there was a young pair, sitting pretty on the grass. They could not see me seated in my car but no doubt could hear the beep from my camera. The male finally got up and made eye contact. He then started pecking furiously at the grass in an aggressive way, until I drove further away. Interesting behaviour!
I love dusk in Esperance. I sit or walk along the shores of the Bay and invariably the geese fly overhead, headed to their night roost. In the air they are incredibly graceful. They take off and land like big airliners. They are iconic birds in the Esperance area. Of the 70+ trips I’ve made to the small town, I’ve seen them only a few times.
The whales should be migrating along these waters soon but they have eluded me over the years. They often come into the Bay or the surrounding beaches and I’ve always missed them somehow. One afternoon I was going on a home visit in West Beach and saw an group of people looking curiously at the ocean. It was the only time I didn’t have a camera in the car. I was running late for my appointment so I didn’t stop. It was a white pointer only 100 meters off the beach where I love to photograph surfers! I was sorry I didn’t stop.
Tonight I looked at my schedule for the next two months. I’m booked out solid. Some sites have asked me to extend my visit for the next two months. That means four consecutive nights in Esperance! I’m looking forward to that.
My schedule forced me to start looking at holiday plans. With the wedding, my plans have to be more modest. I’ve got 2-3 trips to Bunbury and Busselton next month. It will be a taster for a week or so either in Balingup, Nannup, Cowaramup or Margaret River. I love visiting the south west in winter. The thought of a fire, a glass of red, good cheese and a book, or long walks rugged up against the cold, is bliss. It’s may not be Instagram worthy, but it’s a perfect break for me.
Time to turn in, hug the pillow and dream!
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
Dealing with a curved ball
I know for a fact, this week could have been better planned and I also know, the curved ball was unavoidable.
I left Perth for the Goldfields on Sunday and returned late on Tuesday night. I had a session of supervision on Wednesday in Perth which, due to our mutual schedules, I could not rebook. The two days in Kalgoorlie were a blur. Folks always turn up for their appointment so it was non-stop. I saw a lot of folks for their first appointment and that takes more out of me. Had I been sent my schedule ahead of time, I could have made an effort to include self-care into my day. I don’t think I even managed lunch on the first day but on the second, made a salad and took it to my favourite spot, under the trees. I only had a few minutes and not long enough to take out my camera. Somehow my body and spirit craved just being there, needing to find my groove, in the grove. I watched the wattle birds, the honey eaters, the magpies and magpie larks and reminded myself that I was returning the next day. There would be time later in the week for photography.
In the evening I settled down to relax only to find the TV reception had been knocked out after a storm. Momentarily annoyed I thought best get on to the long list of partially finished reports. I found the silver lining, I tried to convince myself. I returned home late on Tuesday night and went to bed with a list of tasks I would do first thing in the morning. Feeling I had accomplished a lot in the two days, the reports were ready for emailing.
On Wednesday morning I found my internet was not working. Four hours later on the phone with the telco and getting increasingly frustrated apparently I need a new modem that will come in a few days or perhaps there’s a problem with the hub. Being told this didn’t help me when I needed the system to work, the most, (I did mention this in another post, I can be impatient!). I returned to Kalgoorlie on Wednesday evening and worked late into the night, catching up on what I planned to do earlier in the day. Do I feel a sense of satisfaction? Not a bit!
I’m working solo today. A colleague will join me tomorrow and we’ll have two solid days of work. I’m looking forward to that. I always enjoy her company and we share the same work ethic. I’ll also have time today to go to the places I love to visit. This town has a lot of birds! While working past midnight I heard them chirping in the trees outside my hotel room. I’m sure they must have been an annoyance to some, for me, they brought on a smile.
The difference between working for others and oneself is starkly different. I am led by other people’s priorities in one agency,, when I work for myself, I can dictate them. I can be busier in the latter, but interestingly, feel less stressed, the common denominator being this … self-care.
When I was a government employee one never, ever saw self-care as a necessary part of work life balance. It was regarded as an indulgence. I was introduced to the concept of self-care when I worked in a program that required us to be on-call 24/7 for a week a month. We participated a fun group activity one afternoon a month. It wasn’t enough. We lost staff regularly, so often we were on roster for longer periods. I can recall being on-call 24/7 for six weeks without respite. I just gritted my teeth and got on with it. I didn’t realise this but years later my young adults, who were at high school then, told me every time they hear the same ring tone that I had for the roster calls, it riles them. I feel a sense of disquiet missing the impact of my work, on them.
We have come a long way in how we work. As a contractor I am expected to state how I manage fatigue. It is also a professional requirement. Self-care now fits in seamlessly in my work life balance.
I’m in a cool hotel room right now and know, for autumn, it will hot outdoors today. I also know it will hot enough for the gum flowers on those boughs I saw to burst into bloom. Life is much like that.
I’ve just realised how long the post is! I guess I needed to vent! If you’ve read the post to the end, hope you find a take home message that resonates with you.
Be kind to yourself and each other.
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
The Escape
It’s morning, yes morning
Dawn hasn’t arrived yet
looking at my day, it won’t be
The coffee is bitter
The work piled up
the sky as grey as I feel
in a hotel room
with alone for company
unlike me,
I made time in my schedule
to count my sorrows
but I’m bad at maths
so I’ll make this prison a perch
free the caged bird within me
and think about the tomorrows instead
next week I’ll travel north
over land and sea
to a place where I’ll dress in anonymity
I’ll be invisible,
A transient
I’ll wander aimlessly
And photo bomb tourists and backpackers,
Unintentionally, of course
I’ll feel the warmth of sun
I’ll have breakfast in bed
I’ll feel vibrant as the frangipani perfume
that wafts in from outside the door
I’ll watch the river mullet dance on water
I’ll watch the white heron catch fish
I’ll watch the sun seep into the sky
Twice, yes, twice each day
And know,
I was wrong today
Dawn always arrives.
a dawn bird
Morning vs dawn
There was a time in my life when working full time, completing studies and raising little children on my own, was crushing my spirit. Each day I’d wake and knew the work commitments were going to be the same as the day before and without any respite. Had I known then it would be 13 years before I had a holiday, I would never have gotten out of bed.
On Sunday night I went to bed early. The week ended with me driving many kms. I take care of myself when I have to drive. On Monday morning I ran through my schedule for the days ahead. I snuggled deeper in bed or perhaps it was the weight of commitments that kept me there longer. In the dark I sneaked a peek at the clock. 
It was pre-dawn. 
I opened the blinds wider and was greeted by dawn over a sleeping town.
I felt blessed because I no longer wake to mornings. I wake to dawn and therein lies a difference. Mornings were part of schedule. They came in rotation every 24 hours. They were predictable. They were busy.
Dawn is my muse. I am creative and productive at dawn. I look forward to dawn each day because I know it will be different. Endless hours of therapy could not have awakened this in me. It is something to be experienced in spirit, so I set off to experience this in Foxes Lair.
I love the sound of my boots crunching on dirt tracks. The sudden bounce of the shy kangaroo. The sense of being alone but not lonely. Birdsong in the tree canopy.
To me there is nothing more Wheatbelt that the sight of a pink galah in a gum tree. This was a young one.
It was a fairy floss pink.
Foxes Lair seemed like a bird nursery. There were young ring neck parrots on the ground.
The little redcap parrot joined in.
The junior Western rosella was busy feasting on gumnuts before me.
Then took it up on a tree to enjoy the rest of it.
Once it flew away I waited patiently in anticipation. It returned in full view of me. Pretty as a picture, don’t you think?
And this is how I started my day on Monday.
So who needs a holiday? Not me!
Until next time
As always
a dawn bird
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
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.
The 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.
Before 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.
I walked around Windabout Lake where the pelicans cruised like ocean liners.
Across the board walk, the bankia cones were everywhere.
And just when I thought I was alone!
A 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.
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.
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!
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.
The Willy Wagtails were plenty, some fluffier than others and quieter too, which made me think they were young ones.
Gorgeous, I thought!
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.
Further south in Dunsborough during a bush walk I found small flocks of Silvereye feeding among the Bottlebrush bushes.
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
Teeter totter
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.
On 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.
At home the bees in the front garden love the roses. I love the tiger stripes and colours.
I 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.
I 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.
I love photographing surfers. They are passionate and fearless. I learn from them, it’s okay to be the same.
Surfers 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.
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
A Shared Space 
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