A Necklace, A Walk and Ronnie

On Sunday afternoon I walked through “my” bush for the first time in over a week. The bush where almost every day for 13 years I have walked first with Maggie and now with little Archer. It was as if I had stepped onto another planet, strange black moon like surfaces with craters and blackened rocks, strands of trees, and silence. Absolute silence. An acrid smell.

Then a flock of pelicans swooped over, their wings beating rhythmically, I took a breath, and another step, to my left was the bush I know and love.

The fire has stopped at a main walking path and been contained to a central strip of the bush. As we wandered along I felt my spirits sink, and rise in time with my steps. My mind whirling with thoughts of loss, the blessing that no human lives were lost here, and a few of those pointless “Why? Questions”. Actually it appears some boys wanted to see if they could copy the fires on the other side of our great country.

Towards the end of our walk we met Ronnie, an old aboriginal man with a shock of white hair, and a welcoming smile. Ronnie’s mixed use of English, Aboriginal English and Noongar combined with his lack of teeth made communication interesting. But we chatted for more than hour. Ronnie often explaining his stories with drawings in the sand.

When I offered the comment that it was a ‘shame about the fire’ a torrent of positive results was released. First Ronnie cheekily informed me cooking had been made easy as his family had gathered all the animals killed in the fire and taken them home for the weeks meat, and the freezer was full.

Then Ronnie showed me a plant which a week after the fire was splitting and releasing seeds, seeds which are apparently the food of echidnas (the Australian spiny ant eater, similar to a porcupine). It is a long time since I last saw an echidna in that bush but Ronnie showed me a couple of echidna homes. He told me with many gestures and pictures drawn in the sand that by this time next year I will see them regularly - and cheekily added, I would have to keep my eyes open and walk at the right time. As I have seen them before I guess I will again.

This necklace was begun a long time ago and finally it has sung, I pulled the old version apart and now the birds fly above fire coloured beads and rocks. A song of renewal.

Elements: Air

My aim today was to capture some birds as they soared on the air. Unfortunately my aim was not as quick as their flight (other than seagulls which I have already posted on this blog) so the first picture is a parrot resting in my lemon tree and the second a pelican as it flew away from me! How pelicans manage to keep those large bodies in the air is a mystery to me ...

Don't forget to enter the give-away drawn on Sunday.

Winter Freedom

I was saying to Sandy, this week, that I felt like I was being towed along this term ... dragged unwillingly behind some large earth moving vehicle perhaps. It was a clear sunny afternoon when school ended for the winter holidays, a quick glass of water and Archer and I headed out. I left my hair down and did not change out of my skirt the port was calling. This was Archers first visit to the port and he loved it, as Maggie did. Our port is a blend of grain and woodchip export, pleasure catermans, fishing, beaches and rocks. This is the port that all Australian and New Zealand servicemen left from to fight in World War I. It is right in town, close and beautiful.

This pigeon posed prettily above one of the whale watching businesses, he seemed to share my joy. Oblivious to the poop and rust around him he gloried in the sunshine.

These two had quite a chat as they posed for us, and yes, they both have two legs - clever girl is practicing her ballet.

This little fellow was watching a couple of fishermen hoping for an easy catch.

Look at this seabird glorying in the last warm rays of the day. Is he simply drying out or offering a prayer of thanks for the warmth? Perhaps a little of both and pinch of posing thrown in.

Too, too cute as he runs through the water. Archer found so many things to sniff, played with two other dogs, climbed on the rocks and braved the jetty with the water lapping gently below the boards.