Plover Diary - plus - Back Walking...

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Plover Diary Day 4 cont.

Late yesterday
the Plover Family had once again
taken up residence in the park.
I nosed into the access way
and met one parent idling along
and the other wings fluffed out
and resting
I sat and waited
and eventually she raised her body
and two little warmed chick slipped out
from their feather quilt


Only two...

I looked all around
hoping the other parent
was watching over the third chick
But to no avail...






Day 5

This morning
on the way
to the National Park
I stopped to see the Plovers
in the vacant block.

Only one parent
and one chick were visible
I crossed my fingers

Returning from the physio
I could find no sign of the family
I circled our street twice
walked into the park
walked over the empty block
and even asked a tradesman
working on a house over the road
if he had seen the Plover family...


I will go out looking again shortly
But
it is not looking good...







Back Walking...

Yesterday
when I got up
it felt to me
to be the day
to get back into walking
in the National Park

I parked the car
inside the park gates
and looked over
to my favourite gum tree

Ahhh...


It is so good to be back...

I took some deep draughts
of that special blend
of ocean and forest air
laced with eucalyptus gum
and sighed with each out breath
a sigh of joy



Oh Happy Day
to be back walking

My swaddled foot and I
headed up the path
that separates the ocean
from the forest










and headed for
the Boiling Pot

Not yet ready
for rugged climbing
like the ibex on the Wall of Death
at the Dead Sea


we took it very gently
and slowly
and absorbed all the wonder
and the beauty
in all the little details...

the blue of the ocean
through the trees
the waves breaking
on the rocks below

the tiny wild flowers
on the sides of the tracks
so easily missed
by energetic walkers

and at the Boiling Pot
I stopped
and watched the incoming tide
bubble under,
through
and over the pot,
and noticed how the
large rock in front of the pot
is shaped like Australia

From the Boiling Pot
I looked over the flat rocks
to Tea Tree Bay
and foot and I were both eager
to keep on moving

dead tree branches
scratched the blue above

It was so wonderful to hear
the music of the sea
once again

to see the early sun
strike the young pandanus plant

and bounce off stacked stones

ahead
glorious Tea Tree Bay










Grandfather's Beard
sprouts along
the dead logs,

looking like
Grandfather's ear whiskers...

I slow
at Tea Tree
to watch the surfers
and give thanks for being alive
on such a day
in such a place
for being able to walk
and see
and feel...


to notice...

miniature wildflowers

a carpet of tawny leaves

a little stream
of tea
running to the sea

the circular swirls
in an old log rotting

the glow on a rotting stump

and the beauty
and purity
of the simple dandelion
I knelt down
wondering
how I would get up again
but didn't care
I wanted to see this little plant
in fine detail
glowing white

echoing the circles of lichen
on the rock behind

and when I looked up
to find a rocky edge
to pull myself up again
look at what I saw
from between the rocks
a handle just perfectly
strategically placed
just for me
today

I laughed
and said a thank you
to the universe

fallen banksia leaves
of rusty brown

with precision serrated edges
like my bread knife
at home

at Dolphin Point
there is a resting spot
the remnants of a WW II
look out post


But foot and I decide to push on
we are so enjoying the walk

until the flat surface ended
and the rugged bumps
and uneven gravel
made us reconsider

But not before we spied yellow
on both sides of the path
that will be our turn around point

on the left
of the path
Hibertia Scandens
her face ablaze with sunlight

and inside
a busy little wasp or bee
with laden pollen sacs on his legs
can you see

and over on the right
of the track

some beautiful dazzling weeds

so we turn
and even then
the sun hitting
the dried grasses
makes me gasp
with awe

the surfers
sitting on the ocean's
rolling blue
appear between the trees

the chirp of a little frog
at this swampy corner
pulls me up

and I stop
to listen...
and it was a chirp
not at all a croak

I sigh again
for the hundreth time today

a sigh of
appreciation



~



And on the return walk
I have a little revelation


I realise
that blogging has given me
sharper eyes
better hearing
and greater focus,
and has enhanced my walks.


Knowing that I intend to write a post
on my walks
I am more aware
my senses heightened
and I gain greater joy out of my walks
I experience the walk first hand
with greater pleasure
picking up all the little details as I go


I talk to myself as I walk,
conjuring up potential captions for the images
when I load the photos onto the computer
I relive the wonder of the park
as I watch every image reappear
and I relive the joy of the original intoxication


and then
in composing the post
in writing a little story
to tie the images together
I receive another reward

and finally
when I present the end product to you -
and you respond
and we enter into a discussion
I gather more rewards


the whole experience
enriches me ten fold...

time now to head back
to the car
and for home


one happy walker
one foot becoming stronger


Oh Happy Day...