a hazy moon

Deeds not Words

2011-12-09T07:11:00.000+10:00

God made the illusion look real
andthe real an illusion
He concealed the sea
and made the foamvisible

the wind invisible
and the dust manifest
you seethe dust whirling
but how can the dust rise by itself?
you seethe foam, but not the ocean
invoke Him with deeds, not words;
fordeeds are real
and will save you in the infinite-life

 Rumi 

Very Early on Sunshine Beach

2011-12-04T15:47:00.000+10:00

Let's take the steps

down to Sunshine Beach

before the day has really begun

before breakfast

before the beach lovers arrive

before the heat builds

before the usual routine begins

while we are new and fresh

the day is young

and life begins again

Let's stroll in the relative cool

of 24C at 5.30am

a dawn Icarus

rises high 

across the path of sunbeams

a loyal pup

awaits his swimming owners

the clouds cluster and swell

as they experiment with shape

using the blue of blue as their canvas
and the wet sand 
as their mirror

and the sea rolls glass green

Oh happy day... 

Aloha

2011-12-02T12:23:00.000+10:00

Ua ola loko i ke aloha

Love gives life within

Misty Morning Walk

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000+10:00

A misty haze filled the sky

a mist made of smoke

humidity 

and sprinkled rain

the sun rose from the Pacific

as usual  

eager to pierce through the gauzy veil

Walking today 

down the wide swathe of foreshore

the high tide nibbling our ankles

to the Headland of the National Park

where dogs are given free reign

to run and scamper chase and swim

without restraint

the persistent sun finds a portal

a misty sky is pierced

however temporarily

and the world below remains

enshrouded...

Walking along the River

2011-11-25T11:53:00.000+10:00

One early morning

I opted for a change of walk venue

taking the riverside path

opposite my home

The Noosa River

a sedate old lady

makes her way to the river mouth

and ocean

the mighty Pacific

weaving its way down from the Lakes

Cootharaba, Cooroibah

Como and Cooloola

originating in the Great Sandy National park

in the Wahpoonga Range

Loggers floated their booty

down her flanks in the 1860s

Richard Branson purchased 

her island Makepeace

near Tewantin township in 2003
A small 9 hectare heart shaped island
originally called Pig Island
as pigs were once quarantined there
You can stay the night
in luxury for only $9000.00
without the pigs...

Though they grow well, the coconuts

that sway and rustle 
along her shores never bear fruit

the climate not warm enough

The white cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets

have left their roosts for the day

thousands upon thousands of them

rising circling screeching

except for a few stragglers

high in the gums

leaving the trees for the mourning doves

the fig birds and the noisy miners

The river is a place for meeting

for families and friends

for fun and water activities

for relaxing and cooling

the Illawarra flame tree

Brachychiton acerifolious

a kurrajong - a genus of about 30 species

drops its leaves in early summer

and flaunts her beauty

of tiny bell shaped flowers

which sprinkle the lawns and sand below

like hundreds and thousands

maybe you know them as non pareils 

or sprinkles

that cover a child's sandwich treat

called fairy bread

The name Kurrajong means fishing line

the tree's bark was used by the Aborigine

to make fishing lines 

the early morning sunshine

 is like the Dreamtime 

like the rainbow serpent 

conjuring elements and images

form and shape 

from another world

a world of water and light

and colour
and even perfume...

The Real World

2011-11-23T18:26:00.000+10:00

I,and many others

 have come to a new realization

Itis this: 

The only reality I can possibly know

 is the world as Iperceive and experience it

 at this moment

 The only reality you can possiblyknow

 is the world as youperceiveand experience it

 at this moment

Andthe only certainty is 

that those perceived realities are different

 Thereare as many real worlds

 as there are people

Carl Rogers 

Walking Through this Week....

2011-11-18T19:21:00.000+10:00

It has been hot in Noosa

too hot to walk once the day warms up

so I ventured out one morning at 5.30am

walking from the beach

into the National park

on my well beaten track 

along the coastal cliffs

Only a handful of people 

walked or ran 

so it was peaceful and cool

looking through the curtain

of Casuarina tassels

 I was surprised to glimpse

sparkles of dew

A spongy moist fungi growth

on a tree trunk caught my eye


A baby brown snake 
lies on the track
this one left 
for the Great Rainbow Serpent 
in the sky

The Rainbow Serpent
is one of the great spirits of creation
who inhabits deep permanent waterholes
He descended from the dark streak
in the Milky Way

  Tobwabba Collective Art


and reveals himself as a rainbow
as he moves through water and rain
In Aboriginal legend
the Rainbow Serpent moved over 
the flat newly formed earth
creating deep valleys and rivers
nourishing the planet

the Macaranga flower that I showed you

a week or more ago

now looks like a medieval mace

the flower turned to seed

the sun creeping around the points 

along the walk

painted the rocks and grasses

in a different light to usual

the grasses glowed with rust and tarnish

the bright blue sky

held stark old trees in contrast

another blessed day has begun...

The Great Roots

2011-11-16T06:33:00.000+10:00

We did not come to remainwhole.
We came to lose our leaves like the trees,
The treesthat are broken
And start again, 

drawing up from the greatroots

Robert Bly

Walking Through the Week

2011-11-13T22:39:00.000+10:00

The creeping crawling and climbing critters

are out and about

scampering, slithering and sunning

my walks along the coastal tracks

and over the hill through the forests

and banksia wallum 

don't seem complete without ~

a critter or two

this well camouflaged fellow

is a small frill neck lizard

keeping absolutely motionless

in the first picture 

you almost miss him in the twigs

look at the fine detail

in his suit of armour

without ~ 

a wildflower or bunch

I thought this butterfly

was a moth

until I learned that moths 

are mainly nocturnal

that they rest 

with their wings flat open

and they never ever have knobs

 on the ends of their antennae

so those facts would determine

that this creature is a butterfly

see his long proboscis

sucking, straw-like,

 the nectar from the flower

The flower

is a Long Podolepis

without ~ a splash of green 

today from the Livistona fan palm

in the rain forest

and without ~
an obliging bird
even if that bird
is just a humble pied butcher bird
with a lovely trill...

camera critters

Silence

2011-11-10T16:33:00.000+10:00

 Hiroshige

Why are you afraid of silence

silence is the root of everything

If you spiral into its void

a hundred voices will thunder messages

you long to hear

Rumi

Sunday Walk

2011-11-06T21:00:00.000+10:00

Today's Sunday walk

yielded, up close

one kookaburra

two goannas

 wikimedia commons

one Rufous fantail

and some fluffy ornamental grasses

On our return from Sunshine Beach

we followed a large goanna

a lace monitor

who seemed unaware of our presence

he swung his large bulky body

in a lumbering gait

rollicking from side to side

as his front right leg

plodded forward

his shoulders and top half of his body

 swung to the left

and then to the opposite side

he only noticed us when we were quite close

and he stepped off the track into the bush

he has large ear holes

no ear auricle

and doesn't seem to hear very well

when I uploaded the images

I noticed the reason 

for his head swinging actions

he is using his long extended tongue

to detect, smell and taste the air particles

his forked tongue allows him to determine

what direction a scent is coming from

he can detect the scent of rotting carrion

 from as far away as 9 km

that's about 6 miles 

This lace monitor

is dark grey with numerous 

scattered cream spots

and black and cream bands on his tail

He was thought to be non venomous

and infections from bites 

due to the bacteria in his mouth

but it has been recently found 

that he is mildly venomous

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri 1932—21 June 2002  

The goanna features prominently 

in Aboriginal mythology and folklore

as well as in their art work and diet

He is considered a high risk 

but tasty meal...

Inside My Heart

2011-11-04T12:47:00.001+10:00

 San Sebastian ~ Raphael

I said what about my eyes?

"Keep them on the road."

I said what about my passion?

"Keep it burning."

I said what about my heart?

"Tell me what you hold inside it?"

I said pain and sorrow.

He said:

"stay with it."

Rumi

From Sunshine Beach

2011-11-01T14:56:00.000+10:00

Dull and cloudy but warm today

I left from Sunshine Beach village

and walked the high tide mark

until I reached the headland

then climbed up the dunes

and entered the windswept wallum

gnarly and bedraggled

but as I slipped over the high dunes 

I entered a sanctum

the path was wet and soft

from last night's rain

the roar of the ocean subsided

and the forest stood still

waiting

I too stood still and watched

looking above me

in the eucalypts and melaleucas

I see a native orchid flowering

and another

I observe the tangles

of interwoven branches

The hanging nest of leaves

which is a spider's web

It is silent

no birdsong

I wait 

and wait

like the web

stillness hangs in the air

so I move along

deeper into the bush

where the wallum is more protected

 from the coastal winds

a tree of blossoming tiny white bellflowers

drops a carpet over the sandy track

and I take a path 

winding further into the forest 

still listening for birdsong

I hear wrens and sweet singing

and above the canopy

I hear the wail of the black cockatoo

crossing the little bridge 

I climb higher into banksia country

and stop to note the colours 

on the forest floor

the rust of old banksia flowers

and the greens of mossy growths

the texture of the knobbly banksia trunks

and begin to make my way into low wallum

where the banksias are more stunted varieties

mindful of anything buzzing

I know the march flies are out today

and they nip

I catch the silhouette 

of a tiny splendid blue wren

with a bug in his mouth

and listen to his family calling him

in such a gentle sweet song

near my exit I stop to look 

at the bent flower stem of the grass tree

as it begins to flower

attracting little native bees

to do their work

in this beautiful and tranquil environment

Oh Peaceful Day...

Lolly Pink

2011-10-29T07:05:00.000+10:00

The beauty of sunsets

is that they are invariably different

even when viewed 

from the same vantage points

on the same pathway...

they are always able 

to halt you in your tracks

and take your breath away

Tonight's sunset glowed golden red 

through the eucalyptus trees

as it stretched out 

over the ocean towards me

and then at a certain point

on its steady slipping

behind the hills

it turned a bright pink

a lolly pink sunset 

wondrous oblivion

On the Path

2011-10-26T17:54:00.000+10:00

On the path to Hell's Gates today

I saw one large goanna

slithering under the pandanus leaves

one small frill neck lizard 

standing on a rock

looking out to sea

a number of pods of small dolphins

and a family group of black cockatoos 

Dad is holding a banksia nut

the flower seeds of the banksia shrub

and he is using his beak and dexterous tongue

to pick the seeds out

He's the dad because he has a pink eye ring

and a dull yellow cheek patch

and he's BIG

over here in the banksia

is another male 

the males have a darker beak

and lighter yellow patch

look at his 

beak and tongue up close

and the way he grasps the nut

 in his claws

Alaine my blog friend has told me 
that cockatoos always grasp food 
with their left feet
isn't that fascinating...

and left behind in the tree

and indignant is a juvenile

making quite a noise 

until she too takes flight

to join her family

See her tail

These are yellow tailed Black Cockatoos

the biggest of the cockatoos

and they usually herald the advent of rain

They flap deeply and slowly

in a heavy fluid motion

you can hear them coming

by their wing beats  

and their loud eerie mournful wailing calls
I have seen them
in this cluster of banksia trees before
perhaps it's a favourite family haunt...

Heaven

2011-10-24T17:27:00.000+10:00

There is the heaven we enter

through institutional grace

and there are the yellow finches bathing and singing

in the lowly puddle

~

Mary Oliver wrote the above lines
and inspired me...

~

There is the blessing we receive

from ordained clerics

and there is the sunlight sifting through the trees

onto the green forest

There are the holy books from which we learn

the theology of man

and there are the Scribbly Gums

and the tracks of seagulls

There is the communion of people

and of sacraments

and there is walking in awe

in the green blue cathedral of Nature

Later
I related to a friend
how I had been inspired
to write these lines
and she told me about
Longfellow's poem:

My Cathedral

Like two cathedral towers these stately pines

uplift their fretted summits tipped with cones

The arch beneath them is not built with stones

Not art but nature traced these lovely lines,

And carved this graceful arabesque of vines:

No organ but the wind here sighs and moans,

No sepulchre conceals a martyr's bones

No marble bishop on his tomb reclines.

Enter! the pavement, carpeted with leaves,

Gives back a softened echo to thy soft tread!

Listen! the choir is singing;all the birds,

In Leafy galleries beneath the eaves,

Are Singing! listen, ere the sound be fled,

And learn there may be worship without words ..

Oh Holy
Heavenly
Happy days...

1969 Time Warp

2011-10-21T11:32:00.000+10:00

1969 Making a film for fun...

In 1969, when I was in my last year of high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, a girlfriend and I, along with two film maker friends, made a short three minute movie to the song Society's Child.
The film was released on the sole television channel at the time and aired as an 'interlude' - a filler when the programming, for some reason, didn't run to schedule.

The song Society's Child, was first released in 1965 by Janis Ian, a sixteen year old. She had written the song when only thirteen. The song concerned the taboo subject of inter racial romance and caused quite a stir at the time.

The song tells of a girl's inter racial romance that was forbidden by her mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers. The girl eventually decides to end the relationship claiming that societal norms and pressure left her with no other choice.

Many radio stations refused to play the song and one in Atlanta that did was burned to the ground.
Ian received hate mail and death threats.
Ian said later that she lived in a near all black community and was one of only five white children in her school so that she saw the issue from both sides. She also regrets the hurt the song caused her family and the fact that her father was branded a racist when this wasn't the case.
She said she wrote the song to reflect the way things were in the community at that time.

The song became a hit after it was featured on Leonard Bernstein's TV special -
Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution.

Our little film looked at the issue of class differences and the difficulty of breaching class barriers and forming cross class friendships.

The tall fellow in the top shot has become a respected New Zealand filmmaker, well known for his Antarctic filming. Working for NHNZ, a film production company, Max Quinn has made over twenty films in the antarctic regions.

To slip back to the late sixties click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW_rYLoIR08

Pity about the false eyelashes...

Everlasting

2011-10-19T11:17:00.000+10:00

The wild grasses on the sides 

of the coastal track

are autumn brown although it's spring

I bent down to look closely

at the tawny grass  

and spotted a splash of yellow

down the hillside

a clump of everlasting daisies

and right on the cliff edge

the daisy seeds set to be carried 

by the coastal breeze

to begin a new life

everlasting...

Iam part of the sun as my eye is part of me 
That I am part of theearth my feet know perfectly
 and my blood is part of the sea
 Thereis not any part of me that is alone 
and absolute except my mind 
andwe shall find that the mind has no existence by itself
 it is onlythe glitter of the sun on the surfaces of the water 

                            D.H.Lawrence

Sunday Walk

2011-10-16T17:54:00.001+10:00

Sunday walk

to Sunshine Beach

for lunch

is a ritual 

that has been established 

this year

Up the hill

down the slope

through the eucalypts 

and the banksias

and the wallum

A Small Frill Neck Lizard poses for me

then 

back through the wallum 

to the tanglewood 

and the rain-forest

It was hot today

we were all hungry

and on the move

Now back to collect our car

at the edge of the rain-forest

What's over here at the rock wall?

It looks small 

but these are large boulders

The carpet snake or Morelia Spilota

a native of the rainforests of Queensland

which is my state

is a python who is non-venomous 

and can grow 2-4m

This one I estimated to be 2m long

Carpet snakes can live 20-30 years

He has attractive black 

and yellow/brown markings 

and a gorgeous iridescent pearl eye

A great Sunday walk...

Bearded Dragon

2011-10-13T11:29:00.000+10:00

Walking up the steep steps 

behind the township

of Noosa Heads this morning

I was bemoaning the fact 

that I never see 

critters on this walk

while they must be there in the trees, 

old logs and deep leafy carpet

 on the forest floor

I found a bright little flower on the path

and the curious green flowers

 of the macaranga tree

with the large parasol leaves

I began to make my way down hill

 through a residential zone

and spotted a movement on a front lawn

he stopped very still

and as I cautiously approached

he scampered into the leafy camouflage

and I walked closer still

he's a Bearded dragon

with rows of spiny scales on his throat

which he can puff and expand if threatened

and also spines on the back of his head

He has a hand waving gesture

to indicate submission to other dragons

and a head bobbing action to show dominance

He's also able to change colour 

like a chameleon

The bearded dragon enjoys basking in the sun

in dry arid zones of Australia

but when the temperatures rise to 38'-50'C

he buries himself underground

He's an omnivore and also diurnal.

The Dragon can grow 45-60 cm 

half of which is tail

and despite his angry appearance 

he makes a gentle pet...

Dusk

2011-10-12T14:29:00.000+10:00

Walking as the day

slips into sunset and dusk

the world changes colour

the trees and grasses

even the rocks glow 

the air is still and

everything is blanketed 

with a calm quiet

even when the forest tunes up 

with the song of cicadas

on the beach

of a little cove 

I see a figure

someone's totem

let me flip him over

soft evening falls

bringing with it

a gentleness

and ease

Oh Blessed day

Whales

2011-10-11T16:23:00.004+10:00

The day was hot and glorious

so clear and calm

the ocean was turquoise and teal

so so still 

and there were whales

firstly a family of frolickers

rolling and flapping

the sound of each slap 

reaching me on the coastal path

a few small boats were right out 

in the sweep of the whales' trajectory

as they moved across the bay

taking their calves down the coast

back to cooler waters of Antarctica

I sat in the shade of a casaurina tree

above the clear transparent waters

and idled away time

the flipper slappers

then became tail flashers

it is hard to tell how many there are

in this family group

and who is who

there was no breaching unfortunately

but a day of frolicking

down in Hell's Gates

the water was glass

and a couple of divers

made the most of the clear waters

Oh Happy Days...

Goannas on the Go

2011-10-10T14:13:00.000+10:00

When climbing Noosa Hill to Sunshine Beach

we first pass through the park picnic area

where it is not uncommon to meet a goanna

This one, an inquisitive fellow

cruising under the picnic table

heading for a group of munching visitors

tinted a light yellowish green in parts

on his young body

just a small to medium sized specimen

not at all like the enormous fellow 

that crept out from under my bed one time

At the top of the hill I look down

 over north facing Laguna Bay

round the bend and face south 

to see the village of Sunshine Beach

which is a suburb of Noosa Heads

and further the next small towns 

strung along the coast

Coming down the hill we meet another goanna

on the path who scurries into the undergrowth

and pretends not to be there

He is a bigger fellow

older and greyer

A wild tropical storm yesterday

whipped the leaves from the trees

and carpeted the path in patches

creating a soft cushioned walk 

with silent footfalls

which may have been why we spotted 

the Splendid Blue Wrens

a group of three tiny wrens

 flitted and preened in jerky movements

making it impossible to capture a good shot

On our return

after a shared roast turkey, cranberry sauce, rocket and tomato sambo

with carrot, celery apple and ginger juice

we hear a thump

and spot something between the trees

 a small red necked wallaby

we've seen him once before in the same spot

amazed that wallabies live in this park

so close to towns

we've never seen another in the National Park

in over 34 years

Australian Wild Iris ~ Dietes Irioides

It has been a good Sunday wildlife walk

and the rain yesterday has overnight

turned the forest green

Oh Happy walking days...

Ruffled

2011-10-09T16:22:00.000+10:00

The ocean is ruffled

like a starched lacy petticoat

the breeze is warm

as I walk at the end of the day

stopping at a favourite tree

now dead

but still beautiful

against the sky and ocean

I look for whales

and spy a spout

and another

look here...

too late 

another day...

Tiny Flowers Big Views

2011-10-08T19:00:00.000+10:00

Most of the spring wildflowers 

in the park are spent

but the odd little flower remains

 on the verges of the walking track

tiny splashes of colour

humble and simple

to complement the broad views

and create the big picture

Half Way

2011-10-07T09:59:00.003+10:00

On reaching Hell's Gates

my half way point

I always stop and breathe deeply

have a stretch 

give a little sigh of gratitude 

and gaze right down the coastline 

to the south

I search the rocky inlet below 

for signs of turtles

check the horizon for whales and calves

on their journey home to Antarctica

and scour the sky for birds 

Today white splashes on the grey rocks below

caught my eye

and I zoomed in to find

three pied Cormorants

resting on the rocks

drying their wings

and preening  

after fishing in the ocean below

The Australian Pied Cormorant 

or Pied Shag

feeds on benthic fish

which are those that live

 in the lowest layer of ocean

or in the sediment

fish such as prawns and sea worms

No whales today

but I did see some last evening
and hope to spot more tonight...

Looking for Signs

2011-10-05T15:46:00.000+10:00

Looking for signs of spring

in the subtropics

where flowers and trees bloom all year

and very few deciduous trees  

mark the changes of the seasons ~

there are the bright and the obvious

 the pink lilly pillies 
and the red bottle-brushes

and then there are the little critters

quietly at work

and the small and almost missed

and then there are the not so subtle

the very bossy juvenile Noisy Miner

in the yellow grevillea 

and the loud and flamboyant Rainbow Lorikeet

A Hazy Day

2011-10-03T20:09:00.000+10:00

A Hazy day

is a good omen

for the sunset capturing enthusiast

who wanders in the national park

at dusk

stopping frequently

to admire the fireball

of light

until the day quickly disappears

and the twinkles of the town beckon

An Old Jetty

2011-10-01T20:58:00.000+10:00

An old jetty

is a fine place to stop

and rest

watch the changing patterns 

of the sunlight and ripples 

 on the riverbed

beside the mangroves

and enjoy the fishing antics

of a pelican pair

Blessed be solitude

Walking Noosa Hill

2011-09-29T13:57:00.001+10:00

I have been walking over Noosa Hill

through the rainforest

the eucalyptus forest

the bush

and the wallum

to Sunshine Beach

a journey of up to three hours depending on the time

one takes to enjoy a mango smoothie

or a salmon bagel on The Deck

overlooking the beach in the little township

Now it is spring

I have been on the lookout for 

these 

and these

and these

I have seen and heard these

and heard the Splendid Blue Wrens

and the whipbirds

but the others are remaining elusive

however I did see this

and this

but now that I am walking with Canon again

I hope to spy them soon

I take Noosa Hill route 3, the orange path

until it joins the red Tanglewood track 2

follow the Tanglewood East 

until the second right turn

 onto the faint purple dotted track

to the heavy purple track 5 

which comes out at Parkedge Road

then I walk the streets 

down to the village...

On my return I stay on the Tanglewood 

instead of retracing my steps 

up and over the hill

Once is enough!

Mail Away

2010-10-24T17:53:00.002+10:00

One of the reasons

that I am only occasionally present

here these days

is that I have been making mail...

mail art

which can be made from anything

lying about, junk, images, old papers

drawings, magazines, brochures, flyers

and plenty of glue...

You can recycle envelopes

turn them inside out

draw, paint, snip and paste

add poems, clippings, quotes,

create in any way

that expresses your individuality...

you don't have to be an artist

just keen to make mail

and connect with others

I have invited a few friends

to join a 'closed' blog

where we share the mail received

and build friendships

If this idea of snail mail art appeals to you

and you have the time and inclination

to indulge your creativity in this fashion

email me

and I will give you further information

about the Mail Away project

Wisteria

2010-10-08T10:34:00.000+10:00

Yoshida Toshi

In the pale moonlight

Hasui Kawase

the wisteria's scent

Chikanobu

comes from far away

Hiroshige

Haiku by Buson

A Pre-Sunset Stroll

2010-09-22T20:48:00.000+10:00

A pre-sunset stroll

along the Noosa River foreshore

sees the seagulls lined up

to watch the late afternoon skies

too late Jonathon

full house...

left leg tree pose is mandatory

and the vaulted sky

blazes with cloud

as the sun prepares to sink

the dog whisperer

(he really is called that)

wends his way home

with his three charges

impatient now

to disembark...

The Holy Flute

2010-09-09T21:23:00.001+10:00

The temple seashore

incoming rollers

flow in time

to the holy flute

Buson

The Song Remains

2010-08-30T20:55:00.000+10:00

The Song Remains...

Perching on a blooming branch of rose
The bird sang a melodious song

Spreading the cry of joy
Across the void of silence

The rose vanished,
Without leaving a trace
Of its colour,
Of its smell;

But when the bird vanished,
Its song remained.

The Song Remains
by Mahmud Kianush
1934-
Iranian Poet

*

Kookaburra

2010-08-19T19:17:00.001+10:00

I was walking over the hill
this afternoon
and noticed this sign
at a block of holiday apartments

and sure enough
right out the front
I saw this...
I am pretty sure
I know who it is...
Do You?

Another friendly kookaburra

who laughs

just like this...

Happy Days
everyone

*

An Old Fisherman

2010-08-11T17:13:00.000+10:00

An Old Fisherman

An old fisherman spent the night here

under the western cliff

He dipped up water from the pure Hsiang

and made a bamboo fire

And then, at sunrise, he went his way

through the cloven mist

With only the creak of his paddle left,

in the greenness of mountain and river

... I turn and see the waves moving as from heaven,

And clouds above the cliff coming idly, one by one

An Old Fisherman

by Liu Zongyuan,

Poet of the Tang Dynasty

Top Painting by Wu Zhen
1280-1354
Painter of the Yuan Dynasty

Bottom Painting by Wang Su
1794-1877
Happy Fisherman

Sydney for a Day

2010-08-02T21:34:00.000+10:00

I went to Sydney today...

Got up at 3am

drove to Brisbane 1hr 45mins away

flew to Sydney

which took 1hr 20mins 

Visited the US Consulate

 for a multiple entry-long term visa

and had time to walk down Pitt Street

to the harbour

take a few pics on my iphone 

before returning to the airport

delayed one hour because of high winds

flew to Brisbane 

drove home to Noosa

~ What a long Day ~

But look at Circular Quay

the area of the Sydney Harbour

between the Sydney Harbour Bridge

and the Sydney Opera House

two stunning pieces 

of man made engineering

and architecture

we mingled with the tourists

walking the shoreline

near the very Bay

that Captain James Cook

stepped foot on

way back in 1788

222 years ago

Cook sailed into Botany Bay

just south of Circular Quay

on the HMS Endeavour

The British planned 

a penal colony for Botany Bay

which in time became the first 

European habitation of Australia

Sew and Sew

2010-07-31T13:43:00.000+10:00

Cleaning shelves

recently at my Mother's house

In New Zealand

I found her Elna Sewing machine handbook

Bought before I was born

The sewing machine

produced most of the garments

we wore as children

until we learned to sew

and made our own

The sewing machine could even embroider

 In a back pocket of the handbook

I found the original guarantee

from the Robertson reversible Sewing Machine Co

My mother's three girls

dressed in their beautiful dresses

But my favourite dress 

was a red spotted summer number

with matching red piping, 

hence the caption on the postcard above

Evening Bell For Barry

2010-07-27T15:01:00.001+10:00

Silent the old town

the scent of flowers

floating

and evening bell

Basho

Barry Fraser
The Explorer

April 3 1943 - July 20 2010

Red Pearls

2010-07-15T22:13:00.000+10:00

Red Pearls

Here

red pearls

on a vine

once treasures from

South America

now riches of glowing

fire engine red - bright orbs

beckoning to be gently plucked

their pungent aroma and sweet taste

bringing my father's garden back to life

An Etheree poem

has 10 lines

of 55 syllables

beginning with one syllable

and building with the addition

of one syllable each line

to a total of 10 syllables

Hell's Gates

2010-07-10T17:45:00.000+10:00

I am back in Australia
for a few weeks
attending to chores...
it is wintry
but a good walk today
warmed me up...

Hell's Gates

My walk around the headland

each afternoon

takes me out to Hell's Gates

Here my friend says

she has seen turtles

I think she confuses the black rocks

beneath the water

for turtle shells...

But wait

is that middle rock moving

Yes it is...

These turtles are Loggerheads

of which there are only 500 nesting females

in Australia

But here comes a set

of huge rolling waves

that crash through Hell's Gates

right up to the abyss

and another wave

rushes in

swirling the sand

and any little turtles

as I walk back

towards the shelter of the bay

The skies redden

and make me think

that on leaving Hell's Gates

I am passing through
Heaven's portals

Long Summer Days

2010-07-02T08:29:00.000+10:00

Long the summer days

patterns on the ocean sand

our idle footprints

Shiki

Sanderlings on Hanalei Bay, Kauai

The Queen's Bath

2010-06-24T16:35:00.003+10:00

Just around the corner

from where I am living

in Princeville Kauai

is a steep path

that descends to the ocean

Daily dozens of car loads of tourists

come to bathe

in the Queen's Bath

Curious, I thought it was time

I took a look at the Queen's bath

so early one morning

I made my way

down the red dirt track

passing little waterfalls

tumbling over lava rock boulders

that made their way into small pools

but hardly what you would call

a regal bath

and finally emerging at the ocean

mindful of the fact

that it was almost a year to the day

that I broke my left ankle

I decided not to clamber over

the rugged lava rock

in search of royal ablutions

but it appears that in the past

others have taken

greater risks than me

so I returned up the pathway

under the pandanus trees

and following the call

of little brown birds

I walked along the bluff

above the ocean

hoping I could see what it was

that enticed the holiday makers

down onto the hot black rocks

I could not see much

other than the brown nameless birds

and the plainer coloured females

and then I noticed that I was in

Wedge-tailed Shearwater territory

I skirted a patch of cactus

and almost fell down a hole

the Shearwaters nest in burrows

up to two feet long

that the birds make

in the cliff top

They are a dusky brown bird

with white breast feathers,

thin wings, a hooked bill

and wedge shaped tail

They lay a single egg in June

and take turns at incubation stints

The father does the honours first

while the mother goes to sea to fish

for about 10 days at a time

Hawaii Information Image

The chick hatches after 50 days

and initially is fed stomach oil then solids

At 3.5 months the parents stop feeding the chick

For two weeks they go without food

testing their wings and learning to fly

When they have all their adult feathers they fledge

and go off to to sea

to find their own food

the neighbourhood dogs are a problem

in this colony

The birds cannot stand upright on their legs

and have difficulty moving about on land

The Hawaiian name

for the Wedge-tailed Shearwater is ua'u kani

which means calling or moaning sea bird/petrel

due to their long oooo-errr call

I cautiously return to the ascending path

grateful that it is a dry day

and the red dirt is not slippery clay-mud

through the jungle

and home

No, this is not my house

but I love the gardens...

and proceeded to look up Mr Google

for pictures of the Queen's Bath

which does look rather enticing

on a calm day

but the sea is unpredictable

and the waves

can come crashing through

I think I'll do my swimming

in the safety of Hanalei Bay