Kealia

~

May 2002

February 2009

No rattle of the id tag as you patter around the verandahs
no wistful"are we going for a walk yet?" looks
no barking at the passing paddleboarders on the river
no early morning ambles on the riverside
no sneaky naps on the outdoor sofa
no one to talk to as I hang out the washing
no clawing at the deck to find Bluey
no sneaky intuder pushing open doors
no tennis balls to throw in the park
no hunched up shoulder stare telling me you are hungry
no rushing at the evening bats
no straggler to put to bed at night

It is a long and quiet day being dogless

A Haiku for Kealia

One Border Collie
Naughty, willful, tricky, but
gentle and so sweet

In memory of Kealia, 2002-2009

From the Kitsch to the Sublime

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I took my camera with me as I usually do on my morning walk with the dog. Although it was another warm day the sky was overcast and dull and I didn't expect to take many shots.
It wasn't until I reached the pelican that I took my camera out of my pocket, (and I was pleased I did because my pants kept falling down), and began to snap all things from the kitsch to the sublime.
Later in my walk I was moved to see a hastily erected cross with withering bouquets - a communal focus for the outpouring of grief for the 200 lives lost in the Victorian bush fires.




Many towns in Australia seem to cling to the quaint (?) notion that a BIG something will effectively represent their area on the tourist trail. Nearby we have the BIG COW and the BIG PINEAPPLE, further afield are the BIG BANANA and the BIG PRAWN and not to be outdone, our little town of Noosa has the BIG PELICAN.
Built many years ago for the Festival of the Waters annual celebration he is now somewhat obsolete in that capacity as the festival is defunct, however since he had a face lift and a makeover he has taken on the job as town mascot.





The Australian flag fluttering on the dinghy is a remnant from Australia Day. Unlike in America, it is unusual to see flags flown here other than on significant government buildings or at major events.



The Noosa River flows down from a lake system to meet my river the Weyba River, at the estuary and river mouth where they both flow into Laguna Bay. When we moved to this town over 30 years ago the council was diverting the river mouth by pumping sand to establish a long spit which effectively protects the beach and golden half mile of our tourist town. It was a very controversial plan and each time the high tides and cyclones strip the sand from the beach as they do on a regular basis, the harbingers of gloom and doom make nasty remarks about people interferring with nature.









Several years ago the county council constructed a series of DIY keep fit stations in an attempt to encourage it's citizens to become more active. I'm not sure that we are much fitter as a community. Now the council is painting bike lanes on all of our major roads, and building looplines of bicycle tracks.











Billy tea is bushman's tea made in the billy over a camp fire. Banjo Patterson's most famous reference to billy tea is in the first verse and chorus of Waltzing Matilda, " And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled."






The river mouth is wide and shallow and the dangerous bar makes for precarious crossings. This acts as a deterrent to larger vessels coming in from the ocean. While we don't have a harbour we have a busy yacht club and plenty of put put boats, some houseboats and even a gondola or two!












~

Superdog

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The beady little eyes peeping under this gate belong to a little yappy dog called Walter. Walter becomes agitated each time we pass his house on our dog-walk and he desperately tries to squeeze himself under this little gap. Since the photo was taken the owner has placed a strip of wire mesh under the gate which makes me think Walter has succeeded in his super squeezing attempts at least once.

Walter's claim to fame lies in his heroic ability to locate missing puddy cats. Walter tracked the neighbour's missing cat to a storm water drain from where it was able to be rescued before the rain came.

This superdog deed resulted in Walter being knighted by the local community - he is now known as Sir Walter..

He is still just as yappy.
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