I too find comfort and calmness in the still, peace washes over me. I've learned to find the beauty in the bark and the harshness of the australian bush. I think, spending my tween years running free in the bush with just my best friend for company and not an adult in sight has come back to me now at this stage of life as a place of home, peace and home in my body and soul.
I laughed when i read you were to wear white, i had looked at the photo and was struck by how many were in white. I don't think I own anything white, I'm much too much of a dirt magnate for white.
I had to go and buy those white pants from Just Jeans especially. I'm like Pigpen in Charlie Brown. I got home, checked the pants and sure enough - dirty marks!
I'm learning to love our bushwalks, Kate. There IS a serenity and beauty and the bird call is the absolute thing I love the most. Can't wait to take the puppy on our walks.
Another fascinating insight into the beautiful part of the world where you live, Prue, which feels a million miles away, having woken up to everything blanketed in snow here in Herefordshire. You radiate positivity and you and your friend look stunning in the 80th birthday party celebration photo. Thanks for another uplifting read and I loved The Bombay Theme; it has an ethereal quality.
Snow - oh my gosh! It's been hot and humid here over the past couple of days and I'm not a fan. I love rugging up and I especially love cuddling into a warm bed at night.
It's taken awhile for positivity to return after The Terrier's death. But the pup will help usher in a new year in the best way.
And thank you so much for the compliment for Pan and I.
Just so beautiful and thank you for making it very clear what it is like to live in a part of rural Australia...where we spend time wondering, at this time of year, about fires, and floods..and everything in between.
I know the slower I go the more I see and hear and thank you for the genuine reminder.
We are soooooo not city people, Denyse. And lucky to be able to combine country and coast together. Our local bush is unbearably thick and if we have a dry hot spell, I shudder to think what will happen. Already in the Grampians in Vic and in WA, the fires have made themselves felt this summer. And thank you for the kind compliment.
We understand! We taught in country schools & lived in various remote places in NSW. We are though very pleased to be again in NW Sydney as our family is all here & our various health needs are met too!
We had been overseas for months and not long before returning home to WA we were having a last wander around our favourite Kew Gardens in London. When we entered the Australian pavilion the smell of the Australian bush overwhelmed me and filled me with longing for home. Yes, it is harsh but it’s also beautiful in its own way. You and Pan both look so lovely. I wouldn’t be wearing those white pants when the new puppy arrives, though!
I think I've worn them for the first and last time, Kate. Thank heaven I got them on sale! I'll keep them though, just in case.
I remember that feeling of overwhelm when I first travelled away on my own. I was in Rome Airport waiting for a Qantas flight to London after traveling through Europe, and the plane landed, I saw the red kangaroo and promptly wept. For home and everything in that beautiful song by Peter Allen. 'I Still Call Australia Home.'
Wonderful words Prue and love the music. I don't have much white either in my wardrobe. I remember my husband buying me a gorgeous white broderi anglais white nightgown it was lovely, but it did go back I do like a cuppa in bed and can't imagine it staying pristine, The thought was there I suppose. You and your friend look very glamorous xx
I lead such a very unglamorous life, Libby and it WAS rather nice to smarten up a bit, especially when I know from Friday, it'll be puppy stuff everywhere and daggy, doggy clothes.
We have the same expression, along with old broilers etc! ;) And thank you for the kind comment. I had to bring decent clothes back from the city as our cottage gear is rather worn from gardens, beaches and outdoorsy stuff.
How vividly you described your walking ...I could almost smell the spiciness of the land, see the golden motes in "sunstreams! "
My first night with Dobbins, we both cried! He cried missing his family. I cried with sleep deprivation and anxiety of longing to be a good enough puppy mom. In the morning, after breakfast and short walks for potty, we both snuggled in my comfy chair and snoozed, his nose tucked into my elbow. Even now, after breakfast and a walk, he snuggles into me for his nap as I read and have my coffee...such a lovely, quiet time before the world awakens! A pattern that began 5 years ago.
Susan, I lay in bed at 4.30 this morning wondering about the first few nights. Yikes! We've always used a hot water bottle and clock to great effect but maybe this is the one time it won't work. I'm off to buy one of those night time floppy snuggle toys that infants have. Just in case...
Thank you for the compliment on the writing. It's appreciated. One always needs a jump start after a break.
I've learned so much about Tasmania and your flora and fauna through your exquisite descriptions here Prue and I love that Christmas beetle fellow! Otherworldly. (Also, "fairy steps to the canopy" was soooo perfect!) Cannot wait to hear more about the new pup's arrival and YES it will be a bit of a shock to the system at first.
My best advice is to anticipate and arrange dedicated naps for everyone lol.
(Keeping a bit of a puppy "diary" was also useful for me if only to document how long the "land shark" phase is lasting!) Exciting!
Lol "land shark" is a funny term I've heard used to describe that tiny needle-teeth stage that all puppies go through where they're very bitey! I had completely forgotten this stage. Beware esp the Terrier that pounces on a sock - especially if your foot is still present lol.
How still and calming your post is! I love the music too. You did a fine job of capturing that stillness and quiet.
I sometimes miss the eucalyptus that are everywhere in the hills where I grew up in Northern California, although they are now slowly getting taken down as they are such a fire hazard. Tales are told that the seeds originally came from sailors shaking out their mattresses when they arrived in San Francisco...and the regional climate was perfect for the eucalyptus to thrive. At any rate, the smell reminds me of dry warmth that I do miss this time of year in the UK.
The few small clusters of eucalyptus still remaining up and down the northern California coast are also wintering homes for migratory monarch butterflies. At various places it is a magical treat to see the branches high up above start to flutter and turn orange as the temperature reaches just the right warmth for the butterflies to start moving around. And they do-by the hundreds and thousands! Does this happen in your woods ever?
Hope you have stored up that stillness for the delights of movement arriving soon!
It's funny you should say that, Sabrina. I must admit we see a lot more of our tortoiseshell butterflies in the bush, but mostly at mid-ground level. Once upon a time they were so common in domestic gardens but how things have changed with development.
I love the idea of a mass emerging from the canopies of trees. I miss butterflies so much which is why I've put in a wild meadow plot - not very big (6' x 20') - to try and entice moths, butterflies, bees, any insect really, back into our garden. It's 12 months old and I think it might just be starting to work.
Yes, stillness is at an absolute premium over the next 4 days.
Smitten with the image of you and your husband walking in quietude together. It says a lot that you both enjoy what reveals itself on a simple stroll. Isn't the Christmas beetle spectacular!? Despite your sense that the bush is ungraceful, your description of it is anything but. The thump of wallabies, the sunlit dust--to me it sounds warm and inviting.
So good to celebrate with friends, and you all looked sharp in your whites. Pan is a vibrant looking octogenarian!
I know puppy is going to bring a delightful sparkle to your days, even if you miss a bit of sleep as he gets settled in. He's a smart little guy, I'm sure, and will weave himself into the fabric of your life in short order.
That piece from Bombay: Wow! That low, constant base note is rich and grounding. I went off on a[n unsuccessful] mission to see if I could identify the instruments. Thanks for sharing that. Beautiful.
I had no idea what to write this week, Elizabeth. Sabrina wrote about it so well - the loss of inspiration during this Blursday-Blursweek - Blursmonth as we all take time out.
In the end, I just wrote, hoping it wouldn't be more of the same and boring. I do tend to lead such a mundane life. But I guess there's a special beauty in the most mundane things.
Pan is an amazing person. A few years ago she was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and is in and out of hospital and on foul meds but we still swim, she rides every couple of days with her daughter, plays weekly bridge, goes to water aerobics, gym and is a very social lady. Obviously the recipe for vibrancy. Heavens knows how we have remained such good friends as she knows I'm such an introvert and so unexciting. Maybe it's that I'm the only mermaid she knows! ;)
According to daughter, there's nothing that compares in Australia. Target comes closest but doesn't have the huge inventory and expansive array of products. For instance, while there, I purchased a variety of foods (mostly certified organic); over the counter ear drops (pharmacy); and wild bird seed. Also available are prescription meds, clothes, automotive accessories, electronics, stationary, home goods, toys and games, even (are you ready for this?) firearms: https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2018/02/28/walmart-statement-on-firearms-policy
The same is true, to a lesser degree, of our Target and K-Mart. You can see why it's so hard for smaller stores to compete.
A still, quiet ramble in the Tasmanian countryside—thank you for this New Year’s gift!
Remembering what you shared about your gardening gear, I smiled to see your lovely, polished, dressed-up self at the party 😊 I hope you’ll find an opportunity to check in once the “new baby” arrives!
Rebecca, I made the mistake of reading the latest Trump news and it so shocked and horrified me that tonight, I will be heading out to seek stillness and some Zen stability. Back to 'no news is good news' and trying to blank the bad parts of social media.
Thank you re pan's and my pic. She's a good stick!
"Further on there was the Australian bush which I’ve always thought so stark and unattractive" - when I read that just now, I thought, "That's Texas!" in parts scruffy and scrubby, tall things and short things. This post was so beautiful, Prue.
I too find comfort and calmness in the still, peace washes over me. I've learned to find the beauty in the bark and the harshness of the australian bush. I think, spending my tween years running free in the bush with just my best friend for company and not an adult in sight has come back to me now at this stage of life as a place of home, peace and home in my body and soul.
I laughed when i read you were to wear white, i had looked at the photo and was struck by how many were in white. I don't think I own anything white, I'm much too much of a dirt magnate for white.
I had to go and buy those white pants from Just Jeans especially. I'm like Pigpen in Charlie Brown. I got home, checked the pants and sure enough - dirty marks!
I'm learning to love our bushwalks, Kate. There IS a serenity and beauty and the bird call is the absolute thing I love the most. Can't wait to take the puppy on our walks.
I completely agree about finding comfort and calmness in stillness.
Dirt magnet! Yes, that why I don’t own anything white too!
It's why I wear an apron every day and even then have been known to spill down the front. Hopeless!
Another fascinating insight into the beautiful part of the world where you live, Prue, which feels a million miles away, having woken up to everything blanketed in snow here in Herefordshire. You radiate positivity and you and your friend look stunning in the 80th birthday party celebration photo. Thanks for another uplifting read and I loved The Bombay Theme; it has an ethereal quality.
Snow - oh my gosh! It's been hot and humid here over the past couple of days and I'm not a fan. I love rugging up and I especially love cuddling into a warm bed at night.
It's taken awhile for positivity to return after The Terrier's death. But the pup will help usher in a new year in the best way.
And thank you so much for the compliment for Pan and I.
Aaaah, I could feel the serenity from here. Looking forward to puppy spam.
Some of the evening walks we're doing are remarkable for stillness. Nature really gives unequivocally.
Just so beautiful and thank you for making it very clear what it is like to live in a part of rural Australia...where we spend time wondering, at this time of year, about fires, and floods..and everything in between.
I know the slower I go the more I see and hear and thank you for the genuine reminder.
Looking forward to those 'new puppy' stories too.
And my goodness you look wonderful too!!
Thank you for sharing.
Denyse x
We are soooooo not city people, Denyse. And lucky to be able to combine country and coast together. Our local bush is unbearably thick and if we have a dry hot spell, I shudder to think what will happen. Already in the Grampians in Vic and in WA, the fires have made themselves felt this summer. And thank you for the kind compliment.
We understand! We taught in country schools & lived in various remote places in NSW. We are though very pleased to be again in NW Sydney as our family is all here & our various health needs are met too!
Sigh. Beautiful from beginning to end. Including that music. Thanks so much. Hugs dear Prue.
Thank you, Beth.
We had been overseas for months and not long before returning home to WA we were having a last wander around our favourite Kew Gardens in London. When we entered the Australian pavilion the smell of the Australian bush overwhelmed me and filled me with longing for home. Yes, it is harsh but it’s also beautiful in its own way. You and Pan both look so lovely. I wouldn’t be wearing those white pants when the new puppy arrives, though!
I think I've worn them for the first and last time, Kate. Thank heaven I got them on sale! I'll keep them though, just in case.
I remember that feeling of overwhelm when I first travelled away on my own. I was in Rome Airport waiting for a Qantas flight to London after traveling through Europe, and the plane landed, I saw the red kangaroo and promptly wept. For home and everything in that beautiful song by Peter Allen. 'I Still Call Australia Home.'
Wonderful words Prue and love the music. I don't have much white either in my wardrobe. I remember my husband buying me a gorgeous white broderi anglais white nightgown it was lovely, but it did go back I do like a cuppa in bed and can't imagine it staying pristine, The thought was there I suppose. You and your friend look very glamorous xx
I lead such a very unglamorous life, Libby and it WAS rather nice to smarten up a bit, especially when I know from Friday, it'll be puppy stuff everywhere and daggy, doggy clothes.
There's a saying we use over here " you do scrub up well " but You do look gorgeous in the photos xxx Im sure you'll have fun from friday onwards xxx
We have the same expression, along with old broilers etc! ;) And thank you for the kind comment. I had to bring decent clothes back from the city as our cottage gear is rather worn from gardens, beaches and outdoorsy stuff.
How vividly you described your walking ...I could almost smell the spiciness of the land, see the golden motes in "sunstreams! "
My first night with Dobbins, we both cried! He cried missing his family. I cried with sleep deprivation and anxiety of longing to be a good enough puppy mom. In the morning, after breakfast and short walks for potty, we both snuggled in my comfy chair and snoozed, his nose tucked into my elbow. Even now, after breakfast and a walk, he snuggles into me for his nap as I read and have my coffee...such a lovely, quiet time before the world awakens! A pattern that began 5 years ago.
Susan, I lay in bed at 4.30 this morning wondering about the first few nights. Yikes! We've always used a hot water bottle and clock to great effect but maybe this is the one time it won't work. I'm off to buy one of those night time floppy snuggle toys that infants have. Just in case...
Thank you for the compliment on the writing. It's appreciated. One always needs a jump start after a break.
I've learned so much about Tasmania and your flora and fauna through your exquisite descriptions here Prue and I love that Christmas beetle fellow! Otherworldly. (Also, "fairy steps to the canopy" was soooo perfect!) Cannot wait to hear more about the new pup's arrival and YES it will be a bit of a shock to the system at first.
My best advice is to anticipate and arrange dedicated naps for everyone lol.
(Keeping a bit of a puppy "diary" was also useful for me if only to document how long the "land shark" phase is lasting!) Exciting!
Land shark? LAND SHARK?! What is this 'land shark'? Yikes!!!!!!!
Like the idea of the diary but think Substack may be it! You may all possibly share this with me...
Lol "land shark" is a funny term I've heard used to describe that tiny needle-teeth stage that all puppies go through where they're very bitey! I had completely forgotten this stage. Beware esp the Terrier that pounces on a sock - especially if your foot is still present lol.
The breeder sent us a video of the little fella following her socked feet at great speed. Oh dear...
How still and calming your post is! I love the music too. You did a fine job of capturing that stillness and quiet.
I sometimes miss the eucalyptus that are everywhere in the hills where I grew up in Northern California, although they are now slowly getting taken down as they are such a fire hazard. Tales are told that the seeds originally came from sailors shaking out their mattresses when they arrived in San Francisco...and the regional climate was perfect for the eucalyptus to thrive. At any rate, the smell reminds me of dry warmth that I do miss this time of year in the UK.
The few small clusters of eucalyptus still remaining up and down the northern California coast are also wintering homes for migratory monarch butterflies. At various places it is a magical treat to see the branches high up above start to flutter and turn orange as the temperature reaches just the right warmth for the butterflies to start moving around. And they do-by the hundreds and thousands! Does this happen in your woods ever?
Hope you have stored up that stillness for the delights of movement arriving soon!
xx
It's funny you should say that, Sabrina. I must admit we see a lot more of our tortoiseshell butterflies in the bush, but mostly at mid-ground level. Once upon a time they were so common in domestic gardens but how things have changed with development.
I love the idea of a mass emerging from the canopies of trees. I miss butterflies so much which is why I've put in a wild meadow plot - not very big (6' x 20') - to try and entice moths, butterflies, bees, any insect really, back into our garden. It's 12 months old and I think it might just be starting to work.
Yes, stillness is at an absolute premium over the next 4 days.
Smitten with the image of you and your husband walking in quietude together. It says a lot that you both enjoy what reveals itself on a simple stroll. Isn't the Christmas beetle spectacular!? Despite your sense that the bush is ungraceful, your description of it is anything but. The thump of wallabies, the sunlit dust--to me it sounds warm and inviting.
So good to celebrate with friends, and you all looked sharp in your whites. Pan is a vibrant looking octogenarian!
I know puppy is going to bring a delightful sparkle to your days, even if you miss a bit of sleep as he gets settled in. He's a smart little guy, I'm sure, and will weave himself into the fabric of your life in short order.
That piece from Bombay: Wow! That low, constant base note is rich and grounding. I went off on a[n unsuccessful] mission to see if I could identify the instruments. Thanks for sharing that. Beautiful.
May peace walk with you this year, Prue.
I had no idea what to write this week, Elizabeth. Sabrina wrote about it so well - the loss of inspiration during this Blursday-Blursweek - Blursmonth as we all take time out.
In the end, I just wrote, hoping it wouldn't be more of the same and boring. I do tend to lead such a mundane life. But I guess there's a special beauty in the most mundane things.
Pan is an amazing person. A few years ago she was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and is in and out of hospital and on foul meds but we still swim, she rides every couple of days with her daughter, plays weekly bridge, goes to water aerobics, gym and is a very social lady. Obviously the recipe for vibrancy. Heavens knows how we have remained such good friends as she knows I'm such an introvert and so unexciting. Maybe it's that I'm the only mermaid she knows! ;)
Who wouldn't want to hold onto a Mermaid friend? 🧜♀️
You know I'm all about beauty in the mundane. I have yet another Walmart story in the offing that's exactly more of that.
Walmart fascinates me. We don't have it in Australia. Guessing its like our Kmart, Big W stores. Maybe even Target?
According to daughter, there's nothing that compares in Australia. Target comes closest but doesn't have the huge inventory and expansive array of products. For instance, while there, I purchased a variety of foods (mostly certified organic); over the counter ear drops (pharmacy); and wild bird seed. Also available are prescription meds, clothes, automotive accessories, electronics, stationary, home goods, toys and games, even (are you ready for this?) firearms: https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2018/02/28/walmart-statement-on-firearms-policy
The same is true, to a lesser degree, of our Target and K-Mart. You can see why it's so hard for smaller stores to compete.
Lordy! What huge merchandise content!
Do you know, our city has shopfront after shopfront closed and dark now. The big chains and online have decimated everything.
Every town. With rare exception, the stores where I live are nothing like they were 30 years ago when I arrived.
A still, quiet ramble in the Tasmanian countryside—thank you for this New Year’s gift!
Remembering what you shared about your gardening gear, I smiled to see your lovely, polished, dressed-up self at the party 😊 I hope you’ll find an opportunity to check in once the “new baby” arrives!
'Seeking stillness' - oh Prue, you're right up my street with these words.
A gorgeous post. And I love that picture of you and your playmate Pam - super smiles all round!
Rebecca, I made the mistake of reading the latest Trump news and it so shocked and horrified me that tonight, I will be heading out to seek stillness and some Zen stability. Back to 'no news is good news' and trying to blank the bad parts of social media.
Thank you re pan's and my pic. She's a good stick!
"Further on there was the Australian bush which I’ve always thought so stark and unattractive" - when I read that just now, I thought, "That's Texas!" in parts scruffy and scrubby, tall things and short things. This post was so beautiful, Prue.
Thanks so much, Mary.