The Forest................

The forest we visited at Karridale was a Karri and Marri forest. The trees were enormous, towering above me stretching up to greet the sky. I did not get the opportunity to spend enough time here though, a quick walk was all I had time for as we whizzed threw far too fast for my liking........ On my lone walk though I was astounded by the vibrancy of the forest, it was as if the air was electrified, the air was buzzing. Here though the silence held my attention, it was a deep profound silence, one that demanded you listen to the messages it carried, wisdom was etched within the trucks of these mighty trees, their powerful message of love drifted in the gentle breeze.........

The Trees.......................

The trees around the cottage were full of all sorts of beautiful birds, most of them however did not like to pose for photographs........... Not certain what sort of bird this one is, at first I thought perhaps it was a honey eater of some sort, but then it came to gobble up some of the crumbs, which had me doubting myself, I don't know if the nectar eating birds would eat tiny offerings of bread.................. This is a Blue Wren, although I was told by a local that they are only blue in the hotter weather. Tiny and quick as lightning the trees were literally teeming with these little birds....... And finally I was lucky enough to have caught this red breasted finch as it took a few seconds rest............... As I gazed out into the bush that surrounded the cottage I could hear the thousands of birds chirping away, seeing them though was an entirely different story. Even the larger birds where camouflaged to the point of invisibility, safe I trust from the larger birds of prey who patrolled this area.............

Back To Blossom...........

Back to Blossom, who, when we returned to the cottage was sound asleep on her blanket. As I watched her sleeping I felt my love for her ooze out from my heart, surging through my entire body, knowing that this little cat is cherished for the miracle she is, she gives me love so pure and untainted, expecting nothing in return. As I cradle her frail body within the safety of my arms I acknowledge the gift the Universe presented to me the day I found her near death on the side of the road, keeping her safe and loved is my gift to her for all the joy she brings me.............

Next...............

Next we went to Hamlin Bay, a pristine beach that stretched on endlessly. The water was cool and inviting, I was annoyed that I had not brought my swimsuit with me, I longed to run into the water, feel its coolness cleansing me.................. Sitting was enough, sometimes it is all I require, time to look at myself and all that I feel around me. Staring out at the turquoise water, watching as the waves gently break on the shore, just being apart of the sand, the water, the birds, the air................... Simple pleasures are always here for us, to cleanse our soul from the weariness that encloses us from living a life too far away from ourselves. Many of us can not sit, still, quiet, unperturbed by the noisy world that chatters away harshly in our ears, poisoning our souls with its lure of all things false, a world where we have lost our connection with who we are...... Simplicity is what life is about, to see the exquisiteness of nature without the lure of man made attractions is something many people can not see. Some would walk on this beach oblivious to the riches the serenity holds, instead they would rush along blindly thinking that it was just another beach, nothing special.................. It is though, a masterpiece, perfect and priceless................

Back To Our Holiday........................

Back to our holiday and on to Cape Leeuwin. Cape Leeuwin is the extreme south west point of Western Australia, and as the sign above indicates, where the Southern Ocean and Indian Oceans meet. Where I am sitting is not the exact point of the merging, according to our tour guide it can be seen better from the top of the Lighthouse............. The climb to the top of the Lighthouse is not for the fainthearted, the spiral staircase could make you dizzy and if not fit, will have you gasping to catch your breath. In strong winds the building is designed to move which I would have liked to have experienced, however the day we visited all was calm................ And there it is, the point of two oceans merging, right where the rocks are just off shore, as you stand there feeling like you are on top of the world you can actually see the currents coming in from two directions, the swell unlike any I have ever seen. It is a lethal place, the ocean although mesmerizing and beautiful can turn in a moment, those silly enough to venture to the oceans edge take their life in their own hands, for a chance of that perfect picture may be the last thing you see, waves can come out of nowhere here, crashing into the rocks with a deadly force, many have died or been seriously injured as they risked all for a fabulous photograph. Alluring yet deadly, the ocean is a force to be respected............. As I stood up here watching the waves, I felt tranquil, it was the most peaceful place to be, there were no sounds except for the waves and an occasional bird calling out. Being here had me contemplating my life, where I live and where I would rather be. I loved the isolation I had found down here in the south west, it had surprised me how connected I felt, and the thought of heading back to Perth and the suburbs held no appeal. I have always loved country life, cities leave me feeling cold, void and crushed, to be living as close to nature as I can get is where I long to be, and where I realize I must ultimately return.......................

Change..................

Change to some is a terrifying word, one that confronts all their fears head on and challenges them to tackle them, provoking them to take that first step into the unknown territory of healing and move forward into their tomorrows. A lot of people are stood, steadfast in their belief that they can not change, this is the way I am, this is the way things are, so put up or shut up! When I look at myself and the person I am now and the one I was even last year I know that I am nothing like that person who has dissolved with the vapours of time, I often fight myself when imminent change looms ahead, sometimes even using self sabotage to stop myself from moving forward, although I always know inside why it is I am doing the things that I do. It is always safe to stay as you were before, snuggled up with your all demons, wrapped around you in a shroud of fear, limit and disenchantment, allowing your regret, illness and misery to mirror the angst within. Changing your life patterns and releasing them into the void is in my opinion why I am here, to see through the actions and into the emotions behind them. I change constantly, I crave to see the world and myself in new ways, lifting the veil of the past to push myself further into the uncertainly of a blank tomorrow. I do not do routine well, it bores me to tears, I like nothing better than to take life as it comes, stepping into the virgin terrain of a new now moment, to experience as much in my quest for spiritual remembering as possible, after all we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, most of us have forgotten this! I am growing tired of the mundane ways of our so called civilised world, the modern world is fake and false, it is absorbed totally in having material things, a fancy job and money so that you can prove your worth to the world, lording it over those minions below you, expecting people to grovel at your feet because of who you are. Me, well in my humble job planting new forms of life I am as far from the corporate bull dust as I can get, having been there and done that sort of life I am proud to say I have transcend a pattern worth breaking, I never fitted in anyway, far to sensitive and different for the posh city dwellers, I long to be out in the wind, feeling the earth under my feet, living life, not existing. And that is what most people do, they do not live their life, they exist in their life. Many are too fixated on the future, and therefore living now would not be possible, how can you live life when you spend every waking moment planning for the future? Who knows what our tomorrow will bring? Who knows when their last day will be? We have all, again in my opinion wrote our stories with great detail before incarnating upon this planet, we all know internally what it is we wish to transcend during this lifetime, yet the vast majority of us fight it because we find this inner demand to frightening, it is easy to stay unhappy, ill or simply stagnated in our misery, admiring or being envious of those who confront themselves in the mirror and take action to change themselves releasing the shackles of the old allowing the freshness of a new tomorrow to begin......................

I Wondered...................

I wondered as I drove along to work yesterday morning whether anyone is seeing what I was seeing.. Each morning as I drive to work I drive towards the glory of dawn, some mornings the sky is tinged with hues of mauve and pink, subtle echos of angels painting a morning of purity as the sun rises. Other days finds the vibrant shades of peaches and apricots, yellows so bright and refreshing that I smile beaming at the masterpiece before me. When I see the blood red canvas of clouds shimmering with the prospect of rain I witness a portrait so vivid that I often drive dumbfounded by its earthly beauty. The only other beings I observe seeing the glory before me are the birds, especially the magpies, they lie up in eager anticipation of the waking of the Sun, gleeful facing the rising orb joining in with a morning chorus of thanks and worship to the purity of the morning. Who else is watching this, as I sit and wait at the traffic lights, no one seems to notice what is happening around them, they drive blindfolded to the magic of dawn, to a gift that is given to us every day, yet every morning is mesmerizing and unique never to be repeated again. To be asleep to the glory of nature to me would be like being a zombie, staggering through life not ever seeing anything, not the REAL things, the gifts of our creator. I wonder how many people never witness the dawn, seeing a living spectacle so inspiring and breathtaking, so powerful in its unblemished beauty that it can reach inside your heart and infuse your soul with love, giving you bliss that can be found nowhere else, yet within its simplicity it can thaw a frozen heart...................

Augusta..........

Day three of our holiday saw us visiting the town of Augusta, stopping here at the Blackwood River breaking our journey and stretching our legs before heading on to Cape Leeuwin. It was such a placid place, walking along the calm waters was delightful. Seagulls enjoying a relaxing morning before setting off in their never ending search for food, a lone duck peacefully floating on the undisturbed water................ The morning mist still hung mysteriously in the distance, drawing my attention to the hypnotic allure of the water, wishing to take a boat and sail alone into the wonders that lay beyond my line of vision............... A little island safely away from the mainland many other birds basked in the morning sun, even four pelicans joined in a session of preening and sunning. Meandering along in the silence of the morning is a treasure that I enjoy profusely, one that I never tire of, each morning I spend communing with nature in the silence of my attendance bestows upon me untold inner wealth.................

Anger Is................

Anger is such a destructive and in all reality a useless emotion, some of us allow it to fester inside us causing all end of issues that will eventuate in physical and mental mis-alignments within our body. Most people direct their anger at other people or objects, slamming doors and shouting, or even just being clever hoping to receive a response so a shouting match will begin so that the vile emotions inside can unleashed. It does not achieve anything though, having had my share of tantrums in the past I have seen it achieves nothing, it is never the others persons fault, the grief I felt inside was my own stored emotions that had not been dealt with, and no matter how much you aim it at someone else, it will continue coming back to haunt you until you deal with whatever it is you are hanging on to. It takes far more strength to acknowledge the inner angst and face yourself, opening up the case of store personal hurts you have clung to in your inner closet, it may seem like a difficult road to take, looking at yourself openly and honestly to see past the illusions and into your own eyes and heart, seeing that what you were angry at is after all a smokescreen for the deeper issues lurking within............................

The Cottage...........

The cottage even had a regular crow, which of course I fed our leftovers to, seen here stuffing as much food as possible into a hungry mouth before flying off to eat, I assume in privacy of it's own nest. I did admire this little fellow though, he had a broken foot that was bent completely back the wrong way, it did not seem to cause any pain when he walked, bless him. Our animal companions endure so much suffering, carrying their injuries through life as best they can. The strength that they display in these situations sees me admiring their inner courage, one that we humans could learn a great deal from. As he called out prior to his arrival each afternoon I took the time to share a few special moments watching this amazing bird, realizing just how difficult his life would have been for him as he adjusted to his injury, knowing that perhaps he was even abandoned by his family, left for dead in a harsh world where only the fittest survive...........................

Still On Day Two..................

Still on day two of our holiday, after having dropped Blossom off back at the cottage we decided to visit one of the local winery's. We settled on The Berry Farm, which made wine from all sorts of, you guessed it berries! They also had a lot of scrumptious other goodies to choose from too, wonderful chilli sauces, mustard's, and things. After buying a small selection of their produce we went down to their quaint cafe for afternoon tea. Hidden in a secluded corner of the garden this outside toilet (know in Australia as a dunny, such an awful word really,) was neatly hidden by the lush garden. I pondered for a moment what it would have been like to make ones way during the night to this isolated outhouse, all manner of creatures could slither or crawl in seeking protection from the elements giving you a mighty fright or bite in the wee small hours of the night.......... Most of the tables were empty our only company were the many tiny birds flitting about in preparation of the coming night. With the sun beginning to retreat towards the horizon it was time to for us to make our way slowly back through the countryside and to the warmth of our cosy cottage in the bush.........

And............

And my friends think that Blossom leads an exciting life! Feline adventure at its best.....

Not Impressed................

Not impressed with the state I left my bed in this morning, Blossom decided to look as miserable as possible, sending out the vibes that this simply will not do! That's better mum, once her towel was in place and the covers nice and neat it was the purrfect place snuggle down to spend the morning until I arrive home at lunchtime..................... By the way, this is one of her new jumpers that she got to take on holiday, except she didn't really need them, not with the fire raging morning, noon and night!

After Lunch..................

After lunch in Margaret River we went back to the cottage to get madame and take her to the beach, great idea, however it did not eventuate! This beach had a massive Rottweiler running about, after a very quick feel of the sand I was gathering up Blossom in my arms and back into the safety of the car................. Next was this beach, which clearly stated, NO CATS! I realised that most of the beaches down here are part of the national park that stretches for miles, so pets are not permitted because of the native wildlife. With this obstacle in our way I decided that maybe Blossom would prefer to stay by her new friend the fire, so back in the car we got and to the cottage we went.....................

Day Two................

Day two found us on the bustling main street of Witchcliffe, actually it was the only street, such a deserted place, even the cafe was boarded up.......... We liked the look of this shop though, mainly because I noticed that it had among other things lots of second hand books, and me being me find it extremely difficult to resist the lure of a new(?) book............ After I had given the book shelves a good going over I went to explore the rest of the place, all I can say is I saw things I had never seen before (and properly never will again.) A really quirky place, one that I am glad I went to. Funny what you come across in a tiny bush town.......... Then I happened to notice this little dog sitting outside in the owners back garden soaking up the morning sun, not sure what breed it was, can't say I have ever seen a dog like it before either........... Witchcliffe, what a place, if you blink you will surely miss it!

I Wish, I Wish...............

I wish, I wish I could climb this tree, Blossom really came to life out in the courtyard / garden. Luckily it was fenced in, although I feel it was to keep things out, rather than to keep things in! Enjoying the afternoon sunshine with a spot of dinner on her cute little nose I feel she was not too annoyed at us for being out all day, leaving her alone in a strange house..... Not sure what she was thinking here, perhaps of her younger days when she could go where ever she felt like, not hindered by injuries and age................ Just one more look, can I? No! I think I will have a little catnap instead.................................

We Made One...........

We made one quick stop on the way back, the Bush Shack Brewery professes to have alcoholic ginger beer which was something that hubby wished to try, unfortunately they had sold out. He may be able to order some via the internet. Never mind, at least the trip was worth it to see this round billiard table, which I found rather unique, I never knew they made such a thing, and I should image that it is a difficult game to play. Finally back at the cottage after a very enjoyable and relaxing day to a rather miffed little cat whose tummy was rather hungry.......

Bunkers Bay............

Bunkers Bay was a short drive west along the coast, yet the contrast between the two beaches was amazing. I felt like I walked into the land that time forgot, the sheer cliffs that rose towering above were ancient, the strength and knowledge etched within the stone quivering into the trembling cells of my mesmerized body. As the dazzling diamonds of light ricochet off the sapphire water I was lulled into a deep trance, my mind cleared of all thoughts, slipping deeper and deeper into the tranquility of this pristine playground. I felt like I was on an island, millions of miles from civilisation, alone in a uncharted den of innocence. How cleansing it is to grace the shores of such an idyllic paradise, feeling alone as others too are enthralled with the beauty of this virgin delight. It was time to set off, to weave our way once again to the cosy cottage that awaits us, it was though difficult to leave here, with my sense overloading from the nourishment my soul had been given......................