Near the Old Man of Storr, Scotland I took this in 2004

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Time or time?

Time or time is a funny thing, isn't it? We want to kill it, squelch it, waste it, squander it senselessly, or give it away to any passing fool.

We use our time in myriad of ways, most of which are connected to our issues of low self esteem. We hate ourselves so we try to diminish any possible semblance of light we may see in ourselves. We use our time to drink, smoke, put ourselves down, and see the negative in it all. We feel that it is only right to do this because that is what being an adult is about, preparing for 'the grind' this is the other word for both time and life as we grow up.

We rush around with schedules, deadlines, agendas and calendars. We plan, organize and arrange how to best use our most valuable resource: our time.

We worry about "the effects of time" and the physical effects it has on us. We worry so much that massive industries will never go out of business due to our collective fear/insanity.

Most of us say that life is short, and we have many a turn of phrase to match our particular bent on how we see life: a game, a river, a road.

Time slips away from us, needs to be chased after and passes us by.

But never once do we collectively sip in the sweet nectar of what we have been given, and, instead of calculating, organizing, scheduling meting and parsing out our time to be wasted, killed or used up all too quickly, just enjoy the bloody living hell out of any moment.

My cat is a great teacher, well all animals are, but I say my kitty because I have never seen another kitty wash her or himself with as much full and complete love as Loki. She spreads out on the carpet to begin her ritual and spreads her little toes and closes her eyes and begins preening and all the while she purrs, deeply. She goes on to her back and belly, and never once does a look of scorn cross her perfect face so that she would need to feel ashamed for her chub. She closes her eyes and meditates in full joy and love o nhow perfect she is. It's a beautiful thing to watch, and every time I watch her, I think," Geesus, if people could love themselves as much as she does, if I could, the world could feel less painful, more peaceful and serene.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Pictures of Oz!

This is a cute, little koala who, we were told is 6-7 years old, and is a girl. We met her at a koala sanctuary. She was probably a little high and had found her way onto the handrail so a ranger had to help her along. How adorable is she?

The first two photos here are of trees on an amazing morning hike I did. The second is of the early morning mist, pretty huh?











Thursday, May 21, 2009

the healing energy of mountains


this is a photo of the breathtakingly beautiful sun sets here where I'm staying!




So, evidently ye olde swine flu is all but dried up, kinda. But in more exciting news, I heard my first kookaburra "laugh", they sound like a combination between a really hyper person and a monkey laughing so hard they could be peeing, but it does sound beautiful.





I've been spending loads of time in the mountains. Ah, mountains! They heal your heart, don't they? I suppose it's so many things, but mainly, for me it's the solitude and peace of the energy of mountains, and I've been to many mountains.





I've visited some exquisite mountains in Iceland ( you can check out my archived articles on Iceland if the spirit moves you) called Hels range. I climbed some ways up, sat and painted. I have been in the mountains in Italy, a lot, in Colombia, which were quite a surprise as they were really hot as opposed to the city in which I was living, which was both cold and extremely polluted, with both cars and therefore fumes. I've been to an amazing mountain in New England, the view was stunning. I've climbed one in Scotland's Isle of Skye; The Old Man of Storr (I HATE THIS COMPUTER!!!) which was a difficult but amazing climb! I travelled to an volcano face in Costa Rica. And now I've been to mountains here in Australia!





As I sit and write this I can see the misty morning of this chilly day breaking. Here it's autumn, and crisp in both the morning and night, but stunning.





Yesterday, I saw a tree believed to be at least 500 years old, just growing by the grocery store!








Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Oh the things you'll see...


I feel so blessed when animals choose me to love. I was gifted with a snuggle by a wallaby at The Sanctuary, the other day. And she was no ordinary wallaby, but a very rare and endandered brush tailed rock wallaby. There are only 2o left. That lonely sweet girl came to snuggle with us.


I saw my first ever platypus yesterday at the sanctuary. They were incredible. Up until then I had only ever seen drawings of them. It was like seeing a unicorn..a highly hoped-to-see-almost-mythical-being. Amazing. When I figure out how to post video here, I'll show it off!

This land is incredible. The size and age of the moutian ashes are incredible. You feel as if you're in the land of dinosaurs..it feels palpably ancient.
damn these infernal modern technologies! I just lost everything else I wrote..UGH!

Anyway, Saturday, I'll be taking a steam-engine train through the mountains..so stay tuned:)

Sunday, May 10, 2009

And it's that beautiful!





Animals are funny aren't they? They are 100% heart-based. My kitty is apparently not eatingt at all..yet. And I've been gone now 5 days. However, when she heard my voice the other day on the phone , it waa all purrs!




This is an incredible land. The trees are enough manna for my soul to suffice without even having seen a koala yet..though I have so far seen a bandicoot...a small, furry, chubby endangered marsupial.




The idea that each and every bird I see I have never seen before and thetefore have no way of identifying os incredible to me.
Have a look at the sign in a national park, where I did indeed see the elusive bandicoot, as mentioned. And the second photo is of a giantmountain ash, aka a eucalypt , in an incredible forest. The tress are just amazing and sacred!



Tuesday, May 5, 2009

"... In the merry merry land of Oz."

Can you guess where that quote is from? It just happens to be one of my favorite films.

Well, dear readers, I am heading off today for the lovely land down under...in theory it's supposed to be for some respite, a break, regrouping and all that jazz, but geez, just the full on stress of packing will be enough to need a vacation from this vacation

Fear not, the kittens and my kitty will all be loved while I'm gone.

I have 2 days of travel to look ? forward to, good times.

So, I will probably be more sporatic than usual with getting to blog, but hopefully not too much.

My cat is a little distressed slashed upset, ok and let's be honest, sad that I'm heading off, she even stayed out for a few hours last night, just to spite me, and not snuggle on my bed. Eventually she came in and snuggle she did.

Here are 2 photos of her with me..she's adorable!








It's a lovely spring day, with prominent floral notes (like wine!)...ah I'll miss the lilacs, they're about to come out..but I have already seen the tulips, hyacinths, forsythias, bleeding hearts, violets, and though not a flower ...chubby robins!

Friday, May 1, 2009

May Day!!

I'm listening to flourishing piano and watching blossoms on the trees sway, almost in time.
I have kittens to attend to...

Happy May Day, by the way!

In other news, what gives with this crazy 'swine flu'? You think it'll turn people vegetarian? Or at least pork-free, and loving it. I say, save our pigs, not because, as religious patriarchal idiots believe, pigs are 'dirty', but because genetically they are so similar to us, that eating pig can be seen as eating a cousin; I'm not sure if that's first or second cousin, but all the same.


And anyway, what the hell makes a pig any more dirty than say, oh, I don't know..us? Geesus, we are grotesque, pigs are elegant. That stupid religious concept of 'dirty' stems from the fact that no one wanted to eat roting meat, or something pretty standard, but I still don't see why the pig gets insulted in the mix. Though, in truth I shouldn't complain too much, or even at all, because as long as the religious types see pig as 'dirty' it means the pig has that many fewer enemies to contend with, and that means more life for pigs!

L'chaim!