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Andrena's Blog
No 4
This page was last updated on
Monday, 03 May 2010 05:46:25 PM
7th October
2009
Hi Everyone
Well I have
been in Australia for 6 Weeks now, I have settled well and still adjusting on
many levels! I love waking up every day to blue skies full of sunshine and
warmth! (I was really starting to feel the cold and damp before I left
Glastonbury and that was only in August)! Would you believe it, we have had the
odd day of heavy rain, fantastic thunderstorms that go on for hours and very
magical and yes I embraced every drop of rain, it made me feel more at home!
One of my first outings was with Jeff’s friends from his meditation group, who
have all made me feel very welcome. We went on a weekend trip to a place called
would you believe Camp Duckadang!! Took me ages to get that name right! On the
way there we stopped at Lake Wivenhoe which was breathtakingly beautiful with
panoramic views of the lake, another piece of “Heaven upon Earth”. Lake
Wivenhoe is stunning and provides a focus for quiet relaxation and land and
water-based, family-style recreation. Only non-fuel powered boats are permitted,
domestic animals are not allowed and you need a permit for camping, fishing and
boating. Camp Duckadang was a 2.1/2 hour drive in the bush miles from
anywhere with lovely views all round. The theme was to do a Sky watch
sitting round a camp fire. We scanned the skies for spaceships all we saw
that night were shooting stars, but a good weekend was had by all!
On the way
home I saw a funny sign which made me smile, hope it makes you smile too! So I
have put the picture up for you to see! We also stopped for a brief visit to
the ‘Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary’ a place for Koala’s and Kangaroos. I was
amazed that there was no entry fee and it is funded by the council! I plan to
go back another day and spend more time there.
My friend
Debra arrived to stay for 6 days it was great to see her and we spent hours
catching up. The next day as we set off shopping we looked at the sky only to
see it was a strange stormy colour, it turned out that there was a red dust
storm, which had settled over the city and much of New South Wales, it came
overnight by gale-force winds of up to 100kph! Amazing to see everything
covered in dust! Apparently Sydney airport was closed for a few hours as people
could not get to the airport visibility was poor! That evening I went out with
Jeff to the Gold Coast for a meal to meet some family members. Afterwards we
had a stroll on the beach (my first visit) as I dipped my toes in the ocean, it
was magic! It was also a new moon that evening and as I looked for it, only to
see the strangest sight! Instead of waxing and waning from left to right! Well
here it was waxing or waning from top to bottom! It looked like it had a smile
(hope you can get the picture)! One of the things that are upside down here!
Over the
next few days we went out and about, firstly to a place called ‘Manly Harbour
village’ we found a great place for lunch as we watched the boats coming and
going! We also went to Redland Bay that had masses of
Mangroves, many trees grace the
Bay some from Asia and South America. These are the Camphor Laurel, the
Poinciana and Jacaranda tree. We
had a beautiful walk there and all the trees were stunning in their own right.
Then it was
time for Debra to leave to stay with her family. I have been lucky that since
being here I have had the company of Jeff’s Mum Noeline, she is 81 such a
character and we had so many laughs together. I also fell in love with Cosmo the
little poodle here (he is 13.1/2)
we have enjoyed many walks round the block together, but he made me laugh many
times as I would try to get him to go further down the road, but to no avail he
would just sit and would not budge, so we would have to turn around and come
back!
Then it was
time for Noeline to leave us and we took her to the airport to stay with another
family member. I have felt homesick a few times, Jeff dropped me at Logan
Hyperdome a (shopping centre) last week and within 10 minutes of being there I
felt very emotional, lost and alone. I rang Debra for a chat and then had a
coffee. I didn’t feel like shopping anymore, so I found a park had a few tears
then got Jeff to pick me up! Later that evening l spoke with my daughter and
sister and started to feel better and was back on track but also remembering the
reason I was here and it was ok to feel like this! The next two days I embraced
nature as I worked in the garden that was very therapeutic for me.
I have been
very blessed that I have found a beautiful area to walk in only 5 minutes from
here called “Springwood Conservation Area” it’s another piece of Heaven on Earth
and I love
going there. It
has 36
hectares of open eucalypt forest and is home to a variety of wildlife it has
large boulders, balancing rocks, caves, cliffs, and a gorge which takes you
through a network of graded walking tracks and a lookout with spectacular views
across Logan City. I have spent many an afternoon walking there
and I have found a special seat for me that is great to sit and be.
So far I have seen a water dragon (which was about a foot long) and I did
glimpse a Wallaby but he hopped off at high speed when he heard me!
I have also been to
a ‘Chung Tian Buddhist Temple’ only 5 minutes in the car from here. A few of us
went one Sunday morning to one of their ceremonies, I enjoyed that. They have
features their such as a conference room, museum, Bodhisattva Hall, Blessing
Bell and other attractions. This is another place I plan to go back to!
The days go by
quickly here and I always seem to have plenty to do! I have adjusted to living
in Jeff’s home and he told me to make it mine, so no excuses were needed to go
out and buy some extra things to make it more homely! We are both getting to
know each other more as the time goes by! There are also a couple weeks left
until my boxes arrive from the UK! It will be good to have some of my own things
around me! I have found it hard understanding their accent and lingo here and
keep saying pardon! I am now getting a bit more used to it being Spring here
and Summer starts on 1st December, but I have to say I am not missing
the cold rainy days you all keep telling me about!
One of the many
strange things that I have seen here are the
Eco Banana
dipped in red wax, apparently customers know when they purchase the 'wax
tip' banana that they are consistent in taste, flavour and shelf life which is
attributed to a precise growing protocol (picture on blog)! There are no high
streets with your little shops in but they have huge shopping malls that are not
within walking distance of each other! I miss Marks and Spencer’s even British
Home Stores would you believe! The Woolworth stores here, are everywhere in
every shopping centre and mall and I’m not kidding! They are one of the two main
food supermarkets here (the other is called Coles) nothing like the old
Woolworths!
Well that’s
all from me for now, wishing you all Love, Laughter and Dolphin hugs.
Andrena xx |
