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Andrena's Blog
No 6
This page was last updated on
Monday, 03 May 2010 11:18:35 PM
3rd May
2010
Hi Everyone
Well here
we are at the start of May! The time seems to fly so fast here, it has been
quite a few months since I have updated my blog!!!!! The days seem to be so
much shorter? I wonder is it because there is no twilight zone? That’s one thing
that I do miss! I seemed to get so much more done in those evenings back in the
UK! Life has still been very interesting for me and I was feeling up and down,
unsettled for a quite a while, but progress is happening! I have to say for the
last month or more I have felt much more settled! Two weeks ago (in April) I
have had a fantastic week away in New Zealand going to the North Island along
with Val who landed the same day as us more on that to come! As I type it is
autumn time here in Australia which is more like a summer’s day back in the UK!
I can understand how people come over here and never want to leave, as the sun
never stops shining I think I have become acclimatized because when we landed in
NZ it was a real cold day and I had to wear a jacket, strange you might think,
but I have not worn a jacket for over 7 months in all the time that I have been
here!
In my last
blog I said I would tell you about Debra’s and my trip to ‘Tin Can Bay’ to hand
feed the dolphins! That was last
November (see how time flies)!! We booked in a motel for the night and then
found ourselves a place for dinner watching the sunset over the ocean. We were
up early the next morning as we wanted to see the dolphins come into the bay
before people arrived to feed them. The dolphins come in the bay anytime after
6am of their own free will and play until the ferry comes in at 8am with fresh
fish.
Firstly you place a donation in a
box, whilst the volunteers get you to wash your hands in a solution that
protects the dolphins from any infection, you are then handed a bucket for your
fish, then line up as you stand at the edge of the water and the dolphins come
up to you for the fish. They come into the bay in pods of 7-10 at a time, one of
them is called Mystique who was attacked by a tiger shark; she couldn’t hunt for
10 days and was looked after by the volunteers, she has since recovered back to
her full health. After taking many more pictures we set off again.
Rainbow Beach was our next stop
for lunch when
we arrived,
the scene before us took our breath away. Stunning views of the beach which is
situated on a wide bay, the town is set on the edge of rainbow coloured sand
cliffs, overlooking Rainbow Beach. Apparently Rainbow Beach was originally known
as Back Beach and was home to a large sand mining industry until 1976. The
current name comes from the rainbow coloured cliffs. In an Aboriginal legend the
cliffs were coloured when Yiningie (the spirit of the Gods representing Rainbow)
was killed in a fight, spreading his 'colourful' spirits across the cliffs
(great stories). Then we headed back to Hervey Bay. I was blessed to have
another week there and was able to walk the beach at 6am every day with Debra
and her dog Ziggy. I was amazed at the amount of people who were out walking so
early! But then at 6 am it was already very warm! Then it was time to leave
this lovely place and I wondered how I would settle back in Springwood after
being on the beach and swimming in the ocean every day.
Christmas
came (I could not get my head round that it was Christmas time in all this
sunshine)! So I had my first ever Christmas Oz style, so different to back home
in the UK! But it was fantastic! We were up early on Christmas morning had a
swim and decided to join some friends who had stayed overnight at a hotel called
The Hyatt at a beautiful place called Sanctuary Cove, for a Christmas breakfast
which was absolutely divine! After breakfast we headed to the hotels man made
beach with its built in lagoon pool, I have to say we were so full that we
simply took the easy option of swimming and lazing about on the sun beds all
day. Later on we sat at the bar to keep ourselves cool with lovely fresh fruit
drinks! We left late afternoon arrived back home glowing after having a little
too much sun! Then we were invited to friends for Christmas supper which
finished the day off very nice. So different to sitting round the table with a
stuffed turkey in cold weather!!!!!
Then it was New Year’s Eve where we had arranged to meet friends
for an early evening dinner before we had decided to set off and go to the
Glasshouse Mountains. Because it was it was a Full Moon/Blue Moon/Lunar Eclipse
we thought it would be a great way to see the New Year in! Also there is the
mystery about the Glasshouse Mountains and the
Aboriginal Dreamtime Story as follows….
The
Aboriginals however, had known about these mountains for a long time before, and
have their own stories regarding the mountains’ creation. In simplified version,
the mountains are a family, Mt Tibrogargan the father, Beerwah the mother. One
day Tibrogargan sees approaching floodwaters rising from the east, and calls his
children together to flee to the safety of higher ground in the west. Beerwah is
with child again, and cannot move quickly so Tibrogargan calls on Coonowrin the
eldest child to help her. But he sees Coonowrin fleeing in fear on his own
rather than helping Beerwah, and angered by this, pursues Coonowrin and strikes
him such a bow on his neck that he’s never been able to straighten it since.
After the floods subsided the family returned to the area, and Coonowrin (who
hadn’t known that his mother was pregnant) asked for forgiveness, but his father
and siblings could only weep with shame at his actions, forming many small
streams that flow down to the sea, To this day, Tibrogargan stares silently out
to sea avoiding his gaze falling on Coonowrin, and Beerwah is still heavy with
child – baby mountains take a very long time to develop and be born! The area
still holds significant cultural and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal
tribes of the region.
Well New
Year got off to a damp start! In the distance we could see was rain and a
handful of fireworks! But what we did see made up for it!!!! The Full Moon
light was absolutely stunning, mystical and magical! It had a massive circle
around it something we have never witnessed before and took many, many photos.
We decided to stay and watch the sunrise which was about 5.20am. This was also
another stunning display of magic right across the mountains and valleys. We
had taken flasks, chairs, blankets and nibbles but unfortunately for me I forgot
to take some insect repellent and found the insects had, had a feast around my
ankles and hands (I had only put little socks on)! We arrived home at 7.30am
and fell asleep for hours catching up. But oh how these full moons affect the
emotions!!! Well mine anyway! l woke up and as the day went on I felt very
unsettled, and emotional, I was missing everyone back home and wondered why I
had moved so far away?? So I went for a long walk in the woods which always had
a good effect on me the power of Mother Earth, I had a cry remembered the
reasons why I had made this trip to be with Jeff and I need to give it a fair
try I felt better and got back on track. I came back had a cuppa, but I know
from your emails many of you felt and were going through the same effects of the
moon!
Byron Bay was to be my next trip
away with Jeff for a long weekend. It took just under 2 hours to get there and
the scenery is always lovely wherever you travel in Australia. It was a really
hot day we found our motel and then set off to Cape Bryon
Lighthouse which is
the most easterly light in Australia, and one of the most powerful, it stands on
a rocky headland with a precipitous cliff on the east side with a sheer drop of
approximately 100 metres. We climbed many steps to the top but it was worth it
as the views are
magnificent all across the bay, we even saw some dolphins swimming below. Bryon
Bay is full of life and vitality and backpackers everywhere coming and going all
carrying much on their backs. We had a wander round the little markets and then
onto my favorite pastime, where we went and sat on the beach watching the
ocean. The next day we booked a snorkeling trip for an hour and were taken out
in an inflatable boat to Julian rocks. I saw some turtles and lovely fish but
it was a bit too choppy out there for me and I was doing my best not to end up
on the rocks. Jeff took a great underwater picture of a turtle eating a jelly
fish! In the evening you could see the lighthouse standing out proudly with the
stars standing out like millions of diamonds in the sky, it was so beautiful.
We found a lovely restaurant overlooking the ocean and I have taken so many
lovely pictures of sunsets and scenery it is hard to pick the best! I have so
many fantastic pictures now (quite a collection) I will have to start a book!!!
After a fantastic weekend away we
came back having the painters and decorators in, I have turned the little
bedroom downstairs into my healing and meditation room and it looks lovely let
alone the rest of the rooms being done. The following weekend I had a call from
Vicki…. who is Australian but we first met in Glastonbury and became friends, so
we met her for the day and went to Victoria Point then dropped her off at the
Airport back for Sydney it was great to see her and reconnect. Then I met
Sheree a friend of a friend from Bristol, we met at Southbank and had a
fantastic day together, seeing as we had never met before we were like soul
sisters. Then the next evening I took Jeff. Ashley and Kerry to see Diva Premal
in concert that was lovely we did sacred chants, (I used to do that a lot in
Glastonbury and I didn’t realize how much I missed doing that) it was a lovely
evening and I am going to find where I can go to do more chanting.
One evening we had a fantastic
thunderstorm here and on the patio I witnessed a thunder clap where we literally
jumped out of our skins and the ball of explosion I saw right in front of my
eyes was fantastic, luckily it only blew a fuse in the Radio Station!!! We are
in February and at last my children were coming over for 9 days, Hayley her
partner Justin and my son Lee I had waited for this date forever it seemed
like. Went to the airport to pick them up and would you believe they were
almost the last to come through! I had hired a car and we went to Noosa, Gold
Coast, Sanctuary Cove, Water World and to see Steve Irwin’s Zoo that was amazing
and we had one horrendous storm while we were there. It was a shame the week
that they were here the weather was not that good! Well we had a fab time many
laughs it was life in the fast lane whist they were here! But nearer to the
time of their leaving I could hardly hold myself together, at the airport Hayley
and I just sobbed and sobbed, when they flew off I don’t think Jeff knew what to
do with me… so he took me shopping (retail therapy) there is a great place by
Brisbane Airport called D.F.O (Discount Factory Outlet) I will definitely go
back there again one of the best places I have found for shopping for me. Well
it took me a couple of weeks to get over seeing them and then saying goodbye, my
heart was really heavy, but as time as gone by it has got easier, once again
thank God for Skype and friends I have made here, one called Jan who was heaven
sent and a soul sister who is also English so she could understand what I was
going through.
How blessed was I within a few
days of the children going, Val Hood a friend of Jeff’s arrived from the U.K.
She has an interesting job in that she is a naturally gifted medium who gives
proof of survival, who talks with family and friends who have since died. She
helps to bring closure for a lot of people and to say those words “I love you”
which quite often we don’t get to say. Val stayed with us for 3 weeks, we had a
great time out and about together with many laughs she is one of my soul
sisters. One day we caught the bus into Brisbane city shopped, walked round the
markets, we took a boat across to Southbank one of my favourite places. We went
to watch her do a demonstration at Salisbury Spiritualist church and attended
one of her all day workshops with Jeff and it was excellent, so many people
asked me what I thought of her and would I recommend her, I certainly would!
Val and I went to Daybro to stay overnight with her friend Maggie. The next day
we had a look at a lovely placed called Petrie. Then we were back here with Val
using my healing room for her readings, there were people in and out of here
every 30 minutes. We also saw her at Sunshine Coast where we met up with Tim
and his Mum, Patricia who were looking after her on the next leg of the journey
at a place Maroochydore, we stayed with Jeff’s friends Annie and Neville whose
house was situated in a rain forest in a place called Buderim but it was like
living in the tree tops and so peaceful I loved it there. Again the beach
and ocean, shops and scenery were stunning this was another place I loved and
would like to go back to.
Another place I went to was Mount Warning just over the New South Wales
/Queensland border near a small village called Uki with Val and Jeff and would
you believe it in the middle of the rainforest (yes you would)!! I met a guy who
lived in the next road to me and went to the same school in Bristol, and his
friend lived in the same neck of woods in London as Val, what a small world.
When the children were here i
bought a special ticket to go in the theme parks one of which was Sea World
(where the dolphins are)! One day I had such a strong urge to connect with
them, so at lunch time I took myself off and spent the afternoon with them.
That day in the nursery section there was a three week old baby making her
debut. She was funny to watch trying to do Belly flips that were flops but I
have some lovely pictures (yet again). Since being with Jeff I have never taken
so many photos as I do now. Afterwards I took myself to a beach called ‘The
Spit’ a place for dog lovers where you can take your dog for long beach walks
and swims. I had not been there since we had taken Cos on his last day with us
in back in October!
Well I have brought you up to
speed with my journey there are so many other places I have been to and not
shared (which would make this blog a book)! But I have given you a taste of
Australia and all it has to offer. I also have been very blessed here with Jeff
and his friends we all meet up regularly for cards (canasta) and movies. I have
found a good hairdresser and also a massage therapist, Brett who comes and does
a fantastic massage every few weeks helping to keep me stress free??? I am now
the owner of a Toyota Rav 4 and I love it! So that’s it for now, thanks for all
your email and messages also those on Facebook which I am getting the hang of
now. I have put many more pictures on Facebook if you want to take a look? Look
up Andrena Forrest.
Sending you all a big dolphin hug,
love Andrena xxx
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