In the centre of the ACT hospice labyrinth some words of Dag Hammarskjold came to mind, “For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, ‘Yes’!”
We are full of gratitude for the warm and generous hospitality we have received in Australia, and ready now to move into the journeying ahead of us with open hearts.
Loved the strongly contrasting colours of the earth and flowers in the Red Centre of the Botanical gardens on the lower slopes of Black Mountain.
Had our first sighting of a wallaby and got very close to a lazy dragon lizard.
Late afternoon and this Koala was dozing nicely. Cuddly as he looks you would not want to get in the middle of two males fighting. Check out those claws.
Seeing this fella and two more koalas capped the end of a great day in the nature reserve. Thank you Shona for sharing your deep wisdom and passion for this place.
Another amazing day.
Boro had beaten Man U in the League Cup before we’d even had breakfast!
Then at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve this afternoon we saw the elusive duck-billed platypus about 5 yards away from us.
Awesome!!
The flag of the Aboriginal people of Australia. It was created as a symbol of unity and national identity for Aboriginal people during the land rights movement of the early 1970s.
Yellow represents the sun the giver of life. Red represents the red earth (the relationship to the land) and the red ochre used in ceremonies. Black represents the Aboriginal people.
In the sculpture park of the National Gallery of Australia we came across a fascinating concrete and basalt stupa, set in water, earth and landscaping. It lent itself to reflection and stillness.
Artist: James Turrell, 2010
A tranquil boat trip down the river in the late afternoon with friends allowed us close encounters with lizards, fish and later a beautiful kingfisher.
Sally Paskins’ Store in Gundaroo, a small rural village about 25 miles north of Canberra, was built in 1886 and is a well preserved example of a slab hut, a dwelling made from slabs of split or sawn timber with a brick chimney.
Sally (Sarah) Paskins, the original owner, seems to have been a real character who kept a cockatoo on the counter of the shop.
Ken Tjungkara of the Pitjantjatjara people painted this beautiful story of the journey of the Seven Sisters – the Pleiades. This star Dreaming is one of the most ancient stories amongst Aboriginal communities.
The painting hangs in the National Gallery of Australia.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!
Dorothea Mackellar – from her poem My Country written in 1908
The metal sculpture, based on Dorothea’s own handwriting, spans a wide vista at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
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