What a truly special two day with Pip Grffiin and Michael Keating. After we picked Pip up from Normanhurst we headed north for a wonderful day of beach and bush adventures. We drove the scenic way through Shelley beach up to Crackneck Lookout where we took in the immense vista of ocean so vast,the horizon has a curved appearance. North we look up the beaches towards Norah Head and its lighthouse and beyond and south with a wide,wide ocean.
flouncing waves
the fragrance of wind
in their wake
Michael got the thermos out and we enjoyed a cuppa looking out at the amazing horizon line of blues and amidst the birds. My surprise was an outside devonshire tea with home-made scones, jam and fresh cream.
Refueled we set out on a bush walk to look for budding wildflowers and to search out the Flannel Flowers which we hoped were flowering. Grass trees and banksia were thriving , Wildflowers were still hesitating with the cold air and persistent rain holding them back. We kept walking until we began to see the Flannel Flowers. Many were still only buds but some and enough for us to say’ wow’ , were flowering in all their glory. We enjoyed their velvety petals and ants and insects clambering on them,
solitary ant
angling across a petal
flannel flower
wayfaring
an ant ambles across
a flower petal
We slowly walked back and drove to Dolphin Court where we enjoyed the wonderful vista that we are so lucky to have access to. It was a sparkling day and the lake and mouth of the lake and then a wonderful performing ocean even with our resident seal lazing on a rock.
After we made a sandwich for lunch Pip and we rested enjoying the view and wrote haiku,read poetry including Mary Oliver and then went for a beach walk.
It was 5 pm and the sun was heading west and so we decided to drive around to the lake to watch the sun drop into the Watigans. The setting sun was not as awesome in colour as sometimes but it did not disappoint, the egret arrived, the pelicans launged about some flosting on the lake, the black swans could be seen, the plovers could be heard. Back home we had dinner and an early night
The next day we got up and came out to watch the dawn and the sun arrive . The cloud made it less spectacular but a dounbe whammy as it rose secondly over the thick cloud. We wrote our haiku, feeling gratitude for our splendour vista and let the colours and sounds flow over us
We drove to The White Pebbles Spring Haiku morning. After morning coffee we set out on our haiku walk, enjoying the Wisteria, azaelsa, bird song especially a cheeky willy wag tail, ducks and the apricity of the sun. Then we had a very affirming meeting all telling positive recent stories.Pip told of winning the the Mahler tickets and enjoying the concert of Mahler 4 and 5. Marilyn told of her 15 week holiday around Bowen and the North. Kent told how he and Deb went on a wonderful Whale Watching experience without seeing a whale. I told of my new book Ring the bells. And then we workshopped our haiku and enjoyed the learnings. We had a delicious lunch and a visit at the Art in the Gallery. and headed home dropping Pip at Hornsby.
“Ginko” (吟行) in Japanese refers to a meditative walk
or poetic stroll, often undertaken by haiku poets to gather
inspiration and connect with nature.