21 FEBRUARY 2012 : THE WIRES ARE DOWN

That last post was terminated. Everything electrical was terminated for 8 hours or so.  The storms hit and the power went down.

FEDERAL HOTEL, BELLINGEN.

THE YAAN : Back Home after a weekend away. Yesterday was one of my own picture book days. Sun shining. Hours at the swimming pool. At one stage I said to the Cheery Redhead;  Where are the clouds ?  Miss 2 looked a little appalled and searched the endless blue skies for at least one cloud. Her two years on Earth have featured very few blue skied days. She looked more than a little nervous at the lack of clouds. We went uptown and lunched in the restaurant at the Federal Hotel. $10 meals and child friendly. I drove home well pleased with these February Days.

Then the clouds started coming in. My friend N.C. from a little furthe4r south sent me warning messages and I looked up our BOM.  Sure enough – storms coming. They weren’t all that bad here. A tree snapped down and some heavy rain – but they did black out the place for the whole night. All a part of a true Summer.

Now for town on a Tuesday Morning. Tuesdays I go to Urunga for a meeting.  Its maybe 8 kms from here. Not far. Talk with friends and buy some lunch. The small routines are precious. Back later.

11 FEBRUARY 2012 : LEAVING THE SHIRE FOR A DAY

Going North to Ulmarra today.  Here’s the Google Maps Directions.  113 Kms.  1 hour 32 minutes.  Izzy is bringing together disparate elements of the last 5 years and playing with KEL MACINTOSH from out near Muwillumbah. That’s Kel on the Sax. Scrubby is to the left but he’s not coming to Ulmarra today.

1. Head south on Valery Rd towards Old Pacific Hwy  1.1 km

2. Take the 1st left on to Old Pacific Hwy 2.4 km

3. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit 150 m

4. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto the Pacific Hwy/National Route 1 ramp 350 m

5. Turn left onto Pacific Hwy/National Route 1 Go through 1 roundabout 29.7 km

6. Slight left to stay on Pacific Hwy/National Route 1 (signs for Grafton)  Go through 1 roundabout 66.0 km

7. Turn right onto Centenary Drive 4.3 km

8. Turn right onto Pacific Hwy/National Route 1 (signs for Ballina) 9.0 km Ulmarra NSW

 

Means I won’t be writing much. Its going to be an interesting gig. Kel is in his 80s – a classic Jazz performer. He’s bringing along PHIL EIZENBERG from STOKERS SIDING. All we know at this time , is that Bob, on the trumpet, is coming along and a double bass player.  We lived in Ulmarra in 2009. Loved it. So here we go on a 2 hour drive to visit old friends, eat good food, listen to music and check the Bookshop.

GLIMPSES OF ULMARRA.

WEDNESDAY BREAKFAST

THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE.

ANNI PIPER AT THE BELLINGEN RIVER FESTIVAL

14 NOVEMBER 2011 : THE PROMISED LAND

THE PROMISED LAND TODAY.

 

THE YAAN.

Today I went to the PROMISED LAND, out on the NEVER NEVER CREEK in the GLENIFFER VALLEY to swim in the dappled light and chilled water.  Maybe a 1/2 hour drive from Home.

Its been a hot day. The kind of day which suits me very well. The local community radio station 2BBB was playing SOUTH PACIFIC AND I was singing along on my way up to meet the Cheery Redhead and her Mum, Kati B. The water out on the Never Never is cold and clear and despite the rocky bottom of the Creek, it was one delightful day. A corny word but APT.

http://www.2bbb.net.au/

 

SOME HISTORY SNIPPETS OF GLENIFFER AND THE PROMISED LAND.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswbelli/genealogy/leantree.html

 

The Australian Women’s Weekly (1933 – 1982), Wednesday 2 July 1952.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51595591

 

 

8 NOVEMBER 2011: A SECOND ORDINARY DAY

THE YAAN.

Ah. There goes another ordinary day. A non-tormented day. A day with a sense of routine and belonging and regularity. Oh my.

I can’t tell you how good that feels. The local post office. The local shops. The local meeting. The local Museum. Sigh. I got 2 parcels today as well as sending one off to Granddaughter No 1. I now have a tartan scarf fresh from the Isle of Mull. My brother sent it to me.

A second ordinary day.  How good is that ?

7 NOVEMBER 2011 : AN ORDINARY DAY

THE YAAN.

I don’t use the term AN ORDINARY DAY lightly. I haven’t had many of them over the last 12 months to 2 years or even more. Life has been in major disarray, A couple of weeks back, I became aware of the ‘boredom’ that assails me following an extended period of excitement, busyness, shocks and variations. Marian once told me not to destroy the boredom because Life would bring enough excitements of its own and she was surely right. Nonetheless, the familiar panic began to rise within and the sense of depression. With that came the urge to see a doctor and be given ‘something’ for it or to do something radical and change the Outside in the hope of altering the Inside. It works sometimes but sometimes it just wreaks havoc.

This time, I managed to do nothing in particular and now I have arrived at AN ORDINARY DAY.

IZZY’S PLACE IN THE FOREST

VALERY ROAD RALEIGH IN THE BONGIL BONGIL STATE FOREST 

SUMMERTIME THOUGHTS

I have had a few coloured silhouettes this week with the Sun blazing as bushfires burn. I saw whales, as well. Off the Beach on my birthday.

AND MEANWHILE – AS I DREAM OF SUMMERTIME.

http://www.archive.org/stream/summertimeamidmu00musk#page/n1/mode/2up

http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924022193076#page/n9/mode/2up

http://www.archive.org/stream/solitarysummer00arniuoft#page/n11/mode/2up