Amphibious

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Altered book journal entry by Kel © 2011

Blessing for the boxed in

When the walls of reality crowd in

and you feel boxed in by constraints

allow nature to be the cure

go outside and remove your shoes

so your feet may feel the ground

then find a tree under which to lay

and cast your eyes to the sky

As you peer upward through branches

into the infinite blue above

imagine those walls falling down

so you are no longer in a box

but rather an expansive space

full of light and energy

and fresh air

breathe

expand

inhale

 

believe again

your options are open

 

may you find room to move

in the direction of your dreams

 

 

~Kel

© 2011

Dream comes true

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 There is a great moment, when you see, however distant – the goal 

of your wandering. The thing which has been living in your imagination 

suddenly becomes a part of the tangible world. ~ Freya Stark

We've been dreaming of a white christmas for a long time. As big believers in dreaming big, it was with much excitement that an airfare gifting allowed us to tick this one off the list. For our very first white christmas experience, a 35-day itinerary included LA, Chicago, Niagara Falls, Mt Tremblant, Montreal, Quebec city, Ottawa, Oshawa/Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Mt Washington, and Whistler. Yes, we had our skates on!

The longest stop was 5 nights at Mt Tremblant where we skied, snowmobiled, snow-tubed, and ice-climbed. To fuel such energetic adventures we feasted on poutine, beaver tails and maple taffy!

The contrast between French speaking Canada in the northeast, and English speaking Canada in the southeast and west, provided much cultural interest (and amusement).We travelled with my dad and stepmum for two weeks. She struggled to get her French greetings right. While taking them on their first nordic ski experience, this little vignette had us rolling in the snow with laughter. A man came skiing towards us. As he approached she jovially said, "Bonjour!" As he nodded and skied past, she immediately said, "AuRevoir!"  The French Canadian gentleman laughed. She was so excited she got the greeting and farewell in the right order, she failed to see the humour of the situation in which she had used it.

With so many things to photograph, it was hard to choose a few visual highlights...

 Snow squirrel

The chateau we stayed in at Tremblant

Ski de Fond Mt Tremblant

Driving from the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road.

Driving in the snow with no snow chains was also very different!

Snowmobiling @ St Donat

Niagara Falls is spectacular in winter

Vancouver harbour and Inukshuk

Mt Washington on Vancouver Island got world record snowfalls.

We had to experience a 5 metre snowbase, even though it made reading the signs hard!

Eagles wintering @ Brackendale.

I think he forgot his bagel and cream cheese.

Last stop on the itinerary - Whistler/Blackcomb.

Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art. ~Freya Stark

photos by Kel & Mr X © 2010

Floods from afar

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Mr X and I have just returned from a momentous trip - our first ever white christmas.

When one is travelling (particularly with an itinerary like ours!) watching the news and having regular internet access gets left at home. We'd heard there was flooding in Queensland. With recent flooding around Australia over the past few months, we didn't think much of it.

Some 48 hours ago, while passing through immigration to exit Canada via USA, the officer checking our passports asked if we knew anyone affected by the 'tsunami'. W-h-a-t !?!? The first thing we did when boarding the plane was watch the news channel. The visuals stunned us. There is something more shocking about news from 'home' when one is a long way away.

We communicated with my mum who lives in Queensland. Thankfully she is doing okay so far, but she advised us there was rain heading to the southern states ... where we live. After seeing the news reports (and having been through a flood ourselves a few years back, which required us to evacuate our property for 6 weeks) our only thought was to get home as fast as possible to prepare for any outcome.

Three flights and some 40 hours later, we arrived home. Yes - it is raining. But no floods here so far. Phew! Not sure how we would have coped with that in our jetlagged state!

But as we unpack, and try to get our weary selves back into the local timezone, our thoughts are with friends, family and fellow Aussies who are in the midst of a liquid mess.

Cheryl says it all much better than my jetlag addled brain could ever summons at this point . . .

Aussie world music

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Every now and then I like to showcase Aussie musicians here. Today I'm in the mood for one of my favourite genres - world music.

Being born blind on a small island off the north coast of Australia didn't stop this artist learning to play drums, keyboard, didgeridoo and guitar (being left-handed, he taught himself to play a right-hand-strung guitar backwards). Previously a member of the band Yothu Yindi, his star shone brightly in 2008 when he released a solo album. 

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is an intriguing person. He doesn't do interviews, believing it should be all about the music, not about him. Geoffrey's singing has a quality that touches the heart and soul. Hope you enjoy this little piece of magic.

New Year Blessing

As another year lays before you
a blank page           
awaiting words      

take time to breathe
and remember

what it is
you are here
for

Before you get busy
making goals
and plans

take time to breathe
and remember

which moments last year
took your breath
away

May you find, this year
ways to create more
of that

~Kel © 2010

life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.