Finally settled, the weather has also settled, and Spring has sprung again. Flowers are popping up everywhere, while other trees are budding, just raring to let themselves go. The trees we planted earlier are in leaf, the zucchini are working hard at growing up, Duchess is smoochy (or is it my love?) and the pool is eminently swimmable. Not a bad life, hey?
After more rain, rain and rain this morning, finally, the sun broke through the clouds above the valley - and for a few hours we basked in the warmth and brightness of timid spring sunshine. It didn´t last for long. As I write I´m sitting in my study, looking out over the valley. The vibrancy of the colour green at this time of year is incredible, very powerful. Cows saunter past on the track, seemingly on their way to nowhere. (Niki´s theory is: the cows are clambering frantically to higher pasture to get away from Flash Floods and secure a place on the Ark). More clouds promise more rain. In some parts of the state (but not here) it´s quite a daunting time of year, as photos in the regional Northern Star witness. A photo Niki took yesterday of Peaces Creek overflowing the causeway gives a good idea of the volume of water coursing through our immediate area. Skinner´s Creek in the valley below was overflowing its banks yesterday, but today the water has already gone down. Niki is still fervently (and touristic-ally) hoping that it will rain so much we´ll get cut off for a day.... On the upside (for those who favour natural disasters, such as, erm, Niki): we were without power for a day...
In the previous post I mentioned The Big Scrub. For those who´d like to know more about this, and especially for the benefit of Peter and Ann, Niki´s parents, who will be visiting us in about five weeks, a little bit more background to the natural environment here in the Northern Rivers.The Big Scrub was dominated by White Booyong (Heritiera trifiolata) and Australian Red Cedar (Toona australis). The latter was eagerly sought by the 'cedar getters' for its fine quality timber. The cedar getters were the first non-indigenous people to invade the Big Scrub area.
Later, the Government of New South Wales gave allotments to potential farmers on the basis that they cleared it of rainforest. Hence, most of the Big Scrub was cleared, and the surviving Bundjalung were placed into missions.
In the 20th century, interest in rainforest and conservation resulted in a greater effort to conserve the few remaining remnants of the Big Scrub. The major remnants are: the Big Scrub Flora Reserve, Victoria Park Nature Reserve, Davis Scrub, Boatharbour, and Hayter's Hill. These remnants have been subject to ecological restoration projects which involves the removal of invasive non-native weeds.
Big Scrub remnants have become a source of native foods for cropping, especially in recent years. These include the macadamia nut, riberry and Finger Lime. Macadamia nut is now grown commercially over much of the former Big Scrub area, but the main species used in cropping, Macadamia integrifolia, did not naturally occur in the Big Scrub.
(from: Wikipedia)
So ... back again on the red soil. And muddy soil, as it has been raining for about 4 weeks now and certainly ever since the day we got back (see the weather map). Miniature waterfalls are forming on the driveway, mud tracks appear wherever we walk or ride (the mower), feet squelch wherever we go. Good to be home, to be with Tess and Yarrow again and surrounded by the lush green of Northern Rivers hills; lovely to be here with my love. We went for a wet drive through the hills towards Mullumbimby today, a town a bit north of here - mist-drenched Big Scrub valleys, low clouds carrying more rain, green forests, fogged-up car windows.
I don´t know whether you remember Mazzel, Arthur´s and Marielle´s dog. When I last saw Mazzel he was 2 months old and small - the dog that ran into Oma´s house this morning ... was huge and grown-up, two or three months later. He´s a beautiful young man and very, very sweet. Oma and I are taking it for a walk in the forest just outside Roosendaal. (OK, forest is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration for whatever is left of Holland´s wooded areas, but it´s nice to be out anyway...)
Breaking up two long working-weeks with a visit to ´the homestead´, I´m spending two days with mum. Yesterday, my sister Jacqueline visited, with her husband Jos; and today we´re expecting Arthur, my other sister Marielle´s partner, to arrive with their dog Mazzel who (the dog) will spend the afternoon with us while Arthur and Jos go watch a soccer match. Marielle I might see tonight - she has had to work over the weekend at some sort of event up north (she is a sports and business and Reiki massage professional, running her own company). In the meantime (a very homely feeling, I must admit) mum has washed all my clothes ...
Niki went for dinner with a friend last night. You must admit, the view from the restaurant was quite stunning... The old city definitely has charm and attraction.
OK, so I get this opportunity to work for one of my publishers for two weeks, in Holland, in the lovely city of ´s-Hertogenbosch (the Duke´s Forest, literally). Now, not having worked in a ´real´ office for a long, long time (since 2001, to be precise), I was very curious to know what it would feel like. Well, the work is interesting enough and fulfilling, and it´s professionally satisfying and effective to be together with people you work on a project with, but being cooped up within four walls, working in an open office environment, being surrounded by scores of people chatting, laughing, arguing, discussing, negotiating at the speed of light, and Big Business going on around one for at least 8, but more likely 9 or 10 hours a day, is not, well, my cup of tea anymore. Marcel, the colleague editor / writer I am working with while here, and who also went freelance about 10 years ago, couldn´t agree more!
It´s Tess´15th birthday! Tradition calls for a birthday cake breakfast in bed! Happy birthday Tess!
(from Mieke´s blog) ´Tess (now nearly 15) & Yarrow (13) went to visit Nimbin with Hans and Niki just before they (H&N) went back to Portugal. They had a lovely day and visited a beaut retro/antiques shop where Tess tried on this lovely 1940s Vogue dress. It was well over her budget ($450!) but great to try on and get a photo. Tess then did some neat photoshopping with the photo for this result.
Today Anjes did her driving exam, but unfortunately a red traffic light got in the way - other than that it was all good but she´ll have to try again .. Sorry, Anjes, that it didn´t work out! Volgende keer beter! Big hug!
OK, so Ton asks us to buy a Beret. Not wanting to be a nitpick the only requirements are (1) size, (2) colour, (3) circumferential flexibility, (4) material, (5) design and (6) look. Easy. Easy?
Friday morning at 4.45 Mieke kindly picked us up, and bleary-eyed, with Tess and Yarrow, who was feeling particularly sick as she had been off school all week with flu, we bundled into the car and set off for BNK (Ballina Byron Gateway) airport. The first morning flight took us to SYD (Sydney) where, after 4.5. hours of waiting we were able to take the plane to sticky KUL (Kuala Lumpur), fortunately in comfortable exit seats with plenty of leg space.