continuing on our trip.. off to Halls Gap - a gorgeous town set at the bottom of The Grampians. a mountain range. where the mists come down low. there is an eeriness about this area. long gone aboriginal people and their energy I think. a place of sadness.
we were there for two days ~ staying in a little cottage. both those days, it rained. not much fun on a bike, so we spent our time walking and drinking hot chocolate in a little cafe that had free WiFi.. 
Ash Wednesday fell on the day we were there and the nearest Ash Wednesday Mass was 40 mins away.. so I did what I could. gathered leaves and twigs like the Aboriginals might do. found myself a piece of bark and made ashes from the Australian bush
and I anointed myself. 
I also had an opportunity to take part in an art class with local aboriginals.. it is not as easy as you might think. all those little dots.. then after our two days - we rode to visit my son. At Glen Fine sheep station. he and his new girlfriend are living in the station managers house, rent free while they look after the homestead. it is a beautiful old home from the late 1800's but sadly has been let go.. they live in the middle of about 16,000 acres.
Glen Fine - surrounded by old gardens full of jerusalem artichokes, old pear & apple trees and resident bats. 
quite cold while we were there..so my son Caine lit the fire. we had a great night together.. laughing and my mothers heart feeling so at peace to see my first born happy once again. a sigh of relief.
14 comments:
Lovely story telling as usual, nice of you to take us along on the ride to meet your son.
Hope all is well with the tests.
Sue x
As I have often said, you live in a beautiful country. I'd never known much about Australia until I became a follower of your blog, and I appreciate all that I have learned.
Mary
Sorry to hear about your thyroid, my hubby and sister both have to take medication for it. Hope you're feeling better soon.
Love the home your son is in!
Glad you had a nice visit with your son! Your homemade bush ash sounds very spiritual to me. And darn that thyroid -- hope all turns out well or at least, easily fixable.
That is a lovely house. It's sad to see well-built homes allowed to become run-down and ramshackle when they should be lived in and filled with energy. Hopefully Caine and his girlfriend can revivify the place while they are living there.
I like the photo of the hills, too; it perfectly illustrates your suggestion of the atmosphere - a beautiful landscape, yet brooding and strange.
The fire looks lovely and inviting and if they are happy there, nothing much else matters..
It would be interesting to see your art from the class.
The art class sounds interesting. I love aboriginal dot painting....don't know if it has an official name but that's what I call it.
Seeing your son happy was probably the best part of your trip. It sounds like the kind of place my son would love, too.
It's so good to hear that Caine is settled and happy once more. When our children are well and happy, then so are we it seems.
Hope the thyroid issue isn't too bad, look after yourself..
hugs
xx
love the way you did that last photo, with the fire in colour and the rest b&w!
Thyroid problems are relative easy to fix but usually involve taking a pill a day for the duration. Do take this seriously as if you stop/start it can be bad for you. I was devastated to have to take a pill a day - that was 16 years ago but you really get your life back. It is also one of the most inherited conditions going through every generation and also very common. Its not really about eating right exercising etc.
Hope you get it sorted and did nt mind the advice !!
Your trip sounds amazing Robyn. I can only dream of those far away places you've been. Glad Caine is well and good. My love to all.
Lovely family post Robyn.
Don't worry about the thyroid, once it gets controlled it's just a pill or two a day.I know, I've been taking them for 5 years.
xx
Great post Robyn full of things that mean a lot to you. Wonderful that Caine is happy and settled. I found the Grampians, although such a pretty place, to have the same quiet brooding atmosphere you described.I'm enjoying seeing all the delights of your trip!
I was reading that thyroid can play up with menopause. I'm actually wondering about thyroid probs myself as a month or so back, I had this feeling like I was wearing a tight choker which lasted for a good couple of weeks. I researched it on the net and found that it can be a symptom of thyroid probs. Get lots of kelp into you....iodine is good for battling thyroid conditions.
I loved your post, Robyn...right down to you annointing yourself for Ash Wednesday. Lovely that you also got to visit with Caine.
Post a Comment