We didn't even take our shoes off as we trampled through his lounge, sitting or dining room, not sure. His bed and bath rooms were some distance away.He sat back in his wheelchair seemingly unperturbed by our presence as he ate his damper in his solar home, which did not preclude any of the Darling (or it's original name - Baaka which may soon make a welcome comeback) River view.He travelled to his take-away home [...]
The noise was deafening. I had wandered down to the Darling River for a morning walk. Momentarily standing to take a photo, I must have invaded their privacy. Hundreds of white cockatoos were screaming about what they scream about, loudly flapping their wings, it was as though the majestic gums had suddenly come alive attempting to persuade others of this miracle.Many flew across the river still shouting while others stayed behind, a number of them [...]
'Everything's on the table', or that's what some would have us believe. But it was today. Our Lightning Ridger friend and family laid out a morning tea feast on a 'converted door' - 20mm deep, 300mm wide and over a metre long - I want one of those. We were then overlooked by the whole family (some of whom weren't there) watching from a photo in a converted window frame with their focus on the [...]
It was supposed to be a three rivers walk but ended up two rivers and a late night walk. The first river was the Castlereagh in Gilgandra. As I was perusing the river, an older man with a tired durry (smoke) threatening to burn a lip or two, said g'day. The g'day was a giveaway that he would be able to answer my question. I told hm that I heard on the radio that our [...]
I had to zoom my PD Warrior class today so what to do with my class at 1030 and I, needing to leave my room at 10 - checkout time. So we decided to stay another night.It was easy to do our more than 10km today as this very natural zoo is so widely spread and monopolised our attention. Cleverly done, this zoo has a very animal friendly environment, and it was often only at [...]
A strange feeling, at home in Australia but not feeling at home. We have been so used to just walking at this time of the year and, in foreign countries. There was a sense of mystery, learning about other cultures, and meeting some of their people. Now we are driving mostly, stopping at chosen places, walking some kilometres ensuring that we meet a kilometre target each day. However, we now have a chance to get [...]
The last two days have been a bookshop walk. We decided that it was a good way to discover unseen parts of Madrid as well as seeing what books were on offer. I was also looking for poetry works and maybe a chair and a libreria cafe. I found a sight called ‘Naked Madrid’ and it had a list of bookshops that celebrated poetry. We left our home in Sabatini gardens, passed the palace and [...]
It was nourishing to sit on our outdoor patio, looking down and over this old city, the three cultures spread out before us unnoticed in this blended town on our last morning. This was after our breakfast down below our award winning patio into a curved roof cave with Karima looking after our every need. She was the everywhere girl who cooked, cleaned and cared for the girls from Japan, the older couple from Prague [...]
Toledo is a city of twisted streets, where it is difficult to find one where you can see 50 metres ahead. Not only are there infinite corners but because it is on a sharp hilltop, you are in danger of falling backwards if you look up too far. Like any old city in Spain, it is hard to move about with quiet ease. A walk around the castle walls alongside the Tagus river, and across [...]
Last stop before Madrid is Toledo even though it’s after. The bus took us through typical Extremadura countryside that I talked about some days ago where poor quality soil gains extra attention through thoughtful land management practices. The small lakes, minimal stock, crop, bush and grass growing rotated to increase soil fertility. Now it’s a train from Madrid to Toledo. The soil is richer, there are bountiful crops under irrigation from nearby rivers and it [...]
