Lunch break using my new gift of a thermos-cup, with it's accompanying Madura tea, then, up and at'em! It starts to spit rain, so I undo the trolley (I'm working out how to do this better), and get my rain poncho out, just in case.
About 10km out of Berrigan a dark car comes towards me and slows down..
Three foreign faces, blokes from Malaysia, look up, and ask how I'm doing, & whether I want a lift into Berrigan. They tell me that they had passed me on the way from Cobram, to work near Berrigan this morning. I said I think I need to walk it. They hardly believe that I've come from Melbourne. I don't mention the bottom of Tassy.
.
The people you meet!
After that…
I sang some rappin' dirges for our land,
was glad of many goods that we have here,
and walked with poncho on, through road works and
then came, before the sun had set, quite near.
A white ute with a trailer came out from
the Berrigan direction, and pulled up.
He said his partner saw me near Cobram,
and wondered if I was ok, and stuff.
His name was Dean, he said the rain was on
its way, within a couple hours, he thought,
and if it started bucketing, he'd come
and pick me up, and take me where I ought
to go. He then repeated "Pilgrimage",
as though it was a whistful kind of thing.
We talked about accomodation, his
place - over from a pub, he might just wing
it in and catch a beer with me tonight,
if that's the pub I end up staying at.
He checked I knew the short-cut, and was right,
and wouldn't take a lift, and that was that!
.
Then as I got in town -just 1 k left,
a lady driving down beside me said:
"I am a sticky beak. Why do you heft
that gear - and walk this way to get ahead?
She and her man had left the town some time
ago, and gone to live a Tazzy dream,
but after 10 yrs Great-Grandies had climbed
out onto earth, so they came back, a team
determined to connect with these new ones,
connected by a bloodline, and their love,
and just as well, for soon had died a son.
Then Muriel was ready to drive off,
but just before, on mentioning the rain,
and that I might just stay another day,
she left her mobile phone, address, and name
of husband, so I might catch up with Dave,
that's if I was around a day or two.
And somehow she is in a lot of pain
so we tuned in to healing from love who
had thus far healed us both, and knew our name.
.
.
The Federal Hotel took me in for $80 for the night, and had a lovely chicken parma for $15. Did't see Dean, but got to meet Viv & Marg.
They were celbrating birthdays of (or with) their grand children (or great grand-children?)
Oaklands is about 40k away which might be a bit much just yet. So…
I'll stay here for another night. Viv offered to pick me up tomorrow, from however far i get towards Oaklands, in the rain, & bring me back here to the Fedral Hotel. And then, Friday morning, to drop me back at that spot with my trolley.
How good is that!
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