Up at 7, on the road by 9am. Frost knocks your fingers and feet around.Had to try to let the tent dry a bit in the son. Tried to wash some clothes. Bad idea with drinking water. Uses too much. Can do a bird bath but clothes will have to stay a bit grubby till creek, river, or town.
Still learning how to smile a blessing on the folk who pass by. Fun. Made me think of Eric Liddell as he ran fast in the fast-running body creative love (that he called "God") had bequeathed him. "I feel God's pleasure, when I run!" He said.
Sometimes there are rest stops in the pilliga…
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They often have a picnic table shed, a pit toilet, and a tank that says the water is not drinkable (probably because they cannot moniter who does what to the tank water these days).
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Sometimes the texts and calls of normal life get through. And some of my time is responding to old mates, or new friends, who text or call. I started to pray for a mate and his life etc, but it turned into a play with thoughts I've been thinking, & his texts to me, in the presence of creative love. LIFE'S TEXTS-U-R.
Hoping to rest at 11am, if I've made 10km so far. … No I haven't, only 8km so I'm doing 4km per hr. I think I won't stop now. I think I might keep going till I make 12.5 or 13 km, which is half of today's hopeful distance. What would creative love think about this? We'll see.
Wow, while I had reception an ol' mate called up briefly and we chatted about something he was really appreciating.. He was listening to 3 lectures by Viktor Frankle (writter of Man's Search for Meaning, which I have really appreciated, and might have mentioned to him when I stayed with him months ago on this walk, & am presently listening to, again) gave (in Vienna?) Soon after coming out of the concentration camp… Now available on Audible. I'll search them up.
As I was talking to him, I walked up to a truck with small trees coming out of its grill, and the driver had got out of his truck and was shaking his head. My mate on the phone had also arrived at his next work place, so we hung up.
The driver said he'd nodded off. It looks like he had collected a bunch of little sapplings on his side of the road, narrowly missed the concrete end of an under road culvert, but just caught it with the trailer .. and the diesel powered road roller on his load had tumbled off and split in two. He still had the ashfelt bucket on the truck, but chains had snapped and flown tens of metres away. He'd seen what he could do to drive the truck (to deliver what he could?), but he wasn't up to it. He looked and sounded like he was in shock. Just then another truck pulled up. They knew each other, and walked together up to the roller, then others arrived from the company which he must have been sub-ing for. When they came, and his first mate was having a smoke, i asked this fellow if he thought his mate was ok. He did. Just shock, and the possible end of his business etc. I helped pick up chain and bolts from the road, went to the man, put my hand on his shoulder and said his name (written on his shirt) and told him what I thought: ".. I think you can get through this. The wisdom of God on ya, so you do." He smilled, as if to say, "..and that's about what I'll need." He had 4 or 5 blokes with him now, so I hooked up my trolley and moved off.
Finished writing this up, and it must be time for a break. 12:18pm, & 37 km to Narrabri.
Missed my alarm. Didn't know it. Thought I might be early. Had had a little doze. Got up and packed.
During pack up I notice that my new solid tyres from the Crazy Prices shop are starting to disintegrate. Eek. At least I've got one spare. Up to You, creative love. Time check 1:38pm. Ah my alarm was set for 1:15 - tomorrow!
Off we go.
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Some-ones else did not make it past this road
that they passed on, some time ago, it's true.
And this reminds me why it is I've slowed -
to have a gawk, and think what I will do.
For soon my name will be like those before
me who have travelled on this road of life,
& written on a cross, maybe with four
or five words from my friends, or fam'ly/wife.
I haven't had my chance to pass on yet,
I'm practicing for when that day will come,
by walking through this world that we'll inherit
when we've got bodies very like that one
immortal who has walked and talked with us,
and ate some left-overs at end of meal,
and paid attention to his little bruss,
gave spirit of creative love to hele*.
Well there, Glen Jones,& Tracey Adams too,
you've beaten all who read this here today,
you've jumped right through this roadway, as some do,
to end this body's usefulness, I'd say.
And "Adam's" given name of our Grand..Dad,
& Jones was Grand-dad's last name on one side,
Both me, & all humanity have had
a recollection here in what I spied.
And if they were your family or friends
and you put that cross there, with their names on,
I think it's your humanity that ends
up giving gifts that keep on when we've gone.
* "hele" I mis-spelt this word, so that in saying it, your mind might be drawn to both possibilities: heel, and heal. They weren't to leave their holy city till this holy spirit of creative love came on them so that they would be well heeled with the shoes of the news of the announcement of creative love's chosen ruler who was going to bring healing to the nations. Through him, people's relationships could be healed, even before immortal bodies.
I saw this road that I passed.
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It reminded me of a certain movie, with the prancing and boasting of one: Jack Sparrow, who was maybe named because he was acting out the prancing and boasting of a jack sparrow. This in turn reminded me of a song by an amazing Australian singer/ songwriter: Eric Bogle. His song about Clare, an old lady who died in her home, but her body wasn't found for a long time by anyone, "except perhaps the one who sees each little sparrow fall." And that, in turn, reminded me of the one who said what Eric was here alluding to.
At 3:30pm I came upon a sign from above! Well, someone in authority above me, who correctly used the machinery of state to place helpful markers at regular intervals along some roads. And it told me this, at the spot where I was at 3:30pm:
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So an I hour and a quarter later, I should be 25km from Narrabri. Yipee.
Wow at nearly 4:30pm I find that another 2 died on this road, so their friends and family tell us, Brandon "Chicky" Christopoulos, the first pic, and Jesse Charles Edwards who died here in 2015, 7 years ago, at 19 yrs. Their memorials were close.
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At 4:35pm, another sign from above:
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And just before 5pm the last..
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Did that say Rest area? Let's try it out!
Look what we find:
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Another part of that virtual Solar System model, 38 million times smaller than reality! Creative Love can act on a grand scale!
