Day 3 (from Charters..)
Started with a quiet time in tent.
I turned to say good morning but I’d bent
over a small yawning cavity
instead of walking partner here with me.
Unseen by head-ish eyes. There’s no surprise.
But got me thinking more, reflecting for..
Good morning’s come, right here for some new eyes.
(Recall Gandalf & Bilbo’s early greetings in The Hobbit - don’t snob it!)
Reef Lect io Divinia, see what you can give/ get in da ya.
a coffee with Kev at the Fletcher Creek camp-site..(& a bunch of Anzac biscuits for breakfast).
A fresh morning in Qld:
Got going about 9am. Thanks heaps Kev & Sue.. they gave me a folding chair to put on top, which I’ll put and see, or pass on to someone who needs it more.
A lovely phone call from my good woman, and daughter & son in law and kids, with news of a new grandchild on the way! Hey, hey hey!!! Congrats to the well-rested, about to be new-parents!
While I’m typing the above sentence… Helene & John from Brisbane stop near me (& say G:day,) and pull road-kill off the road, because they love wildlife & raptors which in turn get killed by eating road-kill. John has also posted (17,000) pictures on the inaturalist site (a world-wide database (avatar BaronSamedi - the Haitian God of the Dead - Haiti is where the Zombie legend came from).
And they pointed out the Euc. tessalaris around here with a tile-like stocking of bark at the bottom, and much lighter tops.
I get to hear an iconic story about people missing out on seeing what was patently obvious in front of them, but their expectations weren’t there to enable them to perceive.. ( but miss my chance to record it.. drats!)
Then I see John at work taking “shots” at the wild-life:
Thanks for caring for our world, you two. I can see you also care for each other (beat cancer a few years ago. John said “if you don’t have a passion, cancer will eat you!”), and gave me a drink of tank water and a bunch of meuslie bars! Thank you.
And thanks again to you,
my helper, support crew,
who made folk up who do
such things as goodness brings
into this wondrous world,
where we have all been hurled!
The half has not been told!
10:40am off again…
10:40am off again… basalt boulders on either side of the road remind me that this region in the weather map is called “Basalt”,
and of the lava tubes a few hundred km up the road.
I am told that deer were let loose in this region 30 yrs ago. Here is some evidence of that, beside the road:
We must be on a ridge, or else the Burdekin River cuts down a long way. . I can see a valley with water in it a long way off and it seems much lower… the pic hardly gives the idea, but in life it looks like blue water between the trees:
This led me down a track to find
some riddling things that almost rhymed.
The burdekin fly wherever it please, ..
the horsey can gallop between the trees
the doggy can wag her tail and then sneeze
the burdekin lives, with watery ease …
(How did you pronounce the third word in the last line?)
At 12:15pm today I found that place that our kids (on trips):were always claiming that they were going to get there:
Well, I’ll be danged! Here it is, about 45-50km North of Charters Towers!
Let’s visit some time on a Northern camping holiday. What ya say kids?
Gerry & Jenny stop their pop-top camper-ute to check I’ve got enough water etc. they’re heading back to Sydney, but hoping to make it to the Fletcher Creek campsite tonight. We shake hands. I’m glad to share a world with people of this spirit ..
Thanks for your checking in & open-hearted encouragement.
I get to catch up with one daughter over seas, and another and her hubby with some good news. The road goes on and on.. looking forward.. (it’s nice to have company every 20 min)
Looking back..
While walking, phone calls, and audio books, writing poems & singing songs are part of whiling the hours away. As well as looking and listening... actually they are a lot of fun..
Only got an hour or so to go for today and I'm passing a tower now. Might be a mobile phone tower? I'll send this now. Mightn't have reception later.
Before I finish I meet Russell who is travelling back to Brisbane. He makes me a cuppa tea in his flash VW California camper, on its maiden voyage..
Thanks for the cuppa, the carton of long-life milk and the scotch-finger Russell biscuits too. AND the look through a VW Camper on its maiden voyage. I hope you can visit us in Orange.
Before dark I came across this calf last on the road side of the fence, trying to get back to the other cattle. I've seen it pass me a few times. I wonder what to do. It seems like a bit of a parable that I wouldn't understand as readily without this walk. .
It’s 6:10 pm, about 22°, I've just followed the road round a corner. I'm wondering where to camp for the night there's not much room on either side of the road here. I found I find a sign on the road that lets me know of things coming up.
In thinking of that, & writing this I checked the weather forecast and it's due to start raining tonight at 12 and keep raining all day tomorrow. I might need some shelter. I’ll keep on for that stop. They sometimes have a roof beside the toilet.
On the way:
| About 4 km more…?? |
Great to see your progress Paul. Enjoy the walk...certainly a long stretch ahead now!
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