Wendy Rule Blog

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rough Landing

Some homecomings are easier than others. This one was particularly hard. Although I was, of course, looking forward to home after 5 weeks on the road, I was very sad about leaving Tim for a month. We couldn't' really justify another international ticket for the short visit home, so he's still in the Winter lands of Nevada. We speak every day, which is wonderful, but a month apart for Lovers is a long, long time! Here's a photo of us in the snow. The old self-timer routine.



So after a wonderful tour I found myself back home and jetlagged, and then became horribly ill. Our bodies are amazing things. Mine is very resilient considering the crazy schedules that I put myself through. But I think once I arrived home and my tired body found my own bed, it simply went "Ah, now at last I can give in". So I manifested a nasty and very painful sinus infection that had me laid up for a good few days. I would have, in fact, liked to spend longer in bed as I'd just finished re-reading an amazing book, and could have done with some time to lie back and integrate all it's complexity. The book was The Magus, by John Fowles, and I think this must be the third or fourth time I've read it over the past 20 years. But no, it was ever onward for me, as I had a trip booked to Tasmania for the weekend.

On top of all that, I also discovered that my black cat Kitty (official name Midnight) was also very ill. She'd been hunting rats, (very graciously deposited two of them on my kitchen floor upon my homecoming) and they had clearly put up a fight. She had a big wound on her neck that needed tending. As luck would have it, my excellent next door neighbour Ri has trained as a vet, so we've spent the week getting Kitty back in shape. It's distressing, isn't it, when your animal friends are injured.


I must say, one of the things that I noticed most strongly when laid up in bed was the incredible variety and intensity of the bird song here in Australia. It's like nowhere else I've ever been.  I dragged myself outdoors one morning and went for a wander down to the river. I saw and heard so many gorgeous birds, including our beautiful Magpie which offered it's haunting warbling song. I also saw two different kinds of native dove, some mudlarks, some bright green parrots, Ravens, willy wagtails, a flock of screeching cockatoos, an Indian miner, some native ducks, some bell birds, and I heard the hilarious call of the Kookaburra. That was all within about half an hour! It felt good to see Merri Creek gurgling it's path through the city once more. In the picture below it's hard to imagine that the city is so closely encroaching upon this little haven. That's why I've managed to live in the centre of Melbourne all these years.




So, to continue with my little narrative. On Thursday my sister Kathy and I caught the boat over to Tasmania. I was heading over for a friend's wedding, and Kathy decided to come along. It was a real treat and a wonderful adventure. The ship takes about 12 hours (overnight) through the very rough seas of Bass Straight. Kath felt a bit ill, but I know I'm an old sailor at heart, and loved the wild motion of the ship. We landed in Devonport to a glorious bright morning and spent the day exploring this beautiful state as we made our way South to Hobart. Cataract Gorge in Launceston was magnificent, ( that's my sister Kathy in the picture of the gorge below) as was the bright early morning sun over the Tamar Valley.




We picked up Rachel from Hobart airport in the afternoon, and it was while waiting there that I received some deeply sad news. My dear friend Richard Samson had died. He had been ill for many months, and we knew that death would claim him soon, but that didn't make it any easier. I was so relieved that I was at least back in Australia, but frustrated that I was interstate and couldn't be there immediately to grieve with, and offer support to his wife Amanda. I had seen him less than a week before, on the Sunday after I returned home, and we had spent a lovely afternoon in the sun, sharing stories and laughter. He was a truly beautiful man and we'll all miss him dearly. The funeral is on Monday and Amanda asked if I could sing. I told her I'd give it my best try. I've decided to sing Horses, to honour his brave and wild nature.


So I attended my friend's wedding on Saturday, which was extremely beautiful. I could feel my sadness laying like a cloak upon me, and didn't want to bring that to the event, so I put on a very brave face. And all under that intense lunar magnificence! Due to a cloudy Hobart sky on Saturday, I didn't get to see Her until Sunday night, but oh, it was worth the wait. Here are some photos of Her veiled beauty as she flirted with us over the harbour. I love the one of her suspended between the masts of the sailing ship. They are both dark, but look better if you enlarge them.




With all of this going on, the Autumn Equinox nearly passed me by. Thankfully my dear friend Nick was around to remind me of the importance of Ritual, so we did a lovely bit of magic around the fire in my backyard on Monday night.  It was good to feel the flow of balance accross the planet, and to honour both the dark and the light.


So yes, a very rough landing indeed. I"m feeling much better now and am starting to process my grief. I was very grateful to have both Kathy and Rachel there with me over the weekend, nurturing me and creating wonderful adventures. Oh, I must say, the new Mona Gallery in Hobart is stunning. It rivals any gallery I've seen in the world. Really, really worth the trip down if you're in Australia. Mindblowing!


Until next time, then

Love and Magic


Wendy



















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