Time Out of Time

we just took some time out of time at Dowling Cottage in Blackheath
such a peaceful quiet space
to read and relax
and enjoy the wild beauty
wild waterfalls on the walk to Centennial Glen
a wave carved by Mother Nature
the heath near Porters Pass
the bush is recovering from the bushfires near Govetts Leap
Banksias need fire for the seeds to germinate
resilience
“Our minds are not hopeful …
But our nerves are made of optimistic stuff.”
a potent line on the last page of “Cosmo Cosmolino” by Helen Garner
roses full of love & light for my beautiful friend Julie and her partner Leigh dealing with a very aggressive cancer
praying for a miracle

hope in the aftermath

The Grose Valley from Govetts Leap lookout
the silence of burned trees on the Fairfax Walking Track
rain brings signs of new life
with epicormic growth sprouting from the burnt tree trunks
seeds bursting
Xanthorroea (aka grass trees) are well adapted to fire, the thick, dead leaves around the stem serve as insulation and help to protect the plant against the heat of the fire.
the ants are busy
witnessing the devastation yet there is hope in these signs of new life
fires are still burning down the coast and interstate
Richard Flanagan writes deep into the heart of the matter
this is climate change
revolution is in the air
& here’s a hard hitting video narrated by Tim Minchin with a little background to the dirty deeds of the Australian government

Glenbrook Gorge – a wild dreaming place

Glenbrook Gorge is on the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains
the train stopped for a few minutes on our way up to Wentworth Falls on Tuesday, Old Man Crow caught these photos through the window
such a wild dreaming place…

Blue Mountains dreaming

we caught the train up to Blackheath yesterday this is the view from Evans lookout
feeding the dream of becoming Blackheathens !

a perfect day in the Blue Mountains

We caught the train up to the Blue Mountains to see Flora Sensa and Captured by Silk Threads at Braemar Gallery in Springwood, then Cathy shouted a fabulous lunch at the Norman Lindsay Gallery followed by a delightful bush walk round the edge of the property
thank you beautiful friend!

inspiration in the Blue Mountains

we caught the train up to see Essentiae at Gallery One88 in Katoomba
Colleen Southwell’s work is astounding
detail of her flannel flowers
Colleen has such a fabulous eye for the exquisite beauty of Mother Nature
then we walked up the road to visit the Three Sisters
the wild beauty
a seriously steep walk !
the long view
with the blue of longing
Eucalypts
have such beautiful bark and form
feeding the dream of moving to the mountains
now it’s time to get back to drawing a few of my favourite things
a few of my favourite things Mo 19
graphite and watercolour on A3 Canson drawing paper
starting from the left
steel and red velvet box by Olga Cironis
invitation card detail of Hideous Human Angel # 6 by eX de Medici 2008 for the Sold Out show at Boutwell Draper Gallery
Crania Anatomica Filigre 2011- 3D printed skull by Joshua Harker with a feather from Michelle Slater
Kokopelli card by Carol Duprey 2005
Crow card by Glenda Jones 2004 for her Lustre exhibition at James Harvery Gallery
SW magic gourd by Carol Duprey 2004
sand dollar
Skull Mug by Jenny Orchard 2013 with crow feathers and The Cat’s Whiskers (a wand for seeing in the dark)
Pod 2015 by Bronwyn Berman
card with blue cat on  XVII century tile panel, Fronteira Palace, Lisbon Portugal
SW magic gourd container by Carol Duprey 2004
wood rose
print of the Letter D from An illuminated Book of Cats from an odd perspective
Crow feather for flying
parchment stars

bushwalking in the Blue Mountains

Horseshoe Falls Track in the Blue Mountains
Glow Worm Glen
feeding the dream of moving to the Blue Mountains in two short years
then back to Cathy & Sarah’s for a cuppa, so good to see their pennants hanging at home!

just put this photo over on the latest ripples post for the dream
Dream On!

a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains

a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains
with Cathy and Old Man Crow
loved this fissure in the weathered stone
dry woodland on the ridge
tiny blue flowers of Wahlenbergia gracilis aka Australian bluebell
(PS this ID is an educated guess as there were frilly edges on the petals
Old Man Crow is dubious)
one day we will move to the mountains and go bushwalking every day!

a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains

we took the train up to the Blue Mountains for a bushwalk
such a magic day
Cathy and Old Man Crow investigating a mysterious pool
old sandstone stairs to Dante’s Glen

a reconnoiter for the dream
a fabulous Angophora costata
this magic rainbow arched right over the train on the way home
blessing the dream of moving up to the mountains in the not too faraway
the Full Moon in Sagittarus the Wayfinder
Sagittarius from the Zodiac Series Mo 1999
Magic Days!

a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains

Wentworth Falls lookout in the Blue Mountains National Park
the top of Wentworth Falls, this is just the top of the falls, it goes a long way further down
a waterhole, we saw yabbies!
Cathy  and a beautiful Xanthorrhoea in flower
an endangered water skink
“For many years, I have been moved by the blue at the far edge of what can be seen, that color of horizons, of remote mountain ranges, of anything far away. The color of that distance is the color of an emotion, the color of solitude and of desire, the color of there seen from here, the color of where you are not. And the color of where you can never go. For the blue is not in the place those miles away at the horizon, but in the atmospheric distance between you and the mountains.”
”Longing, “says the poet Robert Hass “because desire is full of endless distances,” Blue is the color of longing for the distances you never arrive in, for the blue world.”
Rebecca Solnit “A Field Guide to Getting Lost”
One of the wonderful things about living in the middle of Sydney is the train ride up into the Blue Mountains to visit the blue of longing in the west and it’s just a quick bus trip to the wide blue of the ocean to the east!