Nature's Place

Today is a good day. The flip response is ‘every day is a good day’. But that’s not true. There is only today. And today is a good day.

Today I was out the back yard looking at the nature. You know, the simple things. The water in the bowl and other containers, getting rid of mozzie breeding grounds.

The leaf on the small tree with a neon fly on it. Or the tomato plant growing by the young Jacaranda tree to see if anything is ripe yet. The simple things. No big deal.

I saw a small yellow butterfly fluttering around the garden and as much as I love to see them up close I wasn’t going to chase it for a shot. That is too trying, too wanting, too much of a strain.

I smiled and let it go about its business of visiting the plants it was attracted to, maybe depositing eggs, or just sitting there being at ease in existence for a moment, nothing doing.

I was down on my hunkers looking at some flowers as the butterfly wandered around seeming to tempt me this way, no this way, no no that way. No way!

Then she came and sat beside me, just a couple of feet away. So I got the camera ready, slowly, gently. And she sat there posing for me. Proud little thing.

She didn’t go away for ages then and I wasn’t going to disturb her, and my legs were beginning to hurt from the cramped position. Well, you can’t have everything.

Two more came and settled in different places, the one occasionally chasing the other. The other fluttering its wings in disapproval. Delightful to see.

I was able to get a pair of gum boots yesterday, the last pair they had in Tweed? All the shops had sold out over the deluge, which isn’t over yet.

I wanted a pair to go into the reserve to see if the wasp and the spider are still on the long reedy grass. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.

Today I went in from another entrance, Jones road. The boots are a good fit but they are a lot heavier for walking far, and not as comfortable as my walkers. I was able to go through the pooled water but the mozzies are a serious deterrent, there are loads of them now and I suspect they will be around for a while to come.

The trouble is the diseases they can give me, all sorts of fevers it seems, so I can’t forget the repellent even once.

If nature is a representation in sense of mans true nature then mossies are those niggling thoughts, worries and fears. The mental and emotional itches that just won’t go away.

The way to deal with them is put on the mozzie repellent, learn to meditate, sit. And swat them with right action and they fall like, well, mozzies.

I didn’t go far today, it was really too tiring with the new gum boots, and dodging mozzies is hard work.

On the way out I saw these two flyers attached to each other by their tail ends. They were definitely connected because when one wanted to fly away and the other didn’t they didn’t go far.

It must be difficult going the same way when facing opposite directions. The stronger one usually wins.

People do that, get attached and try to go their own ways while staying together. Though they are not connected physically the way these two were, not often anyway.

It doesn’t work for long, or they just get used to the pain.

All copyright reserved / Mark Berkery