Nature's Place

Thunder is rumbling overhead, rain is falling gently on the puddles I can see out on the road, and lightning is flickering in the sky. It’s just a passing storm that will hit somewhere else unless it dies first. A storm has its time to die too. Everything is quiet outside my window except for the occasional passing bird.

There have been a lot of Swallows lately. When it’s not raining they are all lined up on the electricity wires at dusk. Preparing for the night ahead, I wonder where they sleep? A lone Swallow just parked himself on the wire, and a few more. Lovely creatures, birds. Beauty, I see it inside.

They’re gathering now in numbers, looking to see what I write about them. Well, they are great flyer’s. I often see them out over the paddock at the back of the house, taking insects on the wing. Their sight must be really sharp and their reaction time super fast.

I’ve been up close to them in another place and their general colouring is a wonderful petrol blue sheen in the black when the light is on them just right. The underbelly is lighter to almost white with an orangey brown spot up near the cheeks.

Messengers of the Gods they have been called and how could it be otherwise. You only have to be able to read the message.

I think the message is always the same and I never tire of hearing it. Eventually it sinks in. ‘Life is good’ is what I hear. What about you?

By the time I went out the swallows had gone but I thought I’d include this photo. Three ladies watching the sunset away in the hills through a lovely yellow misted rain from under heavy clouds.

I went to Mullumbimby today to get my favourite bread. Jordan‘s sourdough. The baker is a friendly young giant and his elves are as good a bunch as I’ve met anywhere. They are always up to their ears in flower and bread with the fans going full pelt to help cool it all down for delivery.

The baker is another kid of messenger, isn’t he, bringing food from the Gods.

Nothing like it, good old fashioned fresh crusty bread and butter. The basis for a good meal in my book.

It was nice to walk around the town, a thriving place but with a quietness about it. The main street was full of parked cars but nobody was in a hurry. And there was time to stop for people to cross the road. It’s one of the good things about the Australia I know, nobody’s in too much of a hurry.

All copyright reserved / Mark Berkery