No Place In The World……Like This

I sit here today, trying to decide what to talk about with you…….then I glance out the window and bang! I am lost in the wonders of nature. The natural beauty of the Australian bush that surrounds me, well, it just blows me away. No matter which angle I look at, what lens I look through, there is something wonderful to see.

I am so grateful for all of the offerings of nature. I mean, seriously, how can I not be?? The tall majestic gum trees that sway in the breeze, the long grasses that wave like the ocean or the birds singing their sweetest song. Those dark clouds overhead offering a promise of rain, the sunshine that warms our soul. It truly is, all from a place of wonder. All of it combined together, then creates a feeling of pure inner peace and tranquility. I am certain that there is no place in the world at this moment that is as beautiful as where I am right now, in this minute.

Australia can be a harsh land to live in, and there is a lot of hard slog and tough work to do to create our own piece of paradise. While here in Esk Queensland, we are slowly creating our ideal of that, I realize that we already have Mother Nature’s version everywhere we look. It is true perfection. So, somehow, what we do on our little piece of land has to embrace and enhance what is already there.

Is that even something that is achievable??? Of course it is. While it appears that everything is there, upon moving here, we noticed a real lack of bird life and little if any frog activity. Yes, Mother nature had left a few things for us to finish for her. So we have busily planted natives with sweet flowers, hoping to entice the birds up the hill. We have planted gardens with the idea of bringing the frogs. And boy, have they all come!!

We have a collection of birds that are now regular visitors to our gardens. Some we had never seen before. Okay, yes, there are also some that we wish did not find us at all. For example, the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. Beautiful, majestic birds. I am happy to see them anywhere, but, P_L_E_A_S_E, not in my gardens. They are very destructive creatures, and like a very, very naughty child, just seem to want to destroy things. Not for any other reason, other than, just because they can.

But, to console us, we also have many birds that spread joy each time they visit. They come and collect the nectar from the flowers, eat some small bugs, harass a snake or two and stir up our dogs. But they also stand in front of our big glass door and sing loudly and beautifully at their own reflection. They sit on our gutters of the house and allow us to talk to them and they interact back with us.

The frogs are everywhere. They hide in the shade through the day. Either in the hollows of bricks or in the Frog Hotel we created for them. Come nightfall, out they all come. Some nights we have up to 20 gorgeous green frogs sitting on our gutters, outdoor table anywhere really. All of various sizes. We just need to be ready for when they jump on us as we pass through. Each of them has a name. Just one single name for all of them. They are all Frederick. My 17 year old son likes to pick them up and they seem to enjoy it. If he puts them back where they were, they just jump straight back onto him. He walks with them as they go hunting for bugs. Which they happily eat the live bugs directly from his hand.

As I type away on this blog post, I know that if I do not move away from my office window, then today will be totally lost. Lost in the beauty that surrounds me, lost in the peace I feel at the moment. I need to move in order to get things done today. I had a whole long list of things to achieve today. But, I hear a calling, that I cannot ignore. I must move, but not to my list, a calling to move to the great outdoors. Today will be all about me losing myself or is it finding myself??? In the garden, surrounded by all things magical, beautiful and wondrous. Today will be a fantastic day for my mental health. I hope you also have a similar day to lose or find yourself in.

Thanks again for visiting, Nature, a healer for the mind, body & spirit.

Michelle xx