Diary Entries

HUMANITY In a solitary moment Musing as I skywatch from my window Observing some monumental acts But clusters of white puffy clouds Are pinned in the sky, sitting in stillness Ignoring my prying eyes Unperturbed in their own mindful state. Spring is fanning its gentle breeze As mildly as a bright calm day With leaves of the trees swaying Gracefully in branches and twigs Albeit, in the absence of birds that sing and dance Life seems dull and uninspiring without them Their music is what I long to hear like yesterday. In such a time with so much space To colour my day with gaily impression What thoughts could be more enthusing Than an effervescent mind that comprehends The natural order of life tainted with pragmatism Alluding a predicated chaos and confusion At alarming scales, disarm humanity. Humanity, the solemn word that brings back memory Of those young boys trapped in a cave of darkness Saved by desperate group of strangers to free them As time was running out, and the process was slow Tempered with uncertainty, yet risk had to be addressed In everyone's heart and mind, "God help us do the best we can" And the answer came, so it shall be… Humanity is still alive! When trust, tact, and teamwork unite all hearts Irrespective of colour, race and belief Non-judgmental perspective, undivided ideology Political partisan aside, as people work side by side There's no obstacle turn disastrous When all hands join together in one common goal An impossible mission for humankind is what we aim to do. NB. This poem has been inspired by the story of THAI CAVE RESCUE, June 23-July 10, 2018 where two notable Australian Cave Divers played a pivotal role in saving those young children and their coach in Thailand.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE SPRING Days hasten towards dusk; Cloudy skies chasing daylight. Soon twilights settle in revealing, What veils the mystic darkness that deem. Snow clouds feather the air; Wafting freezing blows of wind; Ready to imperil the cautious days; Icy drops pelting without mercy. Like a lazy kite, it's movement seems Graffiti of snowflakes flying slow; Like cotton balls from the pillows; They dance amidst the unrelenting gale. The blanket of dense whiteness Fills the ground neatly trimmed; Capping mountains, covering the hills; Spectacles of beauty: fresh and crisps. Days are short, and nights are long As shiver sends thrills to the bones; Patiently notes of enduring anticipation, The journey ends as coldness reels away. Author's Note: I wrote this poem years ago reminiscing our Winter in Orange NSW. I took a mental note of everything that happened during snowday that occurred at daytime. We happened to live in a house built on an elevated ground (that could be a hill way back) and I was fascinated watching the snowflakes gracefully gliding on the air as if they were dainty Ballerinas from our loungeroom window. I was full of curiosity as it was my first time in my whole life to experience winter, let alone watching the snow until they settled down on the ground. 😊❄️❄️❄️.

THE STORY I DREAMT - FINAL The story erstwhile: Lily aka Carol and John went on separate ways going home to their respective places. Heaviness was in their hearts, but they both vowed to keep in touch with each other. While home and back to resuming their area of responsibility at work, they buried their heads to doing what they needed to do. And, with a great deal of care and as focused as if nothing happened. Lily, by the way, worked as a Surgical Nurse in a prestigious hospital in their locality. Distance and work didn't dampen their enthusiasm. Feelings for each other were nurtured to grow. Amidst gruelling workloads, they set aside a time when they could exchange notes of everything very important to them. Patience was their virtue. As time went on, soon their romance had found a way for them to consider their future. They decided to go back to the same place where they were set up to meet. In there, John proposed to Lily on his bended knee presenting her with a beautifully wrapped tiny ring box of exquisite dainty diamond ring. Lily was emotionally teary-eyed but very happy. She said Yes without much ado. It was at this junction that their family and friends appeared and stormed them with congratulatory surprises. They were the mechanics behind the love machine that revved up their hearts to pump, an impossible mission to do, but somehow unexpectedly succeeded. More revelations were told at the reception on their wedding day. No less than the parents of both the groom and the bride were as over the moon as the newlyweds were that finally their bond of everlasting friendship had been sealed through the marriage of their children. The parents of the newly married couple were childhood friends.

I walked in - worn, battered and old; I came out new, rejuvenated and young! That's the aftermath of my weekend pampering from APSARA Katoomba recently. It was a surprise pre-birthday package my girls wrapped up for me. Though my 70th is void of glassy clink-clank cheers to my name, the luxurious gift did the sound itself. APSARA is nestled in the tranquility of a charming country cottage in The Blue Mountains. Inside, the wafting aroma from candlelights made the ambience mystical. Gesine, as beautiful as a fern gully fairy, waved her magic wand to welcome me with warmth smile and friendliness that dispelled all apprehensions till her soothing hands started to work their way around my tensed and tired body. I'd a massage before, but nothing can beat her buttered adroitness in kneading my muscles with firm tenderness which lulled me to sleep. The background music were sounds coming from the forest far away. It made me forget where I was. The feeling was dreamy, relaxing and stimulating. I kept my breathing in rhythm while the treatment was in progress. The smell of the aromatic therapy synchronised the tingling touch of hot volcanic stones that covered my back. My soul and spirit surrendered when Gesine's caring force pushed up to the mountains. Gently and slowly the stream of energy flowed back to the sea. The circular motion was repeated four times. What I gained from this beauty regimen was a new experience: confidence, indulgence, humility, pride, and honour for me as a new person; accepting and forgiving myself for all my flaws that life and old age has brought me. Today is my 70th Birthday! I'm now a qualified Matriarch! Two State MP local members have sent me their birthday greetings. That's an added bonus. Thank you very much!

A TREE IN SEASON A tiny seed out from the womb of Mother Earth slowly sprouts 
Barely a leaf or two earmarks its existence and flaunts.
 Gracefully growing in springtime ready for human's adulation 
Fastidious as nature when finest buds and flowers bloom for everyone's delight. Lo in summer, leaves in green, thick and shady become its frock. 
In fashion of trees where human comfort lies
 From scorching dryness of fiery air thus vegetation, too, wilts
 But trees prevail in majestic template which nature builds. By autumn, its network of ground claws cling tight beneath the land.
 Mustering strength to hold its water vessel reserve
 As slowly trunk and limbs undressed for the season; 
Shedding barks, leaves falling, to let its soul fly free . By winter, heavy cold snaps bother not its spirit; 
Neither rain, nor sleets, nor chills from winds unleashed. 
The body stands naked, proud, confidently assured;
 Its graceful posture claims its place under the freezing sky.

TURNING 70, FEELING LOW Soon I'll be 70. Seven decades of existence is a miracle itself getting this far. There's not a day I miss saying my solemn gratitude to the ONE who breathed me life. Yet, I can't figure out why my happy hormone is depriving me this special feeling of perk-ness considering the exciting prospect of a family get-together on a weekend away to the mountains. Thanks to my daughters who organised it on my behalf. They gave me a hint: a weekend sleepover and winter warmers. All the rest are under wraps in the form of "surprise", whatever! Feeling low and slow, I abandon my packing. Suitcase and clothes are in disarray. They're screaming a protest, I heard them. My washing suffers too. I do wash by hands. My washing machine is barely new when one small external part went missing - I don't know how. Hence, my hand-washing days are far from over. I prefer it that way anyway. Only, it relies on my mood and duty of care. Occasionally, my youngest daughter would offer in taking my washing to her place and do them there. She lives an hour away from me. I ended up doing something else. I turn to reading instead. There's this WOMAN'S TREASURY hardbound British edition published in 1985 hiding in the closet. That's 35 year old book half my age. "A LIGHT ON THE MOORS" by Rachel Murray is actually a light love story written in synoptic essay of 3-1/2 pages. I rarely read novels in tome. Short stories are my forte. Reading done. The story ends well. I'm pleased! Now it's time to get back to my packing task. That's all the light I needed, perhaps; not necessarily a light coming from the moors.

Birthday celebrations are one of those events being axed in number of invitees due to covid restriction. Somehow there should be a way to make your day very special with the presence of loved ones. I dressed up for the occasion; jumped on the train, and on foot to the main venue, I went. The sky was threatening and looking depressed. I normally don't go out on this kind of weather, but words were assured when I accepted the invite. Lucky, it wasn't that chilly. When I arrived at Broadway, I stopped by a florist and grabbed a nicely packed flower arrangement of pink Waratahs and pastel Roses with a conglomerate of cute colourful sprays. I had the card ready to hand in to the celebrant. I'm not very good at gift buying so money was more convenient for me to give. My friends were there already few minutes ahead of me. They're sitting down on someone's round kitchen table (wink); the engaged couple and the fiance's mother. We all came from different directions outside the city. The original plan was to dine in a restaurant, go for a leisurely stroll, have coffee and more catching-up. The unpredictable weather didn't augur well. Of course I was introduced to Lara, Matt's mother who looks very young and attractive. I found her very friendly too. I'm kind of the fiancee's adopted mother. We all settled in for a Japanese cuisine with healthy options to be had. I ordered a nice warm soupy Ramen! I shun the dessert. The remainder of my day was spent at home after we parted. The big rain came tumbling down the moment I got home. Call that "Showers of Blessing" for the birthday girl. Happy 29th Birthday Irene. Wish you many happy returns of the day!

READING AND WRITING What alone-ness can bring the best in you.! My OUTDOOR POST was born out of love in reading, away from holistic form of perusing. It was born as an extended love affair with quotations that sprang from my late mother's love of literature. It shows that I am simply my mother's daughter. Her influence on me since childhood has been tremendous. She was an intelligent and gifted woman whose talents went wrong somewhere in life, where all her creativity and ingenuity were only allowed limited opportunities to express herself. She could have gone further out into the world should she found the right avenue to showcase her gifts. It's a pity to lose all her creations depicted in the Scrapbooks of Fashion Sketches, sewings, crochets, crafts, embroideries and everything as mementos from her. Our nomadic life was constant. We lost so much valuable possessions in the process. Born out of alone-ness in the silence of time, reading has been my stimulant that inspired me to create OUTDOOR POST as a sister blog to the GOLDEN THOUGHTS. Here I shared what I have collated for years. Hoping all these will someday find a place in the lives of my posterity as I am now heading toward the twilight of my life. Simple readings from the writings of down to earth authors, whose pure expressions give more meaning to LIFE which we all can connect, relate and react in the real world. Writings based on realities as exponent of their own experiences that transform us into the image we see as we stand in front of a mirror, right there! OUTDOOR POST is not only my collated range of interest, it is also a KEEPSAKE of memories I wish to keep in my heart for all eternity.

AMBO IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD IN TIME OF COVID Panic time started when WHO declared COVID19 to be pandemic. While most event of crowd gathering started to cancel, one particular group organiser thought he could defy the odds on the premise that we should not give in to fears as believed to be spread out by fear mongers through bias medium of disinformation. His thought was deemed irrelevant. The Council too canceled his own event. Lockdowns began. And as if there was a bomb for mass annihilation about to be activated, every household doors were closed. All became prisoners in their own home. Fear of this virulent virus prevailed amongst people. There was not a single soul seen roaming around in our vicinity. Until one day, I spied an ambulance, two paramedics and two young ladies wearing masks having a critical exchanged of notes outside my next door neighbour's unit. But I really had no inkling who needed a medical help at that time since the Ambulance is a regular habitue in the area. By a minute, they're gone! Seeing the ambulance officers alone in this rather unusual circumstance seemed eerie knowing that the entire compound is inhabited by the elderly people. God forbid, please not covid. Being seniors, slow and helpless that most of the residents are, the vulnerability of such virus is not far-fetched in each one of us. I pray that the patient was safe from whatever crisis that befell him/her. Three months thereon, there was no recorded casualty of covid in our midst. Thanks God. Touch wood! This happened last April 8, 2020.

MY JOURNEY TO ORANGE What a glorious morning to journey! The sun shone bright; its golden orb was paled by the white glow that glimmered. I took a local train to Blacktown, took off there to catch the XPT Train to Orange. Securing a window seat, I was the only passenger bound west. All seating arrangement was implemented for social distancing. This time, the sun rose through the mist and everything was looking fine and visible. On the way the scenery remained the same, but farm stocks grew more in numbers unlike before; thriving in a pristine world of pure air and abundance of naturally grown green feeds and water. Rainfall teems on regular intervals that fills the billabong. The train arrived few minutes late in Orange. Having not travelled in a long while, I took off at Blayney by mistake as I didn't hear the announcement on board. The Steward who saw me came to my rescue. My daughter's little family was there at the station to pick me up. We decided a take away lunch for a quick bite at home. I was feeling jubilant to see my baby granddaughter at last! She's having a piggyback ride on her Dad's broad shoulders and gave me that curious look asking "who's this little dwarf lady?" Our weekend was packed with social dining arrangements. Only few people came due to number restrictions. I relished the home-cooked Lamb Shank dish and some roasts meat and veggies. Sunday was freezing. The old folks, the Godfather, Zana and her parents gathered to dine at Robinhood Hotel. There we celebrated her First Birthday with balloons and birthday cake after a scrumptious lunch. The little celebrant looked so tired. She didn't know what's going on, rubbed her eyes and cried as we sang Happy Birthday!