A little bit about the family. Both Ali and Geoff are teachers. Ali also does photography work for weddings with one of her sons friend who does the cinematography. Years back one of Darsy's friends asked Ali to help him take pictures for a local wedding, and from that they started doing more and more, getting clients from word of mouth and through social media, and now they fly all over, to places like Fiji, New Zealand, and New York. All expenses paid. It's nuts how much people spend on weddings these days. Good for Ali though!
I had a great conversation with Ali about the school system while we were sippin' on herbal tea. She is so great. Her pure love reminds me of my Mom. She agreed with me that the school system is good in some ways, but so very limited. It just reinforced in my mind of the fact that I'm gonna go a different route when I have my own kids.
On a morning walk kookaburra's lined a wooden fence sitting so peacefully. They have a look that seems as if they can recognize me. Their heads slowly turning as I walk past. Also, in the distance,a family of cockatoo's sitting on a tree like huge white ornaments on a Christmas tree. Huge white ornaments with neon yellow-green mohawks.
The road they live on doesn't have running water so they all have huge silos that collect rain water, and if they do run out, which rarely happens, the city will come and refill it. Where they live feels very much like the countryside, yet it's only fifteen minutes to the nearest beach. I went with Ali and Geoff to one of their favorite spots at a local beach where they usually go once a week at least, and I brought my goggles and did some snorkeling. The water was a clear turquoise and I saw small groups of colorful fish that were so flat it looked like they were in 2D. The sand on the bottom shaped like miniature mountains rolling along as far as the visibility would let me see, and the sun beaming through the water leaving traces of visible glowy light against the texture of the water. Magic.
So much awesome wildlife out here. One year at the local Uni there was a bird that collected all the blue rubbish it could find (pieces of cups, lids, wrappers, etc) and made a little hut of some sort near the ground level, with what looked like a stage (all blue of course) in front of it, and it did a mating dance on the stage!
Also, in this area they have the infamous funnel web spiders, who can sense your presence from around three meters away and have been known to literally chase people around. They look like tarantulas with a shiny black color and pincers that can go through fingernails! Even people that wear gloves still get bitten, and if not treated quickly, it can be a fatal. I never saw one.
The lyrebird is one of the most unbelievable creatures I've ever heard of. They can mimic a crazy amount of different sounds. Ali said they used to have one near their home that would mimic a phone ringing and they always got tricked out by it cuz it sounded EXACTLY the same. Wow. It mimics dozens of different birds, and loads of more human sounds as well, like phones, cameras, chainsaws, dishwashers, etc.
This mushroom literally grew to the size of a huge dinner plate in the matter of a few days.
I checked out the local skatepark and was trying a nollie shove it to rock to fakie on a quarter pipe, and one foot got stuck on the board so i did the splitz and slammed the ground hard. Skateboarding is gnarly. I had to lie down for a bit then I got up and tried the same trick, and stomped it. That's what it's all about, fall hard, get up and do the same trick and land it like a boss.
It was before the sun was up. I was lying in my twin bed in the caravan surrounded by a purple-ish pink mozzie net to keep the critters out. I had just woken up.
I try to wake up with awareness. Take some deep breaths. Not just notice my surroundings, but feel my surroundings. It's so crucial to my sense of joy and peace and well being, to just be present. To just be. I've learned this from experience, when I just dwell in my head, or the past and future which is just a thought form, it takes away from the only moment that Is. The present moment.
I started meditating and asking myself what times in my life have I been the happiest? And why? And it all comes back to the people. It's all about the people. Relationships.
When I walked outside to the parking lot on the side of the Uni, which still feels very much in the bush, Ali was lying on the grass looking up at the sky. When we were driving back Ali said one her friends told her to, at least once a day, lie on the grass and look up at the sky. What a gem.
Cuz Ali said the certain kind of sprouts we ate for dinner can make your armpit smell different, like it did back in her hippy days.
I was teasing Toby with all the terms like, "yeah goodday mate, yeah cheers mate. She be right, couple a days mate, couple a days. Oh too right, tweasy mate. Fair dinkum mate. Ridgy didge mate, ridgy didge. Ah ha." He held up a pair of scissors and said, "I'll cut your hair!"
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