Dear Mugwump Reader, a friend recently reminded me of this blog post and how relevant it is in a world that has been gate-crashed & hijacked by COVID-19. So here is a repost – some may find it helpful. “What gives value to travel is fear” – Camus You’d think I would be used to…Continue reading Turbulence! That Annoying Necessity of Life
Category: Travel
On the Move Again … !!!
“She took a step and didn’t want to take any more, but she did.” – Mark Zusak (The Book Thief) I have moved thirty-seven times in my life, or maybe thirty-eight?? I can’t remember – but I moved a lot. Today I was again knee deep in boxes, packing and reducing the evidence of my existence…Continue reading On the Move Again … !!!
Why don’t you all take a hike?!
A repost and a good reminder for 2018! “There comes … a longing never to travel again except on foot.” Wendell Berry, ‘Remembering’ “Komm, wir gehen im Wald spazieren”, was our family weekend anthem when I was growing up. “Let’s take a walk in the forest.” Like all children, I often had much better things…Continue reading Why don’t you all take a hike?!
Walking Barefoot on this Earth
“Soil is earth’s barefoot and when we walk barefoot, two barefoot touches each other with love!” – Mehmet Murat Ildan – Two things would happen when I came home from work after long and intense hours: one would be to have a maximum of one minute elapse between walking in the front door and getting…Continue reading Walking Barefoot on this Earth
Sometimes You Will Back into a Lamp Post in the Middle of Nowhere!
“Life just doesn’t care about our aspirations or sadness. It’s often random, and it’s often stupid and it’s often completely unexpected, and the closures and the epiphanies and revelations we end up receiving from life, begrudgingly, rarely turn out to be the ones we thought.” – Khaled Hosseini – Iceland has become one of my…Continue reading Sometimes You Will Back into a Lamp Post in the Middle of Nowhere!
Acid Rain? Clean Up Your Life
“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” – Wendell Berry – Just a few weeks ago my partner and I paused on our hike and admired the…Continue reading Acid Rain? Clean Up Your Life
What The Sea Teaches Us
“Listening through the heart is not something you must learn to do. It is something you need only reclaim and remember.” – Stephanie Dowrick – I loved going to the sea ever since I can remember. In Germany it was the chilly harbours along the North Sea. The fishermen would sit there like a line…Continue reading What The Sea Teaches Us
New Streets and Old Maps
“Not all those who wander are lost …” – Bilbo Baggins In the 1990’s nearly every car in Melbourne still had an often mangled, coffee-stained Melway in the back seat. In the ‘good old days’ we did not have any fancy satellite navigation systems that talk to you in that annoying, patronising voice (you can…Continue reading New Streets and Old Maps
This Ancient Mountain
I acknowledge the original custodians of this land and pay my respects to the Elders both past, present and future for they hold the memories, the spiritual connections, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. Every morning when I step on to my front verandah I greet…Continue reading This Ancient Mountain
Arctic Terns and Lupin Flowers: Reflections on Relentless Thoughts
“The Arctic Tern is one of the most aggressive terns, fiercely defensive of its nest and young. It will attack humans and large predators, usually striking the top or back of the head. Although it is too small to cause serious injury, it is capable of drawing blood. Other birds can benefit from nesting in…Continue reading Arctic Terns and Lupin Flowers: Reflections on Relentless Thoughts