If I was feeling more emotional, I would have certainly cried walking through the reserve that leads down to the river, a ten minute walk from our new place. I've been too busy to allow feeling - there's far too much to do to get the new house ready for moving into, should (fingers crossed) the old house sell soon. I've been too busy to even walk, but I decided I'd take half an hour to see how long it actually took to walk to the river, which is itself only a five minute walk to the shops. Besides, I needed some cardio.
The reserve starts only two doors down from my house, so I don't even pass many houses before I'm in the bush. The Kuarka Dola reserve is actually a flat drainage line that connects the river with the inner streets of this part of town, but as unromantic as that sounds, it's home for birds, kangaroos, and fauna. It certainly beats the boring walk around the block at my old place.
Houses back onto this reserve, but in true Angelsea fashion, everything manmade is muted and hidden by trees. Nothing suburban feels imposing.
The wattles are out - everywhere. Spring is warm and bright and yellow. My heart lifts with the sight of their yellow fluffiness. There's actually tons of different species, and once you start looking, you really start to embrace the diversity of this plant. Mind you, we've just cut down heaps of them from the front yard as they do self seed like weeds and pop up unwanted.
As I walk down a man cycles by and tells me to watch out for the magpie - Spring means babies, and they're swooping protectively. They can really hurt - a magpie beak to the skull draws blood. I escpae unscathed.
I walk fast enough to reach the river in 9 minutes - we were told 20 minutes, but a brisk walk is fast! You can see the boatsheds here and the bridge where cars drive down the Great Ocean Road and back toward town with the coffee shops and supermarkets. It's a busy weekend, but it's so quiet where I live, and apart from the cyclist, I see no one else.
On the way back I see there's an alternative fork that leads to the same spot. I don't take that as I'm keen to get a proper time to tell Jamie, who's at home painting epoxy on the shed floor.
The walk also goes past an aged care centre - people joke that when I'm old they can just roll me down the hill. It's a lovely place, and where my granddad spent the last two years of his life. How funny life is that I end up living a street away from here. My best friend's Mum used to work here too. I already feel local.
I think about Dad, too. I get upset when I think that he never would know that we'd end up back on the coast. He'd be so happy for me. I think to myself it doesn't matter, and that I know how he'd feel about it, and he'd be happy for me. His presence is here of course. A five minute drive away is a few beaches I used to surf with him from when I was a kid right through to when he was too ill to get in the ocean anymore.
I feel so blessed to be home again. It does feel like my heartland. Okay now I'm emotional. Now I feel a little tightness in my chest, a little sob break free. I'm home, I'm home, I'm home.
With Love,
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The thing that I like about Australia, as a place, is that - well, everywhere i have been in it, all the "bush" looks exactly the same. Sure there is some mild variation based on the undergrowth, but the stringybarks, gums, and eucalypts are all ubiquitous enough.
The other ubiquity is, also, the magpie attacks. When I was out of Australia for something like nine months at a time, the first time I heard a maggie when I got home, I really realised I truly missed the place. Such lovely songs.
There's a song that may make you sob, which I feel is relevant to your post...
I used to watch neighbours when I lived in England, just to hear them. This was in the time where the Internet wasn't as populated with stuff like magpie songs and sad songs you could just send to people 😭😭
Jesus what kind of killer magpie do you have down there ?? 😂😂😂 walk looks lovely especially by that river
They are brutal creatures.
Recommend:
Noisy miners reputation for being cunts 🤣🤣
Oh mate our magpies are different to yours! They have the most beautiful song, and they're more brazen and kinda the size of a crow. We all love em but fuck nesting season can be brutal! If they know you they leave you alone though.
I hadn't realized by moving you would closer to where you grew up. That's pretty cool considering you are in suburbia. It's cool also that you are so near a nature reserve and the walks aren't far at all. It looks like you guys made a good choice on many fronts.
And on top of that spring is coming!
It's kinda suburban but it's also right on edge of national park and they can't develop it further...it's twenty minutes from my Mums.
I was wondering how long a trip she was making to come do the gardens...
Have to laugh though, she only helped once.... I think she was too exhausted after that!
I can relate to that!
It's so cool to live around this place especially with the river offering a lovely view. Thanks for sharing this wonderful Wednesday walk. I love it.
It's an incredible place. So much beauty nearby! I am very happy for you. And, not for the first time, I wanna be you!
Awwww I went walking again today and found a beautiful track that had cleavers and plantain and tri leaf garlic .. I was stoked.. can't believe we are so lucky.
!LADY
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