… because if you’re anything like me, you’re doing this right now!
Jack Canfield
Okay, it’s not a dove or 12, but you get the picture… © Louise Creely
It’s easy to get caught up in capturing the right shot and having the perfect life (thank you, social media). At some point, you might just wonder where the pure childlike joy went.
It’s time to Take 5. So strap on those runners, grab your camera (or phone), and head out the door.
As you walk, take five photos of things that catch your eye, give you joy or just make you feel good.
It’s not about about being arty. It’s not a competition. It’s about noticing the things that make you happy.
The most important part happens back at home. Look at your photos and write down what each one means to you. Why did it grab your attention? Why did it make you feel good?
Here’s what the pics I took mean to me:
This pelican made me smile because it held itself aloof from the other pelicans waiting for the fisherfolk to arrive and clean their daily catch – no begging for this cool customer! Just comfortable in its own – um – feathersIt’s all about taking a trip without leaving your suburb.
Sure, it helps if you live near the beach – but those moments can happen anywhere. Even in your own backyard. Here’s proof from my place…
Now it’s your turn… Let’s get happy!
It’s Monday morning – and that’s always a bit of a blah moment, wherever you are in the world.
If you’re like me, and especially if you often work from ‘the home office’, it’s Perpetual Procrastination Day. I’ve already pulled the coffee grinder apart and cleaned it.
Why? Because our coffee machine isn’t working, but I have an article to write. Confused? Me too.
So here’s my official note to self today, from the pen of Jack Canfield, because it makes me smile – and I thought you might need this piece of advice too…
Don’t keep putting things off, waiting for twelve doves to fly over your house in the sign of the cross before you begin. Just start.
Happy Monday!
It may be snowing way south of here, but it was another crisp yet balmy start to winter here in northern New South Wales.
Walking along Kingscliff beach at dusk, we saw birds diving like missiles into the ocean… and something else breaking the glass-like surface.
At first we thought it must be a dolphin or a big fish. Then a gorgeous manta ray leapt into the air, executing an elegant full spin before disappearing into the deep blue… only to rise again, spinning like a ballerina, over and over again.
It’s been two years since we saw our first leaping manta ray – right here – and knew we’d come home. There’s just something about this place that steals your heart.
It’s a perfect start to winter. Now, for those wonderful whales passing by…
I first thought of the title for this post when we were riding on our Vespa into Yamba, in northern NSW, from our camp spot on the Clarence River.
There we were in our very Italian helmets, leather jackets …and shorts. Born to be wild and all that.
But then we went for a relaxed Sunday paddle – in gale force winds, against an outgoing tide, on an expanse of choppy water that was more like a harbour than a river! It all seemed a little too hard really, until…
As we paddled along in the welcome shelter of an island, two fins emerged near our kayak. Then another baby-sized fin popped up. Then a big, darker fin. 
We edged in closer to watch the four dolphins cruising and playing in the pristine water…so close, we could hear them communicating with their distinctive whistles, chirps and clicks. 
As we approached a fishing boat, the dolphins sank below the surface and disappeared.
Later we passed dozens of darters roosting in the trees and, even though we tried to be silent, they weren’t about to stick around as a highly-suspect yellow beast passed nearby.
On the island’s beach, a pair of stone curlews – one snuggled in a hollow on its eggs and one standing guard – watched warily as we passed in the distance.
A challenging, but brilliant day on the water, watching creatures born to be wild. No leather jacket required.
Find out more about the pristine coastline, magic Clarence River, and village charm of Yamba here.
We went back to Black Rocks in Bundjalung National Park this weekend…I meant it when I said we love this place.
This time we took our kayak and paddled up Jerusalem Creek. It was a gorgeous, although not exactly leisurely, paddle.
While I practice my zen paddling technique upfront, EB makes like an outboard motor in the back.
Somehow it works… well, having a rudder stops us turning circles at least.
And I get to take photos along the way (with my trusty iPhone in its LifeProof case – and no, this isn’t some dodgy promo!).
The isolation, where the creek meets the sea, is simply sensational.
And then there are those endless walks along Ten Mile Beach… where paw prints reveal the nightly wanderings of wild dogs in search of shorebird eggs, and huge bluebottles – some with four-metre stingers – are strewn along the tideline.
We weigh up the odds of getting stung, figure they’re all stranded on the beach, and plunge into the icy water.
Luckily we escape unharmed, in time to spot a mother and baby whale making their way down the coastline along the whale ‘super highway’.
Closer in, three dolphins glide in and out of the waves.
Later, along the walking tracks, wildflowers are bloomin’ fabulous, grass trees raise their flower spikes to the sky and a bee homes in on a solitary flower.
Back in our campground, tiny birds feast on grass seeds and a goanna wanders through our camp, tasting the air with a flick of its tongue.
It reminds me of the words of a Tracy Chapman song…
“I’ve touched creations beautiful and wondrous
I’ve been places where I question all I think I know
But I believe, I believe, I believe this could be heaven…
The world is our temple
The world is our church
Heaven’s here on earth…”
After a busy week or even a slow one, it’s too easy to head off to the usual short-break destinations. So a few weekends ago, we went somewhere we hadn’t been before. Funny how a simple change can reveal yet another favourite place in the world. In a National Park of course…
Black Rocks campground in Bundjalung National Park is a hidden gem, with a stunning coastline, fabulous creek and coastline walks, a pontoon on the creek for paddlers, amazing birdlife, and super-private campsites.
The campground gets its name from the black rocks (also called ‘coffee rocks’) along a rugged coastline. The rocks are soft, crumble exactly like coffee grinds, and have been eroded by wind and sea into spectacular formations…
Espresso anyone?
We’re hooked and ready to explore. After downpours in the area the day before we arrived, we discover the Emu Loop trail is a chain of ponds. Well, puddles really.
But we get to be carefree kids again, splashing along the trail.
There is something primal about it. You feel more connected to the earth… especially when you occasionally find yourself ankle deep in mud.
The next day, we ditch our shoes again for the six-hour Jerusalem Creek walk, alternating between thongs and bare-foot wading.
Along the trail, the vegetation is amazing – from rainforest to paperbark swamp to coastal lowlands to open grasslands.
We walk to a chorus of frog calls, with gorgeous birds adding in the high notes – and sometimes diving into the puddles in front of us to snatch a bug-snack…
A family of kingfishers are a flash of spectacular teal and russet, lorikeets sip nectar from flowering bottlebrush, a whistling kite soars overhead, and tiny birds are startling streaks of colour in constant motion among the branches…
Along the trail, there are signs of life. The slithering snake tracks are there too, on sandy parts of the trail, reminding us to watch where we put our feet.
…who goes there?
At the end of the track, the creek meets the sea. Here, migratory and resident shorebirds rest, feed and breed in peace.
There are pied oystercatchers, little terns, beach-stone curlews, sandpipers and two tiny mysterious birds whose little black legs are a blur as they run back and forth along the water’s edge.
… some tiny mystery waders
…and a pied oyster catcher
‘Peppa’ the Ozpig… nice
Later that night, we are two blissed-out campers. You can have your posh hotels and even your cozy B&Bs.
There is nothing like sitting in front of a fire (our fabulous Ozpig), under the stars and the swish of the Milky Way, with mysterious rustlings in the bushes, miles from civilisation.
Okay, okay, we are sipping on a rather smooth pinot noir.
There are some civilised things you should never give up…
You’ve got to love those lazy Sunday mornings when some curious kookaburras come to hang out in your tree… a kooky trifecta!
…one
…two
…three
Travelling is always enlightening, often life-changing and mostly awesome. It also opens your eyes to the things you love about home.
Like family, friends… and little things you love about where you live. Like walking along the beach at dusk and coming across a sea eagle having a fishy feast…
These eagles have landed too (which thankfully didn’t involve fish gizzards).
It’s a long flight from NYC to Australia – even longer when you get a bonus three-hour wait on the tarmac at LA airport. Not that we’re complaining about technical difficulties with fuel tanks being solved before take-off!
New York was amazing… there are more stories to be told.
And more adventures to be planned. Because this trip confirmed what we’ve always believed in –>
There may have been flash flooding in New York City last night, but today the sun is out in full force – and so are the people. Everywhere.
Definitely time to escape the seething sidewalks and get back to nature in Central Park.
Yep, there are a lot of people here too, but it’s not as frenetic (well, except for the joggers and cyclists and power walkers).
If you want a break from the touristy stuff and the crowds, head to the northern end of the park where there’s a little more breathing space and plenty of wild creatures out and about.
Which suits me, since I am a certified freak for nature! Here’s a sneak peak at the wild side of the city…
Catching some rays, turtle style
This clever American Robin built a nest right over the path about two feet above eye level – but nobody (except us) looked up.
Hollows make cozy nesting places. Some wildlife won’t breed without suitable hollows to nest in…
And after all that action, it’s time for some R&R…
Flight path 