Come roam with me the hills so wild
Let me show you the delights of hidden gullies
Of mountain tops and running streams.
Come lay with me amid the grasses and wildflowers
Feel the warmth of the sun
And the cooling breezes
Soft upon your skin.
Come explore with me our wilderness
And delight with and in me.
Live as you have never lived before
Be free to express all that you are
And when we are sated
Let up wind our way homeward
Together, intrepid explorers.

Springtime. Blossoms abound. In particular, the fruit tree blossoms, beginning with the almond. When that comes into flower late in winter, I begin to revive again from the cold, knowing that soon I shall feel the warmth of the sun again. My hope blooms. The fruit tree flowers also herald the start of the formation of fruit, and in my mind I can taste again the sweetness of a ripe juicy peach, or the explosion of flavour from an apricot.

Now only those who have tasted real fruit will understand what I am talking about. Most modern fruit is tasteless. Even that which is homegrown is tasteless if it comes from a variety selected for it’s commercial reasons, rather than it’s flavour. I recall in particular an elderly gardener who was removing a peach tree from her garden because the fruit was as tasteless as cardboard, and with similar texture. It was a modern variety, promoted by the nursery trade, and she, like many others, unsuspectingly fell into the trap. It is a rare, specialist nursery nowadays that sells decent fruit trees. The majority sell lines bred for the commercial sector, hardly a recommendation for flavoursome fruit judging from what is available through retail outlets.

Now how can a person who has never tasted anything even half decent know that there is a better way? How many people these days, particularly younger ones, dislike eating fruit, despite the urgings of health professionals? The only way they eat fruit is when it has been processed and loaded with sugar, and this is definitely not beneficial to good health.

I was fortunate in growing up with fruit trees in the backyard, in having excursions to pick wild blackberries and having friends in similar situations. One friend had the most magnificent peach tree, and I must confess, it was a major factor in our teenage friendship! I know what real fruit tastes like, and I mourn for it. However, when I find a roadside seedling along a disused track I leap for joy. There is always the chance it will turn out to be ambrosia. I can but hope.

It is springtime.

After a very cold winter it is lovely to soak up the spring-time sun. I feel enlivened, and around me I see other life bursting forth as well. The grass is growing so quickly that I dare not stand still for long, it case it covers me! Birds are flying about more, including the parrots in their colourful coats, as they visit the gum tree blooms for nectar.

My time has been spent just recently in the vegetable garden. Suddenly there are many many tasks to do, especially if I want some food for the summer. This week has been a favourable moon-planting time, and I have been focused on sowing seeds, both in the garden proper and also in tubs and in tiny pots for transplanting later. There just could still be a frost, so I’m hedging my bets each way. Nice to get an early start, but it does carry a risk with it, and I hope to have something to fall back on if the garden seedlings don’t survive.

There is a tangible vibrancy in the air. Each day sees a new bloom appear or a new bird in the trees, and yesterday I had the first butterfly for the season land on the climbing peas. Such a joy to see this beautiful creature. Yes there are caterpillars about, but I rarely kill them these days - the plants can feed them so then I can see the butterflies.

Even the ants are on the move again. All winter they have been deep underground, and now the sun has drawn them out and they are busy replenishing the larder.

Another season begins.

Jack Frost has been visiting again and yesterday was particularly severe for here, at -4C at daybreak, taking into account that this area is not normally prone to frosts. The vegetable garden is in a fairly protected area, but when I saw it white with frost, my heart sank. I need the food from the garden, and hoped that the plants would recover from the freezing conditions, especially the peas. Fortunately they appear unharmed. It was not one of the dreaded ‘black frosts’.

I have stinging nettles growing in several places, the tallest being about 60cm high. When I looked closely at them, white with frost, I could see clearly the hooks on the leaves. These are not so visible under normal circumstances.

It got me thinking…..

Sometimes it takes an intense situation, in order to see what is there all along.

It had been raining just prior to my taking a walk down the dirt road, and I could see funny wriggly tracks on the soft surface. Peering down I then got a shock when I saw a huge earthworm moving across the road. And then another, and another! When the sun briefly moved from behind the clouds they glinted as silver streaks on the road. I was amazed at how many were there. It was the first time I have seen earthworms in such numbers on a road. Not wanting any to be squashed by vehicles, I began to collect those in the centre of the road and help them in the direction they were heading. Interestingly, some were heading one way, some the other direction.

The most noticeable fact was that there were no earthworms on the section of road which ran past the cropping paddocks. Paddocks which had been top-dressed with artificial fertilisers and sprayed with chemicals. The earthworms were not to be found at all in that vicinity, only alongside paddocks which were used just for grazing.

Those that were close to my home, I gathered gently, and took back to my garden and carefully placed on top of some manured beds. There they would have plenty to eat, and help me so much also.

In all my years of living in country areas, I have never gathered earthworms from a road before. I guess there is a first time for almost anything.

http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/factsheets/recognising_earthworms.htm

While out walking in the hills with my dog and horse, I came across a mob of sheep with very young lambs at foot, and others obviously quite close to lambing. I took care to give them wide berth to avoid disturbing them, even though I am a familiar sight to them. My horse was most interested, and keen to get a closer view, but also turned away when she realised the sheep were becoming distressed by her proximity. The dog was told to ‘come behind’ and leave the sheep alone, which he did.

We continued along with the walk, occasionally finding more small groupings of ewes and lambs. I am always taken by the way one ewe will be designated as the ‘baby sitter’, and can have many lambs in her care, while their mothers are off grazing further away. Also, I have seen ewes ‘hide’ a lamb by a bush, while she goes off for a time. As with other animals, the mothers can recognise the cry of their own lamb, and come hurrying back if they hear a distressed sound. A ewe will stamp her foot defiantly at intruders, and protect her lamb fiercely if need be.

Up ahead, I saw something that didn’t seem quite right, and on further investigation, I found a ewe with a dead lamb protruding from her rear end, unable to complete the birthing process. She was straining unsuccessfully, but when I approached she got up and moved away, albeit with some difficulty. For a while I followed at a distance, hoping that the situation would change, but alas no. And on my own, there was nothing I could do. At that point I turned around and headed for home, and then contacted the owner of the sheep to let him know of the situation. Hopefully he attended to the ewe. Realistically, I doubt it. When people have many, the loss of one or two is neither here nor there it seems.

In the old days, shepherds kept an eye on flocks of sheep, and were there to assist with any birthing problems. Those days are long gone. Welfare of animals too often takes second place to economics, and it is not economical to employ a shepherd. What a shame. Shameful that an animal can be used for profit, but with disregard shown for it’s welfare. Shameful that a blind eye is turned to these situations time and again.

Yet is it any wonder that animals are treated with disregard, when people so often treat each other with contempt. They have forgotten the sacredness of life. All life. Whether it be an earthworm or an earthling, let’s remember it is all sacred.

I have just finished looking at a photo of a vulture and reading peoples comments about how ugly it is. In the photo, the bird is gazing back at the camera with a gentle inquiring look. I could see nothing ugly about this bird at all. In flight this bird is superb, so why doesn’t it get some of the praise that an eagle gets? Who decided this bird was to be denounced?

Are we influenced in our view of this bird, and others like it, because of their food source. Do we find something eating a carcase so appalling? If it wasn’t for the birds, animals, insects and other organisms dealing with a dead being, the world would be out-of-kilter. These habits are a vital link in the circle of life and death, in the processes of life on this earth.

This repulsion towards vultures is typical of the conditioned mind, which sees things in terms of black and white, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. Living and dead. Maybe people are simply frightened by death. Modern life is often far removed from the reality of life and death. We are able to accept that H2O comes in various forms - ice, steam, water - yet not able to accept that perhaps this can apply to living beings also. We fear what we do not understand.

Perhaps the answer lies then in gaining understanding of this world we live in.

This week I read an article concerning the crisis on the loss of biodiversity.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7638&page=0

What makes this different from the many on the doom and gloom scenario, is that it shows a ray of hope for the future. I need to keep this ray of hope alive; sometimes I feel the flame is almost gone, and then something comes along again to fan it back to life.

Enter http://www.dancingstarfoundation.org/mission.php , an organisation which states:

“ The goal of Dancing Star Foundation is to help sensitize people throughout the world to the critical importance of biodiversity, animal protection and conservation; and to instill a respect for all life, which can be demonstrated by even the most modest gestures of kindness, compassion and love in our everyday lives.”

Simple isn’t it? My hope is that sooner rather than later, organisations such as this are no longer required. That all peoples on this earth do become sensitive and respectful for all life. Before it is too late.

Yesterday I was in the city, waiting at the usual place to catch a connecting bus to my destination. Opposite the bus stop is a tiny short street off the large main one, and at the end of the street grew a tree. A most unlikely place for this tree, jammed up against the buildings as it was, but it was a welcome patch of green among the concrete and steel.

Till yesterday. By the time I arrived, the tree had been removed although the work crew were still there attending to the ‘clean-up’. Installing pavers. It is called ‘hardscaping’ and that is surely what it is. Hard. No longer is there a tree to soften the landscape, to filter the air and simply be.

I felt the pain of loss. Anger at the insensibility of it all. Pity for those who had admired the tree on their way to work and could no longer.

This act is just another example of the mindlessness taking place on this planet at this time. When will it cease? Have we run out of time? I think so……

Today I was faced with a choice. A life or death choice. Not my life, but that of a mother mouse and her brood of tiny babies.

I had pulled a bale of hay out of the stack to feed to my horse when I disturbed the family. Mother mouse crouched against the wall of the shed in fear and the babies squirmed , disturbed by the sudden light.

These are not native mice, but the European species, and a pest. They eat and mess the hay, and are quite a nuisance. The cats are meant to keep their numbers down…..

So did I call the cats to deal with the matter? My first thought was to do so, but then I hesitated. I took some hay to the horse. I looked again at the family. I walked away. Hours later when I was passing again, I checked, and there was no sign of the mice. Just what happened to them I do not know. But I know I felt I had no right to cast judgement upon them today. Another day may be different, maybe not. Once I would have not hesitated to kill them. Maybe I am just getting ’soft’ in my older years….