WHAT DO YOU NEED?

 

 

 

We need this. Every few months, we just need to pack ourselves into the car and drive up the coast. It seemed a bit impossible as there is always stuff to be done, but we did what had to be done and by midday we were driving up the highway, towards the sunshine and the salty air.

Our tummies were rumbling as we approached the two hour mark and we decided to stop for a make do picnic to enjoy a late lunch of fresh bread rolls, soft cheese, ham and olives; and the boys ran off and came back with a bundle of baked pastries from the local bakery. After a few rounds of kicking the footy and picking at the last bites of lunch we packed up and continued our drive with the sun chasing along beside us. We pulled over into this driveway to enjoy the last rays of sunlight which stretched itself way over the open land making long shadows which leaned over and through the fences. Sitting in the car with my family, watching the sun close another day. This was what we needed. What I needed. And it was only going to get better.

The last thing I remember before sleeping was Matty asking me if I wanted to watch the sun rise with him. We both woke at the same time and snuggled for a bit longer before we decided that we were dangerously close to missing the sun rise. Paddy was committed to the warmth of his bed, so us three quietly filled the car and left him in the snoozing home with Nana and Pop. We were a little late as a wavy orange fringe was peeking through the macadamia orchards as we drove down to the beach. But we managed to make it there to watch her yawn out those rays across the sea as she slowly lifted up into the sky. Looking down at my cold sandy toes, I noticed the large Kangaroo paw prints embedded into the sand next to the balled up sand by the crabs. The sun was shining bright after twenty minutes and the beach was stark, it was amazing. It was hard to believe that we were the only ones there, I relished in the solitude surroundings, I felt free. I am free.

What is it that you need?

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Images taken using Canon 5D Markiii//50mm 1.4

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THEY WENT RIVER SWIMMING

On this day we drove for a long time along a single road which cornered and bent and went up hills and downhill. The inside of our car flickered with sunlight like a candle as we navigated our way around trees whose tops stood high into the sunshine. I turned around from my seat to check on the kids, they were sleeping. I held my twisted turn a little bit longer than expected, mesmerised by both the absence of cars behind us and the plume of dust trailing behind us.

The bumpy rocking of the car over a narrow bridge gently nursed my son to wake up. Outside, there was the peaceful being of a river streaming around the mountains edge which we had just traced. Out of the car, we all followed a damp dirt trail which slithered under fallen trees, rocks and down into a myriad of smooth and flat pebbles. These pebbles formed a satin bed for a crystal clear river which lazily streamed down from the surrounding mountains.

I balanced along a tree trunk and sat myself down on the thickest part. My feet dangling close to the glassy water. It was cool and fresh, but the heat of the day was not uncomfortable enough to make swimming an inviting option for me. Across the way, my son was already knee deep in the water and Matty was busy wetting his feet exploring further ahead and closer to the bridge. My daughter was sleeping peacefully in tune with the nature around us.

Matty and our son practised skimming flat bed rocks along the top of the smooth river top, they swam over to large boulders on the other side and he swimmingly cruised parallel to the river bank which was prettily fringed with dangly green leaves and dark brown tree roots. I sat and watched and I tried hard to tattoo all of this into my memory so that I could bank it for a time that I needed to smile.

Getting our son to come out of the river was a difficult task. Each time we sang out that it was time to go he would swim back to the boulders on the other side of the river and he would sweetly beg for more time. He was also trying to hang onto this day. We promised him that we would come back one day.

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 The Promised Land is located on Australia's East Coast.

All photographs were taken using an iphone 5.

Please email me if you would like to use my images.