My mate in the gum tree

Can you see him? I'm standing under his favourite gum tree, a crinkly old tree that holds no beauty to anyone but him. He is my quietest friend, except at breeding season when his grunts distrub my sleep as he sings to his lady friends in loud rythmic grunts. This tree is his supermarket and water supply, so he doesn't need me much. In a long summer drought I leave a climbing board against my back fence to allow him to enter my back yard to drink from a bucket. Of course, my two small dogs are inside the house at night when he moves around. Koalas are very shy and they could have a heart attack if even little dogs start barking at them close up.

Koalas are a feature of the Redlands region and we proudly acknowledge their presence. Sadly their numbers have dwindled with population growth but the local council is very focused on assisting their welfare. And ours. We need their peaceful presence. Wild-life should be left to thrive without humans running them over, chopping down their food supplies and allowing pets to roam. One does not pat koalas nor disturb them - they like to sleep during the day and can get a fright and fight back with sharp nails that are designed to climb the rough bark of gum trees.

Freezing Friday

It is winter in south-east Queensland, the nights are cold and a bitter wind bites into exposed skin. Windows have a dampness which evaporates when morning sunshine changes things back to sunny days. Today the sky is a pale blue haze at 9am. Birds have come to life and I wonder how they are not frozen to the branches of the overhanging gums outside my room. Yes, it is winter. It's nice to have a change of seasons, unlike our country cousins out west and up north in Queensland where summer extends from one month to the next, the only difference in seasons being a measurement in humidity. I recall my childhood in NSW country Australia, Wagga Wagga and Young, where winter was about pea-soup fogs, bitter winds, heavy rain and iced over windscreens. I remember pouring boiling water over the meter-reading device in the morning to melt the water in the extended water pipes so I could have a shower. I remember the beautiful yellow and red leaves of the deciduous trees along the Murrumbidgee River. In comparison, in Queensland, my winter garden is blooming white with lavendah loving the warmth of the day.

Cup cakes with Leah

A cool breeze defied the blue skies yesterday at Burpengary, Qld. My daughter, Leah, snapped small carrots and extended her flattened hand to Charlie-bean's nearly 18 hands height. The giant horse happily nuzzled into her handful of morning tea offering. Leah and I then sipped coffee and cup cakes (with colourful 100s and 1000s on top). She had bought some beautiful Tulips for the dining table and carefully wrapped several gifts in flowery paper - for me. A shirt for Molly dog (I love my mum printed with red hearts), a movie pass and a little poem on a mirrored frame.

Mum, you've been my strength

The rock on which I stand

And I've gained so much wisdom

Guided by your gentle hand.

The kindness you have shown

In every word and deed

Has been a blessing in my life

In so many times of need.

What she doesn't know is that just being with her is enough. She lights up a room just being in it. To have her love is her most precious gift to me and always will be.