Sunday, February 15, 2015

Poetry Pantry #239

Rosemary Nissen-Wade's Photos
Views of New South Wales, Australia
(Read interesting descriptions in the write-up below the photos!)



Border Ranges

Cabarita Beach

Hare Krishna Farm

Knox Park

Mt. Warning

Olley House


Houseboat

Good Day, Poets!  I hope each one of you has had a Happy Valentine's Day!  Hard to believe we are already in mid-February.  I am hoping that our weather will soon take a turn for the better.   At least the days are now getting longer!  Smiles.

Today I am featuring photos taken by Rosemary-Nissen Wade.  She has included some descriptive material about her photos, which is a bit too long to be placed under individual photos; so I am including it here for your enjoyment (and, sigh, her photos and descriptions make me yearn to return to Australia again):

"Twenty years ago my late husband, Andrew, and I left the city of Melbourne in Victoria, a State in temperate southern Australia, for the sub-tropical Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, just south of the Queensland border. It consists of small towns, coastal villages, one major rural city, farmland (largely sugar cane, or banana plantations) and a lot of wilderness. We said when we arrived that this area must be Australia's best-kept secret! Since then many others have discovered it too, but it remains scenically beautiful and largely unspoilt. (We all fight hard to keep coal-seam gas fracking out.)

The most striking feature is our mountain with its three distinctive peaks, or humps, visible from almost everywhere in the region. It's an extinct volcano, and the whole region forms its huge caldera. I have shown you the view from my street, which I see every day. 

The top of this mountain is the first place in Australia to catch the morning sun. Captain Cook, sailing around the coast, named it Mt Warning, but the local indigenous people refer to it as Wollumbin (although there is some disagreement amongst them about that; it may have been mis-identified by white settlers in mistake for another nearby mountain). It is also nicknamed Cloud Catcher because it is quite often topped in cloud, usually higher up than in my photo, around the highest peak.

It is one  of a number of mountains surrounding us in every direction except the east, where we have the Pacific Ocean. I'm including a picture which I took at a friend's home, of the spectacular Border Ranges just to our north, separating the States of New South Wales and Queensland.

During that 20 years, being a renter, I have lived in various locations  around the town of Murwillumbah — usually quite close in but including six years near the ocean, half an hour away. Here's a picture of one of our many beautiful coastal beaches. This one is Cabarita Beach, taken from the headland above.

Our other great waterway is the Tweed River. This shot of a houseboat (they can be hired for river holidays) was taken at one of my favourite spots, the confluence of the Tweed and Rous Rivers at the village of Tumbulgum.

Murwillumbah is home to a variety of religions, with large Hare Krishna and Sikh communities as well as followers of Sai Baba, and all the usual Christian denominations including Seventh Day Adventists who, among other things, run vegetarian cooking classes. Many people here are vegetarian, including of course the Krishna devotees; also the whole region is particularly well supplied with health food shops and organic growers. This splendid tree is one of many at the Hare Krishna farm at nearby Eungella, where members of the public are always welcome to join the Sunday feast.

Even our urban areas are full of trees, as you can see from my shot of Murwillumbah's only roundabout, near its main park, Knox Park.

We also have some great non-natural tourist attractions, such as the spectacular Crystal Castle outside Mullumbimby (near Byron Bay) where the Dalai Lama will be speaking soon — and the very touristy town of Byron Bay itself, with big annual writers' conferences and blues and roots festivals, and popular surf beaches, to name just a few of its attractions. 

And we have a number of art galleries, including the fairly newly-built Tweed River Art Gallery which serves the whole region. In addition to its usual collections and exhibitions, it now houses the meticulously rebuilt studio/home of the late Margaret Olley, one of our foremost artists, who came from this area originally though she lived most of her life in Sydney. So, finally, I'm sharing with you a view of one of those recreated rooms, which the public gets to look at through windows.

Can you tell that I am very enthusiastic about living here?"

Thanks, Rosemary!!

Tomorrow Sherry Blue Sky will present the blog of one of our youngest poets!  Stay tuned for a treat.

I am glad many of you last Wednesday enjoyed Susan Chast's  Midweek Motif Prompt- "Love is Not a Greeting Card."  Susan always manages to find a unique slant to present on a subject, doesn't she? Be sure to visit again this Wednesday where you will find her prompting us to write on 'glass(es)'  Hmm, perhaps your mental wheels can begin to turn early.

Wasn't Rosemary Nissen-Wade's feature ("I Wish I'd Written This") presenting Pearl Ketover-Prilik's poem "Happy Birthday to My Father" wonderful?  If you haven't read it (and additional information about Pearl), please do check back for a real treat.

With no further adieu, glad to see you at the Pantry today.  Please share a poem, and visit others in the community.  Check back periodically to see the poems of others who post a link after you.  And, don't forget to say hello in the comments below.  Enjoy!






48 comments:

  1. Hello friends , a very Happy Sunday to you all...enjoyed the trip to Australia Rosemary ...beautiful...

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  2. Good morning, from Greece!

    How lovely to be greeted by the beautiful and dramatic Australian Border Ranges.

    Wishing all a wonderful week ahead.

    Poppy

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  3. Wonderful pictures from Australia.. Looks so wonderful a winter morning here in Sweden.

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  4. Lovely pics. Cabarita beach looks serene. Happy Sunday and have an awesome week folks.

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  5. Many thanks, Mary, for posting the photos and including all the background material too. I am glad that others can enjoy a look at the home I love so much.

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  6. My sole poem of the week.. thanks for a place to share it.

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  7. I specially love that houseboat picture ~ Thanks for sharing Rosemary ~

    Mary & everyone, happy weekend ~

    Grace

    Grace

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  8. good morning...

    hey we finally got some snow! ready to enjoy some poetry...
    and mary, i can still walk, but def tender...lol

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    Replies
    1. Brian, what happened? Take good care, kiddo! We need you in one piece!

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    2. we went to a JumpZone last night with the boys....it is like a huge warehouse where the floor is 50-60 linked trampolines...the walls are slanted trampolines...there are foam pits you can bounce into...and basketball goals you can bounce up to...and a dodgeball section where you play dodgeball while jumping...

      an hour of trampoline will wear you out...lol...and bouncing off the walls will leave you a little sore too...smiles

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  9. Pictures of this region make me want to visit Australia. I'm putting it on my bucket list right after South Africa! And I just saw some of the comments on my poem "Notorious" -- I now realize all the world hasn't watched Hitchcock films like reading favorite books. Let me recommend any of them with Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant. You are in for a treat!!

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    Replies
    1. there is one episode of AH presents that is so vivid in my memory...the wife gets attacked and the husband kills the man in revenge when she sees him on the street...and then she sees another man and says it is him...and then another....

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    2. That almost sounds like the twilight zone! Haven't seen it.

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  10. I might be madly in love with Olley House. What a wonderful place. I suspect that if I'm every allowed in, I would have to dragged out. ♥

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    Replies
    1. I am madly in love with it, and lucky enough to be able to visit often. :)

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  11. Mmm, I would love to be on holiday by the beach or something! Pretty done with winter! :)

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  12. Brrrr, it is so cold here today that I am so glad to see that the pantry is well stocked with poetry! Good morning, Everyone. Have a great poetic day.

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    1. same here mary....wind chills in the negative teens...
      and 50 mph winds will cut you up....

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    2. Ha, today we don't have the WIND....but it passed through yesterday (smiles). I guess we sent it your way. Smiles!

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    3. You're invited to come to Tucson. 73 and partly cloudy. Gorgeous sunrise this morning.

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    4. kim,

      i might just take you up on that...

      the wind tore 3 shutters off the house...i dont know where they are, they are just gone...and took an old wood bench and pulled it out of the ground, smashing it in the front yard....it was vicious....

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  13. Australia is on my bucket list! Right now it's waist high snow drifts in order to get out. So I think I'll stay put have my tea, toast, and jam and peek into the pantry.
    ZQ

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  14. Rosemary - these photographs are exquisite and as always you awaken some longing within me to see these wonders for myself. Thank you Mary for these photos and of course, thank you for your lovely words about me - you and Rosemary have humbled me with your response to my father's birthday poem. He would have been thrilled :)

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  15. Good morning! Enjoyed the photos, Rosemary. Look and sound intriguing these Mt. Warning and Olley House... Thank you for sharing! Have a wonderful Sun-Day, at least the days become longer, Mary, thanks for mentioning this....

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  16. Great photos to wake up to, Rosemary! Wishing everyone a beautiful Sunday.

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  17. Replies
    1. wow. we got Jingle spammed again....8-9 links this time....

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  18. Beautiful photos Rosemary and I can see why you love it especially the beach! I could use a warm beach as wind chills are -30 or more and will last another day....what a winter! Happy Sunday everyone.

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  19. Wow! What gorgeous photos, Rosemary, matched with some wonderful tales. I love that story of the 'Cloud Catcher'... ha.. the houseboat is quite the same to what we have here in Philippines too... & def something i'd like to try but haven't yet. Smiles.. Thanks Rosemary for these pleasurable views & reads. Thanks Mary for sharing these photographs to us. Smiles.

    Happy Sunday Everyone! Just got home from a whole Sunday work in the office. It's not usual that we report to work on Sundays but it's audit season here so we got no choice but to get committed. Hope everyone had a great time today.

    - ksm

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    1. ugh...sorry you had to work today...so is audit season like tax season here in the states? i think that many jobs have those seasons when you just have to buckle down....we are in the 45 days prior to testing in the schools so it is def buckle down season here too....

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    2. ..tax season... ah, yes... we're completing audit for the company's filing of its Annual Income Tax Return on the 15th of April... plus, as the company plans to expand its business it badly needs for Investors thus giving us more work loads, more reportorial requirements for our Project Due Diligence, & Initial Public Offering (IPO)...

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  20. Replies
    1. If you would be reciprocal, you would receive more visits....

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  21. Lovely share of pictures - wishing everyone a good day!

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  22. Happy Sunday! Hope you are all well--Rosemary, your pictures are wonderful!

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  23. What a treat to see your neck of the woods, Rosemary. Thank you for sharing with us. Happy Sunday, all.

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  24. I so enjoyed the photos and your commentary, Rosemary. Australia is so beautiful. Thanks, Mary, for hosting, so graciously, every week. Here, we have crocuses blooming and daffodils and tulips almost ready to pop. The daylight lasts longer and yesterday we had sunshine and the entire town went nutty with joy. LOL. A man at the library strolled past, head up, gazing at the sky, smiling blissfully, and grinned at me, "I want it to rain." Cracked me up.

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  25. Spammers are out and about today. If you don't recognize a name, be a bit cautious.

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  26. Hello friends! Looking forward to reading some fine poetry :) Happy Sunday!

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  27. I would be enthusiastic too, if I lived in such a beautiful place Rosemary. I'm so happy for you. (That's my way of saying I'm jealous.) Thank you so much for sharing these photos.
    Mary thank you as always for hosting this Sunday fun blog. Really, I appreciate what you do.

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  28. ..thought i'd share something written in 2013 & perhaps, already read by some of you here.. maybe a lighter poem will do today for everyone... hope you like it... smiles..

    - ksm

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  29. Problem - I am likely to exceed my download limit any minute; may not be able to read many more of these until after a week. But I shall asap - I love to read you all!

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  30. Rosemary what a treat. Somewhere I close my eyes and dream about such a place.
    Thank you!!

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