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| Facebook cover style compilation of Photographs from the Wetlands walk; Fungus, Prickles, rushes. Photographs taken by Andrea George using a Nikon Coolpix P520 |
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| Compilation of Photographs from the Wetlands walk; Moon, Daffodils, Purple-headed swamp hen, Fungus, withered plant, Haunting woods, Sleepy Hollow, Bull-rush. Photographs taken by Andrea George using a Nikon Coolpix P520 |
After my 8km walk, the next day, I had the opportunity to go for another walk, this time I was going to be sharing it with someone, who also loves walking in nature and taking photographs. I was still aching from my walk yesterday, however, I decided it would be good to walk the pain out. So, I took up the "Carpe Diem" (seize the day) mantra and bit the bullet, taking up the opportunity to share a walk with someone. Normally, when I walk out in nature, I prefer my own company, so if I want to be silent, to go slow, to take forever to get past a certain point due to taking photographs like a possessed woman, I can. This time, I thought, I would be open to sharing the walk, the time and chance with someone. This was either going to work out or go horribly wrong, either way, I was surrendering to the opportunity of sharing with someone along with them deciding where we were going to walk in nature. Yes, I was secretly freaking out and hyperventilating at this prospect, I know how much I enjoy my own walks in nature and I wondered how sharing that experience would work out - ah well, I was on the road to a new discovery - FUCK! What have I let myself in for?!!!!!! (Yes, that was precisely what my mind was screaming - I don't believe my eyes were popping out at that thought but if they were, I hope THEY didn't see that!)
After breathing through my fears and arriving at the chosen destination, we got out of the car and headed towards our walk. We were at some Wetlands, near Jells Park, Victoria, Australia. I was excited, I love Wetlands as they mean lots of flaura and fauna. YES!!!!!!!!!!! Good start, calm had return to my panicked brow, however , that lasted all of 10 mins, as my walking companion decided to head off in another direction to me. I stood stunned for a moment and wrestled with it in my head. I had no working phone, so no way of contacting them in case of an issue or we lost each other, I started to breathe deeply, to rationalise my madness - yup, I was going slightly off the Richter scale of madness at the moment and I could feel a few hearty FUCKS brewing from deep within. Sure, enough out they came, "FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!! FUCK!!!! For Flippin' FUCKSAKE!!!!! WHAT THE BLEEDIN" FUCK?!!!!!! HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?!!!!!! WHAT PART OF THIS IS FUCKIN" SHARING???!!!!! I"M SO FUCKING CONFUSED!!!!!! FUCKIN" MARVELLOUS!!!!!"
Now, whilst I was swearing like a well oiled sailor, it slowly calmed my mind and in came rational thinking, well my special kind of rational thinking! That train of thought went like this; "Okay, well I guess I wanted to walk on my own (see be careful what you wish for you may just get it!) I also did say that this was about their choice and what they wanted to do, I guess they wanted to explore on their own too. I mean this is still sharing the experience even if we go different ways, it's not like we have to be conjoined twins or anything, is it? No. So, I might as well keep communing with nature on my own till we meet up and we can have fun at seeing each other's photographs when we get back from the walk, how cool is that? It's cool right? Yup. Cool. So keep calm and carry on, what will be will be, breathe and just be!" I started to realise that we will meet up at some stage, it didn't matter where or when but we would find each other at some stage.
Sheesh! I had turned into my own 'walk the walk, talk the talk' counsellor. Fucking hilarious and yes, I realise now you can all see how my crazy mind works - note this is also a mere glimpse of my crazy mind in a moment. Meh! All good. I am comfortable with that, unlike the moment of panic when my walking companion and I separated.
So, I continued on my walk being led to stop and sit, meditate by a lake and just listen to the sounds around me. I sat there for about twenty minutes and when I opened my eyes, I saw a few brightly coloured fungus, spawning from around the lake's boardwalk. I lay on my stomach to get some macro shots of them and kept listening, by now I was completely calmed down from my mad panic of earlier. I decided to keep walking a bit longer, eventually I came to a small turn off, towards a bird hide. I sat in the bird hide overlooking another lake and then after a few moments decided to move on. A few steps further and there was my walking companion, smiling that they had found me. Interesting, had we both panicked over the separation? Perhaps.
We decided to walk back in the direction from which they had come and now back together again, we started photographing similar scenes and chatting about things we had seen during the separation. Up to this point I hadn't been able to photograph any birds, I had some beautiful glimpses of Fairy Wrens (which are endangered due to the destruction of the natural Australian bush habitat and gardens using palms and cactus plants which they do not like) and Wagtails.
Eventually I managed to capture a purple-headed swamphen, alongside that I had a very enjoyable day and I saw lots of birds - Wagtails, Fairy wrens, Swallows, Geese most were either in flight and to quickly in passing to capture. I just had the joy of seeing and hearing the sounds of nature, along with the bellows of frogs, the beautiful song of a Bell Bird and the odd warble. Blessed, soulful day, shared with someone. Most importantly however, I learnt, how to accept that what I think will happen, may not happen, how to be, to relax and enjoy things as they are, not as I think the should be and to truly believe that all will eventually work out the way it is meant to be. Oh and we were both happy with our Photographs. Truly blessed day.
Photographs taken by Andrea George using a Nikon Coolpix P520
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