Laura Seabrook's Ramblings

I slept in a bit and decided to take Bobby for a short bush walk out the back gate. However, Xena decided to come with us. She followed Bobby and me for 20 minutes down the tracks and trails! The only other cat I've had that did that was Rorschach (in the 90s), who followed me and my partner across a busy road into a park where we had breakfast

Some photos from this morning when I took the dogs for a walk, a week after a local bush fire. Also see my Google map.

This map shows the area of local bushland burnt in 2000 (yellow) and the area burnt a week ago (red). The indicator at bottom right shows the location of my home

( More under cut )

Morning Walk

I'm crying less today so far, though I woke and immediately though of Pegasus and started. Anyway,after I fed the cats I took Hallie and Bobby for a walk.

It seems easier to take them for a walk in the mornings and each day. Neither has a problem back leg and seem very healthy. Instead of a slow stroll that I had with Peggy for the last two years, it was a brisk jaunt. Of course neither dog was stopping much to leave their mark along the way, which Peggy did. And it was strange too in that only a quarter of the dogs that barked at Peggy and me barked at us on the way. maybe they don't have the new scent yet.

Where I walked Peggy

I used to take Pegasus on all manner of walks around Barnsley. When we first moved here I'd walk him twice a day up the street/back alley way and back again (solid red line). As I got adventurous I first decided to see where the gravel road at the end of Charlton St led (broken red line). Then we'd cut through the bush and horse paddocks behind us and around the shops back to Charlton St (cyan lines). When Peggy had grown fully, we go all manner of ways down bush tracks working our way around to Appletree and then Government Roads, and back again (all green lines).

After Peggy's leg injury started playing up, we went those ways (dotted green lines) less and less. Eventually we stuck to a much smaller set of routes (dashed & solid green lines). At the same time I started walking Pegasus much more down local streets, and less in the bush. I could vary the route quite a bit (all yellow lines) and make it shorter if I needed to. The longest route was up to Nelson St and then doubling back over the creek and then through the sports oval and horse paddocks (solid yellow line, and this was the route I took the dogs this morning). We started going that long route less and less this year.

There were many other routes that I walked Pegasus with while I had the car and could drive us there, but I'd need a much bigger map to show any of them. We walked down any number of vehicle and animal trails in the bush near here. We climbed and descended the mountain ranges here so many times I lost count. We would go to Wakefield, Freeman's Waterhole, Seahampton, Awaba, and Weston and walk the bush tracks near there. We would go a walkin' and meet friends and strangers in the process. We walked alone and with friends, both human and animal. As we walked, I could often feel the "spirits of place" as we walked through the bush. I felt the local ones liked us both, and I never worried about encountering poisonous animals while we walked, making sure at the same time that we left those areas as little disturbed as possible. Sometimes I took him to visit friends in Katoomba, and I would walk him at Parramatta Park, and other places as well.

The last few months had seen us use a much smaller range of routes (mostly solid green, cyan and solid red ones). When Peggy wasn't feeling very well, it was as much as he could do to get to within a hundred metres from our home and back (mauve lines). The last walk I had with him (last Monday) we went a bit of the way up Charlton St and home again.

I will miss my walks with him, but will continue to walk both Hallie and Bobby.

I went for a bush walk today (the route is shown below):

My dietician wants me to exercise daily. Right now, that's hard to do, so I'm attempting (at least at first) to exercise in a major way every 2nd or 3rd day. The bush walk today was part of that. I drove the electric moped down to Wakefield, chained it up to the fence, and walked about down the vehicle and animal tracks in the area (and finally drove back the way I'd come).

The walk took me about 2 hours. That's at a constant rate of staggering around, down tracks, over creeks, around (and under/over) dead trees, and along power lines. I loved it! I haven't done this "properly" for some time. It makes a difference to me emotionally to do so - when you walk through the bush (even if only down the trails) you can't but notice the incredible variety and variation, the mixture of living and dead fauna and flora, the traces of humanity (it's really hard to go too far without coming across either a burnt out vehicle or coke bottle) and despite (or because of) this, the sheer beauty of it all. SMILE

I felt a little guilty that Pegasus wasn't there with me. When he was more agile he'd love to go through the bush with me, sniffing things out, climbing mountains, and chasing (but never catching) roos and such. But Peggy injured his leg yesterday, and even if I could get him there (in a trailer behind the moped?) he'd have difficulty with it now. I'll walk him tomorrow.

The above panorama shot was taken at the "x" on the map above. Looks desolate, doesn't it? And yet, such power lines make a good part of walks around here. I used to be upset with how their presence affected the landscape, but in truth in terms of geological time, it's nothing, and it's pretty hard to get lost when you can see them (after all, they all come from/go to somewhere)!

Next time I go bush walking I think I'll ride the push bike instead of the scooter. The scooter's more for shopping and getting to and from places independent of local buses. The push bike is more fun, and more exercise. Also, I need better shoes! I know where I might get them too - in an opp shop in Stockton!

Been very busy yesterday and today.

Yesterday (Friday) I went to: the Library and ALDI at Wallsend; Woollies and Big-W at Jesmond; Jenn's; K-Mart, Reject Shop, and Coles at Glendale, and back on the bus to home. It was a long day. Now today (Saturday) I went to: the bike shop and library at Cardiff, the library at New Lambton, Woollies and Big-W at Jesmond, Jenn's, Coles and the Newsagent at Wallsend, and then on the bus to home.

Part of the reason I've been "gallivanting around" has been to get bits and pieces to restore my mountain bike to working order. I got tubes (with Slime!), chains and tires yesterday, but also pet food, oranges and shoes too. It was fun getting it all home on the bus using the "mega trolley" (really a collapsible work trolley with a 50 litre rubbish bin strapped to it), I had to put the tires over my shoulder.

Today I went to Cardiff to get a "chain breaker". As it happened I didn't need it, but one day I will. Anyway. As I was about to pay for the thing I discovered that I'd lost my purse! I backtracked and guessed that I'd left it on the bus. Couldn't phone the depot because they weren't open, so  waited for the Sugar Valley Bus to return from Charlestown. It was the same bus and driver, and when I checked, I found the purse between two seats! Deciding to push my luck, I've bought a lotto ticket as well.

My other main task was to get to Big-W at Jesmond to buy a ball for Pegasus. Because this was Saturday that was more difficult than usual. I caught a connecting bus and ended up in New Lambton by mistake, so I went to the library there. Afterwards, I decided to walk from there to Jesmond, and later from Jesmond to Wallsend (about 7-12 kms).

Busy busy busy today. Got home relatively early, and found that Kevin had already sorted out the bike (he's had a lot of experience with Mountain Bikes) though it's taken a lot out of him. Cool stuff. We're relaxing now and I'm buying Chinese takeaway as thanks.

Cool day - busy but fun.

I was going to sleep in this morning, but Pegasus was keen to get me up. It was obvious that he wanted a dog walk. Took the bugger out, but we seemed to go in a devious route. I was prepared to take him for a "long walk" over the footbridge to the other side of Barnsley, and back again via the ford, he had other ideas.

He sniffed all around the building site of the preschool that's still in construction. We almost went down the back alleyway but I got us to go up where the old railway used to be (runs parallel to Appletree Rd). Then we cut back to the other side of Appletree, and finally went down a gravel track to boomerang back to # 46.

However, he met one dog and wanted to "make friends", though it wasn't keen. Then on the gravel road we encountered a guy with half a dozen Bull Mastiffs on his truck. Several were in cages but two (puppies apparently) were running next to the truck. They came over all enthusiastic and checked Peggy out, and there was almost a fight until the guy drove off (and passed a car going the other way - unusual unless they'd just come back from dumping trash).

There were plenty of BMX riders about so we cut across the bush and went home.

For most of the trip I felt like I had no energy at all. I felt like a "deep coldness" in my chest, and had "trembly legs" (very medical, eh?)  and like my throat was choking or clogged.

Bleaugh - hope I get over this soon.

This day started out as crap, but ended up quite well.

First off I left the travel clock I bought yesterday at home (duh!).

My normal routine of going to Second Life has been to drive to Teralba station and then catch the train to Wickham. I did this as usual, getting there about 5 minutes early, only to see the train leaving at the station! I still went to the station and got an excursion ticket, and found a worker there who I asked for a time table. He gave me one and said that the trains were running different because of track work for the next week or so (oh joy). Also, the next train was 50 minutes away!

I decided a change of plans. I'd go to the uni instead so I drove to Glendale and as I parked saw that (Sugar Valley) bus leaving the bus port! I went over to check the time tables and the Toronto bus arrived, which also went to the uni. In fact it went there quicker than the other bus (huh?). 

At the uni I: got quotes for QUERELLE;  designed a new set of flyers and ran off about 500 cards; and also happened to meet "B.J." who's the husband of one of the people I went to TAFE with (for my Library course). I decided to catch the train rather than the bus into town, as I was planning to distribute them in Hamilton and South Hamilton. As I got to the bottom of the footbridge I saw the train I was going to catch leave (again!). I checked the timetable and the next one was in 30 minutes.

Rather that wait, I thought I'd walk to Maitland road and catch a bus into town there. I distributed some cards on the way, and then decided to walk to Mayfield. I walked there, distributing more cards, and then went to Mayfield Library. Who should I meet at the library but Sally, who was doing volunteer work there (and was also a classmate at TAFE). It was good to chat with her again (she finally graduated, after time-off after a car accident) and she even offered to give me a lift to the uni, but I decided to walk to Tighes Hill.

After getting halfway there (and still dropping cards in letter boxes) I was going to catch a bus into town but changed my mind. I walked (by a devious route) to Islington. I stopped at the Gateway, had a shandy schooner, and copied an advert on its noticeboard (for a person looking for accommodation - maybe they could rent one of my rooms) and stopped at ACON to pick up copies of "Out Now" (which reprinted an article of mine on web comics). Then I walked to Hamilton, East Hamilton, and down town (with a short stop at The Store) to Second Life.

So, in 3 hours roughly, I'd walked from the University at Callaghan  into West Newcastle and second life, about 6-7 km. I dropped off about 150 flyers/cards. It was a fine day and I felt tired but good by the end of it. Liz wasn't there, so I decided not to place an advert today in the newspaper. I had a cup of tea, chatted to Kelly and Jackie, who was no longer managing the fabric shop next door (it closed two weeks ago), but was helping out at the Photographer's. Caught a train to Cardiff, and almost immediately back to Glendale.

Rather than just go home, I did some shopping instead. Ended up buying a pair of shoes; two pairs of ladies track pants; 2 night shirts; and a black ruffle dress, for just over $60 (SALES - hurray!). Felt really good when I got home. The exercise had perked me up, and the clothes and shoes were things I really needed.

It was a good day (for once).