Week 235-7 “My country by Dorothea MacKellar”

“Of Droughts and Flooding rains ” – the line from her poem comes true once again. We sympathise with those having to deal with our country Those that have lost homes , stock and crops.

Core of my heart My Country

By Dorother Mackeller – written 1904

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die –
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold –
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land –
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand –
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

The last three weeks have passed quickly. The waiting for the kids to arrive before Christmas seemed to drag but once they where here everything flew. Michael arrived on Christmas Eve and under Jill’s instruction we had a Christmas dinner although Jill was not allowed to open her presents until Boxing Day when the rest arrived. Riley, Chris & Nicole arrived followed closely by Allison & Chris. The second Christmas was under way.

The arrival of Riley is more than enough presents for us and to watch the changes as he grows is amazing. He acknowledges everyone with smiles & giggles. Jill cannot take her eyes off him. Although she is worried he will be afraid of her voice and that she cannot get down with him. He does not worry and smiles at her anyway

Jill was not 100% over Christmas and she was worried she might pass it on to Riley. She improved as their visit came to an end.

Allison and Chris stayed overnight before heading back to Bendigo to care for their sick cat. Michael had clients booked in for Tuesday so we were left with Riley and his parents. Chris had brought up their new camper trailer so we could help prepare it for their holiday which commences today – they are off to Eden on the NSW south coast.

Allison and Chris have just flown north to Port Douglas in Queensland for a holiday.

I mentioned that Jill had not been 100% over Christmas; we saw our specialist on the Tuesday prior to Christmas and Jill had been really good, movement was great and he commented how well she transferred from the wheel chair to the scales and how good her voice was.. The next morning she was feeling lousy, legs and knees aching, having trouble moving her feet and her voice had become quieter. This progressed for the rest of the week with Jill trying to hide it. We dosed her up and it helped with less toilet visits and eventually by the time the kids were heading home she was almost back to normal. Walking and transfers have still not got back to where she wants. We received a new walking frame yesterday – a bit more stable than the one we had on loan from the hospital. This one is on permanent loan from the Government Aids and Equipment Scheme. The frame cost $390 of which we contribute $90 and we have it until it is no longer needed.

We have had some interest in out caravan and hopefully something comes of it. I will need to wash the van again before the prospective buyer comes to look at it next weekend.

I have been doing some more family tree searching and Jill is sick of me being on the computer and I get into trouble all the time.

Well I had better get Jill up and showered.

See you soon on the net