real-life living on the land...

The real-life of living on the land is beyond a romantic dream...
It can be a very dark place...
A dark reality...
And it need not be...
If only there was a little political empathy...and action... https://t.co/Mnl9ZQITtl

— Gemma Wiseman - on Bunurong land, Kulin Nation (@AuraGem) October 24, 2021

flooding rains...

Broken Hill, NSW is not the only one enjoying recent 'flooding rains'... Outback, in the north of South Australia, has wallowed in some glorious mud too...It's been about 4 years coming... https://t.co/ZLeLWo0FSF

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) September 21, 2020

This view is of Marree in South Australia. They recorded more rain in one day last weekend than rain recorded for 2018 and 2019 combined...

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) September 21, 2020

One storm after the other moving through - giving thanks for the gift of rain, and hoping it falls where it's needed most. pic.twitter.com/tdLeXjahFv

— Norann Voll at Bruderhof (@NorannV) September 21, 2020

The above scene is at the Danthonia Bruderhof community on the Gwydir Highway at Elsmore in northern NSW.

resilience in fire and drought...

It’s the weekend, time to relax and listen to Story Lounge – our storytime for adults!https://t.co/ykSFtlLKly
Our next live session will be on Wednesday 22 April at midday. pic.twitter.com/g7K7OVX2ag

— City of Melbourne Libraries (@melblibrary) April 17, 2020

This morning I ventured to Story Lounge presented by the City of Melbourne Libraries.
(I am trying to explore new worlds in this pandemic to keep my curiosity polished and alive.)
There I found 2 writers I know nothing about...and loved instantly...
They were Alice Bishop and Cate Kennedy - 2 Victorian writers...
The main themes for both writers involved disasters and resilience

Alice Bishop - A Constant Hum

(collection of short stories - based on the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday fires)
Maps (micro short story - just a few sentences)
'there's something calming when I see no blackened scar through green'...
My comment recorded on City of Melbourne Libraries YouTube:
The Alice Bishop story has a sense of taking in the breath and holding it...a sense of breathlessness...a sense of waiting at a crossroads to find a sign ...Absolutely beautiful piece of sharp, intense, 'soul shaking' writing...

Cate Kennedy (from the hot and dry north-western Victoria region)
 - The Taste of River Water -

(collection of poetry about drought)
8 by 10 colour enlargement $16.50 (Cate Kennedy reads her poem HERE)
'This was the first moment my children ever saw rain...'
 'the tired love in her husband's hand..'
'another untold story and that's why I'm telling you now...'
My comment recorded on City of Melbourne Libraries YouTube:
The narrator in Cate Kennedy's poem is an enigmatic, interesting voice...almost like a watcher... a journalist seeking that special insight beyond the mainstream news? Reminds me of Frank Bongiornau's challenge to record/journal - April 10, recorded on Twitter. He challenged us all to our personal record daily life in the midst of this current pandemic. How are we surviving? He pointed out that we could be establishing primary sources for the future historian. I have taken up the challenge and I'm recording the highs and lows of surviving...trying to include many kinds of surviving e.g I am churning out haiku and micropoetry to represent the inner tides. In short, I am trying to record beyond the ever-changing mainstream politics and policies...I guess, ultimately I could be like the narrator of the poem... I could even be the very woman who won 2nd prize for her photo. Enjoyed your readings. Beautifully paced. (Sorry...Perhaps I am raving...I'll stop)

P.S.I am good at being awarded 'second prize' because I don't follow 'the rules' exactly.
I may even sink to 'highly commended', because somehow I just don't fit the labels and tags required.