Royal Poinciana

This is a magnificant tree and there are a lot of them in Atherton. Just nearby Peter's parents place is a very good specimen, and on a recent fine day he took a few snaps of it for the blog.

The Poinciana is a native of Madagascar and it thrives in the Queensland tropics. Each year it blooms with bright red flowers for four to eight weeks.

The Poinciana provides broken shade so grass can grow right up to he base of the tree, underneath the house sized umbrella shaped canopy. It has no pests and is a favourite for shady outside living.

Out of Steam

This old train languishes in Atherton today. New life had been lovingly given to her in the 90's when many devoted volunteers pulled her apart piece by piece. They cleaned and reassembled her as good as new. They cleaned up the tracks from Atherton to Herberton and for a while ran a train service there and back. There just was not the interest generated to keep the effort viable and most trips ran at a loss. Coal, and fire wood supplements, were expensive for the hungry engine, but what was the final killer was stiff government regulations on track upkeep. Without the right standard maintained, insurance cover would be non-existant. So everything had to stop. That was about seven years ago.

It is sad because the rail trip from Atherton to Herberton is worth keeping as a heritage rail at least. The train has one tunnel to pass through. It was in this tunnel back in 1945 that George kissed Peter's mum so none could see. How romantic is that! We meet George 63 years later in the previous blog. They are still great friends.

School Reunion

Every year Peter's mum has an opportunity to join in with a class reunion. She is part of a couple of grades of children who did their sub-junior and junior years (today's grades nine and ten) in Herberton during the war years. Herberton is on the south western edge of the Atherton Tableland and was noted for its good schools. She boarded there at the Methodist hostel. Peter was particularly interested to meet George, his mum's boyfriend of these highschool years. The picture above is of George and his wife Lorna with Peter's mum and dad. Each year it becomes just a little bit harder to get to these reunions and those who make it are becoming fewer, but it was worth the effort. The day was cool with the occasional light shower. Nice.

Before they disbanded, the three eighty-year-olds posed for a photo: Max, Hazel and George. Hazel and George went to the Herberton School and were one year ahead of Peter's mum. In another year, almost all of the group will have passed eighty.

Death of a Cow

When a cow becomes a pet and lives for twenty years, it is inevitable that sometime along the line one would have the difficult task of seeing her demise.

Here is one such story just recently happened in the hot humidity of North Queensland. An old man now 82 has been raising a few head of cattle from the time Peter was just a boy. In those days, this man would take his children and Peter and his two brothers to the Boulders in the back of his truck. The Boulders is the classic, cold and wild swimming spot amongst the rocks, and the truck ride was part of the fun.

Just last week, one of his old cows fell into the creek and was stuck there. This fellow and his neighbours tried various methods to coax her out but to no avail. She lacked the wherewithall to move. They searched for her most recent calf, but it could not be found. They tried molasses since she was a molasses junkie, but even that did not work. The best they could do was prop the head out of the water so that the yabbies would stop nibbling at one of her bulging eyes.

On the third day, there was a terrible bellowing from all the other cattle. They had come to her as she lay in the creek. Their normal lowing had changed to a mournful and constant barrage of sound, one long forceful wake. Everyone about knew she had died.

When the old man came with his neighbours to the place, they found all the other cattle standing about her lifeless body. As soon as they saw the humans approaching, they stopped their bellowing . They were released from the Spirit that held them there, from their focus on her, and the wake ended abruptly. Two of the bulls hung about agressively, but the old man, only in his speedos and gumboots, shooed them away. These bulls, one mature and one still growing, were two of hers.

The way to the creek was completely overgrown, and fallen trees had not been removed since the destruction of the last cyclone. It took three more days for a path to be cut through for the tractor to reach her. By that stage, there was a very strong odor and he and his neighbours had to cope with this as they whinched her out.

The conclusion to this fairly gross saga was the great pyre prepared for her on a hill, some distance away from the creek. There the old queen of the jungle was lost amongst the ashes.

Tropical Rain

Greening the green
Wetting the wet
Cleansing the air
Answering prayer
..
Cooling homes
Clearing drains
Rincing sand
Refreshing the land
..
Splashing paths
Washing roads
Delaying the wash
Filling the trough

..
Simplifying lives
Quietening souls
Desolving resist
Returning the gift..

Wow, three inches this afternoon.

Shepherd Storytelling

There is a further story to tell about our Good Shepherd enactment from earlier this month. We left the golden box with the story props in it with our family at Gembrook. When we did, Peter first showed them how the story went. The four kids - Caleb, Piper, Miriam and Jasper all watched how it went and then had a go with the story themselves (not Jasper though). They then had another go and this time began to alter the story, like having the ordinary shepherd chase away the wolf and every sheep becoming lost!

And this story was offered to a Bible study group the following week. Bec sent an email describing what happened:

"Caleb used your props to tell the story at biblestudy last night - pretty good - everyone was listening. Then the kids made their own good places and shadowy places, and had a turn with the shepherd... That was interesting to watch too. So thanks againfor bringing it round, cos it's been really ace..."

We are realising just how much potential this Godly Play teaching method has with multi-generational groups. Fantastic stuff Caleb, and what a keen memory you have.

Bedroom Meals

There was a time not too long ago when no body was allowed to eat in the bedrooms. Necessity has altered this rule and Peter (camera eye), Mon, Mum, Dad and Phil shared a memorable and rare family lunch together in Mum and Dad's bedroom. It is becoming less and less common to see either of the oldies downstairs these days. Old age is taking its toll and we all have to adapt to our present conditions.

Peter has flown up to North Queensland again, this time for a slightly longer stay. His brother Mon had a real need to return to Melbourne to wind up his affairs there. When Mon returns, it will probably be for a very long time... like Atherton will be his home. Mon overlaped a full day with Peter in order to show the many details required to be a carer for both old parents. Peter was on a high learning curve. If he makes a mistake Ma and Pa (as they are known by our children) will forgivingly correct him.

Peter drove Mon to Cairns Airport and saw him off in the dropoff zone. My goodness Cairns is hot at the moment! Mon was off on his new adventure, the main part being emptying his unit in Melbourne and driving back with loads of stuff. May God give him travelling mercies.