How the Waratah Became Red

Way back in the dreamtime when all the plants and animals, trees and humans were being formed there lived an Aboriginal Tribe in the shadow of a story mountain.

On the side of the mountain there were flowering plants and among them the waratah which shot up above the other plants looking bold and beautiful. Most of the flowers were coloured white. Among them lay a red-bellied black snake called Gurri-Gurri. He found a nice warm spot on the top of the waratahs in the sun.

The women of the tribe came to dig for yams. A young baby girl had seen the snake laying in the sun and crawled towards him. She need not have feared Gurri-Gurri though because he was her totem and her protector. A woman saw Gurri-Gurri just as he lifted his head into the child’s lap and she hurled her digging stick at him.

Quickly Gurri-Gurri wrapped himself around the infant so the sticks wouldn’t hurt her. But the women threw more and more sticks and Gurri-Gurri’s blood began to spill on to the waratahs as he crawled away.

The sun came out and shone down on the waratahs, making them grow tall and strong. Their vivid red colour still marks the connection of plants and animals to mother nature. The red-bellied black snake still lies among the waratahs looking for his sun spot.

Story told by Kevin Smith from the Murramarang Tribe Southeast Coast, NSW, Australia.

This Aboriginal dreamtime story and many others, we relate each week to the children who attend Mt Druitt Learning Ground in Sydney. The stories take my breath away.

"When I dream, I am ageless."
~~ Elizabeth Coatsworth


Above photo taken in Canberra, Australia in October 2010. - Waratah (Telopea, Shady Lady)

A Musical Story

My world would be unimaginable without music washing over me, it has played a huge part in my life from as far back as I can remember.......it is food for my soul!

I am in awe of songwriters. Not only for the beautiful lyrics they write but combined with the melodies, they take me to a wondrous place.

So today I have borrowed the lyrics from VARIOUS SONGS written by Gary Lightbody off Snow Patrol's latest album "A Hundred Million Suns" to write this musical story.

Hold on, hold on, let me get the words out before I burst!

Crack the shutters open wide
I want to see you in the light of day
It's been minutes. It's been days. It's been all I will remember.

It's a mess. It's a start. It's a flawed work of art.

Pick a side. Pick a fight. But get your epitaph right!

Or you can sing till you drop,
Cause the fun just never stops.

Tell me you never wanted more than this,
And I will stop talking now.

Your love is life piled tight and high,
Set against the sky, that seems to balance on it's own.

I'm not afraid of anything, even time.
It'll eke away at everything, but we'll be fine.

Just close your eyes,
And count to five,
Let's craft the only thing we know into surprise.

When your eyes meet mine, I lose simple skills,
Like to tell you all I want is now.

What will you remember, what will you think of me,
After I say goodbye.

I know you love me, like the million times I never said.

Hit that button there,
The one that just says wrong.
And we'll lose our minds to all our favourite songs.

What if this storm ends,
And leaves us nothing except a memory.
A distant echo.

Worry not everything is sound.
This is the safest place you're found.

Stop waving your arms you're safe and dry,
Breathe in and drink up the winter sky.



The most beautiful merry-go-round (carousel) I have ever seen - Strasbourg, France - June 2008