Caloundra

As we strolled towards Bulcock Beach early on Sunday morning in search of coffee and breky, I was reminded of one of my favourite poets, Emily Bulcock. Her poetry is so visually stumulating, she was prolific, her love of the region easily recognisable in so many of her poems. What a wonderful woman too..kind and generous of spirit and very helpful on a practical level to young writers and children.. Below is an excerpt of one of my favourites of hers entitled simply 'Caloundra', it makes me see the place through new eyes..

She has dawns of wonder, and flaming sunsets!
When soft strange lights on the waters lie.
I have no words to paint the marvel
Of opal colours of sea and sky,
When the ocean chants to the day "Good-bye,"
'Ere back of Beerwah the last rays die!
The weird Glasshouses catch the glow,
Then dark with mantling purples grow!

If a painter stood at the gates of Heaven,
And caught the gleam of the streets of pearl,
Then, as they opened, glimpsed the vision
In the radiant eyes of some ransomed girl,
Watching the banners of beauty unfurl:-
He then might picture with artist hand
These rare rich colours on sea and land!

The Simplicity of the Beach

I love the simplicity of the beach more than almost anything in the world (besides chocolate). Remember when we were little and someone said 'Come on, we're off to the beach', and all you needed to grab were your togs and a towel and if Mum could catch me as I flew out the door, a splash of sunscreen on the nose.... well now it's half an hour preparation time just to walk across the road to the surf! Check list.. sunscreen? hat? towel? extra t-shirt? thongs? book? spare change? mobile phone? spare undies? keys? beach umbrella? chair? By the time we collapse on the sand these days, groaning under the weight of the beach bag and its items, the sun is almost setting ha! well, not quite.. Even packing for my glorious week with Mum and sis at Coolum last week was bigger than Ben Hur. I have travelled and worked around the world with small suitcases, but last week needed our mini van to take everyone's "stuff" to Clubb Coolum!! And you know what... MOST, no in fact, nearly ALL of it remained untouched... books unread, CDs not played; DVDs unwatched (no TV watched at all); unfinished art pieces still not finished.. no jewellery worn; no make up put on for the entire week; no pretty flouncy dresses worn out at night (way too over-dressed), we three just sat mesmerised by the ocean view right across from our balcony (see pics above from our balcony) listening to the loud crashing waves.. we were literally drowning in the ocean's chant.. absolute sheer bliss! Who needs all that STUFF! I have to remember this as we start to excitedly decorate our new little beach bungalow at Moffat Beach.. the KIS principle.. Keep It Simple! A true escape from the mind clutter of our daily lives.. want a sneak preview of our bungalow's website.. www.moffatbeachbungalow.com Stay tuned!