Sunday 10 May 2009

Sunday Scribblings. "Healing"


G'Day, Here are a few photos I took yesterday at the Botanic gardens here in Canberra.
Above is a collection of Casuarina seed pods, and my attempt at drawing them. Enlarge to see their fine details.
Sorry the pics are before the story. I don't know how to move them around.
Tree with rainbow python. I spent more time on the border that the tree and it shows. The border is more like what I usually like to scribble.
Some Canberra autumn colour to show off.
I love these gardens, aren't they wonderful. This area is dedicated to Tasmanian rain forest plants.
The bark from weird Casuarina I found with the bearded trunk.Oops! This is upside down. I flipped the wrong way and can't fix it now. The bark should be pointing down not upwards.
The picture below is of the red wattle bird that came to visit me in the gardens. So called because if you enlarge this picture you will see it has two red bits of skin, wattles, on each side of its face. It is part of the honey eater family, they are common but usually shy and have a repertoire of harsh loud calls.


Happy Mother's Day to all. As you can see from the heading, the Sunday Scribblings prompt for this week is "Healing".
I can vouch that is an appropriate subject to tie in with today being Mother's Day. I have been a mummy for the last 26 years, and will be for the rest of my life, no matter how old my kids grow.
Mummies have special magical healing powers. Just ask any baby or toddler and they will agree with you. They know the magic pain healing quality of a cuddle and a band aid. There is nothing as good as a band aid to sooth a stubbed toe or a squished finger. There is nothing like a cuddle from Mum to quench a timid child's fear, pain or indignity.
One day you are cuddling a baby. The next day you are dusting off dirt from a fall or a crash from a push bike and adding a band aid to a skinned knee. Just a short while later you have the privilege of sitting one of their little school mates up on the kitchen table and doing the same for them. A few quickly passing years later the same boy comes to your house, grown to over 6 foot tall and you think wow! Then you remember with pride putting the band aid on his knee. So special.
Mummies do have special healing powers. I can remember the times when my kids had their falls, their broken bones, their hurt pride and feelings and heart. I was there through it all. Now look at them. Moving onwards and upwards. I may not have always had all the right answers but I was there.
Did you know that daughters, sisters, friends, family, wives and lovers, even strangers have special healing powers too. They are the ones that stay. They are the ones that listen, support, hold your hand and will their strength through their hand into your body to heal and help you and hopefully, when they are ready to let you, you can do the same for them. When they are not there, they are in your mind, or even writing on your blog comments page.
Also consider the healing power of sharing conversation. It can save a life. Even when you don't know it. Just by being kind to someone you don't know, you could be using your power of healing and turn the tables on their state of mind. I had the experience a few months back, and the giver did not even know what she had done for me.
But I remember her.
I also remember the man at the beach who could see I was upset and came over to talk and stayed with me for a while. Healing can be symbiotic, he was on his way to the Dr to get test results. I hope he got good results. Also the lady at the little gallery whom I was speaking with, who reaffirmed my interest in the arts. Something I had forgotten in my turmoil, but something that helped settle me.
The power of healing does not necessarily come from a doctor or a tablet, that is physical healing, if you are lucky. The power of healing what is inside is every bit as vitally important to our fellow man as anything that physical healing can give.And I believe that it is something we all hold in our hands.
I know it is not easy to connect with other people because I am not good at doing that either, but if we were all kinder to each other.......
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Yesterday I took myself out for the day to one of my favourite Canberra places. The botanical gardens. I walked and walked. I sat down for an hour or so and drew. I can't really draw, and am more of a pattern scribbler but it was a nice thing to do anyway. I was thinking of my blog friend Krissie, as she does draw, and I thought I would have a try. So Krissie you have inspired me.
While I was sitting at a table there a red wattle bird landed on the table beside me , not more that 3 feet away, watching what I was doing. Amazing. It was so tame, more likely though that it was looking to see if I had any food to share. When I had my lunch two glossy black crows where hanging around and sharing my food. I guess in the gardens they are confident that they won't be hurt and get bold being fed by the visitors. I also saw tiny wrens flitting through the bushes and other tiny birds that I don't know the name of. I have a bird book somewhere, must find it.
I also saw some strange plants that I had not noticed before on my trips there. There was a allocasuarina inophloia tree from Queensland that had a beard all over its trunk. Weird. Also saw a Banksia whose flower/seed pods were all hanging downwards and not standing up like all the other Banksia flowers I have seen. I thought that was weird too. I took pics, lots of them. In flower were the Croweas. Very pretty. Also Correa, Heath, Grevillia and Banksia flowers galore. I am, sure if I was to go there at any time of the year I would find something different to admire and there would be some other plant in flower. I was considering joining "Friends of the Gardens" a group that helps and supports with the Gardens and does educational things there. Might be good to meet some people and learn lots of new stuff. My gardening experience in the past has mainly been with non native plants and the gardens here are built around all native plants. Then I think, yeah what about time. Oh well. But those gardens. I love them to bits. So beautiful.
That is all today.
Bye
Love Linda.

9 comments:

Jennifer Hicks said...

gardens can be so healing. great insights!

Shadow said...

it good to have you back. your posts are always refreshing and relaxing. i hope you have a marvellous mother's day today!

Merle said...

Dear Linda ~~ Great post about the lovely gardens in Canberra and about Healing and how good Mums are at it.
I see you and Peter have bought a new car - it sounds great and the stories you write are very good.
The fall I had inside was a gentle one, the worst part was getting up
That took time and a huge effort.
I am fine now. Have never heard of Hip protectors. Thanks for the name of my flower - it was a Vinca they are very hardy. Take great care, dear friend. Love, Merle.

Weronika Janczuk said...

Happy Mother's Day, Linda May. :)

This was a great post about healing; a lot of relaxing and insightful commentary, and the pictures are wonderful!

Thanks for sharing!

Tammy Brierly said...

Beautiful photos and artwork. We all have healing powers was a great road to go down, today of all days.

Happy Mother's Day

Everydaythings said...

Linda - YOU do not ME to inpsire you, yeah give the odd prompt, but looking at your wonderful drawings.... they re GREAT! I see I have competition - lol...no just joking! Look drawing and art is a recognised form of healing. I took it up after a tragic situation in my family and it took me thru the following year which was awful, but the art helped me heal So keep drawing, and in the process not only do you heal, but you develop that artistic eye you seem to possess quite naturally already!! go YOU!!

Bimbimbie said...

Lovely piece about mums and healing hugs, so true.

I love the drawings - especially the snake and border. I think you had a healing hug from Mother Nature when you visited those lovely gardens. Give it a go, join the friends of the garden. Smiles to you*!*

George S Batty said...

What a great depiction of a mother om Mother's Day. I love your pictures and your site may be the only way I will ever see the real Australia. Keep it up. Old Grizz enjoys the time he spends on your Blog

Sorrow said...

Ahh, wish I was healing, but it doesn't feel like it.
Sigh
guess I need some more time.
The photo's are lovely, and I really like the sketches!
Are you going to do anything with them?