Stepping Westward - by William Wordsworth

"What, you are stepping westward?" -- "Yea."

'Twould be a wildish destiny

If we who thus together roam

In a strange land and far from home,

Were in this place the guests of Chance :

Yet who would stop, or fear to advance,

Though home or shelter he had none,

With such a sky to lead him on ?

The dewy ground was dark and cold ;

Behind, all gloomy to behold ;

And stepping westward seemed to be

A kind of heavenly destiny :

I liked the greeting ; 'twas a sound

Of something without place or bound ;

And seemed to give me spiritual right

To travel through that region bright.

The voice was soft, and she who spake

Was walking by her native lake :

The salutation had to me

The very sound of courtesy :

Its power was felt ; and while my eye
Was fixed upon the glowing Sky,

The echo of the voice enwrought

A human sweetness with the thought

Of travelling through the world that lay

Before me in my endless way.

(Photo: Wings in the Wind by A. E. Marty)

Words of Worth

Last night one of the units in our complex caught on fire. Nobody was hurt, and the damage was minimal, but it had me considering which of my possessions were worth rescuing.

The only thing I could think of? My little old book of Wordsworth's poetry. Published somewhere between the late 1800s and the mid 1900s, and written circa 1790-1845, I bought it for $2 at a Lifeline Bookfest and it's now one of my dearest companions.

It really hit me that most of our "stuff" is so meaningless and unnecessary. All I need is Neil and a few lines of verse, and the world is mine.

Wings have we -- and as far as we can go
We may find pleasure : wilderness and wood,
Blank ocean and mere sky, support that mood
Which with the lofty sanctifies the low.
Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know
Are a substantial world, both pure and good:
Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood,
Our pastime and our happiness grow.
-- From 'Personal Talk' by William Wordsworth

Beautiful Brisbane

"The true journey of discovery exists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

I took these photos last year when my sister Emily and I decided to be 'tourists' in our own town - to see Brisbane with new eyes. Today as I wandered along the river with my mother I felt a similar sense of grasping Brisbane in a fresh way.

This post is dedicated to the bits of Brisbane that make us love it. The buzz of Southbank; the bohemian chill of West End; the wired vibe of the Valley. Not to mention the sprawling 'burbs with their old Queenslanders and big backyards - with Hills Hoist, sprinkler and trampoline.

As a way of welcoming new blog readers, I'd invite you to comment to this post with a brief description of the things that, through your eyes, make little Brizzy great. If you're on facebook, just click over to the real blog here at http://carla-steppingwestward.blogspot.com/ and share your view. Thanks!

Winter Wonderland

Sitting in the 30+ degree Queensland moisture, it's hard to imagine that the town I'm about to move to is currently frosted over.

This story-book photo of Norwich was taken by a local this month.

Two months 'til take-off

Such a strange concoction: the thrill of upcoming adventure mixed with the burden of organisation; the ache to clear out but the inability to do so -- yet the excitement of knowing that barriers to our exit will soon be removed.

Two months today 'til we hand back the keys to this then-empty unit, and say goodbye to our home of almost five years.

Two months 'til the roaming begins.