Yarrangabilly

This was my favourite time of day, the morning light before sunrise. The crisp mountain air was exhileraing as I had explored the firetrail to the Coobragarra Wilderness. Unusual limestone formations stood sentinel along this uneven valley track. This limestone extends from Blue Water Holes to the north and to the Yarrangabilly Caves to the south.

As I turned the corner on my return, the sun shone on this verdant beautiful valley. I stopped to take in the vista with the dark majestic European trees standing alongside the tall Australian eucalypts. It is very hard to imagine that a substantial village of Yarrangabilly once stood here, with its own police, school and post office. Only the postmasters residence now stands along the now busy Snowy Mountains Highway. Very little else gives any hint of any civilization here only those trees that were planted here by the settlers. They are now well over one hundred and fifty years old.

What did fascinate me was a chair, a substantial armchair, carefully carved out of a tree stump. This is on the northern side of the hill near the Horseshoe Trail overlooking the valley. It certainly is not obvious to the campers. Yet one can imagine the love put into the workmanship and here it is still some one and a half centuries later. Here under one of those magnificent tall trees, I could just visualise a mum sitting here maybe looking over her brood.

Back then the Police were here to protect the gold being transported from the Kiandra Gold Rush to Tumut. I wondered why it wasn't taken straight to Canberra then I remembered that our capital didn't exist then.

Now years later, centuries later, nature has taken over again and this valley is deserted, nearly pristine and certainly glorious. Just another treasure in our wonderful diverse country. a place we delight return to a often as we can.

Family Christmas

Christmas time is different things to so many people. Nowadays there are so many lonely people. Of the thousands of homeless people, there are many who were educated, successful professional people. What tripped them up so now they cannot pick themselves up? Saddest still are the numbers of suicides over this supposedly festive season.

Others dread the confrontations of meeting family members at Christmas. Complications from extended families, blended families, constant abuse either physical, sexual or emotional cause these supposedly joyous time to be anything but happy. Add to that, fights over just who will have the children over this time and expensive presents to buy the young ones love. Worse still is when offspring does not fit into either parents plan.

This last week to me has been an awesome time of extended family life and christian fellowship. I'm so blessed for having remarkable Christian grandparents who started our Christmas family traditions. Their first Christmas in Australia nearly ended disastrously. My grandmother had carefully brought all her favourite decorations and these were now placed on a tradional Australian Christmas tree, a pine tree, very different to the spruce in homeland Estonia. Spruce is a bluish green with the large arms hanging down like a large green blanket. On to this, it was easy to attach her ornaments and unique candle holders. It was a different matter putting these onto the pine tree with its uplifted arms and pine needles. Disaster struck when it came time to light her candles. These heavier candle holders were unpredictable on these unstable branches and within minutes the pine needles were alight.

Money was in short supply but that didn't hinder any of our festive plans. It is remarkable how cheaper cuts of meat taste so good after my Grandpa Isa had so lovingly smoked them in his crude, handmade smoker. Several neighbours commented but no official complaints were ever made. For days before Christmas, the kitchen was a hothouse with the distinctive aromas coming from hogs head being transformed into Grandma Ema's delicious 'sult', a unique brawn totally different to the Australian counterpart. Rosolje, her sumptuous potato salad etc plus buns all had to be made. Rarely did a Christmas go by without additional lonely people or families being added to our festivities. Often it reminded me of 'feeding the five thousand' where the food just stretched and no-one went hungry. My parents carried on the traditions.

This all took place at the traditional European time - Christmas Eve. After the meal it was the sharing of presents, then our traditional sing time. Instruments were rarely needed. Isa would just start off a carol (usually in Estonian) and everyone would join in always in parts. This is where my deep love of acapella began. I painfully miss singing in harmony in church. I miss the familiar, each week there seems to be new songs which the worship team often do as a solo. Probably why I like my Gaither tapes so much. Bill reminds me of my Isa so much when he calls the words out for the choir to sing.

Now two generations on, our daughters Sandra and Karen are taking their part. Noise and laughter are not in short supply, not unexpected with twelve excited grandchildren but this is all part of the joyous season. Music still is not too far away, either CD or Christian satellite or literally singing together.

Sunday before Christmas a speaker asked his congregation what they were going to give to the 'Birthday Child?' We were told not to consider just money, time etc, they are all things He has given us. We are only giving back His own. Praise and worship are the only personal gifts we can give. "Lord, teach me to worship you in spirit and in truth".

The lights, trees amd decolrations have been put away again for another year. Christmas 2008 is over. But the stache of recollections will be added to my memory bank before I start preparing for this new year. What will we confront in 2009. Thank you Lord that we are not alone. You know ahead and will be with us through whatever it be.

Boambee

Just spent a relationally profitable forty eight hours with my younger daughter Karen and her family at Boambee Bay Resort. I enjoyed the early morning walks with Leo around the headland and up to the water tank before anyone else was up in the morning. Spent a perfect day at Coffs Harbour Pet Porpoise Pool. This place won the NSW tourist award for 2007. Not a big attraction but very hands on with guests interacting with the dolphins and seals.