The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die –
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land –
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand –
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
Dorothea McKellar
We're off to Utah this weekend, to visit Rick's darling Mom. Home on Tuesday to un-pack, do laundry & re-pack and then leave on Wednesday. I can't wait to spend time "home" with my family. Rick and my 3 younger kids have never been, and I can't wait to introduce them to my country.We'll spend time in Sydney visiting friends and hanging out with my 3 sisters who live there. After Rick (who couldn't miss too much work) and Rebekah (who couldn't miss too much school) arrive we'll take a jaunt up to Cairns, where we'll stay in the Daintree Rainforest at the hotel and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, among other things. Then back to Sydney for a few more days before heading back to NY.
I am SO excited. First though, I need to fly to Utah and back with the kids by myself - and then to Australia (for 23 hours) with the younger 3. Remember me in your prayers!
I'm sure I'll have millions of things to post about & tons of pictures when I get back. See you later!
6 comments:
I've got some fantastic memories of my 6 months in Australia when I stayed part of that time with your family (can't believe that was 22 years ago!!) and would love to go back myself one day. Have a great trip. I just don't envy you that 23hr flight on your own with the little ones! I'm sure Emily will be a big help to you, though. Take care - Karen xx
I loved taking Rebecca's advice and wrapping up a bunch of cheap toys to hand out at different times during the flight. silly puddy has been a big hit for Z.
HAVE A BLAST!
I am sooo jealous! Have a great time. one of these days I will make it back--I love Australia! We are taking a crazy trip back to NY this summer--with all 5 kids--we'll have to try to get together somehow---we are also driving down to Philly and Hershey Park--yummy! So it will be a busy week--maybe we could meet at The Bronx Zoo--my kids love it there!
Tania, we have a sister in our ward who is also from Australia. (She is one of my favorite people in the world!) Ever since I realized where you are from, I have put her voice to your posts when I read them, so I read with an Australian accent. :-)
Have a great time in Australia!
Have a great trip! Can't wait to hear all about it! Will pray on Wed. for your success on the plane. If anyone can do it, you can, you are so capable.
Wow, I am reading this way late, but have a fantastic voyage!
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