As I walk through my mountain forests I often come across impressive examples of the past power of geological events. I also often see things that I can’t explain.
This mighty rock rests upright, halfway up the sides of one of my spring gullies. It is too imperious to be ‘decorated’ with moss as lesser rocks are, mainly restricting it to its feet.
But how did that small separate rock get up there on its top? And stay there?
It has sat there, like a wren on an elephant’s head, for the thirty years I’ve been here.
Well Lesley, the short story that won the Alan Marshall Award, ‘Traces of Life’, was about just that. I am trying to get a collection of my short stories published, and it will be in that. But yes, I feel that loss, and my own ignorance, very strongly here.
If you could only talk to the vanished indigenous people of your mountain, they would certainly have a dreaming story for that rock and it would have a spiritual significance – how tragic to feel that that knowledge is so recently gone – just a couple of lifetimes at most.
Hi Sherry. Glad you enjoyed the book so much. I think there are a lot of kindred green spirits like us out there from the feedback I get.
My next book is getting to that stressful stage of ‘will I make the deadline or not?’
It won’t be out until next year(April/May) but rest assured it will be given due fanfare on this web site then.
Sorry, but I can’t actually do individual notifications. But I’m delighted that you already want to read it!
Hi Sharyn, I recently read your book “The Woman on the Mountain” and just loved it! So much that you wrote about had such resonance with me. I too live on an acreage (only small), but it backs onto a beautiful bush valley. While reading of your exploits with all the wildlife, it brought back memories of my own encounters with the same animals and birds (although we don’t have any quolls). Into bush regeneration, gardening, and nature in general, plus of a similar age (women’s lib) myself, I read with great empathy of your experiences. I look forward to your next book (which you mentioned at your talk at Hornsby Library). Please email me to alert me to when it is published.
Sherry Cook
Yes Kez, Easter Island was my first thought! Only my bloke is more rounded.
You’d expect to see that on an ancient Incan site or something!