The Bush

Cool. Clear. Water.

Water is essential to all life.

Now I realise this statement falls into the “duh!” department, but sometimes we lose sight of the simplicity of the concept. I know I have. Mostly when I was living in the ‘Big Smoke’ and worrying about traffic and road rage. I’m not a patient person. And I know myself well enough to know that get worse when I’m not near some sort of H2O… whether it’s a just a shower or a full-blown Kakadu waterfall, I need my ‘fix’ to keep me sane. And smelling nice!
Humans are drawn to water, often in a subconscious way.
It’s a fact that ‘we’ (the masses) pay massive amounts of money to holiday near (or even live near) water. Especially when we live in group situations (i.e. in towns or cities). A ‘water view’ puts the asking price of a dwelling in any Australian urban area up outrageously. And ‘uninterrupted ocean views’ can push those figures into the stratosphere.
When I lived in the city, Mr Incredible and I had an ocean glimpse of which we were inordinately proud. You’d have thought we’d built the Pacific ourselves, we were so keen to show off our square inch-through-the-trees flash of it’s aqua shimmer. You were not allowed to walk up our front stairs without a being whipped off for a quick detour to the deck for a viewing. Our motto: You got it? Flaunt it baby!
And I guess it’s the one thing that gets me, living in the bush:
The fact that I’m not always sure those that have been out here forever really fully appreciate the view
Sure they love the water, the locals round here
(I’m referring to the ones I know personally) …
Water is practical, it keeps animals alive and it ensure good grass growth. They know better than any that good rainfall helps keep the threat of bushfires in hand. And helps get stock through our long dry winters. Bushies measure rainfall and compare tallies and talk about it constantly…
But the sheer soul-reviving beauty of the flowing precipitation?
Do they go into poetic raptures about it?

Not. A. Bit.

They smile. Little knowing smiles.

But the ‘raptures’?

They’ll leave that to certain citified prodigal country chicks.

(That’d be moi, if you missed the oh-so-subtle hint there!)

Cause they know I find it very hard to drive past a trickling stream…

Or a move on by moody, reflective body of still water.
And should someone go and throw some colourful cows into the mix…

Well I can’t help but go getting all misty and poetic

And the ‘locals’? They smile, and shake their heads and go on about their business. And you wonder why I blog?
Heh.

So make me feel less like a crazy geek… what’s made you go into raptures lately?

14 Comments

  • Jenni

    One of my favorite places is the gravel bar on our stretch of river. I go down there whenever I can and I will sometimes spend hours picking through shells and rocks, looking for fossils, and finding old bottles and melted bits of glass to bring home. Sorting through the rocks and debris deposited by the river as I listen to the gentle lapping of the water, I sort through my thoughts, too. It may only be a muddy Kansas river instead of a crystal clear stream or blue ocean view, but it soothes and refreshes me and brings me peace.

  • Reddirt Woman

    The jonquils starting to bloom, the tulip leaves pushing out, the new growth coming on the old branches, trees budding out. The re-starting of life in the spring always fills my heart with rapture. I love the streams and water, too, but the re-birth of the land pushes my buttons.

    Great post and if you’re a crazy geek then I want to be one, too.

    Helen

  • Debby

    If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
    – Loren Eiseley

    I love the ocean and its bigness, but a trickling spring also intrigues me with its smallness.

  • Gem

    Great shots again, BB. At the moment great photography is sending me into raptures. I love, love, love it. I never thought that I could be addicted to photography!

  • Mom L

    The water is great – I grew up on the East coast of Florida – and I love your photos. But what sent me into raptures lately? SNOW! We had snow in Atlanta yesterday. Lots and lots of big fluffy flakes that stayed on the ground – and I had to scrape snow off the windshield today, and even tonight there is still snow on the ground in shady spots. Yep. Snow!
    Nancy

  • A Novel Woman

    Ah, love those water shots. And as soon as my lake unfreezes and the two feet of ice drops into its depths, I’ll post some water shots too. Check ’em out, say around July or so. 😉

  • I'm Julie

    Great post. That last picture of the cows (bulls? heifers? bovines? – hey, give a suburban housewife a break, here!) Anyway that last picture of the ANIIMALS drinking might be my favorite you’ve ever posted. Gorgeous!

  • Tracy

    Water water everywhere – that’s what makes my heart sing! Your pictures were truly worth a thousand words. And I love that last pic of the three cows drinking – breathtaking!

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