Paying Ready Attention

I think it’s important that I establish some sense of proportion here – not everything I see interests me.  There, I’ve said it.  I pay attention to some things that many people ignore, and ignore many things people find fascinating. That’s the way of the world.  Some things I return to time after time, never finding them dull or tarnished by familiarity.  Some things I cross the street to avoid.  And there are some things that don’t hold my attention in any way whatsoever, but I can’t avoid either. This, in no significant order, is the current list of things that fall into that last category – the unavoidable and the annoying: ·       Days over 100 ◦ c ·       Dusty winds (especially on hot days) ·       Large cities (especially on hot days with dusty winds) ·       Sand (especially when blown into large cities on hot days) ·       Going shopping (books and cameras excepted) ·       Tony Abbott (on any day, in any weather, in any form of human habit

The egrets had left the roost and were pecking at the feet of morning feeding cattle, riding on their backs seeking insects flushed from the long grass.  Beams of soft light slanted across the road, highlighting the patches of mist that hung around the edges of the trees and in slight hollows; there was a coolness in the air and for once it was not raining.  A cassowary and its following chick walked across the road ahead of us and did its magical disappearing trick into the bush.  We arrived at our destination on time to find out that really we were early, and that nobody else was there yet. Elastic time. North Queensland time.  Eventually other people arrive in car, vans and on foot. We fill in forms and order  coffee.  We take the deep breaths of air full of nothing and promising everything. With less relaxation we pull on the wet suits, regretting the coffee and wondering why we gave up yoga.  Nobody looks thin in a wet suit we tell