A very poignant and thoughtful post, Alia. I’m fascinated and dismayed in equal measure by how much this land we live on has been altered in the last two centuries, as much by neglect as exploitation. I only ever go to the High Country as a visitor: I envy your intimate daily connection with the mountains. But hey, I chose the coast, and that has its own charm.
Ah yes, if only we could have it all. I love visiting the coast and I often wonder if I should move there and be closer to family, but I've always been a mountain person. Sea breezes drive me insane after a while.
I'm enjoying your descriptions of the mountains in Black Spur, and the illustrations too.
Thank you Alia, your words so elegantly combine both the beauty and heartache of our home landscape. I find this time of year brings a sense of both wonder and contemplation x
Autumn has a mild acceleration for me, as sudden snaps of frost remind me I won’t be working outside much if I can help it come winter, and I try to get all the manual labour projects our of the way before then. It’s slowing down now though - winter is my favourite season - and I can now catch up on the things that kept sliding away. Like reading. And there’s a real comfort in reading the words of a “neighbour” of the High Country. That you are so kind towards the images I have been using in lieu of writing is an added bonus. Thank-you, Alia.
Winter would be beautiful in your neck of the woods. I imagine you would have snow for most of it? We are a bit below the snow line and get what I call 'the slop'. The old folks tell me we used to get snow at my altitude, but not these days. Things have changed.
A very poignant and thoughtful post, Alia. I’m fascinated and dismayed in equal measure by how much this land we live on has been altered in the last two centuries, as much by neglect as exploitation. I only ever go to the High Country as a visitor: I envy your intimate daily connection with the mountains. But hey, I chose the coast, and that has its own charm.
Ah yes, if only we could have it all. I love visiting the coast and I often wonder if I should move there and be closer to family, but I've always been a mountain person. Sea breezes drive me insane after a while.
I'm enjoying your descriptions of the mountains in Black Spur, and the illustrations too.
Thanks! That’s quite a compliment for an occasional visitor using a lot of imagination from someone who actually lives there! 😊
Thank you Alia, your words so elegantly combine both the beauty and heartache of our home landscape. I find this time of year brings a sense of both wonder and contemplation x
Thank you Prue. That's lovely of you to say so. Absolutely, yes, to wonder and contemplation.
Autumn has a mild acceleration for me, as sudden snaps of frost remind me I won’t be working outside much if I can help it come winter, and I try to get all the manual labour projects our of the way before then. It’s slowing down now though - winter is my favourite season - and I can now catch up on the things that kept sliding away. Like reading. And there’s a real comfort in reading the words of a “neighbour” of the High Country. That you are so kind towards the images I have been using in lieu of writing is an added bonus. Thank-you, Alia.
Winter would be beautiful in your neck of the woods. I imagine you would have snow for most of it? We are a bit below the snow line and get what I call 'the slop'. The old folks tell me we used to get snow at my altitude, but not these days. Things have changed.
Beautiful ❤️
Thank you Wendy :)