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Published on January 16, 2020
Comments 21

Fires, hiking, a horse, being a snail’s wife, chanting monks & more fires: farewell 2019

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Australian bushfires are a tragedy for the kangaroos

Not my photo sorry, can’t credit

Hello again everyone, and Happy New Year! It’s been 2 months since I’ve written anything: a very busy, stressful, exciting, and terrible time. I’m dragging myself out into January, as is all of Australia.

You’ve seen the tragic footage of fires. We’ve lost millions of hectares of bush and forest, not to mention maybe a billion animals, plus bugs, birds, butterflies and of course bees.

Unprecedented calamity. Yet predicted back in 2007, if the government didn’t address climate change challenges… And a dangerously useless Prime Minister now, who has to go. But you can easily research all that, because I’m exhausted/furious by the political spin and denial, while regular people lose their entire homes (& sometimes lives).

It’s overwhelming.

Yet I am safe, and so are most of my friends, although those in Melbourne are wearing masks both inside and out of the house because their smoke pollution is currently the worst in the world.

*sighs                  [But not too deeply]

To be more positive, here’s a quick review of my last 2 months, with pictures:

  1. November was a wilderness hike in Tasmania with girlfriend, where we flew into the wet wilderness of the South Coast Track in a 4-seat plane (my nightmare) then walked out for a week, carrying everything we needed (except the plane obviously).

We also went to the Walls of Jerusalem, which was an alpine hike in much nicer weather. It was all stunning, and tough. But I’m tougher.

2. In early December, I took on a half share in a horse called Star. I rode a lot as a teenager, and found myself horses to ride wherever I lived; now that my darling ’19’ has left home to live with his cousin up the road, I clearly need a new project, so she’s part-Arab, very sweet, a bit stiff and stuck in her ways (like me of course), and I love her already.

3. I finished the year at the incredible Woodford Folk Festival, which is my favourite place to both work and celebrate. I love my job as a performer, and I got to be both a giant snail’s wife by day, and an illuminated Cloud on stilts by night, so I was happy.

I’m Trisha, and that’s Helix my husband, for Roundabout Theatre
I’m the Sunset cloud, backstage at Woodford for Roundabout Theatre

Then I greeted the first dawn of 2020 by getting up at 4am (after only 2 hours sleep by the way) to sit on the Woodford hillside with the chanting Buddhist monks- perfect.

boneAndsilverBlog_firstDawn2020

First light of 2020 over the Glasshouse mountains, Queensland Australia

My new year resolutions? To meditate more, hike more, ride more, and speak more truth from my heart. Hopefully all these will come to pass, and I will try to be here more often like in the old days.

To finish, a very dear friend has just won a cancer battle, and urged me to find 10 hours a week to write in 2020: H, congratulations, and this is for you xx

In gratitude for love, health, resilience & creativity, G xO

21 Comments

  1. dfolstad58 says

    So much to sigh about in this post. I’m glad you and your friends are ok, but there has been so much loss from the fire. Here in Canada I know many have Australia in our thoughts daily. I was impressed by your hikes, and your artistic entertaining elements in your life, and also your fitness. What an interesting blend of interests. Enjoyable post 🙂

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  3. acflory says

    Welcome back. Finally have the windows open again after all that lovely rain. Not sure that the smoke has completely cleared though. Melbourne has not been a fun place the last few days. Makes me see red when a certain PM ‘persuades’ the US travel advisory to downgrade their warning. We may not be burning, but asking tourists to come here at the moment is not fair, imho.
    Anyway, I’m glad 2020 is starting well for you, and the horse is lovely. 🙂

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  5. Matt Berger says

    Happy 2020 to you as well! I am an optimist by nature, so I think it will be a terrific year.

    I thought of you when the news of the Australian fires broke. Gratifying to hear you are safe, if sighing less deeply. A very close friend of our older daughter has an Australian father, so we have been getting his perspective as well.

    Horses rock, and it has been way too long since I have ridden one. I am a tad jealous.

    Looking forward to hearing more from your corner of Oz in 2020.

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    • bone&silver says

      Thanks Matt!

      Here’s a tip: get yourself on a horse ASAP, before your body can’t handle it. An hour in the saddle at first had me sore for a week, now it’s almost unnoticeable. Find one nearby 😍

      And the fires are a nightmare, but a perfect reflection of our dangerously hopeless politicians, so bring on the revolution I say 💪🏼❤️💪🏼 G

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  7. Widdershins says

    There you are. 😀 … great news that ’19’ has moved out, but not so far away that mum can’t pop in every once in a while. 🙂 … beautiful horse! 🙂 … good to hear you’re doing OK with the fires … the decimation of politicians is long overdue.

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  8. janieleeds says

    Wow! What a life you have – all good and so interesting. Makes me look boring and I want to take a good look at what I can change so thank you for the inspiration! May 2020 be your best year yet G!

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