Moggie Madness

Today was the 15th annual RSPCA Million Paws Walk, so armed with two rather energetic mutts, I headed out to Cleveland to participate in the local event. There was an unprecedented turnout and I’m sure the RSPCA volunteers were overwhelmed by the support of the local community. I was absolutely astounded to see such a large number of dogs congregating in the park with their owners. There were dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds and it was just so good to see them all out, having fun and socialising together.

As for us, we had a brilliant time. Both the dogs got a lovely hydrobath from Bill (Aussie Pooch Mobile Cleveland ph. 0411 776 663), some really nice treats and they have gone home thoroughly exhausted from all the excitement. It was a brilliant day and if you didn’t get a chance to participate this year, keep an eye out for dates for next year.

A mere fraction of the people and dogs walking in today’s walk - Cleveland’s shoreline has never been so busy!

Hoorah! I finally got a night-time shot without laser eyes! She doesn’t look that impressed though does she? I think it won’t be too long before she starts shutting her eyes in every photo like Mojo does.

What a whirlwind weekend! I’ve been planning for weeks to head off to Sydney this past weekend for a get together with a few “awful women” and celebrate three years of All For Women. We had a lovely lunch in the Parramatta Park and then headed off for some dinner, complete with mini cupcakes, washed down with Mudshakes. Although I really loved my time away, the best part was coming home to familiar sights and sounds and train services that actually run on time.

  Part of the cafe area at Parramatta Park

Look at Rosie there….in the middle of a deep kitty sleep, some dappled winter sun filtering across her face as it drops below the horizon outside. She is relaxed, content and completely happy within her own skin. She’s about a kilo overweight for her body structure but she is blissfully unaware….or if she is aware, she sure doesn’t show it, does she? I think that maybe we place too much emphasis on how we look and completely forget about the way we feel. Amazing the things we can learn about ourselves, just from watching a cat sleeping in the sun.

Each year, 25 April marks a special day on the Australian calender - ANZAC day. It is a day where we remember those who served in WWI at Gallipoli to protect our country. The original ANZACs are dwindling in numbers, however the spirit lives on in those who remember them. My own grandfather was not an ANZAC, being only a toddler at the time of WWI. It wasn’t until WWII that he was conscripted to serve his country. He returned from the war safely, although what happened and what he had seen, we will never know as he never spoke of it to us. He and my grandmother have since passed and I have happy memories of them both.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

LEST WE FORGET

Up until this morning, I really didn’t have an idea for this week’s photo at all. I thought I would go for another wander in the bush for some inspiration. So water bottle, trusty dog and my other half in tow, out we headed into a patch of bush called Karawatha Forest. I’ll admit right here that I have never been there before, well not inside the forest itself. I have driven past plenty of times on Illaweena Street, Compton Road, Wembley Road and of course roaring past on the Gateway Motorway. I thought it would be nice to get to know this little patch of bush on a closer level.

It’s not as small as it appears. That’s the thing about travelling on foot, you gain a much greater appreciation for the actual size of things. And the thing about going somewhere new that is much bigger than you give it credit for, you gain a very good appreciation of having a reliable track map - something which I did not think to obtain before setting out. Of course, had I looked at the track map before going out, I would have taken notice of the disclaimer that states that not all tracks are finalised. Fortunately, my trusty dog has better sense of direction than I do and quite often would refuse to go down a signposted path which I would have preferred to take. Having looked at the map, now that I’m home, I’m glad she has a bit of a stubborn streak in her or else I would have been headed into the middle of nowhere - albeit in spectacularly good company.

To cut a long story short, we did get a little misdirected. I refuse to say lost because I knew where I was - on a well-maintained track in the Karawatha Forest that had to lead somewhere. LOL But boy were we eternally grateful to see the grassy picnic area, the bridge over the creek and above all - the car park. We were back to where we started….we just took the extremely scenic route.

Having said that, it is a really lovely area and I’d like to spend a little more time there to get to know it better. If you decide to go yourself, it’d be a good idea if you take this map with you.

Thursday started off as such a brilliant morning. It was slightly overcast and just a little on the cool side - so for me, that’s perfect weather to go for a short hike in the bush. I checked the weather radar and while there was a band of rain hanging off the coast, nothing on the scopes for where I planned to go for my little walk. Being school holidays, the picnic areas at JC Slaughter Falls at Mt Coot-tha were pretty popular. In a time when Nintendos and XBoxes seem more popular than the beauty of nature, it was refreshing to see so many kids out with their folks enjoying a day in the bush. It’s a short hike up to the summit lookout on Mt Coot-tha - around 4km round trip I think - and steep in places but the view is worth the walk. It’s probably a good idea that I did head up to the summit since I could see the rain clouds fast approaching, signally a timely descent to the bottom. I had a rain jacket in any case, but fortunately I didn’t need it.