Meaningful meanderings...

As you can see I wandered up "my" mountain yesterday from Bethunes Gully, which is a longer track than I usually take. Again I loved it, and wished I had a really good camera to do justice to the bush experience. First an experience that happened at lunch time today.

Photos:

1. Big discovery... proud parents.
   

   We have a foster daughter named Pania.(This is a photo taken 27th December 2009 on her birthday)   Pania suffers from Rett syndrome. This is a debilitating genetic condition that means she cannot speak, cannot co-ordinate, has intellectual disabilities and a whole host of other difficulties. She cannot do much for herself at all, except feed herself with a spoon, and even then there is plenty of spillage. She is in care now but comes home regularly for a visit. She smiles brilliantly, speaks with her eyes and can giggle with the best of them. We have always known that there is a delay in her processing instructions. If something happens in the delay time to distract her the instruction is forgotten. Today we had pizza for lunch. Two pizza's in two boxes. We had one, with Pania enjoying the food. She looked at the next box and looked at us. We said to her, "You open the box and see if there is another one there for us." She looked at us as if to say, "I can't do that!" But we repeated the instruction and waited. A hand came up and she hit the box. Then that hand went down by her side and we thought that her attempt was all over. But next thing her other hand came up and after a bit of fumbling she lifted the lid of the box, beamed all over her face and poked at the pizza! She could do it! We just had to believe and wait! We celebrated her achievement!

2. The mountain top goal from about half-way up. At the spot this photo was taken a friend  committed suicide. Every time I walk past it I have a moment of grief. After taking this photo I looked down the steep bank at my feet where the deed was done and simply said in anger and sadness, "You stupid bastard!" (Some months earlier I had recommended the Mt Cargill walk to him as a way of keeping fit!)
3. A bridge and the path lower down among the exotic trees grown for timber. I talked to a guy this morning whose life is in a bit of a mess. It is so sad, why do people go down stupid pathways in life? I guess I have done a few myself, but why keep repeating the same mistakes.
4. I simply LOVE these big beautiful ferns. They seem to stand out and shine. I love these in NZ bush, their presence seems to inspire me.
5. I always think that these exotic trees are the boring part of the walk. They are an annoying ugly patch that I have to pass through to get to the bush I love and enjoy. But yesterday I had to admit they had a beauty of their own with the sun shining through them.
6. The life that hangs off branches of trees or grows on the trunks of trees always fascinates me.
7. This twisted tree is just at the entrance to a little side loop track. There are similar trees in the bush. The tree has at one stage in its life broken or blown over. Through the healing of nature it has continued to straighten itself up and kept on growing big and strong. In some ways because of its broader root base it is stronger than it ever was. I think there are people who fit into that category. They have been broken, but have healed and grown out of the rough period of life stronger than ever.