Today’s post is a casual reflection on writing and life rather than a book review…
The Hunter Writers Centre hosts the ‘Grieve Project’ annually, inviting creative accounts of loss and grief. This initiative acknowledges loss as a shared human experience, a vital and transformative element of healing. I am enjoying Volume 13 of the Grieve anthology and am pleased my poem about my dog Harper’s death was chosen.
Grief is both deeply personal and universal. Yet our culture often avoids it, treating loss as a private issue to prevent discomfort or fear of overwhelming feelings and the unknown it demands. Ultimately, grief is rooted in love, with its depth reflecting that bond. If you are interested in the project, you can find some works on the Hunter Writers Centre website or purchase the anthology.
I recently hatched a plan for a walking trek along the Trans Bhutan Trail next year and began training with long weekend bush walks. I believed I knew the area where I have lived for nearly 30 years and had covered many trails, but today my house guest, Panda, and I found unfamiliar tracks.
I often feel wonder while bushwalking, and today was striking because I discovered a new stretch of bushland in Warrandyte. We walked through meadows of Bulbine lilies, with Chocolate lilies rising to compete for space, beautiful peas, everlastings, and running postman also featured.
Entering Hutchinson Reserve, the hum of bees feeding on flowering Pomaderris was so loud I recorded it, and I walked sections of the Birrarung bordered by towering gums that were new to me. We passed through the abandoned Longridge farm, where old sheds and a homestead are slowly being reclaimed by nature. The Longridges had views fit for a king.
13km later, I felt tired and grateful to live in such a beautiful place.
