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Author Archives: seanatbogie
The winding track and where it led
It was the idea I loved. But, first came the words. The words were, “A winding track.” The words became the idea. The idea developed.
The idea of a two wheel dirt track ahead. It winds up a wooded hillside in the golden hour of late afternoon. This romantic winding track, no destination in sight, no point of origin, beckons. It’s mystery entices.
So, I now find myself travelling this track. I’m leaving things behind and I am excited by the unknown destination ahead. I am savouring the journey.
Savouring, now there’s a word! A word to savour. A word begets an idea, begets a reality.
Ah, here is the real joy, the savouring. The pleasure in the journey, the exciting anticipation of getting there. Wherever there may be.
A bike for every occasion?
Sub title: Central Victoria, the Centre for eBikes.
As I have aged (now approaching my mid 60s), I have progressed from road bikes to mountain bikes to hybrids and now, ebikes.
My message to everyone out there who rides or is contemplating riding is “Get on your bike!” If you are fit and able enough to provide your own power, find the bike that best suits your journeying and ride. If you think you are past it, reconsider. From 8 to 80 years old, anyone with balance who can get astride a bike frame now has bicycle touring at their feet!
With the advent of ebikes for all modes of cycling, the Central Victoria region is perfect for you and your bike. There are many kilometres of un-trafficked rural roads and tracks traversing diversely beautiful landscapes. You will be amazed at where an ebike can take you, from sealed flat stretches across the plains, amongst rustic rolling foothills, to tall treed dirt tracks through mountain forests.
Many people have asked me about the different modes of cycling I refer to in the cycling route descriptors I publish. Most often, about Gravel Grinders. Gravel Grinders as a specialty appeared somewhere in amongst my cycling experience. I missed their rise until alerted by a mad keen cycling cousin.
This alert coincided with the commencement of my mapping and publishing of walks and cycling routes in and around the beautiful Strathbogie region. A good port of call for those interested is the Gravel Grinders Melbourne fb page. The article linked below may be American, but is brief and indicative of gravel bike features for the uninitiated, as well as being fodder for dreamers. It is worth noting that one of the bikes listed is an ebike.
apple.news/AJlzTcm5gRhO2EROnKg-VTw
The cycling routes I have been recording will be found here on seanmathews.blog/cycling and the Connecting the Goulburn Broken Catchment Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/591666734808645 .
Walks can be found at strathbogierangesnatureview , VictoriaWalks and in Pozi online mapping
Small Flies and Other Wings
Art in the pink, the hope that it brings Wings painted from, the smallest of things The joy of the colour, the mess of it all A pleasure to view, this artist's call Not quite abstract, the painting surreal Based in fact, then allowed to congeal Into pastel riot, of colour and lines Into a many makes whole, artwork refined What underlies, there's tissue paper petals The subject mixed up, then left to settle What was the intent, forethought soft light To please the eye, or just to feel right So busy so active, yet here is still life Outlines overshot, not cut like a knife In the blur there is movement, on a canvas full But the subject is lifeless, the message - killed When you look deeper, what do you see Something different to me, most certainly I see part of you, I see part of me I see a gift, a sadness, in humanity Did this idea form, in the artist's mind Develop and grow, the mind to bind An irresistible force, the desire to create A bane and pleasure, that will never wait
This poem is a response to a dVerse ~ Poets Pub challenge
Haiku: Picture this
Picture this namely The world at your feet plainly Walk its paths gamely
Being Human
This being human is brutal
Where survival remains primal
Where savagery can be ruthless
Where being human is animal
This being human is joyful
Where sharing is a pleasure
Where smiles reflect happiness
Where being human rises above
This being human is indulgent
Where affluence is wasted
Where consumption is recreational
Where being human is an economic unit
This being human is religious
Where unknowns engender hope
Where faith equates with confidence
Where being human could be spiritual
This being human is political
Where a few choices matter
Where many choices don’t
Where being human is good and evil
This being human is being creative
Where knowledge grows exponentially
Where caution is thrown to the wind
Where being human is a contradiction
This being human is arrogant
Where entitlement reigns
Where extinctions surprise no one
Where being human is collective stupidity
This being human is ridiculous
Where universes are vast
Where consciousness is nebulous
Where being human is being alone
This being human is scary
Where thoughts beget actions
Where actions beget unanticipated consequences
Where being human is in itself an existential risk
To add another dimension to your experience of poetry, I recommend you also engage with the international community of fellow poets at d’verse virtual pub poetry challenges
The green cane chair
I sit on my green cane chair The best chair for thinking It is outside It has the advantage of being in a good place A verandah from which there is much to see Even if the weather is cold it is in the right position because the wind slides past laterally In this chair you can avoid confronting winds of change You can sit here for a long time confident you won’t have to move or make way for someone or something You can watch all sorts of things unfold from this chair Insects birds animals people the day the night the light Seasons pass you by I unfold from this chair This is a sitting for thinking chair It gives access to great scope for thought A matching cane table stands by this chair It is for all the paraphernalia I choose to utilise for observation and thinking for research recording and writing Endless cups of tea Vegemite and salad rolls Fruit nuts stacks of books Pens paper Camera iPad and phone Background noises surrounding this chair are soothing Creek water tumbling over rocks An irregular breeze wafting at leaves Morning song birdsong evensong Another nice sound I often hear from this chair is children playing Always happy to be outside In cooler months running along the bush track In summer swimming in the waterhole by the bridge or excitedly calling to each other as they splash about amongst the cascades You need to wear a brimmed hat sitting in this chair regardless of the season This is to shade your eyes from the northerly and westering sun To balance the glare against the shadows on the surface you are working on This chair has soft cushions for the seat and for the back They rest against its structure of bent cane It is a very good fit You can sit for a long time before needing to move However, the arms of this chair are narrow They may confine you to a limited range of positions This has the advantage of forcing movement This state of affairs is conducive to constructive thinking by prompting physical activity around the house along the verandah in the garden along the creek Such activity can be necessary to continue to be effective A mental activity reset New approaches come with a reset Quite often they are so new you get a pleasant surprise This is because you didn’t know they were there within you beforehand Another way to reset is change the scene move this chair to the edge of the verandah or reorientate A different outlook New space New thinking You have to remember to take the cushions in every evening to stop them getting damp They get tired and worn They are due for a new skin Just like me This chair is exposed to the elements One day it won’t be there I wonder will another chair be so generous?
Partners: are your blind spots ruining your relationship?
I am so fortunate to have been with my partner for a wonderful 40 years. Sometimes I slip into self congratulation because I feel we have been in a loving sweet spot for so long it makes me very happy to think about it. I try not to take this for granted at any time. However, I do forget periodically and find myself thinking we have everything sorted. I am sure no one does. You both have to keep paying attention
Paying attention requires the ongoing element of mindfulness. To remind myself to be mindful, every now and then I read or listen to stories that may shed light on how relationships work and fail. I think it is a good practice. I continue to learn. From the article I am sharing below I better understood a particular destructive relationship dynamic, invalidation of a partner’s perspective. This understanding can be applied to seemingly trivial concerns. These apparently small things can accumulate to have dramatic outcomes. Are you receptive, perceptive and empathetic enough to see both sides? I think it is worth a read.
Cycling: Longwood – Pranjip Rd Loop
Hub & Spoke Cycling Route Route Name: Longwood: Pranjip Rd Loop Mode: Road / Hybrid / eBike Start / Finish locations: White Hart Hotel, Longwood Map (satellite):
Difficulty: Easy Distance: 29km Elevation: 136 – 179m Topography: Flat terrain plains country Surfaces: Bitumen, some ridging from tree roots in places Description and Features: The township is well worth exploring before or after. The wide un-trafficked streets lend themselves to pleasant cruising around. This route takes you into sheep grazing country, occasional swampy areas, past a few creeks, along wooded roadsides and through open pasture Þ Roadside and patches of Grey Box and Casuarina woodland Þ Bridged creek crossings Þ Return alongside Pranjip Creek Options: Clockwise or anti clockwise Amenities (Longwood): Car parking Shop and Hotel Seating Parkland Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Cautions: Soft shoulders Limbs may fall No potable water Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Be mindful of vehicle traffic Roads may be subject to flooding Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding Anticlockwise Cues: Start: car park opposite White Hart Hotel North Longwood-Pranjip Rd Left Pranjip Rd Left Longwood-Shepparton Rd Left Grimwade Rd Right Longwood-Pranjip Rd Finish White Hart Hotel
On poetry
Breathe with the moment
Focus the eye
Tune the ear
when poems are nigh
Be transported
To experience afar
Adventure and romance
Illumination of stars
Poems are companions
For very good reason
For poets are adventurers
Beyond bounds of the seasons
Beyond bounds of the earth
No measure of their worth
Can keep words from welling
Can restrain the work of telling
They convey feelings through
the art of painting with words
Not read before not seen or heard
Beautiful weavings that awaken our hearts
To the emotions of others who cannot impart
Anonymous poems from times immemorial
Modern poems with layers to peel
Poetry is the magic carpet
Flying to places unknown
Ride on the carpet and know you have grown
What are the ingredients of a good life?
Human: sustenance, shelter, family, worthy work, friendships and creative cultural experiences.
Blaming the dog
I stole a sweet, but dropped it My mother came and mopped it The dog, he licked and chomped it And for his cheek, he copped it
The fight to protect Strathbogie Forest
Thoroughly documented by principal activist Bert Lobert, click the link below to view the remarkable chronicle of the successful local campaign for forest preservation and re-wilding. A golden example of what needs to be happening around the rest of the nation and the globe. .
The forest campaign – in pictures
What are some of life’s many simple pleasures to enjoy? Why do we forget to take the time to appreciate and enjoy them more?
I will begin with my list of simple pleasures to enjoy.
- Fresh air
- Fresh food
- Cold, clean drinking water
- Natural world environments
- Uncorrupted landscapes and waterways
- Wind and rain
- The night sky
- The day sky
- Gardens
- New life
- Wildlife
- Vistas
- Autumn
- Anticipation of winter
- Warmth on a cold day
- Electrical storms
- New learning
- Imagination
- Imagery
- Music
- Art
- Photography
- Comfortable chairs
- Verandahs
- Thinking
- Reading
- Writing
- Books
- Walks
- Cycling
It is so easy to be distracted, to habitually take such things for granted. More complicated experiences repeatedly assert themselves as front and centre of our consciousness and decision making. Issues surrounding insecurity, relationships and others’ bidding clamour for attention, occupy us with busy-ness and distract us.
The experiences that are always there for the taking become secondary due to their very simplicity, their enduring nature, their very availability. We readily forget to be mindful of their existence as the essence of our existence.
These profoundly simple and accessible pleasures can be constant stabilising influences on our lives. They are always present, complete with restorative potential. When we do remember to attend to them we come back to ourselves as capable of choosing to reset, appreciate and experience joy.
Cycling: Euroa – Balmattum Grassland Loop
Hub & Spoke / Bump & Grind Cycling Route
Start / Finish locations: Euroa Railway Station Railway St., Euroa 3666
Mode: Gravel Grinder, MTB, Hybrid, eBike (fats)
Map: GPS -36.749080001925385, 145.56809969105484
Difficulty: Intermediate
Distance: 32km
Elevation: 158 – 199m
Topography: Flat
Surfaces: Good condition bitumen Gravel varies, but overall pretty good. A bit rougher on the minor road end of Balmattum Siding Rd. Old Euroa Rd has a significant camber in places, take care on the gravel when moving laterally for traffic.
Description and Features: Flat with its own form of beauty, you have to be in it to appreciate it. Arrive at the Railway Station by train, car or bike. Euroa is an historic and pretty rural township with amenities aplenty. Appreciate it as you head through town to the fast straightaway of Balmattum North Rd. This smooth sealed bitumen parallels the Hume Freeway, but the traffic there isn’t too intrusive. There are more small waterways than expected and the countryside is quite appealing with the Strathbogie foothills to your right. There is a roadside stop at the only rise. When you hit the gravel you will find tree tunnels and enjoy vast plains vistas. Balmattum Grassland Nature Conservation Reserve is a great stopover for refreshment. Watch out for the playful Grey-crowned babblers. Return to Euroa alongside more waterways, swampy wetlands and lovely wooded roadside.
Riding conditions: It is flat, so exposed to the elements in some locations. Well wooded roadsides provide some shelter in others. Not much traffic.
Options: Access Balmattum Grassland via Wilbrahams Rd. However, the kink in Balmattum Siding Rd makes it a more interesting approach. Anti or clockwise
Anticlockwise Cues: Start Euroa Railway Station car park Railway St Head north east Right Kirkland Ave Left Tarcombe St Left Saxon St Right Balmattum North Rd Left Balmattum Siding Rd Right Old Euroa Rd Right Balmattum Grassland entry South east Old Euroa Rd Straight Riggs Creek Rd Bear left Moglonemby Rd (south) Left Boundary Rd North Straight Melbourne to Sydney Railway underpass Right Railway St back to the Station
Amenities: Car parking BBQ Fuel Shops Seating Parkland Waterways Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Trail head sign Walking tracks Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Swimming Pool Railway station Directional signs Information signs Alternative routes Flora and fauna habitat
Cautions: Open water Limbs may fall Embankments Uneven ground No potable water outside Euroa Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Beware of vehicle traffic Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding
Restrictions: Take rubbish with you Native flora and fauna are protected Riders must use formed roads only
Cycling: Nagambie – Tahbilk Loop
Hub & Spoke / Bump & Grind Cycling Route Route Name / Address: Nagambie – Tahbilk Loop Nagambie Railway Station Nash St., Nagambie 3608 Mode: Gravel Grinder, MTB, Hybrid, eBike Start / Finish locations: Nagambie Railway Station Map (satellite): GPS -36.785485, 145.160476
Difficulty: Easy. Thick gravel can add an extra push requirement Distance: 27km, 2hrs Elevation: 128 – 144m Topography: Flat with slight rises. Surfaces: Good condition bitumen Variable gravel. Mulberry Drive is smooth, but has drifts of quartz pebbles and blue metal stones. Mullens Rd is due to be sealed Nook Rd and Terrara Lane both suffer water sheeting and mud in winter Description and Features: Excellent services, wide roads and service lanes in Nagambie itself. Prime horse stud and wine country. Lots of vast grain fields, pasture and vineyards. The Goulburn River bends and billabongs at Tahbilk Winery are gorgeous. The winery itself is an historic gem. Riding conditions: Little traffic on the mapped route. If you opt to use O’Dwyer Rd there is steady traffic, but the shoulders are bitumen and wide. Options: Use O’Dwyer Rd instead of Habel Rd if you want to reduce the distance. Avoid what seems an obvious route along Vickers Rd. It has no shoulder is a narrow two way and heavily trafficked. Clockwise or anti Anticlockwise Cues: Start Nagambie Railway Station Left Nash St Right Prentice St Left High St Right Nook Rd Right Mulberry Drive Straight Oneils Rd Left Mullers Rd Right Terrara Lane Straight Nagambie – Locklsley Rd Left Habel Rd Left Ballantynes Rd Right Murray St Straight Nash St Stop Nagambie Railway Station Amenities: Car parking Fuel Shops Fishing Winery Seating Parkland Swimming Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Walking tracks Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Railway station Directional signs Information signs Waterways & lake Alternative routes Flora and fauna habitat Cautions: Open water Soft shoulders Limbs may fall Embankments Uneven ground No potable water while riding Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Beware of vehicle traffic Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding Restrictions: Take rubbish with you Historic relics are protected Native flora and fauna are protected Riders must use formed roads only Closed on days of total fire ban
Of Australia
My thoughts are of Australia
Land most covid-19 free
My heart yearns for Australia
The place I’d rather be
For to the north we languish
Now that winter has come
Amidst a pandemic of anguish
Where our suffering is done
As each dawn’s fresh horizon
Offers more sadness, fear and dread
I long for home Australia
Where a rising sun means health instead
And with each passing morning
As the hospitals here do fill
The sights and sounds of mourning
The streets and air do fill
I see mankind retreating
From a cocky arrogant stance
From destruction of ecosystems
To victim of nature’s dance
Where bushmeat's viral load
Transfers itself to humans
Just what have we to show?
For the things we are consuming?
The winter birds and bare trees
Remain testament to the natural world
A world humankind now sees
Corrupted by exploiters and churls
Our world so terra formed
To overwhelming degradation
And Australia heading so
Observe and save our nation
Adagietto, Gustav Mahler (LA Philharmonic Orchestra)
Close your eyes and be transported.
Trumpian Buffoons
These characters are buffoons.
Full of laughter they rail at you.
Carping and harping blaming all.
Innocent of everything when the law calls
Dangerous in their own special way.
Ready to trick and seize the day.
Yet by their pompous humorous demeanour.
You’d think all would have seen it sooner.
The vile attempts at undermining.
The rotten values they’ve been hiding.
Self confident enough to infect the masses.
Rich enough to corrupt all classes.
Replete in vanity self-declared divine.
So full of shit they make shit shine.
Larger than life with seismic crows.
Ready (not) to be the one big (side)show.
The Reed Warbler
That clamorous reed warbler
With the protracted breeding song
Passages of enamouring power
Designed to bring along
A partner for the season
With whom to court and spark
To share nesting in long reeds
At the edges of the lake
I do not know the words
Of this loud and spirited song
Launched from this small bird’s throat
Into the gathered avian throng
In the early morning,
at the end of each long day
Persistent and single minded
Seeking a mate to hold in sway
But the message is clear and proud
I am the one for you
Come to me my darling
Let’s see what two can do
Expectations
My view of the world is not an honest view because my expectations interfere. My ego inserts itself into every unconscious and conscious perspective. I create altered realities for bending the world I see toward addressing my wants. This constant aspiration engenders a manipulative restlessness within my persona. I look, see, expect and act accordingly, never finding the time or mental resilience to resist. Never engaging with the appreciation of a moment or the truth of where I am.
The more I understand this, the more I seek to stop, observe, contemplate and appreciate. I try to place myself differently in the world, as within rather than without, as an internal part rather than an external entity, as influenced rather than influencer. I think this practice is helping.
Tableland Talk March 2021
The March edition of our local newsletter
The day the fire actually came
I ponder on the wise of it As trees around me bow Before the gusting hot north wind Before which they bend so cowed I give the thought deep consideration As the darkening sky forebodes I check, the heat is forty four As wind and weather goads There’s much to lose either way Deciding to stay or go Give up the home to fiery tempest Risk the life you know There’s a plan to pack the things I need Water blanket items precious There’s alternative routes to avoid the flames Where the flames may be ferocious But then there’s plans to stay and fight Buckets mop hose and mask Hit each ember where it lands But am I really up to the task? This day’s been declared catastrophic red I waited to see how it would turn Now I’m stuck as the catastrophe looms All around wilts then starts to burn The air is burning in my throat Radiant heat scorches all around me The sky rains burning leaves and hot grey ash The smoke so thick I can’t breathe or see I dare not move can’t find the house I touch hot metal seek shelter in the car Pull the woollen blanket over my head And lie below the glass to cower Explosions start as eucalyptus oil In nearby trees ignites The car is rocked by more of them as fuel detonates in light so bright The fear is terrible I’m paralysed hope my only gift I so wish I’d gone before the fire packed my stuff and left
Avenel: Tarcombe Rd – Upton Rd Cycling Loop
Bump & Grind
Mode: Gravel Grinder
Start / Finish location: Jubilee Park, Avenel
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 39km
Elevation: 150 – 480m
Topography: Flats through to steep gradients
Surfaces: 25km bitumen / 14km gravel
Description & Features: Quiet roads. Beautiful scenery. Vistas to grazing pasture, rolling hills, cherry orchards, vineyards, forested waterways and granite outcrops. • A steady gravel climb to views across to Mt Wombat from Upton Hill • A winding bitumen return downhill • Avenel Maze is passed on the return leg
Riding conditions: It can be very cold in winter and very hot in summer. Check local weather conditions before leaving.
Options: Choose clockwise or anti clockwise, the 14km of gravel is at the eastern end of Tarcombe Rd
Amenities (Avenel): Car parking BBQ Fuel Shops Seating Parkland Playground Picnic tables Public toilets Potable water Accommodation Historic features Sports Reserves Swimming Pool Railway station
Cautions: Steep climbs Soft shoulders Slippery surfaces Subject to flooding Road surfaces vary Snakes may be active Mobile reception may be unreliable Carry food, water, First Aid, be SunSmart Be equipped for self-reliant riding
Anticlockwise Cues: Start Jubilee Park car park Right Ewings Rd Right Livingstone St Left Mitchell St Right Jones St Cross Hume Fwy Straight on Tarcome Rd Left Upton Rd Right Tarcombe Rd Cross Hume Fwy Straight Jones St Left Mitchell St Right Anderson St Left Ewings Rd
On the Yarra
On a perfect summer evening the lights of the Arts Precinct and Flinders Street Station were irresistible.
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