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Apr 01
in Uncategorized

home from melbourne day 2

Noisy cattle grazing the long paddock also had an early start as I left Mathoura as the sun was rising. The young farmer was in his blue ute, elbow out the window and a cigarette sticking to his bottom lip. Saddles and swags were absent. He was mid way along the herd. Perhaps unbeknown to us, our role driving along was to bring up the rear.

Intermittently along the road, the driveways into properties had old spoked wheels and other redundant farm machinery either side of their dirt entrance. I thought then how kitsch this looks when I’ve seen it in the outer suburbs adorning small 5 acre blocks.

Paddocks were empty. Fences lined the paddocks and highways like scattered toothpicks. You could tell that some farmers had been broken. Green prickle bushes now stand instead of sheep. The further north I drove, into areas which had recent rain, the prickle bushes became larger. Their size is quite deceptive. I walked amongst a clump of them and they were up to my chest. This area was the envy of farmers further south. The rain had come, but for some – not their ploughs.

A sign to Moulamein – turn left – came into view on my way to Hay. I couldn’t resist. I looked at the map and thought ‘Why not!’ I stopped along this road to have my Muesli, and oh my goodness …the flies!! I burst out laughing when I went to take my second scoop, and there beside my macadamias and pumpkin seeds were 5 swimmers drowning in my milk. Each mouthful – well before each mouthful, I had to do a fish out and flick them off my spoon. Pesky trams replaced by pesky flies!

I stopped often to feel what it was like outside the car. Menthol and the fragrance of freshly cut herbs always seemed to surround me as soon as I opened my door. The warm northerly wind encouraged the flush of new green growth to exude their aromas. At my feet lay smooth weathered skulls – small lizard, birds and others I could not identify. The white bone still remained, slowly crumbling, yet the thoughts which were once encased, are long gone.

Often the trees were dark, like overcooked broccoli, with a border alongside the road of soft brushy ground cover. Undulating mounds of sand were dimpled with cushions of green. Galahs in pairs with their pink and screech fired from the treetops like pellets from a rifle. Large irregular white rocks although they looked like they had been placed along the edge of the road like the barrier around a campfire, I think were the consequence of a large blade of a grader.

All day the wind was from the north and was hot. 38 degrees. Dry. Not at all uncomfortable. I did however have a plan to spend the late afternoon at the Cobar pool. The cool water was enjoyed by children catapulting from the diving board, adults with kick boards and goggles, tots with flower cloth hats and me! I met the manager – a local for four generations. We chatted for ages and he shared with me some adventuring tips for my next trip!

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.