Hi Wise Women,
Welcome to another wonderful week and I wish to say how much Lana and I enjoy your comments. Thanks for saying hello and keep them coming.
WOMEN RULE THE DAY
Well, fancy that, we Australians now have a new woman:
Prime Minister the Hon Julia Gillard. CONGRATULATIONS
All the politicians that concern me, from the local member to the top, are women. Can you imagine that!!!! Not one single man in sight!
Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia: Ms Quentin Bryce AC is the most divine woman. She is just the answer to all you want to be when you are older. Gracious, intelligent and totally immaculate she has played out her role as the Queen’s Representative in the most dignified and non-controversial manner.
The Governor of NSW: Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO is another amazing woman leader. I have been lucky enough to have met her and heard her speak on many occasions. She is stunningly, compassionate, concerned, intelligent, the list goes on.
Premier of NSW – Ms Kristina Keneally
My Local Member of Parliament - Ms Angela D’More
It’s a Womens World!!! Now I have the proof it seems!
MY WEEK
Last week I told you I was going to do something exciting and I did. My news may not be that exciting for you, unless I excite you enough to pack up your bags and head out for a romantic weekend yourself!!!
Gorgeous countryside outside Bundanoon
You see, Mr G spirited me away to the Southern Highlands, to a gorgeous hamlet called Bundanoon. We were lucky enough to get one night at a lovely bed and breakfast Yallambee.
Yallambee - one stop pep up shop!
Bundanoon is only one and half hours south west from Sydney. It is like a step back in time with its quaint cottages and buildings and hundreds of deciduous trees (making autumn a perfect time to visit).
The Highland Games are held here each year and it is almost mandatory that every Scot within cooee turns up in a kilt and has a go at tossing the caber (the caber is basically a huge tree trunk and the successful thrower must be both strong and skilful) or six ton boulders or whatever they like to throw. They seem to be very into throwing sports! We have been a few times over the years.
We watch in awe and spend hours prowling around the little shops filled with woollen goodies, jams, shortbreads and just about everything Scottish you can think of. Mr G comes from Scottish roots and I now hold a Scottish surname so we really get into it. So if you can make the Highland Games one year you will have a hoot!
Main street Bundanoon
Bundanoon itself is very much a ‘patch of the past’ with its quaint railway station and shops and its very enticing Sunday market.
But to start at the very beginning of my weekend away, on route to Bundanoon we stopped for lunch in township of Bowral, choosing the café of ‘Elephant Boy’!!! as a stopover for our first culinary delight.
While waiting for a table we started chatting to a young couple who were “attending birthing classes” they said. They said the baby was due in July and she looked 5 months pregnant! They looked like movie stars (his longish hair was magnificently groomed) and whilst we did talk about babies, I have my suspicion they might have been having a lunch break during filming while she was still padded up - as a few things just did not add up!!!! Oh well, these are the little snippets of life that will remain a mystery forever!
'BUNDANOON' This spectacular area of mountainous countryside was well known to the original aboriginal inhabitants as 'a place of deep gullies'.
Their name for it, as interpreted by the Europeans, was Bundanoon and this name came to describe the area and the town which grew up nearby in the late 19th century.
First mention of this natural wonder was made by the pioneer and explorer Dr. Charles Throsby, who passed by on an expedition in 1818. On returning to Sydney, he seems to have persuaded the Governor to declare 4000 acres of this wilderness as a nature reserve - perhaps the first in the colony.
The natural beauty of the bushland, and the spectacular views - then known more prosaically as 'Bundanoon Gullies', were discovered by holidaymakers from the city with the growth of the village after the coming of the railway, and it was as popular a holiday resort as the Blue Mountains well into the 20th century.
We arrived in Bundanoon mid afternoon, and locate our B & B Yallambee. We were warmly welcomed by Bronwyn and David who show us through the place and up a narrow flight of stairs to our room. The room was cosy, the bed was large, the bathroom roomy and there were lots of extras such as soaps, fluffy bath robes and chocolates. (Here I must say I got addicted to the aroma of the all natural ‘Goddess’ soap and ended up buying two bars from the maker down town the next morning).
We consumed a great cup of tea and banana cake, and it was off to do the Glow Worm Glen walk.
Riverview Road to Glow Worm Glen.
Glow Worm Glen has been one of the most famous attractions of Bundanoon for over a century.
A rocky rift with overhanging caves, it is home to an insect which emits a fluorescent glow in the dark – apparently not as magical today as it was to people in the past, but still a breathtaking natural experience.
An easy walk to the Glen through the bush, best taken in the day only for the sake of the walk (glow worms are only seen at night).
About 60 minutes return.
To get educated click here
We did this walk at dusk and it is basically downhill all the way. It wasn’t dark enough to use the torch at that point. We were the first ones there. The moon shone brightly overhead but no glow worms!!! The blurb said they had been there for 65 million years so we stood on the timber platform with our eyes glued to the cliff side.
Surely after 65 millions years we weren’t going to be disappointed.
Eventually little flickering lights started to appear. Yippee!! You had to be dazzled it was so amazing!! We couldn’t stay all night though and the walk up in the dark, with one torch light was interesting to say the least. If it was cold we didn’t notice it because we were streaming with sweat by the time we reached the top. Because we were hurrying!
The lure of a predinner drink and our dinner at the Bundanoon Country Hotel had us shooting up that hill.
Ye Olde Bundanoon Country Hotel
The dining room was very quaint, with Scottish memorabilia on every wall. The food was seriously OK, but was painfully slow getting to the table. The ambiance made up for it and I could really imagine I was lost in some Scottish village on the other side of the world.
Next morning we were seated ready for breakfast. David loves cooking and had made beautiful croissants the night before – anyone who even contemplates making croissants has to be a cooking star if you ask me!!! They were spectacular.
There was a table full of breakfast cereals, fruits, yoghurt and jam. And there were baskets of David’s delicious homemade breads. Even though I try not to eat bread, I let down my guard and sampled both the rye and the pumpkin - both mouth watering. Scrambled eggs (but you could order so much more) orange juice and many cups of tea and before we knew it, it was time to wave goodbye to Bronwyn and David.
Sunnataram Forest Monastery
What greets you is spectacular
We made our way to the Buddhist Retreat on the other side of town, the Sunnataram Forest Monastery. You turn off the main road and head down a dirt road that takes you to the Monastery set alongside Morton National Park.
I might just come here for a retreat as a treat!
The monument is named “Gratitude Pagoda” to honor unconditional love of our previous benefactors, including the Buddha and parents. Carved by monks and volunteers, the sand stone comes from both local Bundanoon quarry and Thailand.
The monks have carefully crafted this enormous temple that houses a gold Buddha.
We were welcomed by a lady who invited us to lunch but Mr G and I were still bursting from breakfast and passed. We wandered around the gardens and through the rock sculptures, peeped into retreat rooms made from had sawn timbers with large glass windows, and took millions of photos of some very tame peacocks.
Calm, tranquillity, bliss… (make a metal note of this if I need to disappear on retreat weekend sometime!)
But we had our own mini meditation by sitting in the stone garden in the warm sun and listening to the birds and the wind.
Now that was better than reading the Sunday morning newspapers!
MORTON NATIONAL PARK
Beautiful vistas
Of course we are in the mountains of the Morton National Park and so we haul on our boots. The walk was gorgeous; a round trip that included Fairy Bower, Tooths Lookout and I think it also included Bundanoon Creek Trail.
Splendid falls, lucky we didn't!
Whatever it was, it was basically a walk straight down, a scramble over rocks and logs along a creek and then a vertical exit up a zig zagging path in the dense bush. Rushing waterfalls, babbling creeks, lush greenery, a few flowers and magnificent views certainly recharged our batteries.
Following a Mr G down the trail
The real thrill was following a Lyre bird along a path and being entertained by its fabulous musical songs.
The Lyrebird has been around for millions of years, fossils having been found dated to 15 million years ago. It can be found in rain forest habitats in Victoria and New South Wales.
The Lyrebird's diet consists of small insect, spiders, worms and will sometimes eat some seeds that it will find in the ground with the help of their strong claws.
The Lyrebird bird is the world's best impersonator. It can mimic the sound and songs of other birds perfectly but its talent does not stop there. It is also known to have imitated sounds of chainsaws, dogs barking, babies crying, musical instruments and explosions.
I am pleased to say the Lyre bird song we heard was entirely musical.
So that is what a weekend away is all about. A thoroughly delightful step out of the maddening rat race, reconnecting with your partner, getting spoiled, delicious foods, a couple of bush walks and so much more! A trip to a place like Bundanoon definitely gives you a good spiritual lift.
A tree in a puddle - Don't tell me I can't take artistic photos!!!
I have been to two B & B’s in Bundanoon, Treetops and now Yallambee. Both quite different – Treetops is ‘ye olde world’ experience and Yallambee is your more chalet experience. As far as I am concerned, both are extremely welcome.
And there are no dramas to tell you about I am sorry to say!!
Mr G didn’t get lost, no-one fell over, required hospitalisation or did something humiliating which is so unlike a Mr G and Gigi escapade!!!!! So nothing screaming hilarious to tell you this time, sorry!
So if you like to take a bushwalk Aussie style now, come right this way and take a walk with me in the beautiful Blue Mountains.
GREATEST WOMEN OF ALL TIME
Is Hilary on the list!
Well, I wanted a list! I wanted to know who would be on that list!
I found a list compiled by Shelby Ellery, who created her website as a gold award project, the highest award that can be awarded in Girl Scouting.
Shelby says: “Welcome to the website of the 100 Most Important Women of All Time: a page of 100 women who history would not be the same without.
I believe that women aren't recognized enough. I can name so many men that I have been taught by my teachers, but I really can't name all that many women. This site is a resource for all those people out there who are just like me, no matter what age, curious about how women also affected who people are today and who the world wouldn't be the same without. Take a moment to choose someone you have never heard of and look through this window into their soul, who they really were or are”.
It was a list full of surprises because half of the people I had never heard of, so as Shelby suggested, I clicked on a name to find out why this woman was on the list.
Baroness Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu was born around 978 A.D. in Kyoto, Japan to the Fujiwara family. Her real name is unknown, but it is thought that she possibly got her name from the name of her novel's heroine.
Not much is known about her, for she wrote in a diary from 1007 to 1010 and that is the only real source of her known biography. She was educated by her father and learned the language of Chinese. While in her early 20's it was necessary for her to marry a distant relative and together, they had their only child, a daughter, in 999. However, her husband died in 1001.
After this event, Murasaki chose to join the court. It was there that she wrote what she is known for today: Genji-monogatari, also called The Tale of Genji in English. It told facts about the upper class of society while integrating the story of a prince named Genji who has a life full of complications. It was written sometime between 1001 and 1010 and was published in 1011. This book became very popular and was read out loud throughout Japan. It also influenced (for centuries, I might add) Japan's literature by establishing a standard. Many imitations or works based on Genji-monogatari were written as well.
Close to nothing is known about Murasaki's later years of life. It is simply known that she died around 1014 A.D. in Kyoto, Japan. In 1935, her book was translated into English by Arthur Waley, and it was produced as an animated movie in 1987 and honored as a "cultural masterpiece." Murasaki Shikibu was the best known author from the Heian period in Japan and may very well have been the first modern novelist in the world.
“there was a] moment in the history of our country when the whole energy of the nation seemed to be concentrated upon the search for the prettiest method of mounting paper scrolls!"
Murasaki Shikibu - about the nature of court life in her time
I hope you are a greater person for knowing that and if you are wishing to check out other 'very interesting' women from Shelby’s choice –
click here:
HELLO LYNNE
I met Lynne, an avid reader of Wise Women the other day and just to surprise her – here you are on the Website !!!!! Thanks for joining us and don’t forget to write in as we would love to hear from you below on the comments. Well, I know you will now!!!
LANA’S WISE WEEK
It is time to visit Lana now and see what she has been up to. I hope she is not too disappointed over the Soccer scores and has taken another team onboard. Well, it's what you have to do isn't it if you are a soccer fan through and through.
Lana's weeks are always full and busy which is just the way we want it – isn’t it!!!
WISE WORDS
“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.
When we really listen to people there is an alternating current, and this recharges us so that we never get tired of each other.
We are constantly being re-created.”
Thanks Brenda Ueland. These are wise words indeed. I knew there was a good reason to get with girlfriends and chat on endlessly. There’s apparently more than idle gossip to be gathered – we are being re-created too!! I like it.
Til we meet again have a fantastic week and try doing something outside the square to make life just that bit more daring!!!
Love
Gigi
