acacia blossoms

acacia blossoms

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

changes




'Dreaming while dawns left hand is in the sky'
from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Those words have been nudging at my brain these past days.  They had to nudge hard because the old grey matter has been clogged with flu, but is fighting back hard and  emerging triumphant.

This little book lives by my bedside now. It belonged to my father.  The small leather bound, travel worn, edition was a gift from my mother to him in 1943.  It never left his side through all his journeys.  I love the words.

1943 - what huge changes and perils people were living through then - hardly daring to hope for a shining future, but pressing on anyhow. And here we are in a tumultuous time of change again - with the added drama of climate change and prophecies of the Ends of Days.  Change is in the air - its the only certainty.

On a smaller scale, news from here is that a swarm of bees has moved into  one of the old leadwood fencing posts in our driveway.   I have been leaving them dishes of sugar water to make them feel welcome.  The lions have been back, keeping us awake in the dead of night with their deeply reverberating calls.  It really makes you appreciate being tucked up in bed within a bricks and mortar dwelling.

The grass is drying out fast now, and the green is turning yellow.  We have one guinea fowl left now in our domestic flock and he is looking quite traumatised. For the first few days after his pal was taken by an eagle, he just ran around calling madly. Now he has settled down a bit. Anyone have some guinea fowl for sale?

As winter takes hold on the southern continent, the Okavango River continues to rise with water pushing further into the Kalahari Basin and the ancient lake beds.
Perhaps we will see the return of a waterworld here in the desert.

I like to think that Dawns Left Hand is in the sky and to remember that our time is finite and precious anyhow.

16 comments:

Angela said...

Yes, precious, every minute. Even in mad war times! People had children and hoped for a better future. I hope you are feeling better now! And welcome, welcome to the bees! But poor guinea fowl man. He could join our ducks. We have two limpers now!!
Oh, how I can imagine those roaring lions at night - just take care.
Here we have a bad virus spreading, and people are dying. Also a new Icelandic volcano is spitting, and we hope that the ashes don`t affect flights like last year. Nothing just rolls evenly, but the Okavango rises and falls, since ages. Africa sure teaches us humans humility.

Anonymous said...

OMG Val, I thought a line or two, but NO!!
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Anonymous said...

with gracious thanks to Bob Dylan

Val said...

Geli. Thanks for making sense of all that. Stay away from that virus ok? We need you x

Janet. Well done. Its his birthday too!

Take good care you two xxV

Angela said...

Thanks Janet! I actually only knew that one verse about the mothers and fathers by heart. It is pure poetry, and still gives me shivers. Yes, he`s 70! By changing, himself, he stayed alive!
Val, thank you, I`ll not eat raw veggies. They think that`s what caused the disease.

mermaid gallery said...

I love that you are welcoming the bees..... the bees are so precious and dwindling like the days of our lives. ...roaring lions outside in the jungle seems very frightening, but exciting. Sounds cozy too.......

Lori ann said...

hope your feeling better now val? geli said you weren't feeling too well either. lots going around it seems.
xoxo

Val said...

Janet - those words are awesome and prophetic!

Mermaid - I love the bees - i hope they stay. Lions and bees hey? bit biblical actually :)

Lori - ah yes thanks - well on the mend x

thanks for stopping by xxxV

Janelle said...

great writing val! and loved your chulu hills post...man...we're just on the other side of that mountain..next time SWING BY!!!!! lots love xj

e said...

Hi Val,

So glad to see this post and I hope you're feeling better. Here, we've had a week or two of Spring and then gone to sweltering heat and humidity again. The cats have retreated to upper kitchen cabinets and I am still living on my slab after the recent leak damaged the floors and all had to be taken up and the slab and baseboards dried out.

New flooring to be installed soon. I wish I had something wonderful to say other than missing your lions and elephants.

karen said...

Hi Val. Glad to hear the bees are there.. Those lion roars at night must be incredible, too. What times we are living in, not sure what to make of anything right now!

Red Dirt Lattes said...

What a beautiful post.

Cheryl Cato said...

I hope you are feeling better. Lovely words have spilled out and I love your last sentence... "remember that our time is finite and precious". Have a great day. :-) Lizzy

Amanda Summer said...

always a pleasure to visit you, val - you remind me to live in the moment, to savor the pleasures and beauties of the moment.

hope you are feeling better soon - i can relate to that flu clogged grey matter - got it now, yuk.

sending hugs and healing wishes,

xoxo
amanda

Fire Byrd said...

Whilst we have life we have hope, and whilst we have hope we can love, and with those two by our side we can conquer anything.

As ever your wonderful words are inspiring

Val said...

Janelle - I know - i kept thinking of you guys just over there on the other side of that big old mountain. Would have loved to swing by - another time maybe. What a place you live in. incredible x

e - oh my gosh poor you with all that stuff going on! i went to your blog but my comment wouldnt go thru. hope you get sorted very soon.

Karen - strange days eh? just press on I reckon :)

Red Dirt Lattes - thanks so much

Lizzy - much better thank you and I hope you are having fantastic days - every one

Amanda - sorry to hear the flu got you too - drat. Mine is on the way out now and I hope you are feeling much better soon x

Fire Byrd - that is so very true!

Thanks everyone and happy weekends to you all wherever you are xxV