The trees and plants in our garden have been stretched during summer. Shedding all but their essential leaves, they’d closed themselves down.

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. This excerpt from Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” has been in my mind for a while now. Only today it became clear to me why.

Reading this lovely article on parenting by Maria Popova reminded me of my commitment when our first child was born — to be the best mother I possibly could for this precious gift. A commitment which I repeated when all our children were born and hold to this day.

This week I am thinking about the anniversary to be celebrated – on 4th March in 1998, I climbed Mt Aspiring in New Zealand with my beloved husband, Rob. It was a huge gift for both of us.

Today I woke in pain. Nothing like the mornings after each of my knee replacements, nor the morning after my tonsils were removed, nor the morning after my appendix was taken out, nor the morning after my baby-making organs were surgically removed. But, where there was a little pain yesterday morning, after the complex tooth removal yesterday, this morning it was definitely sore!

Yesterday was one of the magical synchronicities of life that, the day after reading this most thoughtful writing, I was blessed that an owl perched on my hand. A beautiful white-faced barn owl, named Ivy, and a superb predator.

When I was 16 years old, my first goal to change the world for the better wrote itself into my brain – to help open and respectful conversations about different belief systems. At that time our new school headmistress was leading us to have these conversations weekly. I enjoyed them and wanted to make them happen much more often. I thought that all I had to do to make our world kinder and fairer, especially about beliefs, was to change the way that others talked about it…

A poem of thanks for all that Australia is today - all her people, all her land, all her living creatures.

Watching this video - "When I Die : Lessons from the Death Zone" - transported me back to my own experiences with death of my loved ones.

“The greatest form has no shape.” ......Lao-tzu. I am very much enjoying a journey with Barry Lopez, while reading his book “Arctic Dreams”.

"Being thoughtful about our Earth." I’ve just finished reading a remarkable book: “Vanished Ocean: How Tethys Reshaped the World” by Dorrik Stow.

“Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.”........Mahatma Gandhi Flying home yesterday from Melbourne, I pondered on the weekend just gone. After arriving at Melbourne airport last Friday evening, my instruction had been to take the strategic planning sub-committee of a national board through a strategic planning exercise in one day!

Sitting in a cafe, I was waiting for someone whom I'd arranged to meet here. The tree stood tall outside, its leaves glistening in the sunlight. I loved the way the rustling leaves on our eucalyptus trees catch the light and send it on its sparkling way. Birds called as they flitted among the branches. Each tree supports so much life!

“Kenny – A Knight in Shining Overalls.” I really enjoyed this movie. It's filled with Kenny's shining examples of kindness in real life, despite the unkindnesses loaded onto him. Inspiring.

While watching a TV show on the “Space Race,” I pondered on the experiences of the astronauts who left our earth for a time.

Last Friday I delivered the last of three sessions for this course at the University of Western Australia Extension.

I welcome you to these Messages from Mother Earth, from precious times on and near the ocean…