I dreamt upon
the flight of night
riding the backseat
of a V8 Ford Pilot
whilst a Corporate Shaman
was stealthily installing
into my right arm
a mechanism
powered by lithium
that would recharge
my iPhone
disseminate information
and track me on my trek
across an outback desert
I asked . . .
was this for my benefit
or the Corporation’s?
A vow of silence
prevented him
from answering
I dreamt I was standing
at the Hebel Town crossroads
looking to the west
across a vast dry wilderness
to behold the Devil’s Marbles
laying patiently in wait
I dreamt of blazing a trail
to the east coast
past the lacerating
flagellating Skroo Yoo Trees
of the Daintree Rainforest
leading a band of boys lost
seeking a grander Neverland
A didgeridoo voodoo child
named Jimmy
who sang the corroboree blues
a cranky cassowary
and a Spirit Emu wearing shoes
Nike cross trainers obviously
But that’s another Dreamtime story
I dreamt of things
monolithic
yet strangely bent
. . . made miraculously straight
I dreamt of fording gorges deep
. . . to find living water
I dreamt of a smooth landing
arriving early to a red carpet event
apparently some kind of wedding
complete with an open bar
and a banquet most enticing
The host of the celebration
had sent a universal invitation
. . . and would soon be arriving
I dreamt I was an illustration
in a Never Never publication;
‘The Messy Revenge of Captain Hook’
(not recommended for small children)
Perhaps finally I’ll be allowed
to get a tattoo like Uncle Kevin’s
now I have the skin of that croc
who bit me on the shin ๐ฆถ๐
and nearly … but not quite
did me in after putting up a fight
that lasted well into the night
“In your dreams, punk.
You must first earn the right
in a one on one fair fight
to ‘Tatt the Croc’. You used
a taser and a pocket knife,
and that just ain’t right!”
~ Uncle Kevin
Show us your tatts, Uncle Kev!
The infamous Skroo Yoo tree
of the Australian tropical north coast
(no relative of the English Yew tree).
. . . the journey continues โก๏ธ
Words and Photography:
~ David B. Redpath ยฉ 2018-2023
Photography:
David & Linda Redpath ยฉ 2018-2023
+ Anthony Beverly (RIP) ยฉ 2018-2023
Wonderful!
I have wanted to see the devil’s marbles for so long…
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Thanks Amberley.
My friend Tony took that shot.
He’s got an actual camera ๐ท,
unlike me, with my cracked
android of deviceveness
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You’re welcome David dearest
Tony is a good egg
And that made me laugh
“Actual camera”
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Tony, he’s even got
a grown-up job, and
a four wheel drive ๐
to make the Devil’s
Marbles tremble!
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Bahahahaha
A grown up job
What is this
I don’t understand…
I have a Prius
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A grown up job is for those
who’ve run out of excuses.
Oh, what a hybrid feeling!
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Lol
I like this
Did you know Toyota spelled backwards
Doesn’t make sense
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Thanks Amberley.
My Hi-Lux driven backwards
doesn’t make sense . . .
but we do it anyway.
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Bahahahahaha
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Beautifully written dreams. Gorgeous photos. Nice tats too
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Thanks Drew. Yes, Kevin
loves to show his tatts.
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Love those colors and how you describe things in a langauge that resembles English, but only when I am dreaming….
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Thanks most profuseling, Wayne.
The Straylian language does
have linguistic roots in common
with the Sassenach dialect,
somewhere way back in
the distant dreamtime (an indigenous nightmare for some).
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It’s all geek to me..
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A lovely writeup๐
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Glad you liked it, Priscilla.
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You are welcome
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Cool pix!
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Thanks. I would be a
shutterbug, but my phone doesn’t have a shutter?!
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Hey. I have shutter sound on my Samsung. Close enough… ๐๐๐ค
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Tis amazing what digital
can now do!
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Awesome Dave keep on keeping on mate. โบ๐๐๐
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I reckon me and the crocs
are gettin’ along, so keepin’
on shouldn’t be a problem.
No need to worry.
Thanks Aunty Hilary.
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It’s Aunty Hilary, of the gecko tattoo. Take care & safe travels mate. May catch you on the road again one day. Keep on keeping on mate xx
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Hope you and Uncle Kev
made it home through the parched outback?
No thirsty croc revenge attack?
Did you manage to find
Big Kev a shirt?
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Thank you for sharing your poems with us
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My well worn pleasure.
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Fascinating Post! ๐ Thanks for sharing yours thoughts, words and photos with us!
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My obsession …
Thanks Grady, for partaking.
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what a continent, that place. still like the wild wild west. ๐
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Not quite โWolf Creekโ, R.S.
Safe enough for grey nomads
to get about.
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I had to take a pit stop part way
to say “flagellating Skroo Yoo Trees”
out loud
to the amusement of many passerbys.
I hope you defeat that croc someday
in your next dream
to receive your prized ink work.
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I felt the lash of the Skroo Yoo tree
in taking those photographs (true).
When it comes to facing down a
croc, donโt blink. In fact, best run away
. . . real quick!
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Oh damn Corporate Shamansโฆ
Yes, David, the journey goes on until
maybe one day we find our Neverland
and the boys who never grow up.
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A Shaman for the Corporation
once told me to grow up,
and to buy some Timeshares
in project oblivion.
Bojana, he’s still hanging
about, chanting, and asking
for a blood donation.
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Oh damn bloodsuckers.
Tell them you’re only a lover
who wishes to be left alone.
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Where plasma is the currency
I pay in blood … but not my own.
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I love how you’re thinking.
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Love these journeys, poetic, pictorial, metaphorical, you take us on!
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Thank you Vanessa.
We are very blessed here
in the โluckyโ country.
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You are very welcome!
Yes, we are indeed.
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Always great work, David!
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Thanks Basilike
More a great vacation from the serious full time task of obsequiousย obfuscation.
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I need to look up these words, but they sound full time serious
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Very ! …
Where are we now?
Doesn’t mind
over not matter
… any how!
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Where are we indeed?
I’m in living room, getting ready to go to the kitchen. But first a little music.
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I’m down the beach ๐ด
catching some waves
and holistic rays.
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And I just had an earthquake. Seriously.
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Take Pink Floyd off the stereo
and get out of the house!
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It’s over now. It was somewhat strong and the center was here, Trikala.
It wasn’t Pink Floyd, but Satori.
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Perhaps you should go
days without Satori !?
There could be aftershocks.
Perhaps your too close
to Turkey? Theyโve had
some big ones.
Earthquakes that is
… not Erdogon.
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ฮคhere was another one here one or two weeks ago.
As Greece we are close to Turkey, as Trikala not.
We must have collided with Africa again.
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That old continental drift.
Makes mountains out of molehills.
Perhaps you should camp outside
and stay safe, Basilike.
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Thank you, David, I’ll be careful.
It’s my birthday today. Could that have caused the shake?
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Hippy Bathday Basilike.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll !
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I will tomorrow! Friends from Athens are coming!
Thank you!
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Until tomorrow . . .
take it easy on the Ouzo.
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I think I’ll have tsipouro. Works so much better.
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Whatever gets you through
the tremours.
I’d be kicking the gong around,
in the White Palace of Beyond.
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And I’m listening to the drums and bass lines of Satori again.
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Not again!
You’ve been warned.
At least put a helmet on.
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I don’t look good in helmets. On the other hand, I don’t think I’ll look good wearing the ceiling on my head either.
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WOW David!!! I love everything about this post. Amazing. Thank You and Cheers!!! ๐
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Desert to Forest
Thanks Katy
You are very welcome
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๐คโค๏ธโ๏ธ!
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What a lovely adventurous journey
for an artist-writer who never stops
to dream and turn this into reality
through wondrous art and poetry.
As Muriel Casals once said:
“We are not here to seek a dream,
we are the dream!”
No som aquรญ per buscar un somni,
nosaltres som el somni!
Note: Muriel Casals was a Catalan pro-independence leader who died February 2016:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Casals_i_Couturier
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A glorious quote …
Muchas gracias, Marta.
At times, it would seem,
true freedom is but a dream.
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Cor blimey, this is good!
I don’t normally say ‘cor blimey’ but it’s what came into my head while I was reading.
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Thanks muchly, Jane.
And that’s alright … being an
Aussie, I understand ‘Limey’.
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The journeys you take us on, David! Thanks for the ride and the adventures on the way. As always, your pics (whether taken by you or Tony) are great.
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Thanks for coming along, Punam.
Tony took the Devil’s Marbles,
and the big gorge shot.
They required a good camera.
My wife, Lindy & I took the rest
with our smartphones.
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You are welcome David. Those were lovely shots.
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“I asked
was this for my benefit
. . . or theirs?”
Great line, David! Where’s Vanna White when you need to buy a vowel? Wow, I like Uncle Kevinโs tatts, but of course you knew I would. The photos are terrific as are the Skroo Yoo trees! Have a great week ahead. ~ Mia
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Yes, thank you Mia …
the mutually beneficial
always brings on a big time
satisfactory conclusion.
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You’re most welcome, David.
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That was fantastic. The poem and the amazing images!! What the heck is in the Austrailian water? There are so many great poets coming out of that beautiful island. Love it. Thank you
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Thank you very much, Tamaya.
Australia is the land down under
where to be heard,
somewhere beyond the equator,
we need words that roll,
and rock with thunder.
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and so many of you do David. In the next while I will try and catch up on your other poems. I am looking forward to it.
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You are always welcome on
Highway Bloggery, Tamaya.
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Thank you David, I will certainly be hitching a ride. Please feel free to lay the comments down on any of mine you chose. I welcome conversations.
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The colors are so beautiful!
I loved you on the beach in the chairs
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Thanks EC. That was a photo
opportunity I couldn’t resist.
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‘Love on a Beach Chair’
… I think that’s a cocktail
I once tried, somewhere?
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Well
That sounds weird
๐ถ
But it sort of sounds a bit poetic ๐
Sorry if i was creepy on accident
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A most delightful poem, David.
I love those lines about a Corporate Shaman installing in your right arm a mechanism powered by lithium.
Thereโs nothing like being totally connected.
That old mantra All Is One has become literally true.
Is there actually a tree in Australia ๐ฆ๐บ called the Skroo Yoo tree?
If one got into its sharp prickly points, it looks like youโd be screwed indeed.
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Thanks Chris. I’m no botanist,
but them Skroo Yoo trees sure
do exist (ouch!).
They’re the unofficial flora
emblem of the Australian
tropical north east coast. The Cooktown Orchard just
didn’t cut it (wasn’t tough and manly enough).
As for the actual botanical name?
I know you’re a keen botonist,
Chris, but I don’t have a clue.
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๐
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Grazie, Luca.
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I have missed reading the wonderment of your unique writing style. This was a wonderfully delightful journey through your mind.
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Thank you very much, Walt.
I guess a journey through my
mind, to be short, if not sweet!
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I took the road less traveled.
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If I was a bit less rash . . .
I may not have been gravelled?
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Perhaps.
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Perhaps one day, I’ll take the road less travelled
all the way to Tennessee.
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I know that you would enjoy it. So many musical memories in this state.
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‘Nashville Skyline’,a favourite
of mine. Not to mention Graceland.
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Nashville is a great city! And the Blues in Memphis are awesome!
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You are very lucky Walt
to be so close. We have a Townsville Country Music
Festival ๐ถ. That’s when
the boys from the bush
are back in town . . .
“Been shearing sheep,
we been mustering stock
We been culling out roots,
we been spraying the crops
We’ve been droving cattle
up an old stock route
Now its Saturday night,
we pile in the yute
Were the boys from the bush
and were back in town
Well the dogs in the back
and the foot goes down
Were life members of the outback club
Were the boys from the bush
come in from the scrub
Been out in the heat,
we been loading the trucks
Been fixing fences,
we been choking on dust
We curse the rain
we curse the drought
Now its Saturday night
and were all in the shout
We get high when
the sun goes down
We work the land
through fire and flood
Its in our hearts,
it runs in the blood
Well we raise hell
when the sun goes down
We get high
when the sun goes down”
~Lee Kernaghan
`Boys from the Bushยดย
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Four years ago I served on Governor Haslam’s Tennessee Tourism Committee. I got to spend a lot of time in Nashville and Memphis and got enjoy so much good music. It was an awesome time in my life. ๐
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You could’ve got me tickets
for the Grand Ole Opry!?
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Probably, lol
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I just saved the You Tube video of Boys In The Bush – great song! Thanks David!!
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Slim Dusty is our old time
Hank Williams.
Lee Kernaghan is one of his
many musical offspring.
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My pleasure, Walt.
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โฆ and go walking in Memphis.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
GOOD WORDPLAY—EH-? (PRONOUNCED “AY”)
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Yes, beware the Corporate Shaman,
Jonathan.He’ll put a chip in your arm
so you can buy your hearts desire all
the way to that Highway to Hell ๐ฅ
But remember, you’ll need that
transaction chip to pay the toll ๐ค
As they say . . .
“Don’t leave home without it!” ๐ค๐ถ๏ธ
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MY HOME IS IN ANOTHER PLACE…!
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So colorful photos and great lines! Do you have tattoo! โบ๏ธ
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No, sadly I haven’t qualified to get that
Croc Tatt๐ yet, Priti. The rules are very
strict, and Uncle Kev is a stickler for the
rules. You must win with just your bare
hands โ๐๐ค
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Iโll have what youโre smoking although the messy revenge of Captain Hook seems a tad extreme, unless Pan is an ugly reprobate visiting bordellos while Wendy pines and snorts coke. Crude jokes aside, great poem David ๐
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The great Australian outback can
come as a crude shock to many ๐ฑ
so no need to be sorry ๐ But yes,
I may owe J.M. Barrie an apology ๐
as this entire crocodile imbroglio
came as a big blow ๐ฌ๏ธ to Wendy
who flew off with Tinkerbell ๐ง and
instantly became a fairy of snow โ๏ธ
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a wonderful rollicking fantasy, David: I loved every line of it, each madcap adventure, and the character of Uncle Kevin; my two favourite lines: ‘I dreamt I was an illustration/ in a Never-Never publication’ ๐
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Thanks John ๐ As it happens
I often find myself lost and
wondering if I’m actually real ๐ค๐ถ๏ธ
but then my darling wife, Linda
(no relative of Wendy Darling)
claps her hands ๐ saying she
believes in me ๐
Talking of J.M.Barrie, Linda and I
visited the real Neverland when in
Scotland. According to the locals,
It’s a picturesque island in the
middle of a loch not far from the
Isle of Skye.
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thanks David: I’ve always been fascinated by the Peter Pan story, its various iterations [ e.g. ‘The Lost Boys’ of ’87] and the life of J M Barrie
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This particular loch has a train track
running alongside. J.M.Barrie would
catch the train on his way to work
as a young journalist in London and
was inspired by the sight of this
pine tree covered island. Well, that’s
the story I was told by a local
fishing boat captain as we sailed
past on a sunny midsummer morn ๐
Loch Carron was full of playful seals,
and I found myself believing his
every word ๐
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if we believe in the narrator, we believe in their tale —
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Magical, mesmerizing, and gorgeous, David! Thanks for bringing this one back! โค
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The future is not what it used to be,
according to Yogi Berra. I can only
agree ๐ค๐ถ๏ธ Thanks for viewing my
piece of dรฉjร vu, Cheryl ๐๐
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much so much of dreams (๐) and all so lovely too.
๐ค
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Thanks for tuning in to my daydream,
Destiny ๐๐ด๐ญ ๐ซง
“God knows the secrets of your heart.
Heโll tell them to you when youโre asleep.”
~ Bob Dylan
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my pleasure, David.
.. and thank you too๐
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Uncle Kevโs got that right
When you put up a fight with a crocodile
You have to do it in style
First a suplex and then a right hook
And then throw the Encyclopaedia Britannica, A-C book
Arm wrestling after, under the S-Y tree
And then a Dance Dance battle on the Nintendo Wii
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In a throw down
with a creature
all scaly green and irritable ๐
the best option is arm wrestling
as it takes those razor sharp teeth
off the table
and crocs have a lot of trouble
keeping an elbow
on that very table
and holding it stable
while giving them a tickle
Yet still no easy beat
as this prehistoric beast
really loves to cheat
and is always frantic
for that next victory feast
Yes Tanmay
Uncle Kevin is a living legend
up in the Aussie top end
as an alpha croc hunter
I haven’t had the heart to tell him
that since the 1970’s
crocodiles in Australia
are a protected species
so it’s illegal to kill them
and they’ve never been happier
… or hungrier
A croc-idyllic situation
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I love how you blend poetry and pics David.. Dreaming of the red carpet.. don’t burst my bubble. Ha๐ซง๐ซง๐ซง๐ซง๐๐๐๐
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It’s a whole different view
of the Universe ๐๏ธโพ๏ธ๐๏ธ
when the red carpet
you are floating upon
is dreaming of you ๐ค๐ถ๏ธ
Thanks for bubbling along,
Cindy ๐๐ ๐
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you’re so right David. love that.. you’re most welcome, alwaysโค๏ธ
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Love those old cars from the 40’s. How sad is that pic of the bloke playing the didge outside a freaking McD’s! I did do a trip to Daintree & Cape Trib 20’ish years ago – don’t recall seeing any scroo yoo trees though!
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Yes Garry, in the Aussie outback there
is a McDonald’s restaurant situated
right in the thick of a Skroo Yoo forest.
If you turn right at the Black Stump
and venture out into the Never Never
you’ll find those Skroo Yoo trees just
about everywhere.
Thanks for taking the time to hit the
beaten track … not taken ๐๐
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This was an awesome post, David.
Art
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Thanks Art ๐
Glad you enjoyed the trek ๐ฃ๐
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Great poem, David.
Sounds like that lithium powered mechanism in your right arm is the Mark of the Beast.
Great looking vintage auto in your top photo.
I wouldnโt mind driving a car like that.
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I’ve been misled, Christopher!
A special agent from Wall Street
told me it was a Marks & Spencer
Transaction Implant.
from a limb
overhanging the garden
I spend my time
peeking into
Desolation Row
where insurance men
keep a watch list
full of information
on who’s to stay
and who should go
after placing
a price on carbon
and an embargo
on personal freedom
for all carbon based
life forms
especially human
Why?
I just don’t know
best not to ask
and do like the rest
wearing a frown
upon a rearranged face
under a protective mask
with absolutely no purpose
and no concept
of style and grace
arrogance and pride
cometh before a fall
only God’s love
keeps me hanging on
to this grafted branch
after saying yes
to a whispered call
in the distance
the murmur of a prayer
a gentle reminder
should I really care?
down below
on Desolation Row
it’s not dark yet
but it’s getting there
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Mighty and powerful song ๐ต ๐ถ
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David… David… David… (wait, I totally forgot what I was gonna say).๐๐ฅณ๐
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The great Australian outback does
tend to have that affect, Tamara ๐๐
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LOL… thatโs it! Thatโs what I was gonna say. ๐๐
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What a powerful post! ๐๐๐
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Thanks for trekking along, Robin ๐
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OK. I stopped back to look at the pictures again, just noticed the “Skroo Yoo” tree. Haaaaa! Love it!
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A symbolic icon of Australian flora.
Yet only ever found in Gondwanaland
literature from the Never Never.
Thanks for the revisit, Robin ๐๐
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