The sky out here is very often breathtaking. This was taken yesterday on the way home from the city. I thought I’d post it and say that I am still blogging every day on 365 even though not so often here on my main site. I hope to post more ‘newsy’ stuff here but sometimes life is busy. If you still pop by then cheers – enjoy the view . . . . .

OK, so I have finally made my decision to leave Facebook. Which means I need to be more regular in keeping this personal blog up to date should any of my Facebook friends want to keep up with me (as well as email, letter, Skype, text, etc. etc.). I’ve been uncomfortable with Facebook for quite a while now. I joined when it was in its infancy and was almost exclusively made up of University students networking online. I was working in a University at the time and a I received the ubiquitous ‘friend invitation’. It seemed like a good way to communicate with the students. Later it proved useful in keeping up with family and friends. Since then it has exploded and has a population the size of a small country (maybe even a medium sized one!).

I have also grown tired of the trivial nature of Facebook. I’m not saying I haven’t been trivial myself – I have – and that is why I am pulling back. We live in a fast world – a soundbite world – and a quick ‘whats on your mind?’ text message world. I’m slowing down and backing away from the trivialisation of communication. That means I’ll have to be better at making sure I write to my kids, email my friends and keep up my blog.

I could say a lot more about the underbelly of Facebook which causes me concern. It is a huge machine ripe for social profiling and control. It is difficult to moderate and driven by advertising revenue. It is voyeuristic and virtual and very possibly delusional too – it has a pernicious hold on many of us and keeps us at the surface level of communication and interaction having no room or time for anything even slightly deeper than “cottage pie tonight – yummy!”

So, in answer to the now obligatary question of the day, “What’s on your mind?” the answer is – “I’m leaving Facebook – and it feels good . . . . .”

Loggerhead Turtle

During a few days break on the sunshine coast we had the most amazing good fortune to encounter a real live Loggerhead Turtle emerging from the sea looking for a place to lay. This is the sort of stuff I have seen on TV with David Attenborough giving the commentary. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d get the opportunity to experience it first hand. The photo shows the old girl as we discovered her on the beach. Joan and I had decided that we would take one last stroll on the moonlit beach before returning to the city the next day. As we stepped through the clearing in the trees and onto the sands I could see something strange at the waters edge – a turtle! A huge turtle! So we ran to investigate and sure enough, large as life shuffling its way awkwardly out of the water and onto the beach there she was. I ran back to the house to get my son and his girlfriend to come see. After standing back and letting her do her thing we realised that she had become snared up in some brambles and vines on the sand dune. We did what we thought was the best thing and freed her from her snares which allowed for her to turn around and head back for the sea. What followed was most unexpected – suddenly from nowhere three women appeared and jumped on the turtle. Before I had chance to ask what they were doing it became apparent that they were wildlife wardens on a mission to tag and take records of the turtle so they could track its well-being. My son and I were then asked to help out by holding the turtle down as they took measurements and tagged both of her front flippers. To be so close up and handling the animal was quite something and an adventure we will all remember for the rest of our lives. She was so old and had eyes which seemed to be sad and wise at the same time. I followed her back to the waters edged and bid her farewell in the moonlight. We returned home feeling tired and exhilarated all at the same time knowing we had shared in a unique experience.

Happy New Year!

I’m determined to keep this blog updated – and to make that even more tricky for myself I have begun a new blogging project for the new year. I call it the 365 Project. Here in Oz there is a stationary store called Kiki.K and I picked up a journal that has 365 numbered pages in it. I determined that I would sit on my meditation bench (over 200 years old from India – a treasured possession) and write whatever came to mind for that day. I then decided that I would post all or some of what I write in the journal on my blog to see if others would like to join me. So, if you are still around I promise I’ll be more regular in news, thoughts and random stuff her on iaskedforwonder – and over on 365 I’ll do my best to post daily.

Whilst taking some time out to relax and think through a few fairly life changing experiences going on at the moment – I was listening to my iPod on shuffle and was taken by surprised by this beautiful song – The Book Of Love. The version I was listening to is a cover by Peter Gabriel which was used in the film Shall We Dance. The original was done by The Magnetic Fields and is quite different (but still has a certain appeal). However, it is this version that will forever be of special significance for me. It evokes deep and powerful emotions from one of my proudest moments – walking my daughter Helen Hazel down the aisle of the Church before conducting the ceremony which sealed her relationship with Andrew – her boyfriend since sixth form in school. It is doubly significant that this track should pop up on random play because one of the life changing events I was pondering is the imminent arrival of her first child and our first grandchild. It’s a beautiful song for a beautiful young lady – I dedicate this to you Helen Hazel. I’m so glad your Mum is there with you and I look forward so much to joining you soon. I am very proud of Helen – she has always been someone that lights up a room and that has only magnified since she began to blossom in her pregnancy. I’m not sure I have managed to do much more than shed a few emotional tears as a result of my pondering – I cannot imagine what it will be like to see my own child cradling her own child. I feel good about being a grandparent and I look forward to taking that next generation in my arms and blessing it – another page in our very own

Listen to The Book Of Love