Y Ddraig Goch

Sept 10 - Snowcapped Mountains

Prompt: “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more that what we could learn from books.” John Lubbock. Of the natural features, what is your favourite type? Oceans, mountains, etc.

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I think that depends on the books, and on the person. What nature teaches us is different to what we learn in books. It’s the difference between the theory and the practical.

I have a healthy respect for the sea. I may even be a little bit in awe of it. In all honesty, it scares me. The things in it scare me. I live is Australia, where everything wants to kill you… White sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, salties, blue-ringed octopus, stonefish, box jellyfish, and that’s before you even think about the rips. Drowning is probably my biggest fear, and I have a phobia of fish and water I can't see the bottom of... so the ocean... well, let's just say I stick to paddling.

I do like the idea of living by the beach/sea though. I like the storms that roll off it. But then I like storms…

We live near/on the bay of Port Phillip. We used to be able to see across the salt flats into the bay and watch the container ships come in, with Melbourne skyline in the distance, from our front door. We've moved since then, but not far. But it's no longer in direct sight. We often take a drive down the Great Ocean Road and we muse about buying a house with a view of the Bass Strait; miles of uninterrupted, open water until you get to Tasmania.

My favourite is the forests. I like trees. I also like snowcapped mountains smothered in tall evergreen, conifers - preferably also covered in snow…. I may have been obsessed with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a child… I was also obsessed with Banff National Park. I have never been, but it’s on my bucket list. I had BIG plans of moving to Canada, buying a log cabin complete with a stone fireplace and a comfy chair, a green off-roader, and a shot gun, so I could see the Northern Lights. Then I went on holiday to Australia and married and Aussi… best laid plans and all… I love Australia. It’s a very different kind of harsh, raw beauty, but I think there is a part of me that will always love the snow more.