Benedictus Publishing

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever been to Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens? It has been many years since our family visited and I really wonder why it has taken me so long to go back there. What a spectacular park it is. Admittedly, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to places of great natural beauty in our state and nation, but it is so easy to get caught up in the business of life in the suburbs and not take the time to venture into the great outdoors.

One of the most appealing aspects of these gardens is that they are only a thirty-minute drive from my house. Thirty minutes and your life is transformed! Even as you wend your way up to the entrance, you can feel the weight of the world and its turmoil lighten. You can smell the eucalypts. I was even fortunate enough to see two kangaroos grazing near the car park. I was enchanted when they let me come close enough to take photos. I am convinced that nothing I could buy or do in this world, could rival the delight of spending time in the natural world. And here you have that irresistible combination of the joy of nature and the careful cultivation of those who love the natural environment and want to preserve it and care for it.

I spent a few hours rambling through the bush and writing poetry — my idea of heaven! Let’s face it, walking through these gardens is guaranteed to turn your thoughts to an extraordinary, creative God and the way he has gifted us with an environment that serves us and deserves our devoted stewardship in return.

It was my privilege and pleasure to be part of a cross-curricula day of outdoor learning with Sunrise Christian School, Marion, and that is what took me up the hill to this oasis of beauty. My role was to encourage the students to write poetry stimulated by the environment, but looking beyond it to the lessons in life that we can learn as we observe nature. On the day I drove up to prepare for the workshops, I wrote at least half a dozen drafts and still have more on the backburner, waiting for me to sit quietly, look at my photos, and see what thoughts begin to meander through my mind. I will share one of the poems based on the charred, black trunks and new growth I observed that led me down a philosophical path.

INSPIRED BY CHARRED TRUNKS AND NEW GROWTH AT MT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDENS

I wanted my young poets to let the bush speak to them and take them on a journey. Sometimes, nature will be a catalyst for thoughts that send you diving into social and historical documents, as it did in the case of my poem, ‘The Casuarina is King.’ That stunning casuarina took me back to our first arrivals and to the pioneers that came after them. I chose to give the casuarina a voice. To let it tell its own history.

ONE OF THE STUNNING SIGHTS AT MT LOFTY BOTANIC GARDENS

Those two days were just the refreshment I needed, as I completed the manuscript for my new poetry collection. Give yourself a treat. Take a drive up Mt Lofty and be reminded that we live in a wondrous world that can lift our spirits and renew our minds when we pay attention to its staggering beauty. I have a small plaque in my kitchen that says:

‘If you want to feel rich, just count all the gifts you have that money can’t buy.’

Surely, nature is the foremost of those gifts!

My very best wishes,

Julie