Just do it…

 “The secret of getting ahead, is getting started” – Mark Twain

Another cold and miserable week weatherwise, but my mood has lifted, and I am now seeing possibilities more clearly. Shopping at the market, cooking for some friends and enjoying a meal in their company has boosted my spirits.

In addition, I attended a council run training session for setting up small business, and this has given me some plans and goals to start up my idea in helping other small businesses with their administrative needs. I was unsure of whether there was a market for my services, but I am buoyed by the enthusiasm this session gave me, so I am determined to give it a go.

Armed with some advice and templates, my actions for this week are to write up my business plan, get my business name registered, and commence building my website.

Just do it.

The weekend brought some nicer weather, so on Sunday, we decided to head out for a bush walk at nearby Hughes Creek. We drove to the area and parked the car, with a view to finding a way to cross the creek and walk along an old abandoned road.

Crossing the creek, now a bit swollen after recent rain, proved more challenging than expected, and required removal of shoes and trousers to walk across a sandy area in the freezing water. Ok, a bit chilly and hard on the winter feet, but we managed the crossing without incident. Needless to say, we were not equipped with towels to clean and dry the muddy feet, so we put our socks back on to grubby wet feet and headed off. We found the old road, mostly overgrown now with prickly bushes, which we had to push our way through. Along the roadside there were several sections of old stone retaining walls, pictured here.

We followed this for a while until it rose above a gorge and then dropped down again to the creek level. The creek here was fast but had more rocky sections of small rapids and a few small islands. We decided to try to cross back over the river here and head back to our car via the normal road.

This appeared easier that it turned out to be. Maybe its because I am no longer young, and nimble hopping from rock to rock is no longer a simple pleasure as it was when I was young. The rocks were much slipperier that they appeared, but we made our way into the middle via a few rocky spots. You know when you do things like this that there comes a point of no return, you can’t turn back, but must keep going.  So, there I was, mid-stream, standing on a small rock, trying to figure out how to get to the next rock and to a small reedy island, backpack on and camera around my neck, I pushed off with my right foot, but as I made my leap, the back foot lost traction, slid out from under me, and crashing into the rocks and freezing water I fell. Luckily, I was able to grab the camera and hold it up above the water while I sat there, trying to decide whether to laugh or cry. Some expletives were uttered as I tried to stand up, but couldn’t because everywhere I put my foot, it slipped. Thankfully there was no video footage! Eventually, after taking off my sodden shoes and removing the backpack and throwing it to the island, I was able to get on all fours then push myself up. My left leg hurt and at first, I couldn’t put my weight on it, so was worried that I may have broken something, but as I tried again, it felt stronger, so I continued on despite a small cut and some bruising. It was never like this when I was young! With shoes off and already wet up to my thighs, crossing became easier. I made it to the island, which along with reeds, had blackberries, so walking barefoot across it was not fun, then to the other side across another fast-flowing section of creek to the other bank. Phew! I sat and watched as Neil followed my footsteps, fortunately, avoiding falling over.

Back on the other side, putting on soaking wet, freezing cold socks and shoes wasn’t fun, but there was only a short walk along the road back to the car, so all was well. Off home to a hot bath to warm up and ease the aching body.

I reflected on why it was that when we headed off for what should have been an ordinary Sunday bushwalk, it turned into an adventure, with creek crossings and minor injuries. Next time, I think we should find a walk that has a proper path instead of crashing around in the bush. But then, I wouldn’t have a story to tell. Happy days!

Only creative pursuits this week have been taking photos. A few more added to the gallery and a few here of our walk in the bush.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•