Country Life – Page 5 – June Paisa Perkins

Thankyou – time to vote for people’s choice in the Australian Blog competition

Dear Readers,

Thankyou so much awesome readers for nominating me for Best Australian Blog, a competition being run by the Sydney Writer’s Centre, now is the time to head along and vote in the people’s choice awards.

So if you like hearing about life in the country, the role of creativity in healing, and what ever else is happening in Pearlz Dreaming then please head over there and vote – and thankyou for reading and supporting my blogging and real life challenges and adventures down the years. I appreciate every one of you.

You don’t have to be Australian to vote but it is for an Australian blog.

June Perkins

Treasure hunts, buggies, and community – a school working bee

Working bees are hard work for parents but often needed and appreciated for those they service. In this case Murray Upper parents rose early to give the school garden, which has run amuck in the tropics and turned into the secret garden gone troppo, a good trim and tidy. What a sacrificial way to spend a day of the holidays.

Today was a hot one, and those who arrived the earliest will definitely sleep well tonight, but in the afternoon a few cooling breezes and thankfully more shade arrived.

For country kids working bees are something to enjoy, yes there’s tonnes of garden debris to pick up and move but there’ s also a chance to catch up with school mates and neigbours and enjoy a ride on the back of a buggy loaded up with that garden junk with all your mates. Any time parents gather, so do their children and the potential for community bonding is there.

It’s like being at a show or fete for the kids and it always amazes me how kids in company of each other can make anything entertaining. All it takes is enthusiasm and zest for their environment and buddies.

Today there were plenty of laughs and bright cheery kids. Their energy did not wane until late in the afternoon, when all needed to go home for a good rest. They helped so much picking up garden refuse and entertaining each other. They enjoyed cleaning up the school’s garden and creating a surprise for when everyone returns next term.

Ten tennis balls, a footy and a basketball later an element of treasure hunting was added to the school garden clean up, not to mention the subtraction of fewer places for snakes to hide. Now you will know from my earlier blogs we had a few snakes out here. Just a couple of days ago hubby nearly mowed a small one out in the garden. But no sign of them today. Phew.

I read a post by Suzi Taylor about Chiltern kids growing up in the Country on ABC Open – they made a film about it. Good on them! I love the tenacity and creativity of kids in the country.

I imagine the kids today would have enjoyed making a video of their garden cleaning adventure. They know I like to make movies, and one little tyke said please video me working! I sense some budding film makers there.

I think my kids have been delighted to grow up country, even though there can sometimes be challenges like snakes and cyclones. It is playing an important part in defining who they are. When they go to the city now they see it differently. They appreciate the city and all it has to offer, like cinemas, but they look forward to coming home to the cane, the guinea pigs and their country adventures.

(c) June Perkins

Rural Reflections

Trees haze into a puddles
capturing their soul

homeandabout_March2012 013-001 — Rural Reflections1 – June Perkins

Strolling past utes and tractors
looking into puddles for dreams

homeandabout_March2012 003 — Rural Reflections2 – June Perkins

there is so much in the future the child can’t see
There’s so much he can be

homeandabout_March2012 014 — Rural Reflections3-June Perkins

The start of his story
humble and rural
can end in dreams
that come true.

It’s off to Town I go

Once a week I take our car (we are a one vehicle family and no it’s not the picture above that’s another of my favourite activities looking for pictures in Tully and elsewhere) and head off into Tully or on other adventures. Here is an account of one typical day in town. Ironically as I share this account the kids AFL carnival in Cairns has just been cancelled by rain and all the kids are on their way back on the bus. That’s the wet season for you!

A typical day visit into Tully town includes visiting my friends working at their shops or at their homes. I enjoy these visits and they are a welcome break from writing and project work at the confines of my computer.

Gift Shop – J. and I discuss whether I should photograph her sister’s wedding- she’d like me to do it and gives me her sister’s phone number. I have never done a wedding before and am a bit nervous, but I’d so love the opportunity. Will I or wont I? I have given them some other local photographer’s names.

M – at the library I borrow different sized books and then M. discusses what librarians look for in a book; I file away this information to take into account when I am working out my size dimensions. I really have to get onto my quotes.

Visit to J… – discussion of her submission to the Smile Within project, people are the most important thing… life of service, but a creative writer too, who friends tell me did very well at school. She is off to a conference on residential places for retirees.

Photo Shop – They have some wood for my exhibition photographs to be mounted on and will save any as it comes in. Like many in photography they like me like to be behind the camera. I think B. would write a great photography blog, we always have interesting discussion, –can’t wait for their housewarming, it’ll be awesome!

Scrap booking shop – I pick up a contribution to the exhibition – and chat to two people in doing an art workshop with A. they are making some interesting stuff. Looking forward to reading what A. has written. One of the ladies doing art is a mum of a child my kid used to go to school with. A. is interested to read my project blog for smile within.

I visit C. She asks how did the trip to Brisbane go? She returns the consent form for my upcoming exhibition ( I lose my keys, but have put them in my camera bag what a dag!) C. is my driving mentor extraordinaire – and she is a great and caring mother to her kids. Devoted and dedicated – a real backbone to her family.

Back home to Murray Upper and then back in to town – taking my son to AFL footy training – how he loves his sport!!! We run into some more parents – some fellow teachers, and one from my son’s school. The kids are all excited about AFL. It is pouring but their coach takes them to the oval to play anyway – no stopping for rain! Hooray a sport where you just keep on making the effort. It rains up here so much. Well that’s life.

(c) June Perkins

State Elections Country Style

Easter Raffle Goods - June Perkins — Easter Raffle Goods – June Perkins

Election Day Queensland will be a day for me to remember conversations about Mum’s transitioning back into the work forces, how many creative people live in Murray Upper (potters, artists, and writers) and telling true inspiring tales of my Mum from Papua New Guinea.

It will also be a day to remember the enterprising nature of P and C Mums who have spent the last day baking cakes to raise money for their kid’s schools.

I love talking with Mums who are further along in the process than me, especially as I have a teenager who is going to be at university soon. It is comforting to gain some prior advice and speak with people who know what I am going through right now.

There is something about the teenage years where youth enter a time of growth, freedom and identity formation that is their future. Parents are learning how to be wings beneath wings and let their kids fly into their futures without making too many mistakes. We’re both safety nets, coaches, and needing to let go parents and sometimes we need a team of community mentors to help us through this time.

Being a youth in the country has its own special challenges and its important to understand these when you live here. One being employment opportunities for young people if they want to remain living in the country.

Country MPs lead an interesting life, and the best make it to all the local community events. They open fetes, exhibitions, launches, and stand up for schools losing their music programs or dental vans. Once they are there and active it is hard to imagine them moving on very often as people become used to people they trust being there.

It is less about politics and more about being a part of the community. If only all governing was done more along these lines then we might have a country where cynicism about political processes and parties began to diminish.

Does all governing need to be tied to the idea of partisan politics? Should it be more about principles, consultation and good governance? What do you think?

(c) June Perkins