bellingen

despite the rain and floods

my sister, along with one of my most dear friends kate, and myself
headed to bellingen over the past few days
for work
( but also a road-trip-girls-weekend-away )

amongst the travels were dinners and breakfasts
with the beautiful suzi and dan from affirmations
such open and wonderful people . . .
the kind of souls that confirm your faith in the world
and make you feel as if you've been friends for years !

and, for me, finally traveling to bellingen
brought me to the place where oscar
traveled up the bellinger river with his glass church as
both proof of his love of, and a wager with: lucinda . . .
in peter carey's wonderous (fictional) book
OSCAR AND LUCINDA

the book was also made into a film
( which i love with equal passion )

and . . . while in bellingen i bought a fabulous antique
writing desk-top with a lifting and sloping lid -
one that holds all your papers, pencils, and ink inside . . .

not only have i been looking for one like this for years
but it seemed such an appropriate memento from
a trip to oscar-and-lucinda-land

i can just imagine oscar writing to lucinda on it
as it was their letters between each other that held their hearts . . .

being a romantic is both a blessing and a curse
( trust me ! )

above is a photo of some beautiful old tiles on the front of a shop in town