Slice Of Life Story -Fun In The Forest


In the sixties, Crispian St Peters sang, ‘When I woke up this morning, you were on my mind.’ Well, when I woke up this morning a drive to the place of my childhood was on my mind. Despite the inclement weather, I set forth with too eager young children to drive about an hour up into the hills to seek out the birds of the forest.

Sherbrooke Forest is a temperate rain forest situated 48 kms (30 miles) east of the city of Melbourne. Apart from the old growth forest and its magnificent trees and ferns, the forest is also home to the magnificent lyrebird and a host of other flora and fauna. This is the locale of my childhood. The famous Dandenong Ranges.

We stopped on the way to buy some parrot seed. Later we drove past my childhood home and school. I pointed out places where I went fishing as a boy, and the picnic grounds beside the Sassafras Creek where we enjoyed family outings. The children played the game and asked polite questions. I pointed out the sporting fields where I spent hours kicking a football and playing cricket. I drew attention to the tracks through the forest where I used to run. They were keen to know what animals I saw.

All this time the rain persisted so I suggested to the children that we take a diversion and stop for a break at the legendary Kallista Tea Rooms. The children enjoyed hot chocolate while I revived on a welcome coffee. We sat at a table with a window view of sulphur crested cockatoos, blue wrens and crimson rosellas which obligingly came to nestle in the branches of the trees adjacent to the window. More delights in the form of freshly baked scones with jam and cream duly arrived at our table and the conversation slowed as we savoured these tasty pleasures.

The rain had slowed by now, so we returned to forest armed with the parrot seed. The forest is shrouded in fog and oozes moisture from the continuous winter rain we have been experiencing. The sky is a heavy, grey blanket.  The leaves of massive eucalypts hang limply as water slips and drips from their shiny surfaces. The ground under our feet squelches. The surrounding air is dank and heavy. We are dwarfed by giants in this ancient place.

 The children burst from the car and in the process hurried me out as well. We were greeted by the immediate beauty of the somewhat nervous crimson rosellas. Their vivid blues and red feathers made a strong statement against the forest backdrop. They wandered about on the forest floor, searching for seeds. Within no time, they were eating seed from the children’s hands.

 Then the hideous screeching of a large flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos announced that they had descended from distant trees and burst upon the scene. They seemed to be everywhere- on tables, in trees, clinging to our arms, on our shoulders. Their manners were appalling. They demanded food. They demanded attention. The rosellas were pushed aside in the raucous rush of the big white birds for the precious seed. All the time, the children doled out the seed and I made the most of this wonderful experience with my camera. By now, all the seed was scattered. The children however,  were full of the joy that comes with experiencing simple pleasures. I thought how fortunate we are to have such abundant bird life to witness in the wild. It should not be taken for granted.

It began to rain again, so we returned to the car and prepared to journey home for lunch. ‘That was so much fun.’ I hear from the back seat. Those simple words made the entire morning so worthwhile. ‘Next time, we’ll look for lyrebirds, right Papa?’
This place holds special memories for me in so many ways. I lived here from the age of ten, until I moved away from home when I got married.  It was a joy to share a small part of this memory rich place with another generation.



Comments

  1. Deb Day10 July 2012 at 22:46

    Wow, what a great experience. I felt like I was right there with you all. And after spending the last week with my grandkids, I understand the joy you felt sharing your memories with your grandchildren. I think that's the best part of being a grandparent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda B10 July 2012 at 23:56

    Such fun & delight to introduce the grandchildren to the pleasures you enjoyed too, Alan. Those rosellas are gorgeous. I envy you the outing. The cockatoos remind me of the cheeky ravens at Yellowstone Park-too many tourists make them greedy! But for us who aren't used to seeing wild cockatoos on the shoulders of grandchildren, the photos are terrific to see. I loved hearing every bit of your day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11 July 2012 at 01:44

    The setting and the activities you described sound like a fantasy to me, so far away, yet even without the pictures (which I love) I could envision all of it. Such vivid descriptions of an unfamiliar world. But your feelings about returning to cherished places, and reliving special moments from your past in your mind, and sharing all this with those dear to you - that is the tie that binds us all together, no matter where we live. Thanks for sharing this amazing day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amy Rudd11 July 2012 at 11:07

    Alan,
    Your experience is so awesome. Thank you for sharing the descriptive words that helped me imagine what it would be like there. Also, thanks for sharing the pictures. I agree that you're fortunate to have the opportunity to witness the wild as you say...and you're right, don't take it for granted.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ramona11 July 2012 at 15:23

    I loved this slice of your life. The paragraph that begins - "The rain had slowed by now..." put me right in the forest with you. It's always surprising to be reminded that it's winter in Australia! The forest shrouded in fog, the water slipping and dripping, the dank and heavy air could almost be Seattle, but our forests don't have rosellas or cockatoos. Thanks for including the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. PAMELA HODGES12 July 2012 at 06:00

    Delightful. Thank you for taking me to see the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  7. writekimwrite13 July 2012 at 09:14

    Like someone else mentioned this seemed like a fantasy excursion but you had photographs to prove it was a delightful reality. What fun to revisit your childhood while the grandkids are in theirs. What a charming memory you captured with your perfect words.

    ReplyDelete
  8. OneSunflower15 July 2012 at 02:22

    I found myself with so many questions about this place that I went to the web for a hunt. Like you, I have returned to the place of my childhood and love sharing across generations: with my parents, because they left for about 20 years, and my new nieces.

    ReplyDelete
  9. wakeupandwrite15 July 2012 at 02:28

    PS - more from One Sunflower - it tickled me to read about Sherbrooke Forest and see the reference to Ferntree Gully because my daughter's favorite movie as a child was Ferngully. She feels that Avatar is just a remake of that children's movie.

    ReplyDelete
  10. wakeupandwrite15 July 2012 at 02:28

    PS - more from One Sunflower - it tickled me to read about Sherbrooke Forest and see the reference to Ferntree Gully because my daughter's favorite movie as a child was Ferngully. She feels that Avatar is just a remake of that children's movie.

    ReplyDelete

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