The Write on Wednesday Spark - The nature of place Write On Wednesday
Think about a place in nature that feels special to you. Perhaps it is somewhere you visited as a child. Or maybe you share a special outdoor space with your own children. This place, this space will be your prompt for this week's writing exercise. Write about a particular natural geography, a natural place or space close to your heart. Tell us about the weather, the landform , the creatures who live there, what the place means to you and why. You can write prose fiction, poetry, non-fiction and/or a photographic narrative. You might mix the landscape with a personal story. Wherever the prompt take you...Let us peek into your place.
We always departed on the eve of Christmas Eve. It was always hot. Four kids, two adults and one large dog in a minivan, in the midst of summer, on a four hour journey west. In my mind, there were four legs to this journey and they were all defined by the passing scenery. The constantly moving view framed by a sticker laden window. The first leg was the most arduous. I had named it the ‘Urban Escape’. There was the ever constant musings of Richie Benaud in the background, horns having their say, three siblings nattering. My inner voice expressed the sadness of the cramped houses with cramped gardens, all of us screaming out for some breathing space. As we neared the second leg of the journey the houses started to shrink in comparison to their gardens and the trees were cheering at the extra space they had to spread their limbs. It was still hot.
The
second leg was not fun. It was motion sickness holy ground, named ‘The Ascent’.
We wound around the twisty roads, my tummy churning at the constant tree shadows
flashing across the road, somewhat reminiscent of torture. The distant cliff
faces seemed to be laughing at us, bearing all their bush rock teeth as the sun
began to darken their features, making them appear sinister.
The
sunset always marked the third leg of the journey, the ‘Bush Retreat’. The sun
shed enough light to fill the sky with a fruit bowl of colours. The oranges,
lemons, berries and plums peeked through the thick brush of trees, bush and
grasses. There was a sense of calm that moved over the van. The radio reception
was long gone, replaced with the balmy wind whistling, and the splat of
misguided bugs on the windscreen. It was still hot.
The
headlights shining on high beam was the final leg of the journey. The ‘The Gate’
leg was a battle of the minds. The headlights accentuated the creepy surrounds.
The gnarly old trees embraced the road, forming a cave. They concealed a
menagerie of wildlife that glared at us with their glowing eyes. Occasionally,
a mighty old kangaroo would challenge us to pass, standing upright at the side
of the road, glowering. Finally, I could see the light of the full moon at the
end of the cave. My excitement would build, but I didn’t want to stir the
others. The clink of the indicator blinking seemed so loud. There was no other
movement in the van. Yes! I had outlasted my siblings, I was the winner in the
gate opening stakes. As I slid the van door open, I was accosted with the scent
that brought back every memory of every Christmas growing up. I opened my
nostrils and drew in the biggest whiff of the fresh cut grass and cow dung that
hung in the still, dry air. The chirping crickets stopped momentarily as the creaky
wire gate swang open. We had arrived at the farm. It was still hot.
Hey Tiffy. Welcome to blogging and welcome to Wow!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great first post. I really enjoyed sharing your journey. Hope to see lots more from you.
I've also tagged you in the blog buddies questionnaire (pop over and take a look) - there's no obligation to actually do it but it may bring a couple of people your way :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much. I did check it out. It looks like a very daunting task, but an enjoyable peek into peoples inner workings!
DeleteThis was an adorable piece, and so brim full of character! I really enjoyed how you named legs of your journey, although I am sorry it was so hot! It was cute, but the writing was seriously good! Welcome to Write on Wednesdays, and I am looking forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteI could smell the cow dung with your big whiff! Nice post.
ReplyDeletehehe, funnily enough I actually kinda like the smell!!
DeleteI felt I was almost there with you, very descriptive. I popped over from Sarah Mac's People Don't Eat Enough Fudge - always enjoy finding a new blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit!
DeleteYay! You are here! I especially liked the names for the legs of the journey. And the constant musings of Richie Benaud, I can relate!
ReplyDeleteIt is a steep learning curve, but lots of fun! Thanks for the motivation. I really look forward to your posts and prompts for WoW.
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