Random Recollections (in reply to “Your Trusty Old Tent”)

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Shelley Hansen
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Random Recollections (in reply to “Your Trusty Old Tent”)

Post by Shelley Hansen » Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:40 pm

In reply to Stephen’s nostalgic ode to the joys of camping (see thread “Your Trusty Old Tent”) ...

RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS (In Reply to “Your Trusty Old Tent”)
(c) Shelley Hansen 9/2/18

We’ve done our share of camping in the heady days of yore.
We’ve tented in the Outback and on Fraser Island’s shore.
But now when someone asks me to recall those days of bliss,
I find myself remembering the things that I don’t miss ...

The energy we thought we had was very quickly spent
in superhuman effort putting up our two-room tent.
A foot pump blew the air beds up, with further “huff and puff”,
then setup was completed (with the kitchen sink and stuff)!

Excursions to amenities come easy in a Park,
but otherwise, it means confronting bushes after dark,
with thorns that grace the sand dunes, sporting spikes six inches long,
that penetrate your wellies, and can decimate a thong!

The nightly sounds of nature, as goannas prowl around,
are anything but soothing when you’re sleeping on the ground.
A choir of howling dingoes that can dominate your dreams
is soon replaced by cockatoos with early morning screams!

The midges and the mozzies and the sand grit in our bed
spelt summer on the Island - so we went in June instead.
A pesky “low” turned feral, and a cyclone barrelled in -
that forced evacuation as we fled to save our skin!

We camped at Lake Cootharaba, and found a special spot
that no-one else had chosen ... and we thought, “Why ever not?”
Then, when our beds were floating in a sudden burst of rain,
we found it was an overflow - a grassy table drain.

We tented at the Alice in a winter that was warm
until a chill came sweeping through, advancing with a storm.
Forget the picture show! We got our share of nighttime thrills
preparing spag bol in the rain, as lightning lit the hills!

We’ve got a mate who reckons that the only camp that fits
his lifestyle is a long weekend relaxing at the Ritz!
He opens up the window if he wants to catch the breeze
or get up close and personal with birdies in the trees.

But me, I love our caravan - the perfect compromise
of comfort and adventure underneath Australian skies.
For now that Father Time has placed grey hairs upon my head,
this nomad life feels pretty good ... with four walls and a bed!!
Shelley Hansen
Lady of Lines
http://www.shelleyhansen.com

"Look fer yer profits in the 'earts o' friends,
fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")

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Stephen Whiteside
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Re: Random Recollections (in reply to “Your Trusty Old Tent”

Post by Stephen Whiteside » Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:17 pm

Well done, Shelley, but I'm not going to let it go at that! See new thread..."Hiking Heaven".
Stephen Whiteside, Australian Poet and Writer
http://www.stephenwhiteside.com.au

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