“Have you ever looked at the bud of a magnolia flower? It’s a tight little pod that stays closed up for a long time on the end of its branch until one day, out of nowhere, it finally bursts open into this gigantic, gorgeous, fragrant flower that’s ten times bigger than the bud itself. It’s […]
The Tawny Family Shows Off Baby!
“She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid And so did she. They searched for blue Their whole life through, Then passed right by- And never knew.” ~ Shel Silverstein We have a family of Tawny Frogmouths that nest in the teak tree outside our kitchen window every year. They […]
All The Pretty Lights
“The wisdom of bridges comes from the fact that they know the both sides, they know the both shores!” ~ Mehmet Murat ildan I’m still in the city just now, tending loved ones. Driving home from a friend’s last night, I was startled to see an owl in this suburban landscape. It was sitting right in […]
Helping The Great Mother
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” ~ Rachel Carson “In a moment the ashes are made, but a forest is a long time growing.” ~ Seneca One of the most vivid dreams in my night of owl dreaming was one in which […]
Last night I Dreamed of Owls
“I love the silent hour of night, For blissful dreams may then arise, Revealing to my charmed sight What may not bless my waking eyes.” ~ Anne Brontë, Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters Last night my dreams were all of owls. The night sky was filled with them. They watched me from every tree. […]
Random Magical Things
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl Here’s a collection of random magical things, because it’s Friday, and magic seems appropriate today, don’t you […]
And Then It Was Done…
“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live.” ~ Greg Anderson Since early this year I’ve been hammering away at a memoir. I started writing it because you, dear readers, suggested that it was the thing you most […]
A Big Green #Lyme Anniversary!
“We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.” ~ W. Somerset Maugham I was talking with my sister yesterday, and she said to me, “Hey, are you planning anything special for your thirty year anniversary […]
Me and That Owl
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” ~ Oprah Winfrey “The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates Last Monday, in my Doctor’s rooms, I received the best kind of news. Although I am still unwell, I have definitely turned the corner in my struggle against Lyme disease. I am no longer dying. I am healing. My life is once again unfurling […]
Listening to the Universe…
“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle, Swiftly Tilting Planet I came home to our little farm tonight. As we drove down the dirt road that leads to our front gate a great weight fell from my shoulders, and I realised that I […]
The Owl and the Banshee
“Fairies in Ireland are sometimes as big as we are, sometimes bigger, and sometimes, as I have been told, about three feet high.” ~ W.B. Yeats As I have been writing my Kimberley memoir, tumbling words onto the page at all hours of the day and night, I find myself I need to talk again about […]
Last Night I Flew Alone
“Love is how you earn your wings.” ~ Karen Goldman Last night I lifted from my bed and took to the night sky. I flew the way that Auntie showed me. But last night I flew alone. As the land fell away beneath me the air was soft and cool, and it smelled of coming […]
Girl, stop askin’ dem questions. Listen!
“Very few beings really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ask. On the contrary, they try to wring from the unknown the answers they have already shaped in their own minds — justifications, confirmations, forms of consolation without which they can’t go on. To really ask is to open the door […]
The Owl and the Eagle
“Baby eagles can never soar under their family’s wing.” ~ Liu Yang I woke yesterday morning to find a Powerful Owl sitting on the clothesline in the last shreds of darkness, feasting on something caught between its powerful talons. The owl paid me scant regard and finished his supper before flying up into the branches […]
Night Flying and Cups of Tea
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci The next installment of my Kimberley story… Do you know what it’s like to sit in a bush kitchen with a barefoot […]
Who do you tell?
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald It’s taken me a long time to begin to share my story… For the longest while I never even thought I would. But then I […]
Out in the wilderness…
“Funny how “question” contains the word “quest” inside it, as though any small question asked is a journey through briars.” ~ Catherynne M. Valente, Under in the Mere “Say it, reader. Say the word ‘quest’ out loud. It is an extraordinary word, isn’t it? So small and yet so full of wonder, so full of hope.” ~ Kate […]
You See Dem Owls?
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~ e.e. cummings So, back to my story about the Kimberley owls… Have you ever wanted to run away from yourself? Twenty years ago or so, when I arrived at this remote cattle station at the top end of western Australia – a […]
Nicole Cody’s Magical Owl Oracle
“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”~ Khalil Gibran Owls have been such a dominant theme on my blog here over the past few weeks that while I’ve been swanning around in my pyjamas I thought […]
Before we get back to Owls, let’s talk Fairies!
“There are things that make no sense, that seem unreal, that can’t be grasped, or understood, or explained, that maybe don’t even exist… And still, somehow, those wonderful things touch and change our lives. Isn’t it strange?” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, Secrets of a Noble Key Keeper I present this information to you only as story, […]
Those Kimberley Owls…
“I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.” ~ Abraham Lincoln Sometimes the wrong road leads you in the right direction. When I look back on my life I can see that this one place, deep in the heart of Australia’s magnificent Kimberley region, was a game changer for me. […]
The Lady Who Walked Out of My Past
“I sustain myself with the love of family.” ~ Maya Angelou One late afternoon in April this year, the dusky sunset was shimmery and luminous. A light rain fell, misting the cold air and making us hurry to light a fire and get inside where it was warm. That evening the moon rose brightly amid patchy […]
The Silver-Blue Light of Love
“Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.” ~ WILLIAM BLAKE If I’m going to tell you about the Owls and the Orchard Man, I’d better first tell you about the Silver-Blue Light. It was probably one of […]
Waking from a long sleep…
“You can only come to the morning through the shadows.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien I woke up this morning, stretched my arms out, yawned widely and realised that something has shifted as I slept last night. My fever’s broken, my pain has eased, and my mind is bright. It’s a great relief. The last few days […]
This post brought to you by Randall…
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl Hi. I’m Randall. I live in Nicole’s garden, and I keep an eye on things for her. I’ve given […]
My ‘One Lovely Blog’ Award
One of the things I’ve come to love about the blogging community is their generosity of spirit, their ability to connect us, one to another, and the crazy amount of awards that are out there for us to show our gratitude and appreciation to one another. I’ve recently been nominated for the One Lovely Blog […]
More Owls than a Harry Potter Movie
I came home from Bluesfest last night (well actually, only a few hours ago) too excited to go to bed straight away – another fabulous night of music and dancing, and feeling high on life. Ever since my wake-up call, I have never taken a single day for granted, and today has been one of […]