living in nature

We live in beautiful nature. At dawn and dusk, flocks of white Corellas and Cockatoos and pink Galahs (aka rose breasted cockatoos) frolic in the trees, and graze on the paddocks. You can see a sea of white all over the paddocks and in the trees.

We enjoyed a "sea change" (more likely a "mountain change") a couple of years ago, moving from Melbourne to the Central Highlands' mineral springs area. We found a 10 acre block surrounded mostly by farmland and close to Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, favourite tourist retreats for day spas, art galleries, cafes and nature, and built a mudbrick home from which we enjoy our menagerie and our business www.pinksalt.com and our views.

Sometimes we're lucky to spot flocks of black cockatoos, rare sightings and so dramatic in appearance. I see them as special messengers of awe and great things to come. Other times, little birds find their way into the enclosure where Kokola the Corella & Pepi the budgie and Leo & Wilson sleep. They are easily caught in the hand, so light they weigh almost nothing, and off they flit into the sky when released. Sometimes they're not so lucky, these little birds fly into our large glass window panes.

One day, I heard a thud on the window. I thought Kurt outside had rapped hard on the window. I looked around but saw no one, and realised it might be a bird. I ran to the window, looked down on the ground, and this little colourful lorikeet was just picking itself up from the ground, rolling to its feet groggily. It just stood there, stunned. I crept outside with my gloves and a towel, in case it needed rescue. I crept right up to the little bird, and knelt next to it silently. It saw me but didn't move. It jumped when a fly flew past. 10 minutes passed, and still it stood silently knowing I was beside it. Finally he flitted off to the nearest large tree, and its friends greeted it effusively. A few flew down towards the front garden where I stood, as if to chat to me about their friend.