Saturday, February 4, 2012

Denise Covey – Letter from a Friend


Saturday morning. Dave brings our camp chairs from the garage and I take out my coffee and we sit in the snow for half an hour, listening to the cheerful buzz of chickadees, the cranky lectures of red squirrels, the deep, sweeping hollow of ravens' wings stroking through grey muffled skies, and the sorrowful complaining of the mourning doves. 

This is the sound of winter in Muskoka. People, for the most part, are indoors. Tourists are living their workaday lives in the city. We're alone, we're still, we're listening to what we might normally miss. Without human distractions, winter mutes daily ruckus, slows our moving parts and the pressing business of the day to day.

"I got a letter from Denise Covey," I say to Dave.

"One of your blogger friends?" 

I nod. "She's from Australia and something she said in her letter really struck a chord with me." I take a sip of my rapidly cooling coffee and smile at my husband. "Wanna move to Australia?"

"Sure," he says. Just like that. Humouring me, as usual.

"I mean, here we are, freezing our butts off, dealing with winter because that's who we are, that's what we're used to. But think of it – we could live anywhere we choose on this planet. Somewhere we don't have to worry about freezing rain and snowstorms and bad roads. Or big heating bills. Or splitting wood. Or coffee that goes cold the minute you bring it outside."

"Well if you drank it faster instead of flapping your gums it wouldn't get cold," he says. I make a face at him, which he ignores. "Other than the fact that neither one of us likes hot weather and we'd have to worry about work permits and visas and all that nonsense, you're right. We could live anywhere we want."

I imagine what it would be like to be Denise, to live her life. To swim in the ocean any time I want. To never have to buy a winter coat or scrape ice off the windshield.

That, right there, is the reason I love blogging. It's one thing to watch Oprah visit the land Down Under. It's quite another to put a face, like Denise's, on a place that would otherwise be nothing but a spot on a map. Like so many of my blogging friends, Denise and I hooked up writing Friday Flash. She's an aspiring novelist who writes short stories by the boatload and an avid blogger with more than spot where you can find her: L'Aussie Writer is home base for this adventurous writer, teacher and traveller; Romantic Friday Writers is rather like Friday Flash but all the writing is romantically themed (and boy, are these writers enthusiastic and fun!); and Reading at Dawn, a scintillating book review blog.

Yes, Denise is right there, at the click of a mouse. But I would love to join her on one of those sand dunes overlooking the ocean, a salty breeze in our hair and lots of writerly ideas putting brilliant smiles on our tanned faces.

Oh, and Hugh Jackman, of course, bringing us another round of fresh drinks. No worries about cold coffee in Australia.



My dear friend Cathy 

If I was writing you a special little story I’d call it Out Far, In Deep - my tribute to bush and beach. I wonder – do you ever think of Australia? Up there in the Northern Hemisphere when you’re being buried deep in snow, and as you shovel it aside (or whatever you do) do you crave a warm climate just for a change? Can you imagine what it’s like to grow up in a place which is nearly always warm and whose inhabitants have probably never seen snow fall? Do you think people are shaped by where they live? I think we definitely are.

Aussies project an image of bush people, wildly independent, innovative - Hugh Jackman in ‘Australia’. Well, the truth is, we’re basically hard-working beach bums. Our country is big, dry and empty. Our small population hugs the coastline (83% of us live at the beach). We take a dip at lunchtime, go for a surf after work and spend whole weekends on the beach, 
picnicking, barbequing, reading. There’s only a couple of weeks of the year when it might be a bit nippy for a swim, so we have to forego our rituals. But there’s always tourists who think it’s warm enough all year round and we shake our heads and mumble bloody idiots when we see them frolicking around in what we consider Arctic conditions. 

I’m an exception to the beach rule, or used to be. I spent my early childhood running wild and free in the Queensland bush, where my father was a horse whisperer (true) when he wasn’t droving cattle, and my mother killed snakes that threatened her brood. I wrote about it here and called it fiction, lol! We kids ran around bare foot, rode horses bare back to school and swam in creeks and dams (when there was water). As much fun as that was, nothing compared to my delight when I first caught sight of the beach. Once seen never forgotten. My family eventually moved to a little country town not far from the beach, population 300, not including the cows and horses. My dream was to live right on the beach. And I achieved that dream. Too easy here.
Now I have the best of all worlds. I live in two places – a small apartment right in the inner city of our capital city, Brisbane, for work (I tutor English when I’m not writing), and a large two-story beach house overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Peregian Beach, (60 miles north) for play. I travel a lot, but it’s hard to beat these two places. I saw a little poem the other day and it says it for me:

 The people along the sand
All turn and look one way. 
The turn their back on the land. 
They look at the sea all day. 

I do my best writing at the beach. There’s nothing like having our own special spot, is there? I know you like to shut the door to your bedroom Cathy, and it becomes your writing throne. I like to sit on the dunes above one of the longest stretches of beach on the Sunshine Coast here at Peregian and conjure up stories. Seeing the ever-changing nature of the landscape is inspirational; words must be found to describe such glittering beauty and majesty. It is a creative writing course of the imagination. 
One day soon I’ll be in Canada I hope, my friend, and must look you up on the Muskoka River. And if you visit Australia anytime soon, you’ll find me gazing at the beach, pen in hand, (a laptop just doesn’t seem right) trying to capture the beauty of this marvellous creation. And there’s a bed for you at the beach house where you can hear the crashing of the waves as they lull you into the best sleep you’ll ever have.

Until then,
Your Aussie mate
Denise


P.S. Have enclosed a picture of Peregian Beach just to show you what I’m doing now! See if you can find me in there! 

32 comments:

  1. Wow...makes me yearn for sea and sand.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad I've got you back on the screen in time for this! First of all, while we don't have your winter, we surely do wonder sometimes, why aren't we somewhere where we don't have to worry about snow trapping us up on our hill. And this, yup, I absolutely agree: "It's one thing to watch Oprah visit the land Down Under. It's quite another to put a face, like Denise's, on a place that would otherwise be nothing but a spot on a map."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Although I'd love to visit Australia and NZ (we have friends and family in both locations) I think I'm definitely a cold-climate animal! I don't think I'd cope with the heat - but it would be nice to visit!

    And yet, Denise, you paint a wonderful picture of the vastness of the ocean - a feeling I hanker after, being land-locked. Visit the 'outlaws' on the south coast of England, I love to walk along the beach to 'commune' with the call of the sea.....

    Cathy - I think we should all hire a jet and travel round to each other's locales..... now, that would be a trip and a half! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Sue, that is SUCH a great idea. I promise, if I ever win a lottery, I will charter that jet and we'll do exactly that. Wouldn't it be great?

      Delete
  4. Hey, wait a minute. What about Vancouver? We have mountains and beaches and everyone walking around in yoga pants in February. Sure there's the rain, but there are also the benefits of Canada's healthcare system, the CBC, and a four-hour plane ride to visit family and friends in Ontario. Why don't you come to visit us first?

    Cathy, if there's one person who could actually make us miss those beautiful winter days in "cottage country", it's you. You're the master! I bow to your persuasive talents...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martha Darned Perkins it is SO GOOD to see you at this blog. I can't even begin to say how much you're missed around here. Haliburton's gone to hell in a handcart without you. And I miss you like crazy. Glad to see you're happy, though, and when Dave and I have the time and the coin to go out west, we will be sure to darken your doorway. oxoxoxo

      (For those who don't know Martha, she's one of Canada's powerhouse journalists and I had the privilege of working for her at the Haliburton County Echo. She was there for-ever and when she finally decided to move to the other side of the country, her friends threw her a party and I blogged about her, here. It was my second blog post ever. http://muskokariver.blogspot.com/2009/11/go-west-young-martha.html

      Delete
  5. Some of Australia gets coolish. I live in our Capital City which is a couple of hours drive from the coast. It is way too hot for me at the moment but when winter comes we might (just might) get some snow. We will almost certainly see it on the nearby hills.
    I am yearning for your cold weather, and the descriptions of snow and ice are making me green with envy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh EC I would trade you in a heartbeat. A heartbeat!!!!! Maybe we can switch homes or something for a while, see what we think?

      Delete
  6. I really don't like the heat, but Denise makes it all sound amazing. Australia is very high on my "places to visit" list, and this letter makes it sound so laid back, and at the same time, so adventerous. I love to read her travel blog because she has such a knack for bringing you into the places she visits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that funny? I know so many Canucks who don't like the heat. It's a good thing, I guess, because we don't often get it. Funny though, it was hot as hades the October day I spent visiting you in Newfoundland.

      Delete
    2. Hi Laurita, thanks for your lovely comments and for coming across my blog and following. ATM I can't do many posts on my travel blog as I'm inundated with writing projects, but one is an article on my last holiday to Margaret River in Western Australia, so I'll post that on my travel blog when I'm done.

      Denise

      Delete
  7. I'm as tempted as you are...

    Even to visit -- but it's a good day to fly there, yes? I'll need a month off and a place to stay... How fantastic would it be to go to the other side of the world?!

    Also in the Land of Cold Coffee,

    Pearl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Tha Land of Cold Coffee." Snort!
      That should be on the 'Welcome to..." population sign!

      Delete
  8. Denise's words paint a lovely picture of the beach. Add me to the list of others who would love to visit someday. Like us, they are a large, isoldated island a bit off the beaten path. I have cousins in both Oz and NZ and would love to head down there for a visit. As Cathy said, "When I win the lottery...".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (Alan, why on earth weren't we born with those pesky silver spoons? Why?)

      Delete
  9. Hey Cathy from the land of Cold Coffee! I've been up at the beach all weekend and couldn't even open my laptop it was such gorgeous weather! Sure, I understand those who don't like heat, but there's places in Oz that have a more northern climate - Tasmania, for example which has a climate more like NZ (which is very cold a lot of the time!)

    I'm glad you liked my letter. I enjoy visiting colder climes and usually travel overseas in the northern winter just to get a taste - but that's all I want - a taste! Always nice to arrive home and throw away the bulky coats and scarves (unless I gave them to the homeless at my last stop as I did last time in France.)

    Thanks Cathy for the opportunity to tell you about Oz. This is a great series.

    Denise from Down Under.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Denise, "couldn't even open my laptop it was such gorgeous weather!" You're killing me here, girl! I loved your letter, by the way. Really loved it. It made me swoon with jealousy. We spend a week every summer on Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes. The waves are pretty big on windy days but it's no Oz. One of these days I'm going to take you up on the offer of your beach house. I swear.

      Thank you so much for the beautiful letter, even though my eyes are positively green!!!!

      Delete
  10. Forgot to say thanks to all the commenters. Would be lovely if you get yourselves down here one day, but NZ has a climate you'd be more used to. Most of Oz is much hotter than NZ. If you check out the map you'll know why. It's beautiful though, with many aspects of Austria and Switzerland.

    Denise

    ReplyDelete
  11. You paint a lovely picture of Queensland. Last year I holidayed at Hervey Bay and loved it. You certainly do get more sunshine than we do in Victoria but I still rarely wear a winter coat. ^_^

    That beach looks fabulous. I live on the Peninsula around Port Philip Bay - we are lucky in this country to have such wonderful beaches.

    Lovely letter. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love living in a place with four distinct seasons for many reasons but it does require much storage space. You need four distinct wardrobes, for starters. And you need more than one winter coat - I have a fancy one for rare dressed-up occasions, a ratty one for bringing in wood for the stove, a down-filled vest for warm days, a light coat for coolish days and a heavy coat for freezing-your-knackers-off days. I have "going to town" winter boots, warm but heavy snowmobile boots and cross-country ski boots. You never know what temperature it's going to be at the office (the furnace is wonky and you're either freezing or frying), so I have to dress in layers, from a t-shirt up to a bulky sweater. Oh wait. This sounds like a blog post, not a comment. Oh! Idea! I could model you my complete line up of winter coats and paraphernalia so you get an idea of how big my closet is (or needs to be).

      Delete
  12. Hi Cathy .. thanks for reverting to pop up comments - at least I can say "Hi" and meet you ..

    I am not good in winter can't wear wool and most fabrics .. so keeping warm is not easy - but I layer up as you say. We're in a brief cold snap - Siberian winter (somewhat warmer granted) this side of the UK, warmer in the west.

    I too could swap places with Denise .. and it sounds just blissful .. but I'd keel over and sleep for a week or two!

    Great to be here - and see you soon .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh a dip at lunch time - like all the time. Sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are so welcome, Hilary. And I'll join you for that dip, Southpaw! (Any kind of dip - in the ocean, guacamole, salsa, dill pickle....)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Her father was a horse whisperer? I didn't know that.
    And why are so many women obsessed with Hugh Jackman? I know, dumb question....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely to come back this morning and read more sweet comments. BTW Cathy when I was growing up my mother had the complete Jalna series of books by Maza de la Roche, set in Canada around one of the lakes - forget which. It was always soooo cold. Have you read them? They got me wishing I could visit Canada. Funny how I've been just about everywhere else! It's the big 'if I go to Canada I'll have to visit the US too' and I hate the thought of their border control. Maybe they'll refuse entry if I've been to Canada first, lol!

    Doesn't Alex ask dumb questions? Hugh Jackman, don't get me started. He has his little crush on Kate Beckinsdale y'know. What do men see in her, lol!

    Denise

    ReplyDelete
  17. I know that no life is perfect, but I think Denise's comes pretty darned close :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great post! :) I love the description--it sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm saving this letter, Denise! Now I know you a little bit better. And I love this photograph of Muskoka, Cathy. This entire post is WONDERFUL.
    Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh it's wonderful to see my long-time blogger buddies coming across and commenting. It is heartwarming to see your reaction to my writing, some of it which I reveal for the first time.

    Thank you again Cathy for the opportunity to share with you!

    Denise

    ReplyDelete

How's it going, eh? It's SO good to hear from you. Tell me every darn thing...