in the mountains

Last Saturday night The Mid North had the honour and privilege of supporting The Whitetop Mountaineers from West Virginia, at a gig in Dorrigo. The Whitetops were one of our favourite bands at the 2013 Dorrigo Bluegrass Festival, so needless to say, we were all pretty excited. But first we had to make our way up the mountain to Dorrigo, now this road is at the best of times, nail biting, with hairpin turns and gut wrenching sheer cliff drops, mix in some mist and incredibly low visibility and we have a serious white knuckle ride. But we made it, we emerged from the car straight into a cloud and marvelled at the extreme weather differences between the mountain and the Bellingen Valley. 

The Mid North, were obviously loads of fun, breaking out a whole lot of new tunes to a very appreciative and intimate audience and then The Whitetops took the, ahem, floor. 

The audience were transfixed as the band recounted the tales of their ancestors and their deep Appalachian roots, both Martha and Jackson were raised with every member of their families and extended families playing music, often on the front porch, often from a very young age. There is a deep richness, this tradition is seeped in their culture and history. To hear them play the banjo, fiddle, guitar, wow, their level of musicianship is gobsmacking. 

And then we have the dancing, oh the dancing, a certain type of dancing known as flat footing or clogging it is again a traditional dance passed down through the generations, danced by everyone, young and old, male and female. I filmed a little so you can get an idea as to what this flatfooting business is, but let me tell you, it is so exciting, delightful and inspiring and yes I did buy Martha's Flatfooting for Beginners dvd. Watch out people!

It was a delightful evening, made especially wonderful by watching Poe and Ilo just take it all in, eyes wide open so attentive, absorbing all. Ilo ended up falling asleep on Scott's shoulder, lulled by the dulcet tones of Martha and Jackson.

The next day we returned to the mountain and caught up with them at a picnic and jam in a most magnificent and abundant garden. A very musical and delightful weekend. 

We are now packing for a week at the beach with some super extra amazing friends. A little house swap for a week and then we head to Tamworth for the Country Music Festival, yes indeed. The Mid North are playing and we are going along for the ride. Will promise to take a ridiculous amount of photos, I have no idea what to expect but hope for a plethora of cowboy boots. ten gallon hats and the odd boot scoot.

an end and a beginning

To farewell 2013 we decided to go away for a couple of nights with two other families, it was a perfect end to the year. We headed south to a little place called Bellbrook. The house we stayed in was made perfect by it's bountiful breezes on the deck, ample space for everyone and it's stunning views,  yes the river had a fair amount of cow poo in it and yes there was a warning from the neighbour about the large amount of brown snakes he had recently sighted but we chose to put these hindrances aside and focus on the positives. New Years Eve was celebrated with a curry feast, what else, cocktails, glamorous outfits, a game of Spicks and Specks, lots of laughter and heartfelt moments. Instead of resolutions we burnt some sage and decided what we wanted to leave in 2013, a lovely cleansing ceremony.
We then spent the next day or so, playing, swimming, lazing about while the children played, napping, eating and enjoying this relaxing space.

On the morning of the 2nd we hightailed it back home to spend time with some lovelies from Sydney.  Dear friends who are family, friends with whom just being in each other's company is a delight and oh so easy.

I love the end of one year and the start of another, for me it is the perfect opportunity to let some things go and embrace the positiveness of the future. A couple of days before the end of the year I went to visit my amazing Naturopath/Healer, he is someone I go to whenever I need help in shifting stuff and the end of the year is the perfect time to do just that. We spoke about life's bumps and the gifts that come along with them and looking back at the bumps of my year I can truly be thankful for them. Thankful for the closeness those bumps have given Scott and I and thankful to the increased intimacy with friends. The bumps that forced us to open wounds and share, to cry, to hurt and to ultimately understand. I feel so very blessed and am so excited about how this year will unfold, armed with a bit more knowledge and a whole lot more love.

* and yes there I know there are three photos of Scott all in a row, some may say that is excessive, some may get bored of seeing the same gorgeous being over and over but I say why not, I couldn't resist, he just looks so damn beautiful in every shot.