On Saturday we were treated to lunch for my birthday at the Park Hyatt Hotel adjacent to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A triple sparkling event as the group gazed at the harbour sipping champagne.
Ominous
During our tromp through Mossman Gorge I came across this unusual spiky plant, the ominously dark opening is irresistibly intimidating.
Downtown
The perfect spot for downtown fish and chips, view from On the Inlet, Port Douglas, Far North Queensland, Australia
Could have, should have, would have
I have held onto Édith Piaf’s “No Regrets” as a kind of mantra since my late teens, even so, turning 50 last Thursday led me to reflect on the past, present and future. Would things have been different if I had done this or that?
The above picture taken from the back of the sunset cruise sailboat as we returned to Port Douglas marina last Saturday reinforced to me that the past is just that, the future hasn’t happened yet and the present is all we truly have.
“Non, je ne regrette rien” (meaning “No, I regret nothing”) is a French song composed by Charles Dumont, with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire. It was written in 1956, and is best known through Piaf’s 1960 recording, which spent seven weeks atop the French Singles & Airplay Reviews chart
No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
All the things
That went wrong
For at last I have learned to be strongNo! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
For the grief doesn’t last
It is gone
I’ve forgotten the pastAnd the memories I had
I no longer desire
Both the good and the bad
I have flung in a fire
And I feel in my heart
That the seed has been sown
It is something quite new
It’s like nothing I’ve knownNo! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
All the things that went wrong
For at last I have learned to be strongNo! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
For the seed that is new
It’s the love that is growing for you
References
Non, je ne regrette rien – Wikipedia
No regrets lyrics – Azlyrics
Perfect Harmony
For the October Bloggers For Peace challenge I again turn to music for inspiration. What started as a marketing idea for Coke Cola turned into a number 1 hit for the New Seekers. I’d like to teach the world to sing was written in 1971 by Bill Backer, Billy Davis, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was a childhood favourite for me and perfectly sums up my vision for the World.
I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle dovesI’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it companyI’d like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the landThat’s the song I hear
Let the world sing today
A song of peace
That echoes on
And never goes away
Reference
Lyricsfreak
Happy accident
Hibiscus flowers fascinate me, the tree in the background was a happy accident.
Glorious light
On Saturday we sailed from Port Douglas marina out to sea. I took this picture from the back of the sail boat as the sun was beginning to set.
Vibrant colours
The colours in this picture capture the vibrancy of tropical Port Douglas for me.
Birthday showers
It is apt that it rains on my birthday as I was born in the year of the water rabbit. We have had five days of perfect Spring time weather in tropical far North Queensland, Australia. Lunch by the pool today may become lunch in or playing pool.
The showers are an inconvenience more than a burden. The 50th celebrations not going according to plan are a reminder that there are greater forces at work. Rather than dampening my spirits the water helps me to reflect on life and the misplaced importance I allot to creating the perfect occasion. It is more than enough that I am joined on my birthday by my partner, our dog and a group of dear friends.
Precarious growth
The precarious looking angle of this tree caught my eye. On closer inspection I realised that the remains of the original tree are in decay while the multiple fig trunks surrounding it stand strong.
theINFP 