///lingering.befriending.incurious
Phaedra never made it to Nepal. This was our first trip overseas as we make a life without her.
We built this small stupa to hold some of her ashes and a seat for others to rest. We decorated it with prayer flags and left a photo of her. It is located at the high point of our trek at 4000m. From the seat you have amazing views of Annapurna South, Annapurna Fang and Dhawalagiri.
[http://w3w.co/gates.urgency.cushioning]
///gates.urgency.cushioning
I can’t really remember when we first started coming here and calling it the picnic rock but it was probably from before we were married and were living close by.
We came here many times over the years as a couple and as a family just to enjoy the smells and sounds of the bush. Occasionally we would go for a walk but not that often. Mostly we would eat lunch then lie on the rock looking up at the sky.
///ship.same.face
When we knew that Phaedra was unlikely to survive her illness I arranged for her to plant a tree in the centre of Canberra. The tree stands alone but connected to the landscape; a fitting metaphor for Phaedra’s life.
The tree is a pin oak, quercus palustris and was planted in May 2017. It is close to the National Gallery and easy to visit on a trip to Canberra.
http://w3w.co/curving.land.humble
The first time after we met that I visited Phaedra in Manly she brought me here. We lay on the grass above the beach and talked and kissed just like all the others before and since. It was December 1999 and the world seemed made for new beginnings.
Later we would live together here and later still visit with the boys. We would visit over the years for all different reasons, to swim, to snorkel to picnic or to just sit. But for me it will always mark the potential of new and wonderful beginnings.
http://w3w.co/barrel.comet.yoyo
Phaedra used to bring the boys here from when they were little to paddle. She used to paddle and rarely swim. The boys and her used to spend many hours exploring the mangroves to avoid the heat. The boys used to try and climb the big mangrove tree near the scout hut and explore deep in to the mangroves. Phaedra would collect sticks and leaves and make patterns. Phaedra had been coming to this spot since she was a little girl growing up. She had stories of leaving school to eat the oysters growing on the bridge. When I first met Phaedra we used to visit her Grandma living at the caravan park here and later her mother Pam.