Omens of the Earth’s Surface

Looking into this photo is like reading tea leaves. The cracks in the earth surface are dry rivers to our parting lands and yet the surface of the earth seems so solid, compact and held together. It is the fragility within the crumbling chasm.

This is the dry bed of our natural lagoon, captured on film sometime during late spring/summer of 2006. Right now this amazing body of water is a haven for fish, birds and wildlife. As I type I am soaking up the sounds and energy of the nightlife behind me. It has been raining again.

 Over the years friends have often asked about the lagoon, how much water is in there now? Is it drying? Is there more water now? It has been for many a signpost and I value how many people have considered its health and fragility.

I have been watching with a careful eye the conversation around water this winter. The Murray Darling Basin Plan appears in weekly publications and I feel guilty that I do not read all the articles and updates, it’s the bickering and politics that makes it hard for me to focus on the many words and what they may really mean. El Nino is creeping its way back into the story line and rural newspapers are running polls on predicting the season’s climate.

 I am holding gratitude for the plentiful water before me and I am remembering why the conversation around water must continue to prevail.