The Storm

My English class was given the task of writing a short story about a journey in 500-800 words. I decided to write about one as well and shared it with them.  Hope you like it:

The Storm – by Jocelyn James 6/4/15

Rain…pouring, streaking, rolling down out of the heavens. It wasn’t the soft drizzle, the “pitter-patter” of little drops that had a cadence that was soothing and almost comforting.  It was a relentless onslaught – hard, driving, piercing and seemed to mirror what was happening in her soul.

Her world had been a tumultuous storm of emotions in the past few days, so much so that Laura had chosen to get away.  Here she was in what were normally peaceful surroundings, feeling like she was being torn in two. 

The clouds had looked ominous for most of the day, piling up, rolling in.  The light grey sky had become menacing, gotten darker and darker with each passing hour until finally, the pressure that had been building for so long, screamed for release. The thunder had been deafening, looming closer and closer.  The lightning had streaked the sky in a way that caused shivers to go down her spine. 

She’d buried her head, tried to hide from the worst of its effects and yet this storm continued to invade her being.  Laura knew she was “at one” with the elements and the sooner she embraced it, the sooner she too would be able to pass through this violent, tempestuous turmoil in her life.

The windows rattled, shaking her out of her reverie.  She shivered. The wild, driving force that had turned her emotions inside out had a name – Jude.  He was like a whirlwind and he had been hers. 

Had he? Had he ever been?

It wasn’t just his looks or his popularity. At his core, he had a magnetism that attracted everyone he met. He made her feel special; he made everyone feel special. He prayed, he laughed, he studied and he cared. He even told her he cared. He was everything to her and then he was nothing.

She wanted to scream, to rail, to hit, to bruise but all she did was weep… and hurt.  The storm was still gathering strength, buffeting her from all sides.  How could she think she was safe, here in the woods?

She thought she was safe with him… she dreamed of a future together. He had even shared his vision and made it seem like she was a part of that.

A door suddenly slammed in the background. She jumped as the windows shook violently one last time.  The fury of the storm was spent but it still raged on in her soul.  The rain eased to a hard but constant rhythm.  She could see a small snatch of blue sky in the distance but darkness still covered her heart and her soul.

How had it all gone wrong? How could he say she was too clingy and jealous… that she didn’t really trust him?  How could he judge her like that?  Didn’t he know he was her world?

Her world…she looked out the window as the sun kissed the rain drenched leaves of trees and they started to sparkle.  The drizzle had become light and that soft, comforting sound tinkled on her roof.

Her world… he wasn’t meant to be her world.  God was meant to be her world and he just a significant part of it. 

Oh, God, that was the problem… she had made him like God and she hadn’t even realised it until it was too late. 

Oh, God, forgive me, she whispered and she looked at the window again.  Droplets fell slowly, bumped into other beaded droplets and then raced down the pane. Streaks formed and reflected her being.  Rain drops, streaks, tears.

Tracks...

I went and saw "Tracks" at the cinema this afternoon and came home wanting to share.

Perhaps it is the fact that we went into the Red Centre last year, perhaps I was feeling like a more contemplative movie with stunning cinematography; all I know is that I came away feeling inspired and so drawn to this woman's story that I want to find out more.

Based on an actual trek that took place in the late 1970s, the movie recounts how Robyn Davidson taught herself to handle camels and live roughly, even before she set out from Alice Springs.  She had expert advice and help along the way from camel handlers, Aboriginals, people in the bush and a cameraman from National Geographic.

This does not take anything away from the fact that for long stretches, weeks at a time, all she had with her were the camels and her dog. She successfully journeys across 1700 miles of the outback to reach the western coast and the sea.

Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 84%, with some saying they felt it moved slowly in patches.  I didn't feel that way at all but again, I don't feel like I have to be moved along at break neck pace if the plot doesn't warrant it.  There were slower moments of reflection and even flashbacks to her childhood; which was a troubled one.  She felt the isolation and the loneliness at times and had to come to terms with setbacks and death around her.

The movie seems to have run its course here, with only one day time session per day available at the theatre.  If possible, get along and see it as the wide sweeping views of our country are stunning on the big screen.  If you have to wait for DVD, don't wait too long - this is one well worth seeing.

Timeout in Taree

 Thursday 19 September

Did you know this is International Pirate Day?  We didn't and were told by Jenni that night.  How did she know?  We happened to arrive on her birthday and someone alerted her that she shared the day with pirates.  Mind you, she wasn't happy that her daughter blurted out when we arrived that it was Mummy's birthday but later on, we discovered she was on higher orders from Daddy.  He was away and wanted everyone to know that his lovely wife needed a special day!

In a way, it was strange to be seeing the Alleys at this point of the trip - it was like a time warp.  We'd raced for 4 days at the end of June to catch up with the Mission Awareness Group, and caught them in Tennant Creek. Here we were, in the same caravan, but life had moved on for them over the past few months.  Thankfully, we were also able to see the other Taree family at breakfast the next morning.  In July, we'd had to leave the group early and we went north toward Katherine, while they went south and east into Queensland. To hear stories and impressions of the last week of the mission with Indigenous people in Queensland was so precious. To spend some more time with these fellow Christians was also special.  There's a bond that forms when experiences are shared and we know we will always have that extra dimension in our friendship.

 Outside Mum's in Newy.

After this, they all went off to work and school and we left for Newcastle. We stopped here overnight and then continued on home to Canberra.

POSTSCRIPT:  It is now October the 3rd and I am just putting this up.  It seems fitting to end here, even though I could put up one more entry. We had come full circle, starting and ending with friends from the MAT.  Also fitting that you get a sneak peek at the next bus that will going into the outback to run more of these Mission Awareness Tours:

Dream...nightmare...blur...

Wednesday 18 September

For some, it is the world of dreams, perhaps even dreams come true.  For others, those rides can seem like a nightmare, or too thrilling to even contemplate!  For me, Dreamworld was, at times, a blur.  The high octane, adrenalin pumping rides made for heady heights that can leave one breathless.  In Adam's case, he was stunned, windswept and took a while to speak after rushing up the Tower of Terror II at 161kms per hour and then, face first, back down again in mere seconds.

Dreamworld is home to the "Big 8" thrill rides - The Buzz Saw (to the left in picture), where passengers are inverted at the top of the ride; the Motocross rollercoaster (Zac and Mark are pictured on that one); The Claw (Mark and I went on that together) a couple of times; Wipeout - which mimics riding a wave like a surfie; The Cyclone (big rollercoaster); Pandemonium, which was the most incredible and thrilling. Going over and over at greater speed and then changing direction means one has to really hang on! Up to number seven now, and that's been mentioned -Tower of Terror II.  The Giant Drop also runs off the same high pole, and that makes 8.

I went on all but the Giant Drop.  Mainly because Andrew and I were in a 45 min wait line for this final ride and we had just under an hour left for the day.  We wanted to get to other rides and go on them again or find some we still hadn't managed to get to, and have the opportunity to go on them.  I ended up going on The Claw two more times, the Escape to Madagascar coaster and the new "Evilution" one instead.  Besides, Andrew and I have been on a similar drop one at Australia's Wonderland.  It wasn't quite that high but I still count it as being part of the 8!

Apart from these rides, there's different worlds and tamer rides.  In a way, it tries to be Disneyworld but doesn't have the same feel.  Disney may cost a little more but for that, you get service and plenty of staff at each ride to make sure things run smoothly and efficiently.

Don't misunderstand, we had a great day here and it was a wonderful way to finish our time in Queensland but if I went to a theme park again, it would one of the following options:

1. Go to Aussieworld on the Sunshine Coast.  It is a fraction of the price for almost as much fun.  Being a smaller park, it is easy to get around and the rides are entertaining enough for all.

2. Get a multi-day pass for the Gold Coast.  It is not much more than the single day and gives more time and opportunity to explore at some of the other parks.

3. Wait for an opportunity to go to a Disney run park.  They do the top-end experience better and are open for longer hours.  Stopping at 5pm when only opening at 10am is a shortchange.

River Rambling

Tuesday 17 September

A mixture of computer problems and socialising has kept me from writing these last entries for a week now. I must say, it has been lovely to spend time with people in the evenings instead!

Monday the 16th was a stormy, windy day in Brisbane and it was predicted to be worse on the Gold Coast, where we were headed.  So with the permission of our gracious hosts, we stayed longer with them in the north of Brisbane.  Though Tuesday was starting to "fine up", we'd decided to go to one of the theme parks on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, just to ensure a clear day.  That meant we had to find something to do on Tuesday.

In all the years that we have been coming up the Qld to go to Bribie Island over the winter, we have never "played the tourist" in Brisbane itself.  With some pointers from our hosts, we decided to park the car at New Farm and take the City Cat across to Southbank. Travelling on a river must be one of my favourite ways to get somewhere.  Even Amsterdam with its somewhat grotty street line, looks magnificent from the canal.  Focussing upon the water, cruising at a slower pace, and taking in the land or cityscape holds so much more appeal from this aspect.  Some of the boys thought we were taking far too long to get there but I trust some of you can appreciate my vantage point!

Apart from having lunch and a short stroll along the Southbank waterfront, we were here to go to the Science Centre in the Queensland Museum.  It was a bit like Questacon in Canberra, but on a much smaller scale.  They had some interesting exhibits, like the mind control test to see who could move a ball down the table in one direction while being hooked up to this device which measured brainwaves. We got to teleport (beam me up Scotty!) and to cloak ourselves with invisibility. We then got to try out some of our physical skills with the ball throw, short sprint, and grip strength stations.  We actually spent a good couple of hours in this section of the museum.  The rest of the time was spent looking in the Coral Coast, Victoria Cross medallists and Discovery sections.  The latter showed many stuffed animals and birds as well as pinned insects.  Mark was fascinated with it. I appreciated reading the stories and seeing some footage of the VC medallists from World War one.

Then it was back to the ferry, and this time we caught the free City Hopper to Sydney Street (one stop short of New Farm).  That meant we had to walk the last bit but it wasn't overly long.

Two photos from in front of the Art Gallery:

The Glories of His Day

Sunday has been a special day for us on our trip.  We've been to church on all but one of the days and been so richly blessed, not just by the preaching but also by having time together with the people.  This past Sunday was no exception.  We are staying with the Cornfords, so getting to church was no problem!  Most of the time, when we have come up to Queensland for holidays, we have ducked back down in here, to the north of Brisbane, for church and caught up with the Cornfords.  It had been a couple of years since we last came, so they got the surprise of seeing our two adult-sized sons.

After  lunch, we decided to take advantage of the lovely, warm weather and go to the beach. Normally, as I have said, we are at Bribie Island when we are up this way.  This time, we decided to go to Caloundra where we could not only look out over the tip of Bribie at one point but just have a change of scenery. Unfortunately, we had the big-city feeling on the way back, as it took us close to two hours to do the one hour trip.  Everyone else was coming back into town as well!

The tip of Bribie from Bulcock Beach

We then went to Dicky Beach and steered clear of the shipwreck :)

Spin Slide Splash Scream

Saturday 14 September

That title is the motto for Aussie world, a theme park on the Sunshine coast.  We've been to it before, a couple of years ago when we were staying on Bribie Island.  They have now added a giant slide and a water plunge ride.  We love this park - it is low key, good value for money and the staff are there to make sure you get on the rides you want.  I even went on one ride (the Octopus) all by myself at the end of the day and they were happy to do that for me.  We had a great day there and then went to stay with family friends, north of Brisbane.  We parked our caravan at their place and then went out to have dinner with my sis, her husband and little boy.  It was great to see them again and spend an evening together. We're now in Brisbane for another day or so before moving south.