Bairne Trail, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Categories: monasticism, other-churches, life, bushwalking-hiking, sydney
Date: 02 August 2009 06:50:07
A beautiful sunny Sydney winter day: and what better way to spend it than outdoors!
Before heading to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, I headed up to Sydney's north-west to the small town of Arcadia, home to a Benedictine Monastery. I did not attend Mass in the monastery [I thought it would take me longer than it did so did not plan to attend their: though I can in future without too much of an early rise!], but at the parish church cared for by the Benedictines. Arriving early, I dropped briefly by the monastery, taking in the surrounds. It was "Youth Sunday" at the parish, a phrase which would usually send shivers down my spine, but the theme, "Being someone", was a challenge -- being more loving, more charitable, more spiritual: a good challenge to me at this time.
From Arcadia, I drove through the scenic, and windy [hairpin turns prevalent], Galston Gorge. Wonderful to have the window down and smell the smell of the trees as I drove along.
Ku-rin-gai Chase National Park is about 25 kilometres north of Sydney city, where the Hawkesbury River meets the Pacific Ocean. I have done a walk here before [Resolute Beach], and it is a wonderful place to visit. This walk was nice and flat, and reasonably short [signposted 9km return]. The views were simply stunning, from the trail:
and particularly from the rock ledge where I rested, ate and drank, and read once more of the 13 Assyrian Fathers in my Lives of The Georgian Saints book:
Add to that the very pleasant walking trail, with wonderful views of the park, and beautiful flowers in bloom:
and it was a simply wonderful walk, and a wonderful few hours away from it all: and I did need to get away for a short while.
On other matters: the colour and trim of 3 of my walls:
I am now wondering if I should do the other wall, which I had thought of doing a half-curd white, the same: here is the carpet I will hang, and there is a relatively deep-red sofa against that wall too. Any thoughts? Or alternate suggestions?
And new glasses:
And for a comparison here are the old:
