I Am Free

There is nothing like lying on the grass, by the river, under a mildly cloudy sky, with the sun peeking ever so often. Twenty minutes of napping in a continuum of time and space like this is more relaxing than 5 hours of night sleep under the covers in the comfort of the bedroom. Warm and soothing.

The occasional drone of the helicopters, the squawking gulls, crowing birds and speeding boats are music in the backdrop. Not disturbing, merely aiding a thought-free, dreamless sleep. The dull, monotonous sound of distant traffic is almost the noise of water in the sea. The background noise that colours deafening silence and makes it bearable. 

So I sat there. Enjoying the feeling of being alone, the quiet, the peace. Understanding what the word relax means. 

I watched the colony of gulls and the lone Lewin's Rail strut about on their delicate feet. I wondered how such soft, light creatures weathered the bad elements of Nature. 

Watching them fly, it struck me that freedom didn't just mean the joy of spreading your wings and taking flight in a direction of your choice. It was embracing the gentle nudge of the wind, without clinging to it. It was also being alone, unattached. Living in the world without strings. Floating about freely. There may be others that come and go. You may be in a school or herd or colony. When you fly, you fly alone. 

To be free, you need to embrace and enjoy that solitude. 

And with that, I headed out to the markets. To meet new people, see the different wares they had on show and bring home pieces of the rest of the world, to enjoy in my lonely space. 

Bird Attack

Let me steal a few lines off a page that warns people off of magpies in Brisbane, to start off.

"You know it’s spring in Brisbane when you see cyclists with bristling spikes on their bike helmets, or children wearing upside down ice cream containers on their heads. No, it’s not a fashion statement. It’s a sign of magpie nesting season, when the swooping can be a little too close for comfort.

Many cyclists have wobbled or fallen after an unexpected attack from a feathered fiend, but there’s no need to panic. See a 2010 magpie attack hotspots map."

The full article is here, if you are interested in reading further. When I first read this, I was a bit alarmed that we needed something called a Magpie Alert. When I saw nothing on these lines in the coming weeks, I figured it must be another one of those little things that Queenslanders seem to make a big deal out of. Until today, when I was attacked by a couple of magpies myself. Boy, are they vicious. My head still hurts. I had to check twice to make sure I was not bleeding. 

The first thing I did on getting home was to log on to the webpage and look at the map. Funny how my suburb is not listed with the magpie alert sign. That explains why I did not get to experience these pesky creatures thus far. I jogged into a lush green park on my way back this morning and voila, there they were. Snuck up from behind me, soundlessly, and went thwack! I felt a sharp, strong knock on my head like someone had thrown a sharp-edged rock at me. I squealed and turned to see the beast of a creature in black and white, fly back on to his tree, with an I-dont-care-for-your-screams expression. I swear I could almost see that on his face... the tilt of his neck, the careless body language, if they is such a thing among birds.

I swore at him and kept walking. Whoosh, he came within seconds... kicking me with his legs but not hurting me that bad. I looked up and there was another guy. What the hell? I decided to turn around and get out of the park. I walked towards the road. Before I knew it, another big rap on my head, nearly missing the soft centre of the top of my head. Fuck, it hurt! I did not even want to stop to look any more, I kept rushing towards the road, away from the trees. Whoosh, another kick. Hell, are they going to keep attacking me? He just attacks me and swoops onto a tree, in full view, as if daring me to question him. Praying that he would not chase me once I was across the road, I crossed and walked real fast, away from the park. I kept turning back to see if he was going to come after me. He did not. 

As I walked back home, my head was throbbing. I touched to see if it was bleeding. My had touched damp hair. Shit! One second of panic before I realised it was just sweat. I remembered I had been running. I walked fast, before the sun could worsen my headache. I had a long day ahead of me... filled with work, domesticity, flying kites and what not. A dry leaf fell on my neck, prised by the gentle breeze from the trees above. I squealed, saw the leaf and laughed. Relief. I have had enough bird attacks for the day. I need a break.

Apparently, Australian magpies are protected by some wildlife act or the other and it is an offence to harm them. Read more here. Right now, I'm pissed. I think humans are the ones that need protection from magpies. They should make magpie attacks an offence and put the rowdy birds behind bars!