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Old banksias


While we are waiting to get there I will show you a few plants we saw on the way. The autumn banksias were in flower but I find these dead husks from the summer flowering variety interesting too. This particular type of banksia has been made famous as the Big Bad Banksia Men in children stories written by May Gibbs.

Words to walk with:
From Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs
"One day a wise old Kookaburra
came to the neighbourhood.
All the Blossoms and Nuts crowded in to hear him speak.

He said,
"I am old! I have traveled! I have seen Humans!
Humans are strong as the Wind,
swift as the River, fierce as the Sun.
They can scratch one stick upon another and,
lo, there will be a Bush Fire.
They love the Fire.

The male Human carries it about in his skin
and the smoke comes out of his nostrils.
They whistle like the birds; they are cruel as the snake.
They have many skins which they take off many times.
When all the skins are off
the Human looks like a pale frog."

Comments

  1. It surely is beautiful even being dead!

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  2. Hello, I've just discovered your wonderful blog. Not able to live in the Mountains, myself, I feel like I have visited just by looking at your photographs and enjoying the well-matched verse.

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A "pale frog" indeed!

    I like the old season banksia pods too.

    The concept of journey that you have embedded in this post is interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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