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A day off in Pormpuraaw

May 9, 2007 in General, Pormpuraaw by brnathan | 2 comments

Nathan in Pormpuraaw

As much as I love the clinical work here, it is still always good to get some free time. Fortunately all my on-calls have had no call backs; so far. This has meant I have not been as exhausted as previously experienced here. The other RNs have not been so fortunate.

Today however, it was time to head of to see the sights, not much to see, more like a walk to the beach is all. One of the RNs was taking her dog, and a dog (horse) she was minding for a walk so we headed off to the beach. She did the short trip as she was flying out that day for Cairns. I continued on out to the southern point of the beach. There are a few campers in town so the camping site has been cleaned up and looks great. Unfortunately one of the fellows has not had such a good holiday. He was mauled by a pack of dogs and had several scrapes and bites to both his legs. We have been treating him for the last week. Though he and his wife were still up at the camp ground, determined not to let the events completely ruin their holiday.

I finally got to see a croc out in the live. Though could not get a good picture of him / her as it was on the opposite bank of the river. I’m happy that it was on the other side. I’m not sure I’d want to end up its breakfast. Without a car here there is not a lot to see, just the town. But it was nice to just wander around, watch the RFDS and Macair plane come in; I know exciting life when you walk down to the airstrip to see planes land. But it was a perfect day for a wander none the less.

The one that didn’t get away

May 7, 2007 in General, Pormpuraaw by brnathan | No comments

Pormpuraaw Crab

No I didn’t catch it myself. One of the things I like about living in a small community is the close ties one develops with people in the community. Last night one of the nurses I work with came over with this wonderful delight. She had been out camping and fishing with friends. They had one more crab than they could handle so brought it over wondering if I wanted it. Well, talk about all your Christmasses coming at once. I was like a child in a lolly shop. Grabbing a rather large heavy knife I cracked away and devoured the entire crab. And a sizeable one it was too. The meat was awesome.

It feels really good when you realise that other people are thinking about you, and offer you a gift that lets you know that they are not only thinking about you but have listened to you when you have been talking with them. I was certainly grateful for this little fellow. My taste buds certainly enjoyed it.

Well life in the remote parts of Australia continue. I have certainly enjoyed the opportunity to once again visit a place where hospitality and welcome is such a precious commodity.

Greetings from Pormpuraaw

May 2, 2007 in General by brnathan | No comments

I’ll keep this short as I’m working on dial up; very slow. I arrived here, of course, safe and sound. Thus far all has been going well. We have had some quiet and some busy days; especially clinic days when the RFDS are in.

I love being in my little remote hermitage. The silence of this place is so welcome after the busyness of the Friary in Brisbane. As much as it is nice to be part of a community it is equally nice to be able to come home and have no one there. I was enjoying going to bed last night and listening to the quiet. No helicopters, trucks, sirens etc, simply no sound at all. There is such peace in the silence. Well best not hold up the line here.

From Cairns Airport

April 30, 2007 in General by brnathan | No comments

Greetings from Cairns airport. I arrived a little early, could only get a 6 am shuttle to the airport from the motel, only to find a long que at Macair – where could all these people be going. There is a minning expo on at Isa. So it meant a long wait to book in. Just as well the early shuttle then. One lady was livid when she was charged $68 extra baggage. She had enough luggage to last a lifetime. And I thought I was taking too much. Anyway this is a non exciting post, just your average boring I’m at the airport post, but just to let you know all is going well. I’m certianly looking forward to arriving at Pormpuraaw – will it be a good as I remember, will I fall straight into the swing of things. That’s always the challenge having so long between drinks so to speak. But of couse you cannot take ‘drinks’ $37 000 fine if you do. More on that one later. Well best get some last ‘city supplies’ before heading off to the middle of nowhere.

Packing for Pormpuraaw

April 29, 2007 in General by brnathan | No comments

I’m just about to shut down my computer so I can pack it and a million other things I need to take with me to Pormpuraaw. Internet access is not entirely reliable there, and then only dial up. So if I have not posted for a while this is most likely the reason. I return on the 15th May. Though hopefully I will be able to post some info about the trip here so you can read what’s happening up there, here.

Comments

April 29, 2007 in General by brnathan | No comments

Just in case people are not sure, you can comment on this blog. Just press ‘comments’ on the top of the article you want to comment on. Some people are sending me emails, which is fine. However, if you post them here, it means others can share in the topic as well.

Practicing with Scholar

April 27, 2007 in General, Gregorian Chant by brnathan | No comments

I attended my first practice session with Schola last night. It was excellent. I came away feeling enlivened by the experience. It would be easy to be put off in the initial period of learning how to be part of this unique style of prayer and worship; it is of course more than simply being a part of a ‘choir’. Learning to read and pronounce Latin correctly, while deciphering chant notation and getting your voice to end up on the right pitch, all at the same time feels how I imagine it would be to take control of a helicopter (which requires exceptional coordination skills). In other words, a very daunting and perhaps overwhelming task for the novice. If the goal were not worth it, to chant the most beautiful sacred music, the journey would be a futile exercise. As one experiences, as I briefly did in the workshop on the weekend, the inner spiritual resonance of the music within one’s soul, there is the realisation that the journey is indeed worth taking, for the goal is indeed worth it. Unfortunately I’m off on Sunday for a locum up north and then a few school missions and another locum, so it will be a while before I will get back to another practice, but I certainly look forward to it.

Schola Cantorum

April 23, 2007 in General, Gregorian Chant by brnathan | No comments

This Sunday I attended a workshop on Gregorian Chant, facilitated by Tony Vaughan, and others, from Brisbane’s Schola Cantorum. I have a few CDs of Gregorian Chant, some classical and one or two more contemporary. There is something intensely haunting and spiritual about this music; perhaps I’m stating the obvious given its religious heritage. However, what I mean is that the chant draws you into a space which is different than I’ve experienced with say hymns or choral music. It is a kind of inner-self-space. Not too dissimilar to what I would say I experience in a Taize prayer service. It is a quietly contemplative space, the space where one can hear God.

The chant is at one level simple. There is no complexity of the music when compared to some choral works. And there is no need of accompaniment with large orchestras. Yet, with a few techniques called organum (which gives the chant a polyphonic sound by someone chanting at a prefect fifth or fourth to the rest of the group), and ison  (a continuous note is held by one part of the group whislt the other continue the main chant) the chant develops depth and character. This greatly enhances the ‘drawing’ capacity of the chant.

It was an intensive workshop, covering in a very short period of time, the history of chant, deciphering chant notation, reading and pronouncing latin, and practice with putting it all together in a short chant session in the Church we were at.

Its only been the last few years since I’ve felt comfortable singing, thanks to the supoprt of friends, and in particular Betty Beath who spent time helping me develop my voice and confidence. I still find choral and part singing difficult and it will be ages before I would feel truly confident in a choir. But I enjoy singing. I discovered on the weekend that Chant offers a great deal for me. It does not have the same level of complexity as choral music yet has equally so, if not more, a level a inner-spiritual-awareness. It gives me a space to develop my voice and confidence while chanting the most beautiful pieces of religious works.

I plan to attend practice sessions also facilitated by Tony and Schola. And who knows, when I’m more confident and able to grasp more of the fundamentals of chant I may pluck up the courage to try out for Schola.

Oh, and one thing that was especially beautiful on the day, during our practice sessions some of the children also went off and learned their own pieces. We got to hear them when we all gathered in the church later in the afternoon. Angelic is all I’ll say about that.

Scholar will be running another workshop later in the year, perhaps October, I recommend it, give Tony an email and get him to add you to his contacts to let you know when it will be.

Railway tracks, the symbol of journey

April 13, 2007 in General by brnathan | No comments

It is not random chance that the header picture of this blog is a lone railway track heading off into the distance. It is a symbol of journey, growth, challenges, change. One of my all time favourite movies is Stand by Me. The film version of Stephen King’s novel (The Body). After the death of his friend a writer recounts a boyhood journey with three of his friends as they go in search of a dead boy killed on the railway tracks. The boys set out to follow the path of the train tracks to find the dead boy. Along the way viewers learn of the various ghosts in the boys’ lives that journey along side them. The boys challenge, and are challenged by each other and themselves to face some of these ghosts. The movie is more than a simple boyhood adventure, it is a journey of transition from boyhood to adulthood, a coming of age story as each has to face the past in order to move on into the future. There is a compelling scene in which Gordie (Will Wheaton) and Chris (River Phoenix) are lagging behind the other two boys and have a profound moment of friendship and realisation which exemplifies this. After finding their objective the mood and motivation of the two boys change, leaving behind the body they return home deeply changed by the experience.

The essence of this drama is one that is hard to forget. In life we all have ghosts that travel with us. And like these four boys we all have to take on a journey to discover and confront them. But we must also come to the realisation that we can move on from them. Simple scenes such as this, a lone track heading into the distance can remind us of this. And of the need to continue to journey. However, we must also take time like Gordie and Chris to stop along side the track, pause, and allow ourselves time to acknowledge our ghosts and to move on from them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v==VJ7Zi6jg8wM]

Stand by Me poster          The Body

The Mendicant Mind and Body: the random acts of writing from an itinerant soul

April 12, 2007 in General by brnathan | 2 comments

If you have come over from Pilgrim on a Journey welcome, if you have arrived here for the first time, welcome. I have decided to move my blog here to wordpress because I find it a much more user friendly program than Blogger. I also wanted the change to reflect a more generic focus consistent also with my personality, hence the title The Mendicant Mind and Body: The Random acts of writing from an itinerant soul.

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