Today I was to encounter my fair share of cold and rainy weather. From the moment I woke and finished packing my bags, it rained on and off, with a mix of heavy and light showers until I arrived in Nambucca Heads. In these types of conditions as I'm sure you would understand, keeping things dry is important, particularly the feet as they have the unenviable job of carrying me from place to place. I wear water proof leather boots polished in bees wax and I take care to dust my socks in talc powder to absorb any extra moisture. I take the same level of care with just about everything I have packed inside my bag. Everything I carry has first been packed inside a plastic ziplock bag. On days like this I also dress my pack in a yellow ( not sure if it's the colour of the season or not) poncho and then cover the entire bag in a "water proof" bag. To keep as much of the rain as possible off me, I wear a water proof coat. When zipped up to my chin and the hoody pulled over my head all I'm left with is a little round port hole the size of my hand to see through. With a serious case of tunnel vision it's very easy to become completely disconnected from everything going on around me.
A little wet but no worse for wear I stopped at Valla Beach for some respite. Although very much tempted by the aromas wafting from the Headland Cafe, I was adament that I would eat and drink from my supplies.
But after a brief chat to Maxim, the owner of the cafe, he insisted that I take up his offer of a complimentary coffee,scone and scroll. And on a cold, wet day the food went down very well indeed. Much better than uncooked rolled oats, trailmix and protein shake. This kind of generousity never ceases to amaze me and always warms my heart. Such a small gesture brings so much sunshine to another's day. Cheers Maxim!
After arriving in Nambucca I have for the past 2 days made my way around the community to spread the word and raise money for the Walk Against Want appeal. My first port of call was the Nambucca Bowls Club. Despite being the smallest club I have visited the members have, without a shadow of doubt, been the most generous I have encountered. Not that the size of a donation matters, but where other club members have thrown in a few cents or dollars, just about every member of the Nambucca Bowls Club chipped in $5, $10 or $20. As I found out in the following days, the same generousity is shared by most of the community. I've been told on a number of occasisons that Nambucca Heads is a community that struggles finanically, and yet here were members of the community giving all they could. Is it just me, or do people with the least seem to give the most? Not in size but in proportion to their means.
Following on from my note in a previous blog about the importance of being an ethical shopper I have provided a few websites links below so that we can make more informed decisions about the products we buy. Please do check them out it's worth you while.
Ethical Clothing Australia:
www.ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au
Fair Trade Association:
www.fta.org.au
The Ethical Consumer Guide:
www.ethical.org.au
And of course Oxfam Australia:
www.oxfam.org.au
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