bentenlaughing

Janice: Gina, I'm listening to your new album, Wheels in an Elsewhere. Your winsome vocals and seamless marriage of lyric and music allow one to enter a spaciousness...where are you taking us? Gina:  Interesting that you mentioned spaciousness, as the album is largely about the spaciousness of being apart from worldly life, troubles, insanities and the treadmill… in the sense of being something more like pure spirit. Not trying to paint our lives as a bleak picture but it can certainly seem like that at times for many of us, I believe. And we’ve all at times thought “stop the planet I want to get off”! Now the phrase wheels in an elsewhere is taken from the fourth song on the album which was inspired by my randomly pondering what death might be like. In the song the elsewhere is the world you leave behind. And the wheels of course are just the material matters of life including cars, work business. problems and the ongoing nature of it all. It is quite a philosophical a...

Now that we are through the worst of the situation, for the moment, on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, we are safe. And the good news is that solid rain is forecast for the entire south eastern region of Australia in the coming days, which promises to finally put this crisis to and end, a crisis that began in September and has continued to ravage our lands, our lives and our lungs. So our attention now can safely turn to recovery and rebuilding our communities.  We are passionate gardeners and have planted a food forest of over 300 plant species at our home. This includes greens for daily eating, as well as tomatoes and pumpkins, but also fruit and nut trees and herbs such as All Spice, Cinnamon and Lemon Myrtle. What we are presently looking for is soil donations so we can collect plant cuttings to give to our friends who have thankfully saved their houses, but faced with the blackness every day of looking at scorched lands.  Many people in ...

You might notice The way that spaces Surround each moment's gift. How hurrying people adorn A world That sighs with murmured wind. Clocks will tick Unheard behind The pressure of today. One day silent they sit As cicadas cut the air. How this now Can't ever be grasped No matter how you try. You are void and open mind Dancing throughout so called time. Biog: I was born in Cootamundra in country NSW in 1955 but spent my formative years living by the ocean in Sydney's northern beaches, many hours spent walking on deserted windswept sand ,soaking in the vast beauty of sea and sky .  I tried my hand at poetry in my teens and twenties , particularly inspired by Gary Snyder , but I lacked confidence to do much with it. Now that I'm in my mature years I don't care very much what others think but I'm delighted if someone enjoys my ramblings, rough and unpolished as they are. I feel that poetr...