Shinrin-Yoku 森林浴 Forest Therapy Australia

26/03/2026

25/03/2026

Getting fashionable..the ethical way!

Thank you Agus for helping me select my outfit and Liv for being a women in business from my hometown Geelong!

23/03/2026

Thank you for this beautiful reminder and artwork!

22/03/2026

Getting down and dirty.

Who's in the garden today?

🍃

20/03/2026

We watched at least a dozen Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos feasting on pine cones around the Geelong Botanic Gardens today🌲—a moment that felt both grounding and magical. These incredible birds have long felt like my spirit birds, and it’s easy to see why.

Here's what I read about these iconic Australian birds in an Identification booklet for the Glenelg Hopkins area.

🪶 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)
• Size: ~60cm
• Appearance: Mostly black with striking yellow cheek patches and tail panels (females often have larger yellow cheek patches)
• Habits: Social and curious—usually seen in pairs or small groups, often high in trees but coming down to feed on fallen pine cones or larvae
• Habitat: Eucalypt forests, banksia woodlands, and pine plantations
• Nesting: Tree hollows (October–March)

These birds are deeply significant in Aboriginal knowledge and culture. Known by names that echo their call—Wilan, Wotan, Wiran, Wila—they are more than just a sighting. For many, they are a totemic ancestor (Kapatj/Gamadj), a messenger, even a “rain-bird.” Their call has been understood as a sign of approaching friends or changing weather—nature speaking, if we’re listening.

I’d love to hear from you:

Have you had a meaningful encounter with wildlife that stayed with you? A bird, an animal, a moment in nature that felt like more than coincidence? Share your story below.

I'll share recordings from today on the story board.

BirdLovers IndigenousKnowledge ConnectWithNature

17/03/2026

A beautiful day in the Wurundjeri season of "luk" guiding a group on a Forest Therapy walk.

Ah, that smell of the Australian bushland is so healing and comforting.

A participants shared this poem often seen on billboards in her hometown in the Philippines.

Trees
By Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

13/03/2026

A great explanation of the real seasons!

13/03/2026

The Wurundjeri calendar celebrates seven seasons, each marked by changes in the weather, the flowering of plants, and the behaviour of animals. These seasonal changes are tied to the life cycles of the environment, reflecting a holistic understanding of Country.

Each season brings specific opportunities for gathering food, conducting ceremonies, and living in harmony with the natural rhythms of Country.

The Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival is an annual celebration of seasonal wonder, food, drink, events, nature and the arts. Did you know, however, that the

11/03/2026

An evening to remember listening to an amazing panel of women at the "Women Shaping Victoria" International Women's Day 2026 event organized by

The panel included inductees of the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu, Anastasia Le and

The wonderful Libbi Gorr interviewed me in 2018 on ABC Radio about Forest Therapy... when no one had heard about it! She guided me through the daunting experience and gave me the confidence to speak to all of Australia and today, everyone's talking about Forest Therapy 🌿🍃🌳

Thank you to the organizers for providing a platform to encourage and celebrate women in Victoria. It was good to have Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Women attend and hear the stories and questions from the audience.

05/03/2026

.
Indeed, our constant thinking pulls us away from our senses.

So here’s a way to come back to your senses.

Step into nature and slow down — your garden, a park, a nature reserve.

Notice the pleasures of discovery:
the colours and tones of leaves,
the textures against your fingertips,
the tiny nature friends that appear along the way.

Look closely at the shapes of leaves and bark.
Listen to birds and rustling branches.
Smell the eucalyptus and the earth.
Savour the fresh air as you breathe it in.
Reach out and feel the textures of bark, moss, and lichen.

Moments like this awaken the inner child — the one who lives through curiosity, play, and fascination.

It’s simple.

What are you noticing?