When we arrived in Australia in the early 1970s I was enchanted by Lake Macquarie. We had left South Africa, with its glorious mountains, and I never expected to enjoy such beauty again. But Australia and its lakes proved a wonderful surprise. This continent is often described as 'harsh' and most people think 'beaches' when they think of it, but we also enjoy lakes, rivers, gorges, rain-forests and much more.Our lake is named after one of the first Governors of New South Wales, a gentleman named Lachlan Macquarie. Lachlan is still a popular name for boys in Australia. This poem started life as a song; hence the refrain.
On my Clickpicks blog you will discover the reason for my enthusiasm.
LAZY BY THE LAKE.
The Lake lies limpid on a lazy afternoon.
If we don't get there soon
We'll be sorry.
With trees surrounding
And boats abounding,
It's quite astounding!
It's our Lake MacQuarie.
We can stop a while beneath a sunny summer sky
And watch the seabirds fly
With easy grace.
It's all so gentle
And elemental
I'm sentimental
About the place.
*
The paths wind pleasantly beneath the shady trees
And we can take our ease
Simply strolling.
Where Dads and Mothers
And baby Brothers
And all the others
Need no cajoling.
If we spy a seat we can simmer in the sun
There's nothing to be done,
But have a ball.
It's all so gentle
And elemental
I'm sentimental
About it all.
*
The evening comes. The sun's a ball of rosy flame
And aren't we glad we came
From the city!
The light is fading
And birds are wading
And their parading
Looks oh so pretty.
Our skin is salty from the softly-blowing air
And still we stand and stare, goodness sake!
It's all so gentle
And elemental
I'm sentimental
About the Lake.
*
