Gentlemen, EDIT Ladies, a moment of your time, for I have a tale to tell.
This very day, upon the forested hills above the mighty Hawkesbury, I came upon an omen. I know not what to make of it, precisely, but believe it bodes well for the Australian Rugby team.
As it happens, I had dropped my eldest at a birthday party up towards Wisemans Ferry, and with several hours on my hands, decided to sit in the shade by the river nearby and read Michael Lynagh's "Blindsided".
Alas, I could find no place to take my leisure, for much of that river's edge is privately owned by various organisations or individuals who greedily seek its beauty for themselves. Instead, I opted for an exploratory drive, starting with the Sackville Ferry, with the aim of looking in on Ebenezer Church and surrounds.
At some point in the journey, I turned down a dirt road, attempting (in vain) to find a secluded spot by the water. As someone country raised, I do like the challenge of a good gravel track.
I was thoroughly enjoying myself on a lonely dirt road in the glorious spring sunshine, when I rounded a corner and slowed to a halt, amazed at what I beheld.
There, in the dappled shadows of the gently swaying eucalypt forest, was a wallaby.
Steady as a rock, with no hint of skittishness or fear, this magnificent animal stared at me from its casual position for what seemed like minutes, but was surely only seconds of time as we know it.
As it was, the world around both of us condensed into this moment, these moments, and then, having spent enough of its time on the side of the road looking at some idiot in an X-Trail, the marsupial turned its head, then bounced fluidly into the scrub and up the hill.
So transfixed was I, that it did not occur to me to reach for my phone to share this vision with the rest of you. All I have are these words; make of them what you will.