tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149826996613826512024-03-14T05:13:33.878+10:00Robin's RamblingsRobin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-13123069785049525142016-08-24T15:19:00.000+10:002016-08-24T15:19:21.532+10:00So much to catch up on - and so many photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can't believe it has been well over a month since I last posted, but we have been very busy!<br />
My sister came to visit for a couple of weeks and we had a ball. She drove me all round town to get to places I never normally go now I can no longer see to drive. We did a lot of window shopping, but i don not really need 'clutter' any more - just need to get rid of lots of it!<br />
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We also went to tourist spots with Bill, the sorts of places you never quite get around to visiting unless you have visitors - or we don't anyway. We drove up the Pioneer Valley to Eungella, a really beautiful national park where platypuses are readily visible - but I could not manage to get a photo, sorry. I did take a photo of all these turtles sunning themselves on the dead branch - there had been a platypus near by till I focussed my camera and then of course it vanished.<br />
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Unfortunately the day was a bit overcast so the view from the top looking down the valley was not as spectacular as usual, but still lovely<br />
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These unusual sculptures were alongside the river walk, detailing some of the flora and fauna.<br />
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Broken River at Eungella is a fast flowing river and is VERY cvold, but some visitors still manage to swim in it!<br />
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We had a lovely lunch at the local Pub, this is the rainforest growing right up the the boundary fence.<br />
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On the way home we visited Teemburra Creek Dam, this is the view from t he boat ramp. The dam provides irrigation for local cane farmers, but also is a very popular recreational fishing area.<br />
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The sun had come out and this another view looking back down the Valley, one I never tire of.<br />
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We visited several of our beaches. When our children were little and Barb visited, we used to go to a different beach nearly every day, and this was one of our favourites, Cape Hillsborough - the photo of the beach is below and a lovely wattle growing near the picnic area above.<br />
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The tide goes out a long way and the beach goes on forever. You can't see it in the photo but it often has a golden sheen on it from all the iron pyrites ( can't spell it) on the sand - often called fool's gold - and very pretty.<br />
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There is a wonderful boardwalk built through the mangroves growing at Cape Hillsborough. One day I will manage to get there when the tide is very high, it always seems to be out when we take visitors!<br />
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The textures and shapes of the mangroves are lovely<br />
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Above is a very old mangrove and below is a Melaleuca (paperbark)<br />
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The bark of these trees comes of in large sheets of papery fibre which is ften used to line hanging baskets, also half a century ago people used to make wonderful bark pictures using it. That seems to be totally out of fashion now.<br />
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This is part of the wonderful picnic area there.<br />
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Then we visited Halliday Bay and could only recognise the beach, everything else had changed dramatically in the thirty odd years since we had last been there. It seems sill when the beach is only a thirty minute trip out of Mackay, but there it is.<br />
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In the summer we have very dangerous box jelly fish in the sea so stinger enclosures are built. This photo was taken at low tide and it seems impossible that the water would come in far enough to make the sea worthwhile going into, but it really does. The mesh is very small, but I think you still need to say well inside the fence to make sure the tentacle can't reach you - the tentacles are almost invisible and can be nearly three feet long!<br />
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This is a lovely old she-oak or casuarina growing on the edge of the beach. They are fascinating trees and make a wonderful whispering sound with the breeze blowing through their branches.<br />
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This is yet another beach. much closer in to town. There are plans to build a special lookout tower from the vantage point where I took this photo. We can see the whales from here on their annual migration - or others can. They were too far out for me.<br />
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We have had another trip out to my home town of Goondiwindi for another family funeral - a close friend of the cousin who died a few months ago. he also had cancer and was nearly 80 so this was more a celebration of his life and a great family reunion. Bill and Iflew to Brisbane, collecting my sister there - who had only flown home a day before, then we drove out in a hire car. I sat in the back seat and tried to take photos while we were travelling at 100 km /hr - not always very successful! These last two photos show you the cultivated country on the Darling Downs where at last they have had some rain.<br />
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We really had a wonderful trip with lots of laughs and recollections of past days with all the family. We have all decide we need to do the trip again sometime when we can stay a few more days and it is not for a funeral!<br />
Now I think life will be a bit quieter at home for a few weeks anyway. Summer seems to have arrived today, but we are told there will be another burst of cold weather next week. This has been a very strange winter, far too warm, I hope it does not mean we will have a very hot summer.<br />
Now I had better make a cup of coffee for Bill.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-28230949590272825102016-07-03T15:09:00.000+10:002016-07-03T15:09:07.538+10:00Colour in the garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My pot plants are showing plenty of colour and really brightening up the winter garden. Yes, the cool weather has finally arrived, but the days are sunny and gorgeous.<br />
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The caladium just keeps on showing off despite being almost totally neglected apart from watering. The begonias are new this winter so should go on for several years I hope.<br />
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Some of these begonias have been in the pot for over a year - they are so colourful and so easy to care for/<br />
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This garden bed gets almost no sun in winter so I am trying some New Guinea impatiens, they are starting to make a great show now. I really think I will get Bill to dig out the Sasanqua Camellia - our climate is quite wron for them these days. I cut it right back last year but only had one flower this season, I supose it is a lovely shiny green shrub, but that is the best you could sat for it!<br />
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Sorry, this photo taken on my phone is over exposed, but this corner of the garden bed is looking quite pretty at present.<br />
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My eucharist lily survives neglect as well<br />
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Not the most colourful of petunias, but all I could find the day we went shopping and they are flowering well.<br />
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I love this zygocactus and it always makes a very cheery show.<br />
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The garden is really being neglected apart from watering at present and I am what you might call an interesting diet! I had surgery to repair a hiatal hernia repair a couple of weeks ago and am on a restricted diet for six weeks - two weeks liquid, two weeks puree and two weeks soft, then we will have roast pork and crackling to celebrate being back to normal!!! Actually it is not as bad as I first imagined. I can have anything I want as long as I puree it well - I swapped from liquid on Thursday. I spend most of my days trying to think what I can have which is a bit different, always remembering I still have to cook for Bill. Several people suggested he should have to go on the same diet as I am having, but I am quite sure he would leave home first. Hopefully I will be slimmer at the end of this and the results are very definitely worth it.<br />
Time for smoko and a fruit smoothie.<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-58116396307073564372016-06-03T16:23:00.003+10:002016-06-03T16:23:57.563+10:00An interesting experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No photos today, but I thought I would share m experience this morning with you. As usual on a Friday, Bill dropped me off at our local large shopping centre for me to do the weekly shopping. This involves a lot of walking as I usually need to go to stores at opposite ends of the centre, and the items I want are always at the very back of the large stores! I have had my day's walk by the time i come home again.<br />
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I was congratulating myself this morning that I had finished over half an hour earlier than usual. i was in the checkout queue in the last store when the fire alarm began sounding. There are often test carried out, so apart from being mildly annoyed by the loud siren - and the electronic voice calling 'right, the fire alarm is now on' (how could you not know that) Nobody took much notice. After a few seconds it went off, but came on again a few seconds later. This repeated several times. I had rung Bill to ask him to come and collect me. Usually I stay sitting inside the centre for about ten m minutes before I walk out to the under cover car park, but the noise was so penetrating I went straight out to stand and get away from the noise.<br />
Presumably soon after that a notice was broadcast for everyone to evacuate - there were people arriving out in the carpark in droves. This is a carpark on four levels, with another on two levels at the front of the centre.<br />
It only took about a minute for the traffic to be in complete gridlock. I don't think there was an actual fire, I heard on the news there was a problem with the sprinkler system in a part of the centre some distance from where I was, but it made me think about how difficult it would be to get everyone away to safety if there had been an actual fire.<br />
Bill sat in a queue for over ten minutes waiting to travel half a block. There were quite a few people I saw who were on wheelie walkers or using walking sticks, meaning they would have difficulty walking very far very fast. You would need to abandon your car and your shopping trolleys and walk out as far as you could - I am very glad none of us had to do that!<br />
It has given me food for thought however. There are so many small stores in those shopping centres as well as the large department stores that the management must have nightmares trying to train staff for evacuation and fire drill. I just hope they really are doing it.<br />
Very overcast here today, just a little rain, but we had 18mm overnight which was much appreciated. South east Qld has dire predictions for tomorrow for strong winds, rough seas and very heavy rain. Hopefully the predictions will turn out to be an overkill.<br />
Have a good weekend.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-9020355246496382832016-05-26T16:32:00.002+10:002016-05-26T16:32:26.590+10:00When will summer end?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The summer season should be well and truly over by now, but i still have every door and window in the house wide open. As well as that I am still in shorts and short sleeved Tee!<br />
We had two quite cool nights, which inspired me to get out the winter pyjamas and my warm clothes (because they were in the same bag). Of course the weather warmed up again immediately. The weather bureau is now saying we may not get a winter, just some wet weeks as the pattern goes from el nino to la nina.<br />
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Wandering round the shopping centre is an interesting experience - all the clothing stores are full of heavy winter jackets, some even having fake fur collars, and thick padded jackets - the sort I would wear in the south island of New Zealand (or Tasmania). I can't imagine much of that stock will be sold here. Of course these days the shops are all national franchises and the purchasing is determined in Melbourne (nearly 3,000 km south of us). They do not seem to have any idea that we have minimum temperatures higher than the maximum temperatures in the southern states most of the time. I suppose this happens all round the world with corporate buying - not what I call progress!<br />
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My Nodding Violets are still flowering magnificently - much later than usual, they are such a cheerful sight to see out my kitchen window.<br />
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The Xanthostemon tree is also in full flower and is full of birds. While I can't see any of them very clearly I always know which ones are in the tree - the rainbow lorikeets adore it and pick over every blossom. If there is only one or two, the little brown honeyeaters will come into the tree as well, but any more lorikeets frightens them off. We have also had spangled drongos performing acrobatics in and around the tree, so there is always plenty of activity to keep us amused. The flying foxes come in at night, but the tree is far enough away from our bedroom so we do not hear the squabbling. We love having flowering plants for the birds in the area. Since we lost our large rain tree many years ago we have not put feeders out, just water dishes and flowering plants.<br />
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There has not been very much to say, but I need to keep in touch occasionally just to let you know I am still here. Now I shall take advantage of the weather to go out into the garden to do some potting whil it is still warm enough.<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-73073124748671395802016-05-01T15:12:00.000+10:002016-05-01T15:12:25.273+10:00What a week - and now for the diet!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every yea the Sugarcane Technologists hold a conference which we attend, and this year the conference was in Mackay. Not having to travel is a very mixed blessing - the usual home chores somehow need to get done in between partying!<br />
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The president's wife has to form a committee and organise entertainment for the partners of the delegates - which can be quite a shock, especially if the wife has never previously attended a conference as happened this year. The comprised of four rookies and they could not have possible done a better job.<br />
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When we registered we were g iven a superb beach bag filled with all these goodies! <br />
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Next we were treated to a luscious morning tea at this charming cottage in the Pioneer Valley, run by a family with the only advertising a Facebook page and word of mouth - and you need to book to find a spare table! That says it all.<br />
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We were not done with eating - we had an hour's bus ride - and lots of chatter - to Airlie Beach where we had a wonderful sunch - I forgot to take any photos of the food!<br />
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The day was not sunny so the sea was not blue, but this was the magnificent view from the restaurant. Before we returned in the bus we were given an hour to shop in Airlie - several of us chatted over a coffe instead, but two hardy souls went on a 10 km run!!!<br />
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They undid all the healthy bit coming home in the bus. The committee produced a large esky out of which came chilled champagne and canapes to be passed around - all highly illegal, they should have been strapped in their seats, but delicious just the same.<br />
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We went to a dinner that night, but I did not take any photos.<br />
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Thursday was another day of eating and talking! A very pleasant morning tea beside the beach, which this cheeky young butcherbird wanted to share. There were three more, but I was not quick enough with the camera. <br />
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On to the next venue with more food after a fantastic fashion parade of garments designed by a local designer using the colours of the fish on the Great Barrier Reef. The young girl on the right is carrying one of the beach bags we were all given. The colours are just forgeous.<br />
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We did not need dinner that night, but it was t he Gala event of the week so of course we were there! Part of the entertainment was these three gorgeous girls - a group called The Diamonds - legs up to their armpits and the most incredible and energetic choreography while they were singing. One of the ladies at our table was watching the men (about 300) in the room - she said there was a collective dropping of jaws as the singers bounced onto the stage - and they all noticed the legs!<br />
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On Friday we visited The Sapphire House, no photos, but very interesting - pursed definitely in pockets however as the prices for the beautiful jewellery on display were definitely not for impulse buying! We learned a lot about the different colours of sapphires and how they are formed though.<br />
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Next door to the Sapphire House was a Craft shop where we had morning tea which include some of the best scones I have ever tasted.<br />
Juliette (above) is not holding a real baby, it is a doll, but feels just like picking up and cuddling the real thing! Amazingly it only cost $200 and the maker takes workshops there. Our committee were in stitches the day they were checking everything out - the blackboard outside advertised a class 'for making babies' They all had to have their photos taken beside that!<br />
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Our last port of call was the Old Railway Station Teahouse for woodfired pizzas for lunch. The owners bought the Marian Railway Station when the line was closed about ten years ago, including the signage on the wall below.<br />
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They added some verandahs and have planted a lush tropical garden for a really beautiful setting. They host quite a few weddings there as well.<br />
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Sadly all good things come to an end and now we are almost back to normal, I have done all the washing and most of the ironing and am really watching what I eat!</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-31871447331539959292016-04-10T16:05:00.002+10:002016-04-10T16:05:43.312+10:00Promises, promises!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes, I know I said I would be back soon with some photos, but life got in the way! I am so glad I was able to go out to Goondiwindi for my cousin's funeral. We saw friends we had not seen for over 50 years, which is what happens at events like that. While it was wonderful to catch up with so many, it was a bit disconcerting to find that suddenly (?) all the fellows we went ot dances and parties with were in their eighties!!! I had not grown a day older of course.<br />
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Barb and I had breakfast in what used to be our father's and Grandfather's solicitors' office - now turned into a very popular coffee shop.<br />
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The owner was asking us all sorts of questions about the building, and I started wondering myself about all the questions I should have asked before my father died - we have no idea when the building was erected, some time in the 1920s we think, but that would have been pretty amazing for a brick building. The soil is heavy, gluepot black soil which moves a lot in wet or dry weather.<br />
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This lovely church where the funeral was held was built in the late 1930s and was considered a remarkable building back then as it was constructed on a 'floating' concrete base to prevent cracks from developing! I am not really very knowledgable about the process, I am only quoting what I was always told.<br />
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Since then, I have been to Buderim to look after my sister after her knee replacement. That was a lovely break, she is recovering well, though not nearly as fast as she would like. We had a wonderful time reminiscing - and realising how much we have forgotten - and now there is no one left to ask.<br />
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I was pleased to prove to myself that I can still travel independently with not much difficulty. I flew down and back from Brisbane twice with different airlines, and caught the bus to Buderim. Airports are horrible places at the best of times, but the staff were all very helpful when I needed it.<br />
In my previous post I was talking about the soggy, soggy weather, but that was almost the last of the rain. The pattern this year has been most peculiar. We have had a lot of rain in total, but in about three events - and hot, dry, windy days in between. We could really do with some more decent rain again, the grass is browning off and becoming crackly again.<br />
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We have an interesting excursion next weekend with the Gardens Friends, but I am not making any promises this time to show photos as knowing what I am like, it may be a while.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-63127748236820072622016-03-06T17:29:00.000+10:002016-03-06T17:29:11.904+10:00Soggy, soggy weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know I have been very slack about blogging, but I did not mean to let February go past completely!<br />
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About two weeks ago Fiji was absolutely devastated by Cyclone Winston, a very severe category 5 system with wind gusts over 300 kph. That system has certainly packed a punch.<br />
It continued on its way towards the east coast of Queensland, fortunately becoming a tropical low.<br />
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The system ripped up huge seas and closed all the beaches on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts last weekend. Then it travelled north along the coast, still about 50 km out to sea, but causing lots of storms and heavy showers. By the time it was sitting off Cairns (over 1500km north of Brisbane) it had embedded in the monsoonal trough. <br />
We were still getting heavy rain and now the low has drifted south again!<br />
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We have had our grandson staying for the weekend while most of his amily has been in Brisbane. They are due to fly home tonight so we have our fingers crossed that the airport will be open. We took Hamish home about an hour ago when we thought the rain was slackening off. This is the view through the windscreen when we were coming home. I took about 12 photos (I won't bore you with them all) and the windscreen wipers were going flat out all the time. I can't believe that not one photo was dissected by wipers! My phone is smarter than I thought.<br />
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All the table drains are full and the low lying fields are lakes.<br />
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This was meant to be the first photo and does not look nearly as impressive - our backyard yesterday morning. Jock hates going out in the rain and only goes when it is essential, picking his feet up and looking quite comical.<br />
We have had over 400 ml rain in the last week, just over 600 since the beginning of the year. Our total rainfall for last year was only 820 ml. Hopefully this should mean that El Nino is nearly over. The sad part is that only the coast is getting this rain. Most of Queensland is still gripped by drought - the inland areas get their rain events coming across from Western Australia and that has not happened for over three years in some parts.<br />
I planned to write this post a couple of days ago, but seem to have spent most of the weekend on the phone. A cousin died in my home town of Goondiwindi and I really want to go back for the funeral. That involves a 1,00 km flight to Brisbane, then I will be collected by my sister and we will drive the 220km west to Goondiwindi. Just getting flights was the hardest part, but we will be so glad to go out to see so many friends and relatives, possibly for the last time for me. I should have some interesting pics next week to show you.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-44867931530929874722016-01-25T11:46:00.003+10:002016-01-25T11:46:31.782+10:00Mangoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is mango season - yum!<br />
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Our son has a very old, very large tree of beautiful Bowen mangoes in his garden. It is absolutely loaded with luscious fruit, but unfortunately it is about 40 feet tall, so nobody can reach the fruit near the top of the tree - the bats and possums and even the lorikeets are getting their fill!<br />
Queenslanders have always known this variety as Bowen mangoes, they were developed in that township about 100 km north of Mackay sometime in the late 1800s. Now the official name for marketing is Kensington Pride/ There are lots of other varieties in the shops, but nothing to match the flavour of Bowens!<br />
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A few days ago I went to our local library with Dougal and the two grandchildren for a 'mini Maker Spacers' workshop, a school holiday activity. There were about twenty children there, all really getting very involved. There were three separate activities, each designed to stimulate creativity and problem solving. Apologies for the slightly out of focus photos - taken on my phone which I am not very good at focusing.<br />
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Here the boys were reading the instruction cards with Dougal to work out what floated and what sank, not always as simple as it looked!<br />
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This was the activity they really wanted to be there for - making code for a robot to move along. They had to draw thick black lines, with patches of red, blue and green added in at intervals to make the robot do an about turn or swivel or go back according to the colour instruction. The young girl beside Hamish had her robot moving up and down her pattern really well. We will go back next holidays for another go, perhaps moving on to some more complicated coding. The Friends of the Library purchased this equipment late last year, and the librarian has to learn how to program and operate the robots before she can show the children! There are more advanced sessions for the teenagers.<br />
These are excellent free activities provided in the library every school holidays and are always booked out very quickly.<br />
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I had ideas of achieving all sorts of tidying and cleaning around the house during January, but the weather has utterly defeated me - we are having seemingly endless very hot, very muggy days with not much rain. I don't have any energy for anything m ore than the bare essentials until we can get some cooler weather. The monsoon trough which brings the wet weather seems to be well stuck well north of Australia. I came down into Queensland briefly a few weeks ago, but has retreated out of sight now....oh well, one day....<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-57966159381063472942016-01-17T14:33:00.003+10:002016-01-17T14:33:43.656+10:00Windows 10 and Rain!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bill has just upgraded my computer to Windows 10 and I am thrilled. The fonts are so much easier for me to read in my Magic software. Previously I was looking at broken, very fine lined fonts, much harder to distinguish.<br />
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This is a slightly out of focus photo of a lovely ginger which has just come into flower. I have shown it while I am experimenting with how everything works in Windows 10 - so far all good.<br />
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The really big news is that we have RAIN - 70 ml so far today and still going. Our total rainfall for 2015 was only 48% of our annual average so we have plenty to make up. The rain has also cooled the temperature down to being very pleasant, after some very hot, very muggy days.<br />
I was hoping to go out into the garden this afternoon, but I am very happy to find some indoor tasks and listen to the rain....or perhaps I may just listen to a book.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-29912428117997827452016-01-01T09:19:00.003+10:002016-01-01T09:19:36.541+10:00Happy New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, Christmas is done and dusted and today is the start of a new year. I must admit we were tucked up in bed and fast asleep when the clock chimed twelve. We have not seen the new Year in for many a long year now, but we are happy for all those who do go off to parties.<br />
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This lovely allamanda is a volunteer which jumped the fence from next door several years ago, and thank heavens it did. The house changed hands and the new owners took a backhoe to the entire yard, levelling everything - and removing the top couple of inches of topsoil! Then they paid 'landscapers' to lay turf and plant some cordylines around the fenceline - all very boring.<br />
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We have had an exceptionally dry start to spring/summer and that was just what my Euodia tree wanted. It is smothered in flowers, which the birds are loving.<br />
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This photo is deceptively large. It is a lovely little ground orchid from far north Queensland which I have just been given - a spathoglottis. I hope I don't manage to kill it as I think it is very pretty, and is not one of those orchids which look quite ugly when not blooming!</div>
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We have had about 40 ml rain which has made the days much pleasanter and has filled our tank again. Thank goodness the rain has been falling also in western Queensland in places which have not seen rain for over twelve months - not drought breaking yet, but a good start.</div>
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I certainly hope the new Year brings you all the weather you want as well as good health and happiness.<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-32461492223587488582015-12-16T14:49:00.002+10:002015-12-16T14:49:33.274+10:00Christmas in the Gardens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well another year has passed and we have had another fantastic event!<br />
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Lots of people started arriving very early to make sure they got the spot they wanted<br />
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The children had a lovely time dancing to the music in a designated area in the front of the crowd.</div>
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The weather was perfect - a light breeze blowing and the showers stayed away till well after everyone had gone home. We had about 500 people there and we are hoping we can hold the event in the same place next year. We have a new curator in the Gardens who thinks we should move to another part of the Gardens which would be in blazing sun for the first part of the evening and there are not the facilities there yet which we would need. No doubt we will sort it out in the new Year, but it is a bit of a worry.</div>
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At last I have made the first Christmas cake, and I am about to cut up the fruit for the next one. I am so far behind this year I will be in a panic to get everything done in time. We are staying here this year and spending the day with our family- that way they can have the mess and we can come home for a snooze!</div>
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Hopefully the weather will be kind to us - it is fearfully hot and sticky at present. I remember one Christmas though when we were thrilled to have the rain start about 11am on Christmas morning, cooling everything down so we had an appetite for our dinner. We were not nearly so thrilled when it continued to rain almost continuously till the end of January, by which time we had had over 100 inches and were very, very waterlogged. I know we need drought breaking rain, but definitely not a repeat of that!</div>
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I probably won't get around to posting again before Christmas, somehow I don't seem to find very many interesting things to write about these days.</div>
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I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and an even better New Year.</div>
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-6066459778491661912015-11-24T16:18:00.003+10:002015-11-24T16:18:41.976+10:00A bit from the garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My backhousia citriadoria (lemon scented myrtle is looking a picture. I have been slightly disappointed that I planted this tree as I did not realise it does not attract the birds - but the insects and bees love it! I love the smell of the crushed leaves, but I am not a fan of the flavour in cooking - though it is very fashionable these days.<br />
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I have no idea of the botanical name for this basket fern. The new leaves have suddenly shout out, changing the appearance dramatically. Ten days ago it was a danger to our eyes, with long sharp spines protruding everywhere. I spent an hour or so getting rid of them while I was waiting for a boring business visitor of Bill's to leave! Bill collected this fern about forty years ago from a site in far north Queensland, along with the orchids - you can see the tail end of their flowering in the photo. <br />
The season has been strange, many plants are hanging on to their flowers for months instead of weeks and others are flowering right out of season.<br />
I suspect the El Nino has something to do with this. We are not getting our usual rain, but thankfully neither are we getting the super cell storms of Southern Queensland. I think the ants are giving me a message though, the sugar is definitely back in a screw top jar instead of its open bowl, and we are inundated in our bathroom. We had black cockatoos a week ago, but they have vanished this week - they are always supposed to be a sign of rain coming. Bush lore is fascinating.<br />
Christmas has caught up with me and I have realised all the stuff which I need to do with so little time left - it seemed like months away till this week! At least I have bought most of the ingredients for my Christmas cakes and puddings, also the Christmas cards, but I haven't started to write any yet. I also need to perforate 900 raffle tickets - after Bill has produced them - for our annual Christmas in the Gardens event at the Botanic Gardens in just over two weeks! At least we are not going away this year so I don't need to worry about that.<br />
Time to do some weeding - they are growing so big even I can see t hem</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-18557240490064691422015-11-19T15:02:00.000+10:002015-11-19T15:02:12.401+10:00Positive news<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, I have to say I am now getting quite excited about the move of the library into the CBD. Friends of the Library had a presentation and a walk through the empty building this morning. One of the major concerns we had originally was that the Heritage Collection, a very important repository for Mackay's history, had no place in the new library. We complained loud and long - and won!!! The plans we saw today have a larger designated room than we have in the current library.<br />
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Libraries are changing so much these days with all the new technology, many fewer books and more interactive computer driven stuff - way beyond my comprehension at present, but this is the way the young people like it, so the library has to stay relevant.<br />
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The library is supposed to be finished and open by August next year, so look forward to some exciting photos then.<br />
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My friend Shirley and I went into the CBD early for the presentation so walked around to see what the revitalisation has supposedly done. These tow photos are of some more of the street art, which i rather like.<br />
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The inspiration apparently came from the collection of gingers in the Botanic Gardens. Sadly, we found very few open shops and none which would bring us into the CBD to shop.<br />
I was talking to the architect who designed the Library, who had been to a conference recently where Bernard Salt, a well known demographer, was talking. he thinks Mackay and Karratha in West Australia are likely to lead the way to recovery in the next few years. I certainly hope he is right.<br />
Now I had better get back to some boring bookwork for the company. </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-22702043527585366052015-11-14T16:10:00.002+10:002015-11-14T16:10:55.028+10:00Brisbane and back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had a quick trip to Brisbane for a couple of days late last week and it has taken me till now to find time to post!<br />
The prime reason for visiting was so Bill could receive an award at a function of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute recognising his 50 years of membership - now he no longer has to pay to belong!<br />
My sister came down to spend a day with us just being tourists. Bill and I had visited the Ccity Hall a couple of years ago when it has just reopened, which is when I took the photo below.<br />
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This time we were able to go up into the clock tower, which is a looong way up. I had not been up there for over 50 years and workplace, health and safety has take over. We are not allowed out at the middle floor where you can really see the workings of the clock, and neither are we allowed to be at the top when the clock chimes! In the old days there used to be a rush to get there when it chimed twelve.<br />
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The Albert Street uniting church looks so tiny from up at the top. <br />
When City Hall was built in the 1930s and right up till the 1960s it was the rallest building in the CBD and you could see it from everywhere - but not now.<br />
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The guide told us a lovely story about the clock tower, which should have had a lot more carvings added to it as well as a peace angel at the very top. Times were tough and the money ran out, but the worker adding the final bits was determined to have something up there. He raided the local tip and found pipes and an old hand basin and other bits which I can't remember and fashioned it into a decoration which is still there - not sure if you can see it in the photo. I am afraid I shoot and guess!<br />
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There is an excellent art gallery in the building and one of the exhibitions on at present is the works of William Bustard. I have only taken photos of the wonderful stained glass, including a working cartoon for the construction. he did the stained glass in my local church where I grew up and I had always loved them. He was a very talented painter of oils and water colours as well, but somehow I did not manage to take any photos of those.<br />
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By then it was time for lunch. Barb had not been to the reconstructed Shingle Inn which is within the building, so we had to try that out. It is still just as good.<br />
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Bill opted for traditional fish and chips and this is what came. They have had the paper specially printed, with old time stories on it, al good fun.<br />
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Following lunch we took a trip down river on the City Cat, always a lovely experience. I was trying to get photos of the jacarandas, but you need grey skies to make them show up properly and they were also a bit past their best, but still lovely. Brisbane is full of these lovely trees.<br />
The storms treated us well and stayed away when we were out and about. We were able to have a family get together with our son, Barb's son and wife and their 15 month old toddler, the get back to the hotel still dry.<br />
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Bill and I went up river on the City Cat the next day. This interesting bridge is one of the later day additions to allow uni students easy access from the southern side of the river to the university, saving at least a half hour trip through the CBD.<br />
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This is not the photo I wanted to show you, just a general shot of the river. I can't manage to delete it and I can't find the one I rally want! I know I have downloaded it from my phone, but obviously my filing is not up to scratch.<br />
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We had some wonderful rain while we were away, our rainwater tank is full again. There are some more storms around today so hopefully some more rain is on the way. So far this year we have only had 45% of our average annual rainfall and there is not much time left to catch up.<br />
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This last photo is of the brunsfesia in the corner of my neighbour's garden. The perfume is glorious, I am enjoying hanging clothes on my clothes line just near it.<br />
Now I had better go and water some of my pot plants which the rain will not reach.</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-63556218792376160982015-10-25T15:23:00.000+10:002015-10-25T15:23:06.249+10:00A busy week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We usually lead a very quiet social life, but for some reason this week has been quite hectic - out to dinner three times and dinner guests here pm another night!<br />
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On Friday night we had dinner at a trendy restaurant in the City Heart - not our choice and definitely not food to Bill's liking - very fiddly, fussy servings on strange platters, with sauces drizzled round the food to garnish the plate. I would like to have taken a photo but it was also very dark. The company was lots of fun so we enjoyed the evening - and we were not paying so no complaints.<br />
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I had a scaled down version of this photo, but I seem to have lost it. This a piece of art which the council has erected in the median strip in the City Heart. There are several other similar pieces apparently at the other end of the street - causing considerable controversy. I think they are quite fun. but the colours will fade within a few years with our tropical sun. The Council has spent millions of dollars on a beautification project with very mixed results. I think the little bits I have seen are very boring, but I almost never go in there anyway. Many of the shops have closed in the last two years while all of this has been happening, some because of the recession, but others because nobody could get to them with road closures.<br />
The next controversial act of the <br />
Council has been to announce the City Library will move into a refitted building in the City Heart next year as well. Currently it is part of a precinct housing the Council administration building, an art gallery, the senior citizens Hall and t he Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre. All of these are surrounded by a park, with relatively easy access to parking.<br />
The move was announced as a done deal with no prior public consultation which has not helped. I think there are exciting possibilities, but parking is a big issue and I am not sure the money will be available for all the features which are supposed to go into it. Time will tell.<br />
Now it is time to co out into the garden to plant out some seedlings I bought yesterday.<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-30877556771914032062015-10-18T15:59:00.001+10:002015-10-18T15:59:20.267+10:00Crazy dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I finally managed to get a (slightly blurry) photo of Jock carrying his precious rabbit around. He is now seven and was given this toy when he was only a few months old. he just adores it and carries it out to greet any visitors. He also gives it a very hard shaking whenever he is annoyed with a passing noisy truck! We are all amazed it has lasted all this time. he has quite a few soft toys and he loves them all - he has never tried to pull them apart, which all our previous dogs would certainly have don within a few days. Rabbit has needed some significant repairs over the years but just from normal wear and tear.<br />
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My ardisia has been flowering magnificently this year. I will need to prune it heavily shortly so there are no seeds on it. Jock loves to eat them and some of the gardening books say they are poisonous so we will take no chances. At least the seeds on this variety are a boring black so I don't feel so bad. I would be very cross about missing the glorious red berries on the common ardisia.<br />
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The ruellia has gone on flowering for simply ages also, I think the plants are telling us something about the dry times we are continuing to experience.<br />
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Ditto the Whitfieldia, though this lovely shrub has bursts all through the year. The flowers last well in a vase also so that is an even greater plus.<br />
The wind is still blowing and we have had no rain so I need to do some hand watering to keep my shrubs going. I had just been watering the pot plants when I realised some of my garden beds were none too happy. I am cutting back a lot of rubbish so I can get at the parts I want to mulch. Thank goodness the hot weather has not really started here yet - has been much hotter down south - should be the other way round! Cheers till next time</div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-35742949757487558652015-10-13T15:24:00.000+10:002015-10-13T15:24:25.877+10:00It has been far too long!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I really have no excuse for being absent for so long, though I was having technical problems with my computer software for a while. Then I just seemed to keep running out of time as I am pretty slow at loading anything using my Magic software - and of course I need that to see!<br />
So much has happened I am not sure where to begin. We have been to Brisbane for me to be fitted with another artificial eye - looking just as good as the first one. The socket apparently takes several months to settle down and this one is marginally larger than the previous one. Thank goodness I won't need another one for at least three years, but I will need to go back annually for the eye to be cleaned and polished - that is a great excuse to take a holiday.<br />
We had a lovely ten day break, visiting family and friends. I did not even do any shopping, apart from grocery shopping, but we had lots if luscious morning and afternoon teas and lunches and dinners out - I must have done much more walking than I thought as the scales said I had only gained one kilo after all of that!<br />
We visited my sister at Buderim after a few days in Brisbane. While there we finally got to visit the beautiful Maroochy Botanic Gardens. These gardens have been carved out of natural woodland and are just so peaceful. <br />
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As you can see, the paths wind through thick scrub<br />
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There are some brilliant sculptures placed within the area<br />
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This was one of my favourites. I could have stayed for hours but of course there was not time, and the weather was quite showery, so we headed for cover. Actually, we were extremely lucky with the weather all the time we were away. South East Qld had been having some fairly unpleasant weather, but we did not get caught with rain or high wind whenever we wanted to go out at all - quite amazing.<br />
Just before we went to Brisbane, the Garden Friends had an excursion to Rowallan Park, an environmental reserve which was gifted to the local Scouting Association about 60 years ago.<br />
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It is a beautiful area with a lot of history attached to it and is only a twenty minute drive north of Mackay, so is very easily accessed by lots of community groups.<br />
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This lovely gum tree stands just near where we had our lunch.<br />
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This is the drive in, with many sites available for camping - our boys spent lots of happy weekends there when they were scouts and now our grandchildren are following on.<br />
My poor garden has been sadly neglected, but despite this, the shrubs have flowered.<br />
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The birds just love this Calliandra, which has finished flowering now, but I couldn't resist showing you the photos of it in its glory.<br />
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My swamp orchids had to be tied up as the wind was blowing them over. They looked wonderful. Apparently there used to be acres of them in flower in swamps neare Caloundra on the sunshine Coast sixty years ago - though sadly not in the places we visited as I had never seen them till they were planted in our botanic gardens.<br />
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I finally persuaded Bill that this Happy Plant had to go - I wanted it gone after the tree fell over about six years ago - it was only about a metre high then! Look what happened, obviously the soil or something must have been what it wanted!<br />
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This is the after photo - actually that was taken about three weeks ago and I should take another one as there are about ten shoots growing out of the stump! I will definitely be pruning it severely in future to make sure it stays a reasonable size.<br />
Bill purchase some tree loppers after we saw them demonstrated on Gardening Australia and they are the best thing ever! Now I can get the garden back into shape without having to wait for Bill's strength to chop back the shrubs. Everything has got so overgrown in the last couple of years, we really need to cut back to waist height, then fertilise and add compost and start again - provided we get some rain to water the plants. That is not looking very promising as a very strong el nino event is forecast for this summer. Hopefully we will get a few storms.<br />
I had better sign off before I bore you too much. </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-70408336489897432342015-07-27T10:33:00.000+10:002015-07-27T10:33:02.074+10:00Crazy weather<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No photos today, but I could not resist commenting on the crazy weather we appear to be having. A week ago we had almost record low temps for this area - and Stanthorpe in southern Queensland even had snow. Mind you the days were gloriously sunny, even if a cold breeze was blowing, excellent tourist weather/<br />
Now this week we are having almost record high temps for this time of the year, up to 25 degrees so it feels like spring is here. Some parts of western Queensland have had absolute record temps for July - around 31 degrees. I fear it will be a long, hot summer. Hopefully there will be some good rain to replenish the water supply, especially for the farmers. </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-13709536521440755562015-07-21T14:57:00.002+10:002015-07-21T14:57:56.485+10:00Visitors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My sister was here visiting for 10 days, so of course we did lots of touristy things and generally had a wonderful time. She brought the fine weather with her, though it also turned very cold and Barb had forgotten we can have cold weather so she had not brought enough warm clothes - but she survived.<br />
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The Mackay Festival of Arts was on while Barb was here, opening with a concert under the stars with the visiting Queensland Symphony Orchestra string ensemble. What a fantastic night that was - in the Botanic Gardens with an audience of around 2000! We nearly froze, but we loved it.<br />
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We went for several walks in the Gardens and I took this photo of an egret on one of them - I am quite thrilled, especially as about one second after I clicked, the egret found something to eat and moved like greased lightning.<br />
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Further on in the Gardens we saw this cheeky scrub turkey eating ripening bananas. It is a male, but fortunately it is not breeding time so it will not be trying to build a mound and move all the garden mulch a couple of hundred metres to where he thinks he wants it. I have never seen one in the Botanic Gardens before, but home gardeners hate them as they dig up all the young plants, making a dreadful, destructive mess.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDucay7M3yM/Va3LlcA6LzI/AAAAAAAAFu8/_i9eiOs5Q7c/s1600/DSCN4295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDucay7M3yM/Va3LlcA6LzI/AAAAAAAAFu8/_i9eiOs5Q7c/s320/DSCN4295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We made the most of the sunshine, driving north to Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour in the Whitsundays. This is a photo of Shute Harbour, with lots of very large yachts moored.<br />
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Back in Airlie Beach the water was a bit more protected.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwi21v5Xlsg/Va3L5Hf-BNI/AAAAAAAAFvM/pRCAdAifB_c/s1600/DSCN4301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwi21v5Xlsg/Va3L5Hf-BNI/AAAAAAAAFvM/pRCAdAifB_c/s320/DSCN4301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We were all wearing slacks and long sleeved jumpers with no desire to take anything off, but these hardy souls were sunbaking around the lagoon which has been built there. It is very crowded in the summertime and is a great asset for the area.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsvCCVJflr8/Va3L_HTJgxI/AAAAAAAAFvU/HRBmmH2zvNI/s1600/DSCN4302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsvCCVJflr8/Va3L_HTJgxI/AAAAAAAAFvU/HRBmmH2zvNI/s320/DSCN4302.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Barb went home yesterday and Jock is missing her! She used to have a banana for breakfast every day and Jock pleaded for a piece every day as well!<br />
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My cleaning lady brought a present for Jock this morning - a soft toy with a squeaker from the op shop. He had us all in stitches, running round the house with the toy in his mouth. He kept it beside him all morning, letting us all know it was his! he is quite amazing with soft toys, not tearing them to pieces as our previous cattle dogs would have done.<br />
Barb drove me all round the place while she was here - we did over all the shops, not really buying anything, but just getting to all sorts of places I can no longer access on my own. We had a lot of fun, but now I have a large amount of office work to catch up on so I had better get started.<br />
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Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-25290481858755086162015-06-28T11:56:00.001+10:002015-06-28T11:56:26.031+10:00Some colour in the garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the advantages of living in the tropics is that there is still a lot of colour in the garden even in winter - or what is supposed to be winter!</span><br />
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I<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t4XGW5UkIkw/VY9RDB8EgMI/AAAAAAAAFtc/c5E5gTOSbVE/s1600/Begonia%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t4XGW5UkIkw/VY9RDB8EgMI/AAAAAAAAFtc/c5E5gTOSbVE/s320/Begonia%2B2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I have pots of bedding begonias all round the garden. I love them as they keep on flowering for months on end and always look so cheerful. When they finally succumb to wet feet they are easily replaced.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lX4fXCM5oCY/VY9RMWNtBqI/AAAAAAAAFtk/UczCgDWAs7g/s1600/Nodding%2Bviolet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lX4fXCM5oCY/VY9RMWNtBqI/AAAAAAAAFtk/UczCgDWAs7g/s320/Nodding%2Bviolet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The nodding violets have also been flowering for months. Bill downloads all my photos for me and he never edits them so you see all the background rubbish because I can't crop them - or I haven't yet worked out how to without my photo editing programme which will not work on this computer unfortunately.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3HTeUEHJ3KU/VY9RRex1bjI/AAAAAAAAFts/GuteQ1uqBNc/s1600/Zygo%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3HTeUEHJ3KU/VY9RRex1bjI/AAAAAAAAFts/GuteQ1uqBNc/s320/Zygo%2B2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
The zygocactus on the back verandah has been flowering its socks off, but the couple in the greenhouse are only just starting to flower now. I am not sure what the difference is, but we are enjoying them for longer.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYbG7_oLMU0/VY9RXenXspI/AAAAAAAAFt0/PKXskN99K7I/s1600/BBQ2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYbG7_oLMU0/VY9RXenXspI/AAAAAAAAFt0/PKXskN99K7I/s320/BBQ2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had to take this photo last night - an improvised wind shield!!! We have been having very strong winds which interfere with cooking on the BBQ more than somewhat. I was cross that Bill had not disposed of the cartons when we purchased three new office chairs, but he knew there was a reason why - he can always find a reason to hoard everything!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wind is still almost gale force today, with occasional showers, but the forecast for rain earlier in the week was wrong. The three day show was held in brilliant sunshine - really great for those who wanted to attend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I had better get some lunch.</span></div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-90863387209638657142015-06-23T15:10:00.000+10:002015-06-23T15:10:02.153+10:00Better late than never<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been trying to do this post for several days but at last I am here! The Friends of the Gardens finally made an excursion to a local beach an hour's drive north of Mackay. The day was fine and the wind was not too strong so we were all happy.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKdHNkTXzto/VYjloZx9X9I/AAAAAAAAFsI/c7g2tY6AdbI/s1600/blue%2Btiger%2Bbutterfly%2Bon%2Bsnake%2Bweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKdHNkTXzto/VYjloZx9X9I/AAAAAAAAFsI/c7g2tY6AdbI/s320/blue%2Btiger%2Bbutterfly%2Bon%2Bsnake%2Bweed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A friend took most of these photos. This is a blue tiger butterfly feeding on snakeweed flowers. We get huge swarms of these butterflies in the Gardens quite often, they make a lovely show.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiOCb_a0J8/VYjlvefmLbI/AAAAAAAAFsQ/WRqQigmIJhI/s1600/cicada%2Blarva%2Bcasing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxiOCb_a0J8/VYjlvefmLbI/AAAAAAAAFsQ/WRqQigmIJhI/s320/cicada%2Blarva%2Bcasing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We had a park ranger in the group, who said this is the case of a cicada larva.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-3LXrCMYCs/VYjl8b6H97I/AAAAAAAAFsY/-O7HwEuBzqQ/s1600/Eastern%2Btube-nosed%2Bbat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-3LXrCMYCs/VYjl8b6H97I/AAAAAAAAFsY/-O7HwEuBzqQ/s320/Eastern%2Btube-nosed%2Bbat1.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
He also identified this gorgeous tiny bat as a northerrn tube nosed bat, it would fit in the palm of your hand easily.<br />
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There were a couple of young children in the group so John was explaining to them how the hooks on the legs of this caterpillar, one of the swarming locust varieties, work. i would like him to have killed it then, but i don't think he did!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVNQbd3PW-0/VYjmNEjdiTI/AAAAAAAAFsg/pAOseEcuaqY/s1600/Learning%2Bwhat%2Bis%2Bnear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVNQbd3PW-0/VYjmNEjdiTI/AAAAAAAAFsg/pAOseEcuaqY/s320/Learning%2Bwhat%2Bis%2Bnear.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Just showing you what some of the vegetation looked like<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gGkUsv2VxE/VYjmQuzQPzI/AAAAAAAAFsw/oZNwqpihCaI/s1600/Melaleuca%2Bviridiflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gGkUsv2VxE/VYjmQuzQPzI/AAAAAAAAFsw/oZNwqpihCaI/s320/Melaleuca%2Bviridiflora.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There were quite a few melaleucas flowering<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECpgsjbHCWU/VYjmXT1zf5I/AAAAAAAAFs4/3ZN_5BE6K4E/s1600/Seaforth%2Bfrom%2BFinlayson%2BPoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECpgsjbHCWU/VYjmXT1zf5I/AAAAAAAAFs4/3ZN_5BE6K4E/s320/Seaforth%2Bfrom%2BFinlayson%2BPoint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One minute you are in dense scrub, then a few steps further on you break through to the beach!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWXuP480uC8/VYjmamaHjkI/AAAAAAAAFtA/2hUOoxhyRlE/s1600/BBQ1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWXuP480uC8/VYjmamaHjkI/AAAAAAAAFtA/2hUOoxhyRlE/s320/BBQ1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Of course we had to eat after all the walking! The Seaforth Progress Association has erected some wonderful BBQ shelters and picnic tables for everyone to use - they even have lights so can be used at night.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2GtiCBbpP0/VYjmkqZoi0I/AAAAAAAAFtI/G6E39_urI90/s1600/Burdekin%2Bduck1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2GtiCBbpP0/VYjmkqZoi0I/AAAAAAAAFtI/G6E39_urI90/s320/Burdekin%2Bduck1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were two of these lovely Burdekin ducks wandering round and round the shelter, obviously hoping someone would throw them some bread. Usually they are quite shy, but not this pair - sorry there is only one in the photo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather continues to be quite crazy and still not cold - or not for most people anyway. Minimums have made it down to 14, which is much higher than the maximums I have been reading on the weather chart for Tasmania!</span></div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-37605160224479783862015-06-16T16:04:00.000+10:002015-06-16T16:04:09.254+10:00How I see the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought you may like to see images of the technology that lets me read and be able to communicate with the world.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebI3W_vXoMo/VX-1n00Yr2I/AAAAAAAAFrU/SlOAq9teuJU/s1600/Computer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ebI3W_vXoMo/VX-1n00Yr2I/AAAAAAAAFrU/SlOAq9teuJU/s320/Computer.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my computer with the 30 inch screen which has a very high definition. I can change the colours on t he screen, but for reading text I usually have yellow text on a brown background. The keyboard is a special one to go with the software and when I want to look at photos I can press a button and the screen has normal colours. Photos do look rather strange in the colour scheme above! There is a very convenient wheel on the left side of the keyboard which allows me to magnify or decrease the size of what I am viewing. There are also lots of other buttons to change bits around which I have never really learned how to use - probably because I am comfortable with what I am doing. You learn what you need, then get lazy! I have learned to do a lot of scrolling however as what you are seeing in the screenshot above is only half the page. Bill goes crazy trying to whiz across the page but I have got quite used to it. Fortunately I was always a fast reader.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nBCxciWtK4/VX-1ze4ChNI/AAAAAAAAFrk/w7LlrT73iNQ/s1600/Zoomax.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nBCxciWtK4/VX-1ze4ChNI/AAAAAAAAFrk/w7LlrT73iNQ/s320/Zoomax.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This next gadget is my wonderful portable scanner called a Zoomax. It fits in my handbag so I can take it to the library and continue with my voluntary work in the history room there. As well as magnifying the tesxt you can change the background colour to the yellow which is showing here, or reverse the background - white text on black background. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYrlB5WbQFg/VX-13BgQf1I/AAAAAAAAFrs/ww5O9Y0Wx6A/s1600/Zoomax%2Bon%2BTV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYrlB5WbQFg/VX-13BgQf1I/AAAAAAAAFrs/ww5O9Y0Wx6A/s320/Zoomax%2Bon%2BTV.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't often use this facility, but I can plug the Zoomax into the AV on the TV so it really magnifies then. I can also take a snapshot to capture a piece of information like a phone number which I have looked up in the directory and I can save till I have dialled the number.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tMA3DPU660/VX-1wPwrCXI/AAAAAAAAFrc/hlMTAM3pfAQ/s1600/Scanner%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tMA3DPU660/VX-1wPwrCXI/AAAAAAAAFrc/hlMTAM3pfAQ/s320/Scanner%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, here is the scanner which sits on my kitchen table and which I use every day. So far I only use pretty basic operations on it, but there are all sorts of different operations available if my eyesight deteriorates. I do the crossword each morning while having breakfast and that is an interesting exercise. I am reading a vertical surface while writing on the horizontal surface below - sometimes takes a few seconds to locate where I should be writing! I also never see a whole crossword so I need to remember a bit more - and my brain is not always working as well as I would like it to. They do say that mental activity keeps the brain working, but perhaps I am not doing enough some days!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank goodness for modern technology.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had hoped to post some photos of an excursion planned for the Friends of the Gardens. We should have visited a local beach last Saturday to see some interesting plants but the weather was against us - cold, wet and windy! At least we received some useful rain - 19 mm on Saturday and 21 mm on Sunday. We have rescheduled for next Saturday so are hoping for fine weather then. I am rather doubtful as the temperature is far too warm. I am writin this dressed in a T shirt and shorts - and this is mid June!!!</span></div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-39757792423936377132015-05-31T17:08:00.001+10:002015-05-31T17:08:15.788+10:00Gardening matters - and some very large prawns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My orchids are flowering again, with absolutely no help from me. That is the sort of orchid I like - they hang under the tree and occasionally get watered!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh5RBrEcDgI/VWqsj-6KoDI/AAAAAAAAFpg/2Kzcv9VJX50/s1600/DSCN4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh5RBrEcDgI/VWqsj-6KoDI/AAAAAAAAFpg/2Kzcv9VJX50/s320/DSCN4220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The photo is not wonderful as they hang very close to the ground and I am not very good at getting down low!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The cardinal creeper is also putting out lots of flowers which the honeyeaters and the bees a</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PVRJQJ17KjY/VWqt5tFkCgI/AAAAAAAAFps/sgHrN9jwZ9c/s1600/DSCN4219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PVRJQJ17KjY/VWqt5tFkCgI/AAAAAAAAFps/sgHrN9jwZ9c/s320/DSCN4219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">all love. They have such a lovely shiny .surface to the flower.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This next photo was taken several m months ago. The bromeliad flowers are looking very sad now and I would really like to cut them off and trim up the plant....But...the sunbirds and my native bees are still in there every morning so the sad plants remain. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vaghlqllJlo/VWqvN2KIjpI/AAAAAAAAFp4/MccBQfqsFgE/s1600/DSCN4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vaghlqllJlo/VWqvN2KIjpI/AAAAAAAAFp4/MccBQfqsFgE/s320/DSCN4159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This, however is one branch of the Abelia which was definitely pruned off - after Bill had taken to it with the pest spray. He did not think there were many wasps there, but well over 50 flew out into the spray - and hopefully died. one had died earlier after it stung me - ouch!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCCWzInUN_w/VWqwc9iX6AI/AAAAAAAAFqE/tuXveaVgxhQ/s1600/DSCN4222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCCWzInUN_w/VWqwc9iX6AI/AAAAAAAAFqE/tuXveaVgxhQ/s320/DSCN4222.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now to the prawns. A friend of ours brought these monsters back from Cairns. I have no idea what variety they are, but they are the largest prawns I have ever seen, and they are not as large as some he brought last year. I fried them in some clarified butter and lime juice - they are nice but we both prefer the smaller tiger prawns. We would not dream of offending him by rejecting the gift though.</span><br />
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I hope you have all enjoyed your weekend. This is the last official day of Autumn here, but it feels like mid summer. I believe it is due to turn very cold in Brisbane overnight so perhaps we will have a cold snap by Tuesday. </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-23370869558604769712015-05-24T16:05:00.001+10:002015-05-24T16:05:25.739+10:00A birthday present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twelve years ago this weekend, our Botanic Gardens officially opened. The Friends have just purchased a Golf Buggy for Staff and Friends to use around our extensive grounds. Fortuitously it was ready to hand over in time for a celebratory morning tea.</span><br />
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We invited some of out Councillors to come along and do the honours unwrapping the buggy - after we had wrapped it (in a cover we have bought for it) and decorated it with streamers!<br />
Everybody is thrilled with the present. I have sat in it but Bill has been for a ride already!<br />
The paper work and regulations we had to work through to donate this to the council were unbelievable, and we are still not completely sure we will be allowed to take members of the general public for a ride - something to do with the limited registration which we have paid. Volunteers are okay, we are covered by a different insurance! <br />
The volunteers who usually have to wheel heavy trolleys with water cans on to water new plants in areas without reticulated water will be dancing with joy - they can load up the golf buggy and travel half a kilometre or more in style.<br />
Autumn has really arrived here. Thankfully we had a gorgeous day on Friday, but since then the wind has got up and a drizzly rain with very strong winds has arrived. I had planned to spend the day in the garden, but instead I have read some blogs and put up a post as well - some achievement!<br />
It is just on twelve months since I lost my sight so I am getting used to what I can manage to do now, mostly by just ignoring the loss. <br />
I hope you have been enjoying your weekend. </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414982699661382651.post-12429025420653796492015-05-08T17:00:00.000+10:002015-05-08T17:00:25.370+10:00I may or may not have some photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have returned from Bundaberg and I discovered that I could point and snap and I ended up with some quite reasonable photos! I have been tearing my hair out as I followed my usual procedure and loaded all the photos, then tried to write text around them. I am not sure if it is just blogger or my Magic software, but nothing will work - grrrrr! When I press the space button I was taken all over the place, even to another blog which I had read this morning. I will try to post some photos at the end of the post and hope you can see what I have been talking about.<br />
The ladies were treated even more luxuriously e<br />
than ever and a diet was definitely the order of the day by the end of the week! We had wonderful lunches and dinners of local delicacies as well as (unnecessary) morning and afternoon teas. We visited a macadamia nut factory which was really interesting.<br />
I grew up with a macadamia nut tree in our back yard which we knew as a Queensland nut tree, and the people who lived on the coast knew them as Bauple nuts. They are really delicious, but have a very hard shiny brown shell covered by a tough outer husk. We used a vice to crack them, but others used a hammer and a hole in concrete! I hope I can publish the photo of a large container of the nuts ready for exporting to china. There someone runs a sawcut round the shell, after which the nuts are steamed and sealed in a bag which contains a small key, ready for retailing. The customer twists the key in the sawcut to access the kernel inside - ingenious!<br />
We also visited a seaside resort Bargarra which is now a very trendy place, full of lovely coffee shops and wonderful gift shops. When we sat down for coffee we found a selection of small gifts in front of each or us, including a photo taken the day before of the group, attached to a little easel. Our hosts thought of everything!<br />
We had a two hour cruise in wonderful weather on the Bundy Belle, sitting in the sun being wined and dined in absolute luxury without even having to move out of our seats - it was all brought to us. There is a lot of history along the river and the Captain made it very entertaining.<br />
The best was left to last - a cooking demo come workshop in which we all participated, then ate some of our results for lunch. Wayne had us all chopping and slicing and peeling green prawns or stirring pots on the cooktops he had . We made a beetroot risotto topped with scallops and prawns, figgy linme chicken, sweet potato rosti, beans with garlic and feta cheese, and a very rich dessert of pastry shells with caramel topped by a chocolate cream!<br />
The gods certainly smiled on Bundaberg for the conference. It finished on Thursday and the heavens opened on Friday. There was really terrible weather from the south of the city to the north coast of New South Wales, with five people dying in raging flood waters.<br />
We drove north in lovely sunshine!<br />
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Sorry about the shadow on the photo - not testing my luck any further! </div>
Robin Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14306137274084617478noreply@blogger.com1