Dinosaur in the Garden!

A couple of days ago, whilst quietly weeding, I heard an unusual crunch crunch upon some nearby leaves, looked over and saw this well camouflaged beast, a goanna, striding past.

As soon as we saw each other, the goanna darted up the nearest tree and settled in a sunny spot. I slowly retreated to get my camera, hoping that he/she would be there on my return - and the photo speaks for itself. Unlike the photos in my previous bird-life post, this is my photo! This is the best look I've ever had at a goanna and what really impressed me was the length of its tail, longer than its body!

A recent delight, our King Orchid flowered for the first time since we moved here - eleven stunning blooms. Please appreciate Milly's patience whilst posing in the shot for scale! Sadly the display was over all too soon, probably because of the entirely unseasonal heatwave (37 degrees) we had last week, followed by nearly freezing night time temperatures this week. Its the extremes of temperatures that are so surprising here!

You can see the individual orchid flowers in the next photo - they are so beautiful.

Latest News: Tam has returned safely and happily from three weeks in the UK, enjoying catching up with lots of family and friends, being thoroughly spoilt (her words) and delighted to have been present at her niece Emma's wonderful wedding. Back home and back to work at Gondwana Native Plant Nursery.

Jake & Charlie are still at Uncle Ian's in Brisbane and hopefully saving $$$. They changed their return date from early September '09 to early March 2010 - hurrah! We are now planning various spring and summertime adventures, including where best to spend Jake's birthday?! A beach location is first choice, but likewise for millions of other Australians seeking the iconic Aussie beach christmas... The lovely photo below was taken by Jake (on Charlie's digital SLR) at Brisbane Botanical Gardens - does anyone know what the flower is?

Milly had a small paralysis tick removed this morning - she's fine - its only if they're not found and stay on for a number of days that they become lethal.

Jenny has not continued with the Community Welfare Mental Health course. Having started mid-semester she felt that too many significant bits had been missed, for example a whole unit on Interpersonal Communication (quite important!). She would rather start the complete course at the beginning next academic year, perhaps. In the meantime she's rethinking, job hunting, continuing to work at Nimbin Organics and occasionally at the Rainbow Power Company.

Blue Knob birds enjoy the Aussie bird life!

One morning whilst Tam was away in the UK in August, I sat on the deck eating breakfast and noticed a sulphur crested cockatoo sitting in a nearby tree munching away on a big seed. It held onto the branch with one claw and held the huge seed in the other, taking big bites and chewing, as if eating an apple! I was utterly mesmerised.

We often hear these noisy fellows flying by screeching at each other and sometimes glimpse them high up in nearby trees. But this was up close and personal. We were looking each other in the eye!

He or she kindly displayed the sulphur crest for me over and over again raising it slowly and showing off (as shown in the photo to the left). I must find out if the crest is exclusive to the male or vice versa.

Tam of course had our only camera and so I was frustrated by not being able to snap the gorgeous fellow. However, it brought to mind the idea of showing the range of beautiful and fascinating birds that we see in our garden and in nearby locations. And to that end I have taken full advantage of google images!

In stark contrast to sulphur crested cockatoos, are the regal and stately yellow tailed black cockatoos. These huge fellows regularly fly by, gently whistling to each other and occasionally they land in a nearby tree and we get a good look at them.

This cute bird is the male Splendid Fairy Wren, and they really are quite splendid, with that nearly luminous blue. We regularly see these cuties hopping around on our lawn, along with a harem of plain brown females, searching out tiny bites to eat.

Recently Jake, Charlie and I , whilst chilling on the deck, enjoyed watching a family of King Parrots feeding on the seed pods in the nearby bangalow palms. This is the male king parrot.










And we regularly catch sight of Rainbow Lorikeets whistling to each other as they zoom past







Crimson Rosellas are possibly my favourite, simply because the blue is utterly stunning and what a treat to see these in my garden! All the parrots are wonderful - there are many others, but these are the most common around our way.








This extraordinary looking fellow has the most delightful chortle (almost alien) - I saw one on a nearby branch only this morning whilst weeding - introducing the unique and wonderful Noisy Friarbird:


Here's the lovely yellow robin, a regular visitor to our garden and a particular favourite of Jake's. Why yellow? Who knows?


More birds from our garden and the local area in the next blog.

As usual, I'd love to know you've read this so please either comment here or drop me a line (jenmartin@aapt.net.au).

Bye for now, Jx

70th Birthday, Wonderful Wooli & Chirpy Chooks

Kay, aka Mum, on the occasion of her 70th Birthday party at Blue Knob Hall Gallery, a lovely evening shared with various friends, partner of 50+ years Len, three of Kay's children, Grant, Jenny and Kerry, and two grandchildren, Jake and Charlie Patrick. A delightful evening was had by all.


On a recent mini-break to the coast, the beach at Wooli was rather crowded. Mind you, I did know everyone in view! In this photo: Charlie & Milly, and in the distance Ollie, Joe and Jake.


Here's Tam with her foot stuck in the sand! Oh how we laughed! Ha ha he he!


Full moon rising over the Pacific ocean with the Solitary Islands (not Solomon Islands, Tam!) on the horizon







Above, Ollie, Joe & Jake larking about on dead tree, whilst Charlie Bananas, otherwise known as Molesworth, relaxes in the sunshine.

Holiday over, its back to the ranch to take down that dividing wall! Finally we're removing the diagonal tongue & groove (how wrong is that?) and opening up the two downstairs rooms.

We're still halfway through the job, posts and woodburner to install. We'll be extremely pleased when its finished, and we'll have a much bigger living area. Watch this space!






Feathers (white), our one remaining chook following the onslaught of the hungry carpet python, has recently received some new house-mates. Chosen and named by Jake and Charlie, introducing the twins, Black'n'Decker and the jittery, slightly bullying Ms Eggsie McGee!

Other news: Auntie EJ finally managed to leave, having found herself stuck here due to official Natural Disaster. After extremely heavy rains throughout the region every route out of our mountainous retreat was blocked by floods, collapsed roads or rock falls!

Jake and Charlie Bananas are currently residing in Brisbane with Uncle Ian, looking for work and hoping to save $$$ to travel/ buy car/van or simply live the good life in subtropical Queensland!

I am starting the Community Welfare Cert IV specialising in Mental Health in late July (part time 18 month training). My aim is to become a personal support worker for people recovering from episodes of mental illness.

Tam is off to the UK at the end of July for three weeks for her niece Emma's wedding. She will, of course, be missed by the gels back here, but I get the feeling she's gonner have an absolutely fabulous time catching up with UK family and friends (and not a leech, tick or giant spider in sight!).

Let us know you've been reading the blog - email jenmartin@aapt.net.au or tamyeld@aapt.net.au. I lost all my emails recently and so if you've not heard from me in a while, drop me a line.

Nimbin's own Mardi Grass

- a few snap-shots from the annual Nimbin cannabis reform rally, first weekend in May. Don't touch the stuff myself, but - like it or loath it - its part of the local culture and brings a lot of tourists to Nimbin.

A nice bit of pot art!

Above: Inflatable spliffs, whatever next!

Below: The Parade, lead by local Bundjalung people

The fabulous Ganja Faeries, shaking their groove thang!

Jake & Charlie in Aus: Part I

Jake & Charlie in the view from Mt Nardi look-out overlooking the Nimbin Valley. The big hill/mountain in the background is Blue Knob and we live just on the other side of the left slope.

The view from Calurla, with Mt Warning just visible in the haze. Jake, Charlie, Tam, Jen & Milly all stayed here last weekend, looking after Andrea & Bob's three beautiful dogs and taking care of their guest chalets - it was hard, but someone had to do it!

Above, Andrea & Bob's gorgeous house that Jake & Charlie resided (Tam, Milly & I had our own cottage with huge veranda). Below, the rather large garden at Calurla, and I'm VERY happy to be with my boy!













As many of you will of course know, Jake is at his happiest when there's food involved (or when he's drumming - hmmm could he indulge in both at the same time!?). Here he is, cooking a lovely dinner for us at Calurla - note the classic heritage Aussie stove area!

Keeping the dogs and the boy exercised!

Charlie meets a Wallaby - this a Peggy who was rescued (probably after being hit by a car), nurtured back to health and released back into the wild at our friends Tony & Lesley's place. She is utterly tame, has reared her own young since being released and Charlie & Jake met her the other day. What a beautiful moment.

Below: what a lovely fella and a great gob cut, if a little on the generous size! Given the shirt, it was essential that Jake should fell a tree, and so the sickly palm which was getting in the way of the view of Nimbin Rocks simply had to go!































Jake is no longer a felling virgin!

Charlie & Jake have also spent a week in Sydney in a swanky hotel seeing all the sites; spent 11 hours on a train travelling up the East Coast of Australia; experienced the unique Nimbin Mardi Grass; hung out in Byron where they met up with EJ & caught a fair number of Pacific Ocean waves, got a bit of a tan going, drank strangely named cocktails and stayed at the Arts Factory. Yesterday they visited Currumbin wild-life sanctuary, held a koala (with photos to prove it), became entirely drenched in quite heavy rain, got marooned in Murwullumbah, stayed in a cheap hotel, bought cheap pyjamas from Crazy Clerks, splattered ketchup all over the hotel ceiling and returned this morning entirely unscathed to find Pythagorus the Python (named by Tab) lurking on the veranda, much to Jake's delight and EJ's utter horror.

A random shot taken when Jake & Charlie treated me to a coffee in Nimbin the other day. I love the women in the background striking that classic 'having a good gossip' pose! I also love the beautiful Charlie aka Ms Bananas, especially when she's havin' a good laugh!

Carpet Python hangs out!

This fella is a carpet python, approximately 7' long, physically harmless to humans (possibly psychologically harmful to EJ!), but lethal to chickens, small mammals and marsupials, etc. He/She will bite, constrict & crush their prey. They will then dislocate their own jaws & slowly consume their victim. After which they find a cosy safe spot to sleep it off for a few weeks, with the tell tale compacted lump gradually reducing in size as digested.

Hmmmm? Good dinner party talk!

And this fella is currently lazing on our veranda directly above the dining table.

























Beautiful patterns, handy zoom on camera!




Hurrah - Jake & Charlie are here with us in Australia, as are Auntie EJ and Auntie Kerry (Tab's sister and my sister respectively). Here we are enjoying a happy Sunday morning photo opportunity after a rather large brunch on the veranda.

My how Jake's grown! As have my hips, clearly.











And here's the same spot on the veranda two days later with resident python and Milly (helpfully posing in the shot for scale! Watch out Milly!).









Hmmm?
I wonder how EJ will feel about the veranda now.... it WAS her safe haven from all things creepy and scary.... ('scarey' corrected following Tab's helpful comment)

G & G Downunder

Grandad Len and Georgie on Crams Dam, 10km or so north of our place...















with views of Mt Warning in the background. We all canoed and Jenny enjoyed the effect on her tummy muscles, almost as good as mowing!













Three generations - Auntie Kerry, Gina, Georgie, Jenny, Mum/Kay. I hadn't seen Auntie Kerry for 22 years. She and husband Donald made a special trip all the way up from Tasmania to see G & G while they were here - fantastic!








Georgie, Len and Sinbad on Wooli beach, playing around in the surf





Georgie swimming in the crystal clear Wooli river







Drippy castles rock! Georgie hones her dripping technique with expert tutoring from Gina at Byron Bay










Lunch in the Byron beach cafe










Strolling on the beach at Byron
















Party time - G & G's last weekend,
never mind the rain, lets have a bbq on the community house verandah, eating steak won by Georgie at the pub raffle!

Gingham ribbons are required attire!












































































Silly times, best of times!