Nature CHAT

[nut]

Nice cloud

[roughbarked]

[nut]

Wartook Reservoir submerged obstacles


Wartook sunset, peaceful but the temperature had dropped to a nice chill.


Galaxy S3 panorama with Hugin

[roughbarked]

:) I imagine that you really enjoy the serenity. :)

[buffy]

Quiet in here. People must be having lives. I have been sorting some photos to send some more photos so I can send some records in to Fungimap. It seems to take time. Especially IDing the little sods. So many Little Brown Mushrooms! And my patients ask me what I am going to do in my retirement?! I think citizen science might more than fill in the time between growing my veggies and reading.

:)

[roughbarked]

Quiet in here. People must be having lives. I have been sorting some photos to send some more photos so I can send some records in to Fungimap. It seems to take time. Especially IDing the little sods. So many Little Brown Mushrooms! And my patients ask me what I am going to do in my retirement?! I think citizen science might more than fill in the time between growing my veggies and reading.

:)

:) Yes. There's always plenty to do.

[Helix]

If it's a grey day (weather and/or mood) and you need a little fillip, may I suggest having a gander at Dale Dixon's Twitter timeline. Dale is the Curator Manager at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney. Over the past few days, he has requested tweets of flower photos and collated the images by colour. The results are delightful. Here's a sample.

[justjj]

Good Afternoon ... I did look up that twitter stream Heliz; it really was, IS, lovely.

Alos ...
I've just read that the honours lists are rigged!
I am SHOCKED

hehehe

But seriously, Greetings to you guys ... I do miss catching up at times ... so greetings from a sodden (as distinct from sodding, given what passes for news at present) household

We've had heaps of rain and the soil is really soft and making it easy to ... guess what?
Yeah ... weeding.

I can even relatively easily grub up the ericas, roots and all, so am going for it.

The bush is looking healthy, including those seedlings planted out mid-summer, which is a relief.
The Yellow Tailed Black cockatoos are back, a bit early this year I think ... only a group of three but they are always welcome and they made me think of reporting here.

I hope you are all well.
The days are getting lighter a little earlier such that I have some daylight before hitting the freeway ... makes a heap of difference.

Little kids are dumping all the usual wintery lurgies on their parents but the big kids seem to be getting on with things ok, so all good.

I must say I am enjoying the fracas over the Census .. am planning to be Mickey Mouse* ... if I'm home, which I intend not to be

apparently *that's the most common name in recent ones ... why not?
I don't recall having been civilly disobedient before ... so
#IStandWithBrendaTheCivilDisobediencePenguin

:)
Cheers

[roughbarked]

Good to see you are fighting fit, jj. :)
If you are Mickey Mouse I'll just have to be goofy.

Wet and green here but that means I'm going to have to service mowers.

[nut]

Great to read you JJ and know you are well. We had a few days in queensland this past few weeks. Nice to get away from the cold weather here.

Hi Roughy.

[Helix]

'noon, all

*nods at everyone*

Glad everyone's well and having fun.

Lovely weather here at the moment, sunny and mild. Promising to be nice and cool towards the end of the week. And by cool, I mean 9--22C.

I haven't been doing much, except redrafting travel plans and writing. The travel plans have changed a bit because I've spent too much money on new camera gear and a dry cabinet in which to store it. None of it is exciting -- just a new camera back, macro, and wide angle to short telephoto zoom I can't remember the details don't make me look, but they're all Nikon. Also some recording equipment for bird song, because my mobile is not very good for that.

[roughbarked]

'noon, all

*nods at everyone*

Glad everyone's well and having fun.

Lovely weather here at the moment, sunny and mild. Promising to be nice and cool towards the end of the week. And by cool, I mean 9--22C.

I haven't been doing much, except redrafting travel plans and writing. The travel plans have changed a bit because I've spent too much money on new camera gear and a dry cabinet in which to store it. None of it is exciting -- just a new camera back, macro, and wide angle to short telephoto zoom I can't remember the details don't make me look, but they're all Nikon. Also some recording equipment for bird song, because my mobile is not very good for that.

That all sounds very interesting and exciting. :)

I've been spending my time in different pursuits I had almost forgotten. Back at the old job fixing watches. I'm quite enjoying it as it is a new world to be in the position of making all the decisions and being treated with an esteem I could never have imagined in the previous life but would love to be planning travels and witing. I'd also be agog to try out the new camera gear on a revised travel schedule where the camera could have unlimited possibilities.

[Helix]

Back doing the watchmaking? That sounds good, Roughie. Getting to put your skills to use.

[roughbarked]

Back doing the watchmaking? That sounds good, Roughie. Getting to put your skills to use.

Yes it is. :) I'm enjoying the good watches I get to look at. Though most of the watches these days are plastic and aren't worth doing anything with if a battery doesn't make it work, I have had several watches that predate the 1880's and there are the clocks. The main thing is that I am appreciated for the skills and knowledge which makes me valuable. It is also good to be working with people who pay me and I don't miss the dust and the mud etc.

[Helix]

I'd been whinging about never seeing blue phase green tree snakes around here. Then a couple of days ago, this fella turned up in the garden. Sure, it's not vivid blue, but it's nice enough.

[roughbarked]

I'd been whinging about never seeing blue phase green tree snakes around here. Then a couple of days ago, this fella turned up in the garden. Sure, it's not vivid blue, but it's nice enough.

Nice.

[*jj*]

The only reptiles around here as yet are the tiny skinks
;)


ALF, kids / g'kids and I had a great visit to mid-north SA / Lower Flinders Ranges at Mount Remarkable National Park ... and only a couple of hours from home ... saw 3 orchids new to me and MASSES of other things in bloom that I knew well, but never so prolific. ... baby butcher bird came with its parents to the campsite which was a great thrill for little 'g'kids, though made it clear that signs asking visitors not to feed the birds were being ignored.

Best of all was the water ... Mambray Creek and many small tributaries kept us busy and happy all day long.

While away The Adelaide Hills took quite a hit ... sandbagging saved kiddo's house from inundation when their creek rose spectacularly ... a lanslip behind and into their new shed and concrete rainwater tank is ipressive ... hoping insurance helps out there too!

In fact the actual creek all but removed their driveway despite a 2m long and 1metre dia culvert supporting it; and the volume of water has re-landscaped their creek bed beautifully (and their exit road, Montacute Road) catastrophically in case of bushfires). They face an estimated 6 months of having to drive back up into the hills then around and down to get to work in the city, which wont be much fun

This is it
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-15/m ... rm/7849424
Even their own little access (asphalt) road, just east of that, has pieces 2 square metres lifted whole and then dropped further along the way.
It was a bit exciting but I think they are hoping it remains a 1 in 100 years effort!

No more news ... all just plodding along doing our respective things ... as I gather you guys are too.
Cheers
:)

[Helix]

Blimey! That's quite a bit of damage, jj.

[*jj*]

It is for our area, Helix, though nothing like what you get dished up there.

On another topic; I thought this interesting.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016 ... 36821626=1

[roughbarked]

Blimey! That's quite a bit of damage, jj.

Heck! That will take a bit of fixing.

[Helix]

I hope you've battened down the wotsits and got the supplies in, jj!

South Australians are preparing for one of the most extreme weather systems to hit the state in decades, bringing drenching rain and damaging winds.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... n-50-years

[*jj*]

I just received this and apart from its beauty, its explanatory power is tops
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/w ... 37.59,1782
I've long been familiar with the wind alone, but the additional info is great.

Especially tied with this one
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR641.loop.shtml
The first pass barely touched me here; not a single breath of wind
Am hoping kiddo who copped it last week at Montacute gets a free pass today
from this next bit.
At least their creek is thoroughly scoured out now and so little debris to back up and damn.

[Helix]

We're hoping that system will bring a bit of instability here tomorrow or Friday, so we get some storms. I know it's still early, but I'd love some indication that we're on our way to a proper Wet.

[Teleost]

No! No! No!

I finally have ant numbers down to sensible levels. The last thing I need is a flood pulse to wash the bloody things further downstream.

I have resigned myself to the fact that this year is heading towards LaNina conditions and it's going to be wetter than last year, but I don't have to like it.

We've finished treatment for this year as the last two years have shown us that ants don't take the bait and feed almost exclusively on sugars from now until around March.

We are making progress :) and we don't need any more rain to bugger it up :(

[*jj*]

Well hello there.
Always good to catch up.
Neat progress Teleost.

I've got off liight here though wind gusts a bit scary for me, not used to it,

Have really enjoyed the grandstanders gradually modifying their silly pronouncements about the power system as they finally caught up with causes (even pictures for our dopey senators xenophon* "Heads should roll" and Roberts)
It will be interesting to see if wind category terrain guidelines get modified after this; bent transmission towers aren't pretty.

Power is on again here but not everywhere and higher gusts possible tomorrow.
I'll gladly share some rain with you Helix but will hold yours Teleost
:)

*I voted for him ; he can over do the showboating though.

[roughbarked]

Well hello there.
Always good to catch up.
Neat progress Teleost.

I've got off liight here though wind gusts a bit scary for me, not used to it,

Have really enjoyed the grandstanders gradually modifying their silly pronouncements about the power system as they finally caught up with causes (even pictures for our dopey senators xenophon* "Heads should roll" and Roberts)
It will be interesting to see if wind category terrain guidelines get modified after this; bent transmission towers aren't pretty.

Power is on again here but not everywhere and higher gusts possible tomorrow.
I'll gladly share some rain with you Helix but will hold yours Teleost
:)

*I voted for him ; he can over do the showboating though.

Glad you got through the first part jj. This weather event hasn't quite finished yet. The front may be gone but the low will slowly move today and tomorrow before leaving the mainland with another front coming through on Sunday.

[*jj*]

Yes, you're right rb.

No-one is enjoying it much, well, except for those who somehow are finding something to gloat about ... not my idea of people I'd want on my side in ANY kinds of trouble.
:)
Cheers

[Helix]

Good point, Teleost! Maybe a little bit of light and steady rain will do us here.

And I see that even Malcolm F'wit Turnbull, is saying that renewable energy is the problem. Just get in the f'ing sea.

[*jj*]

:)
Am caring for two little ones today who are VERY alert to occasional thunder
:)

I reckon let those dimwits keep talking ... it is obvious to any thinking person that they are missing several points and that is to our collective advantage.
I am still disgusted that our top professional engineering bodies are silent
(like our ex privacy commissioner re the CensusFail.)

Back to the cubbies in the lounge courtesy of chairs and blankets
:)

[Helix]

I hope you're all rugged up tonight, jj. The little ones too, if they're still with you. (Also if they're aren't. I'm not heartless.)

[*jj*]

I am glad to hear it
;)

I have come through unscathed, though sirens at local cfs station several times during the night.
MANY trees down; the ground is saturated and they are just falling over when given a decent gust of wind.

Both SAPower and SES people were out everywhere on my way home, including about 100 yards from here working on the line.
They have a good notification scheme where you can register your property and they confirm both outages AND re-connections, so you know if there is something wrong at your own switchboard.

That was the case here; it seems my external connection to the water pump is shorting things out, so I had lights but not power ... took me a while to work it out, but trial and error did it.

I was flummoxed at not finding what I recognise as fuses in the power box!
Progress eh?
None of kids have power; H and M's family won't get it again until tomorrow at earliest they've been told, but no-one is too fussed, given serious issues for so many.

I have had 130mm in last two days so tank is overflowing and creek is (as I seem always to say) absolutely thundering along across the road.

Other kids have had to take a long, winding detour up further into the hills to get around their road closures and in to the city and airport by 10AM ...

That's my news :)
In the "olden days" T would always take care to listen for the IEAust SA's president on the abc bews at these kinds of times.
They used to be proactive in explaining to the public what the issues were ... boy, they sure are missing in this action.

No-one's interested in much beyond politicing it seems.

Premier has clearly learned his lesson about being up front with what he knows, after obfuscating over one infamous child abuse case not so long ago.

AM LOVING all the Malcolm Roberts stuff. and one marvelous note that Uhlman and co seem to believe coal power doesn't need transmission lines :)

Sending everyone wishes for warm and dry (with a little damp as and where needed)

[*jj*]

Trying again ...

Am delighted to look out and see sunshine this morning ... and no wind at all.

The creek is not so urgent sounding either.

There have been 10 trees down in our little 3K stretch of road along the creek, several them big old trees with dia over or close to 50mm that needed cutting into short lengths to move.

At least they have cleared the way for urgent summer exits, though sad to see them gone.

The same saturated soil that saw them (and transmission towers) unable to withstand the wind gusts) also means I can lever up the otherwise impossible-to-move erica here, so that will be my work for the rest of the day w/e while I can.

H is presently cooking breakfast for us; our w/e routine which we both enjoy.
:)
Wishing you all busy, happy days there / wherever too.
Js

[Helix]

It's been an exciting few days in SA!

We eventually got some rain last night. Not a lot, but it cooled down everything. It's overcast this morning. I'm hoping the clouds stick around.

[*jj*]

EDIT:
RANT

I am astonished that IEAust have not made ANY contributions to the discussions referring at least to the relevance of (say) Australian Design Codes and terrain categories for risks / hazards as basis for ... winds etc.

Not so many years ago they had their rpepresentatives out there backgrounding relevant elements of these kinds of discussions.
Complete Failure of Leadership, imo.
T would have been disgusted; he was always proud of their community education work.
END OF EDIT RANT
==============================
I just saw this and couldn't resist popping back.
I'm used to the pics of the buckled towers but find the one up-rooted entirely in this article hard to believe.

https://medium.com/@andynehl/why-did-so ... .sf24vulh1

Breaths of fresh air a so good, aren't they.

Brilliant sunshine here now and H is not outside but here looking up cars ... based on something called "Fast and Furious" which seems somehow apt
:)

Now _I_ must get outside; it's been a claustrophobic few days.

[roughbarked]

That tower was pulled out of the ground because the foundations were rubbish. A couple more shovels of concrete could have helped.

[*jj*]

It's interesting; there is some doubt about that photo, but either way I wish the Institution of Engineers had joined the conversations and explained about Standards and wind terrain categories and how they all change as information becomes available tc over time.

Those are the discussions / talks / lectures even, that my T used to love over meals ... he'd move the toast and the pepper and salt shakers around on the table and set up the fan ... add bits of clay to one side or another of the fulcrum & the kids and I would "yeah, but what if ..." and so we learned heaps without ever really realising it.

He and geoffd and (I think?) The Rev were great value on these practical things.

It's curious to me .. .I'd have thought the resistance to wind of the Wind Turbines' structures would have been greater than that of the transmission towers so their design must have been MUCH more conservative (as you'd expect, of course).

A comparison of the design specs (?) would be fascinating (if I could understand them).

ON the home front; the sun is shining for the first morning in ages and it feels wonderful.

ON the reading / thinking front and as a fan of Ferrante's novels, I suddenly remembered a Melvyn Bragg "In Our Time" program on Aesop and have listened to it a couple of times over night.

They discussed (albeit indirectly) what is gained / lost by focusing on the identity of the author ...
I'm looking forward to some extended "down time" away from home ... anywhere! ... to have extended/uninterrupted reading and listening to the lot again.

I hear we are to get a bright, warm Friday.
I send you all good wishes for fine weather (whatever is "fine" for you)

[buffy]

And I'll just pop this in here too.....I'm going to this tomorrow:

https://apsvic.org.au/event/fjc-rogers-seminar-2016/

Keynote speaker is Gary Backhouse. For those who know their orchid experts.

:)

[buffy]

And the orchid conference was a very well spent day. I managed to buy a couple of books. One signed by the author.

I bought this one:

http://www.weedinfo.com.au/bk_weedsosea.html

(Yes, I know, weeds is not a sexy subject. But it's great)

And this one, after the author presented an outline of the information in a lecture.

https://heritagebushcare.com.au/heritag ... he-leaves/

That one would suit jj, if she hasn't already got it.

[*jj*]

Good Morning all ... and to buffy particularly, yes, I agree that is a great book.

Also thanks for the hint about using those other sites and allowing others to get it through to ALA.

Am looking forward to stuff drying out a bit, I have to say (now that my tank is full :))

Noticed too late that water had backed up through the eaves etc and caused damage to the mud brick wall at one corner, inside and out ... but nothing that can't be fixed, thank goodness.
I am tempted by the weed book, but really don't NEED it and am on a promise to myself NOT to buy any more books.

EDIT:
My favourite piece of politics this morning
http://thedailybanter.com/2016/10/keith ... ad-enough/

[buffy]

I didn't go intending to buy books, really, I didn't!

Keynote speech by Gary Backhouse was on Orchids of the World. That man has an embarrassment of orchid photos. I was more interested with local ones, but his swing around the world was interesting too.

[Helix]

Nobody goes anywhere intending to buy books, but...*makes sweeping gesture*...there they are!

Hello from sunny Gladstone. Well, it was sunny. It's dark now.

My 100km/hr birding list is not very extensive, but includes two (TWO!) bustards and a few brolgas. Also plenty of coucals, brahminy kites and magpie geese. Not all in the same spot, obvs. Off to the Sunshine Coast tomorrow.

[*jj*]

hehe don't i know it!
Neither cats nor dogs ever followed me home, but books!

I'm toying with closing my flickr a/c despite loving the community there.
Yahoo doesn't seem to value the privacy of their clients much

It's where I learned so much about native plants and made some good friends too.

The YTBCs are back again and I'm delighted to say the local CFS captain appreciates them and their need for what MOST firies despise as the "ladder" species that carry fires up into the crown ... and which include their most valuable food.

One step at a time in mutual education / risks / hazards etc.

[roughbarked]

hehe don't i know it!
Neither cats nor dogs ever followed me home, but books!

I'm toying with closing my flickr a/c despite loving the community there.
Yahoo doesn't seem to value the privacy of their clients much

It's where I learned so much about native plants and made some good friends too.

The YTBCs are back again and I'm delighted to say the local CFS captain appreciates them and their need for what MOST firies despise as the "ladder" species that carry fires up into the crown ... and which include their most valuable food.

One step at a time in mutual education / risks / hazards etc.

Are you keeping your ipernity account?

It isn't only firies that despise what they call ladder species. It is also the farmers who label them all woody weeds and spray them wherever they exist, even on the fast vanishing remnant roadside strips.

[roughbarked]

Evie with her YTBC cuddly and an interested magpie.
Hmm had to view the image to see it all.

[*jj*]

Love that YTBC
:)

This is my favourite read of today (so far).
http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/ ... /92058964/

and now for the bus run to school.

[roughbarked]

Love that YTBC
:)

His name is Horace.

[sci_fi]

Rumpole?

[Helix]

Down on the Bellarine Peninsula and it is blinkin' freezing. Otoh, I managed to see some wildflowers, incl. orchids, although they are a bit past their prime.

Am hoping to get see some more up in the hills over the next few days.

[roughbarked]

Love that YTBC
:)

Here is Horace again, along with the rest of the family.

[roughbarked]

On attracting backyard pollinators that also have other uses.