Dangar's Lagoon

Eastern Australia has been deluged with rain over the last few months, and even the Armidale district, which escaped most of the drought conditions of the last few years, has witnessed a dramatic greening of the landscape. Even Dumaresq Creek which runs through town has flooded mildly from time to time and all the wetlands, which dot the New England Tablelands, have been rejuvenated. We set out early today to visit one of them, Dangar's Lagoon and, as the picture shows, the open landscape tot he east of it indeed looks lush and green.

The timing was not accidental as the forecast was for another heavy rain event this afternoon and we thought it best to see the lagoon in sunlight, if possible. However, the cloud scenes in the photos posted here testify to the impending storms. Our lagoons are areas of internal drainage not connected to the local river systems, so they contract sharply under dry conditions - aided and abetted by farmers who surreptitiously pump water for their own use, driving all the water birds away. Today, however, was just brilliant. The water level was highest I've seen it and the lagoon was teeming with families of ducks and swans (of the black variety).

The cluster of photos shows, firstly, the middle portion of the lagoon looking west and you'll probably make out three black swans in the middle among the reeds. Then we drove around the edge of the lagoon to a lovely hide provided by the national parks service where we could spy on the bird-life in a less threatening way. The second of the trio shows a black swan (they're all black in this district) on its nest atop a little mound surrounded by a variety of ducks. And the last of the three shows a bloke paddling a canoe around the lagoon with darkening clouds hovering overhead.

As you can see the scenery is very pleasant too, not to mention the peace and solitude.

AS

Spotlighting

Last night Dot, Max and I went spotlighting in the Oxley - Wild Rivers National Park. To be precise we headed to Dangars Falls, a 190m drop from the Tablelands into a deep gorge, at dusk to meet up with the National Parks & Wildlife Services rangers who conducted the event. There were perhaps 25 or 30 people there and we heard a talk on the ecology of the area and what we might see after dark up in the trees. They also had some stuffed animals to see and touch, pygmy possums, a spotted quoll and that sort of thing. By the time the talking had finished, it was pitch black - the falls, which were thunderous after heavy rains, are perhaps 20km from Armidale.

So we spent the next 80 minutes walking the nearby tracks close to the top of the gorge, which wasn't particularly dangerous as most people had torches or 'headlights' and the spotlight illuminated the tree-tops. Still, we kept a close eye on Max who romped along at the head of the group right next to the leader. He doesn't seem to know fear and I had visions of him falling off the walkway over the creek and being swept over a 190m waterfall in full flood. Such fears were unfounded, by our expectations were confounded. If there were rock wallabies, owls, ring-tailed possums, koalas, sugar gliders, and other nice furry creatures around they kept to themselves. So, fortunately, did the brown snakes! However, we did spot quite a few brush-tailed possums, one mother carrying her baby on her back, which was cute. The odd bat also winged its way through the illumination, and we heard a chorus of mating frogs and various other croaks and chatter from unseen animals.

I'm sorry I have no pictures to show ... for obvious reasons.

AS

Max Meets His Cousins

Max had a visit today from his two cousins, Hain and Abigail, who live on a large pastoral spread near Kentucky (New England, not the United States!). They came across with Stephanie, their mother and one of Max's aunts. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes or so and Max and Hain hit it off really well because they are both 6, with Hain slightly older. Abigail is only 3, so was rather out of the loop.

The two boys were soon outside in the wet garden and took only a few minutes to round up a lot of snails. Max had 5 on his arm at one stage as the photo shows, and Hain had one or two. The snails also found their way on to the kids' faces and their trails had to be washed off. Dirt and slime seem to find Max wherever he's located! Then they played hide and seek, marbles and the usual sorts of thing for six year olds.

AS

English Weather Again

It's a month into Spring and our weather has turned awful. I hope UK readers will excuse me if I complain about 'English weather'. We haven't seen the sun in three days and temperatures have been colder than charity - around 12 degrees instead of the 18-20 we expect at this time of year. And we're in danger of dissolving from persistent light rain - although a quick look at the on-line rainfall radars suggests that we will shortly be deluged. Mushrooms are coming up all over the lawn. We haven't had anything like this in years! At least the vegetation is Irish green. It's so gloomy at 6.15 pm despite the fact that we've gone onto daylight saving.

AS

Fishing Trip

The final highlight of our trip to Canberra was a fishing trip on Saturday afternoon. Max, Rob and I headed off to the shores of Lake Burley Griffin with three fishing rods and some hooks, but no bait. I was assured that this was enough equipment to snare a few fish even though we were also missing a net to land any fish we caught. Now, this was the first time I'd held a rod in something like 35 years and I wasn't that confident. On that distant occasion I'd actually landed a Bream in a boat on the Tweed River in northern NSW.

This time around I caught another fish, pictured with Max holding it. The other photo shows him holding his line over the lake having just caught a fish himself. Both fish were unhooked and returned to the lake, but it seems that Max's fish subsequently died from wounds received and excessive time out of water. The poor thing was trapped by the hook and Rob took a while to release it. This sad outcome makes me want to give up eating fish! It was a great learning experience in excellent conditions, but I somehow cannot see myself line in hand any time soon.

AS

Floriade

Our trip to Canberra coincided, as I've already said with Floriade and the 'official' festivities - separate from our visit to Tulip Top - were held in Commonwealth Park alongside Lake Burley Griffin in the centre of Canberra. Tulip Top was highly formal and concentrated on floral displays. Floriade had a mass of flowers, but also a huge range of other attractions for the whole family, including fantasy items like a forest glade with umbrellas floating in the tree-tops; a mechanical organ playing funfair tunes; a Ferris wheel and other funfair items; a planter basket competition; and flower displays (all shown here). Kids had a competition to paint gnomes and there were additional exhibitions of a lifestyle kind, together with lots of shops - many with a garden theme. In the middle of the park someone had even sculptured a model of old Parliament House out of sand and elsewhere there was a herd of full-sized, but artificial, Zebras!

The flower beds were, compared with Tulip Top, somewhat post-modern. Many were works of modern art, with complex and not altogether fathomable designs. And the beds sometimes did not show the same care in their planting out and maintenance as at Tulip Top. Nevertheless, the gardens and displays were overrun with locals and tourists alike. Being Canberra, visitors included scores of different nationalities from all corners of the earth, which gave the proceedings a cosmopolitan air. And unlike Tulip Top which attracted an older and slower paced demographic, Floriade was for all generations. So it was a successful event and one I'd certainly visit again. Entry was also free!

AS

Tulip Top

Just outside Canberra, alongside the Federal Highway linking that city with Sydney, a family has worked on establishing a brilliant garden which they throw open to the public in Spring. They call the place tulip top, for reasons that will be clear on viewing the pictures attached. The day we (Dot, Emily and I) visited it, the weather was beautiful and the crowds thick on the ground as they ambled through the valley housing the display or climbing the various slopes for views from above.

It must have taken a huge amount of effort to create their vision over perhaps 10-15 years, but the results were outstanding. Everything was manicured perfectly: colour combinations; juxtaposition of flowering trees an bulbs; everything in bloom at the same time; landscaping with artificial waterfall and water features; mass flowers all at the same height; and neat paths and borders. The flowering trees were a surprise and delight, especially the hybrids which had blossom in up to three different colours on the same tree. And, for the hungry and thirsty, the hospitality tent threw in the likes of coffee and poffertjes (Dutch pancakes) free of charge.

It was really on of the high points of the year for me and another reason why our overseas visitors, if any, should try to come at the end of September and in early October. By the way, the temperature on the day in question was a nice 20C. By the way, the pictures were taken early before the hoards of people arrived!

AS

Golden Canola

Dot and I travelled to Canberra for the Floriade long weekend and to pick up Max to look after him over the school holidays. As usual, we went down and back via the inland because it avoids heavily trafficked roads and the scenery is better. This time around the abundant winter rains had transformed the parched south of NSW into a garden of Eden. Dams were full; lams frolicking in the fields; pastures were green; and the winter crops looking well - wheat and canola predominating. Add to that lovely sunny spring weather on the way down and it really lifts the spirits of the driver and passengers, not to mention the farmers who are looking at the best conditions in a decade.

One of the most magical parts of the journey was towards the end of our 800 km journey - after we had been through the town of Cowra on the Lachlan River. Between there, Boorawa and Yass we floated as it were on a carpet of yellow flowers - Canola to us, bur Rape Seed to the Poms. The pictures shown above give some impression of this landscape as seen from the Lachlan Valley Way south of Cowra. The yellow is intense and, because the crops were so dense, the carpet was often seamless as far as the eye could see. Though not perfect, the pictures give some sense of the occasion.

AS

More on the Ayenbite of Inwyt

Ever since I posted an email comment on the ayenbite of inwyt (remorse of conscience) to all the members of the Armidale Bridge Club, I've been deluged by erudite responses on:

• the origins, uses and significance of the term,
• the quality of education in the 1930s,
• the merits of James Joyce's Ulysses,
• the etymology of Middle English (ME),
• 14th century monastic living, and so on.

Two of my correspondents have been two Professors, one of Economics and the other of Chemistry, who remember with great clarity being taught about the Ayenbite at high school., and their average age is 88! They both play a good game of bridge, by the way. I would have thought that a bridge club was the last place to have such a discussion, so I was pleasantly surprised. One of the things that exicted me is the simplcity of word construction in ME. When you think about it, conscience is made up of two stems, (in) and (wit) or (in mind). Do any of my readers know the origin of ayenbite?

I'm posing that question without much hope because my readers here, unlike bridge players, are apparently immune to the joys of ME. I don't like criticising people because I might lose my remaining readership, so I'll presume that you've all been fiendishly busy! I hope that at least some of you will be moved to respond in ME!

AS

Intermediate Lesson

I have just spent about 3 full days putting together an intermediate bridge lesson which I delivered this morning from 10 am to 1pm. It was number 5 in the series and I had no less than 26 people, including two from Glen Innes, 100km away. Anyway, it went really well and several players told me at the end that they enjoyed the session and gained a lot!

The presentation was given in our club premises just round the corner from where I leave and I used the data projector I donated to the club complete with automatic slide changer which meant I could stand at the front and a fair distance away from the computer. So, we're a tech-savvy club and getting more so as we consider get the latest electronic scoring package. The picture shows me in full flow wearing my Suomi Kalevala T-shirt with the tragic figure of Kullervo riding a motor-bike!

AS