Hooray! It can rain! Not much (well, this IS South Australia), but we've had a bit over 5mm (total) in the last few days. WOW!

I know it's laughable compared with the rain that continues to drench Queensland, NSW and NT, but hey, we'll take it! And it's amazing what that wet stuff does - the scent of the bushland is intoxicating, the air is crisp and clean - and the views! The pic on the left is a view to the east from the entrance road. Yes, it really did look this beautiful!

Hope you all had an enjoyable and safe Easter, especially those who've had a 4-day break. Adding more pics today. Bird report below:

Happy Easter to you all!

For those on holiday, I wish you a safe and enjoyable trip. For those who aren't, may this weekend be one of rich blessings.

Easter: It's not about the bunny.
Blessings, Bo x

Only a South Australian could celebrate 2.3mm of rain! I think Queensland has had probably 50 times that amount. We've had one of the driest spring and summer periods for years, the flora is dying, and we desperately need rain. There's some forecast for tomorrow - please could we have 5-10mm!

The good news: I've sent a short story away for the Kernewek Lowender (Cornish Festival) competition! I'm so excited - apart from the achievement but the fact that I managed to condense it into 2000 words. I think the 3500 word version is better, but it's down to a neat package. The other writing assignment (Saturday) has been sent in too. Now back to the novels!

Bird and fauna report: Somehow they're hanging in there, hoping for rain like us. Saw 12 kangaroos feeding in the lower paddocks of MtBS - the largest mob so far. Birds: wrens, babblers, y/f h/es, Mrs GW and Mr GW (separate sections of the entrance road - must've had a tiff), rosies, striated t-bills, and heard fantails, spiney, pardies and curras. Just down from the Summit - 3 x wagtails fighting on the road (!) [life expectancy = the next car], ibis (white and straw-necked) just out of Littlehampton, spiney & y/r t-bill bathing in the roadside gutter at home! (Mind you, I have 3 shallow b-baths plus 3 larger ones a few metres away at my unit). The galahs, sulphurs and corellas are flocking in at night - noisy (for a while) but always fun.

Happy Easter Week and happy writing,
Bo
x

PS The ibis were on the southern end of the King William Street Bridge - right in the heart of the city. I've never seen so many there before. They weren't taking much notice of...(egad) PEOPLE either!

The King of the Birds! I'm so excited! Walking at MtBS, I wondered why there were NO bird calls - unusual. Further along, I found out why: A Wedge-Tailed Eagle! I heard it first (actually, quite a musical call), then SAW it, couldn't believe what I was seeing, it gave it's territory call (just like the movies) and took flight. How astonishingly beautiful! When I made it to the north side, it was circling on the thermals. WOW!

Still no birds, until I "flushed out" a collared sparrowhawk on the east side, THEN the birds came out. Wrens first (close to bushes, they're not that dumb), then later fantails, thornbills (y/r and striated), a GW (I think - it looks a bit rufus on the chest - maybe a Rufous Whistler?), y/f h/es, clogs, rosies, ravens and heard RBFs, magpies (down valley) and pardies. On the roads in/out of Nairne I've finally seen a willie wagtail (so rare here!!), kookas and b/s kite (a week ago).

Again, it's still incredibly dry and hot, although the last two days have been cooler. A few more day of hot weather this week. Will it ever rain? Couldn't we swap some rain with the Eastern states?

The writing: a little spasmodic, re-starting again. Frustrating, as there are other pressures that can't be ignored. Trying to write even a few words - just to write.

Work: a great excursion this week with the Geology students to Sellicks and Second Valley. Fabulous! Students superb. Previous week: Open Evening - A Grande Night Out!

Photos from MtBS - the cassinia's holding its breath trying not to flower!

Keeping it short!

Happy writing
Bo
x

Okay, short hiatus while work overtook life like an unstoppable express train. It's continuing for a few more days yet, but any chance of writing just vapourised.

Almost back on deck. I'm back to expanding out a short story for the Kernewek Lowender festival here in South Australia.

I'll add short articles to the blog to catch up on the last few weeks news.

Today's short update: a Walk to Emerald Quarry on the north flank of Mt Barker (sorry, no real emeralds, some of the rocks have a green tinge and that's as close as you'll get!)

The background: It's still incredibly dry and hot. Eastern states and Northern Territory have floods - we had a whole 4mm for February.

I'm hunting down the Nairne Fault, and I'm sure I can see it now but it's going to be a bit difficult to get there - thanks to a rock fall. Here's a few photos around the quarry - it was dug out in the late '70s to build the South-Eastern Freeway (from Adelaide to Melbourne); I doubt they could make a mess like this now.

The birds are moving down the mountain due to the long dry spell - at least some are still alive which is more than I can say for the flora (under serious stress and dying).

Birds seen and/or heard this weekend: Pardelotes (SEEN! A whole bunch going over bark/leaves/etc), wrens, thorbills (striated and y/rumped), fantail (flew at my head), Mrs GW, rosies, goldfinches, y/f h/es, clogs, babblers, blackbirds, and I think a SCRUBBIE! Heard: kookas, curras, spiney. SEEN: kangas!

Birds seen at home this weekend: RBFs and WRENS! WOW!

Writing more in a couple of days. Update on the MtB Summiteers.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear sister, Lyn. Best wishes for a fabulous year!

Happy writing
Bo
x