Category:

Cold, fog, and a 90th birthday

23/6/2013

Summer's coming! Yes, with the winter equinox out of the way - the days are longer (by about a minute, but who cares?) And after a cold and wet week, I watched the few moments of sunshine from Mt Barker summit. Mist draped off the top of the mountain, dissipated when cloud obscured the sun, then rushed up the mountain when the sun came out - astonishingly beautiful!

Fog and rain yesterday on the mountain, strong easterly winds with wind chill near zero today. I honestly don't remember being so cold! Anyway, here's the bird records for the weekend (I was surprised I saw/heard anything!)

And a day apart makes a difference:

The Bird list:

Saturday in heavy fog and rain: wrens, ravens, y/f h/es, babblers, rosies, t-bills; HEARD: fantail, GW, spiney, shrikey

Sunday in swirling mist: fantails, wrens, spiney, pardies (H), black-capped sitellas (on the north side AGAIN!), GW (H) and the (I think) rufous whistlers, y/f h/es, ravens, shrikey (on the freeway bridge!), t-bills, rosies, wattlebirds.

To the NE, mist, 23 June

After a difficult week at work, I've written the entrance scene for a new character for The Isthmus. Not as much as I'd hoped, but any start is no longer a blank page!

And a happy list of birthdays this week (and today): Ashton, Martina, Bruce, and congratulations Stan - 90 years young!

Happy writing
Bo
x

A workshop, a bird-list, and The Summiteers

16/6/2013

That's a wet path - not seen in a while

The good news: RAIN and RUNNING WATER! Yes, after around 60mm of rain this week, water was running along the side of the road and some of the paths were...gasp...WET!!

Bird list for Saturday: fantails (one on the cairn), wrens, t-bills, pardies (H), y/f h/es, curras (H), ravens, rosies, clogs, kookas (H), shrikey and spineys.

I spent a "greenie" Saturday morning with "The Summiteers" - the Bush for Life mini-BAT team (BAT = Bush Action Team) that care for the Mt Barker Summit Reserve. Led by the amazing Angela, we removed sporaxsis (weeds) near the carpark to try and reduce its spread. The root bulbs went much deeper than we'd all remembered!

In the afternoon, I attended ASA's Negotiating Publishing Contracts workshop at SAWC with the wonderful Alex Adsett from Alex Adsett Publishing Services. Brilliant workshop (!!) and we learned heaps about copyright, publishing contracts, clauses, and options and tricks for negotiations. I seriously recommend these workshops to anyone who's near publishing stage or already publishing - essential information for any writer!

There's a grey fantail on that cairn

Today started with a beautiful ground mist - sensational from the summit of MtB. Took a longer walk today around the circuit and fire trails.

Bird list for Sunday: pardies, y/f h/es, t-bills (brown? striated? little?), curras (H), pies, corellas, galahs, kookas (H), ravens, clogs, wrens, GWs (male and female on separate tracks on the west side), babblers (H), rosies, spineys, shrikeys, peepers, AND I was told off by a Weebill - my first seen at MtBS!

This afternoon I worked on the amendments to The Isthmus. As the book is expanding out to full novel status, I sent my synopsis to Writer's Digest for feedback. I'm using their advice, plus the advice and ideas from a wonderful friend and colleague (thanks Martina) to add a (longer living) female character. That'll take a month or so to add in. I'm enjoying her character already!

I recommend contacting Writers Digest "2nd Draft" options for feedback on synopsis (etc). Check it out at http://www.writersdigestshop.com/2nd-draft-synopsis/?et_mid=619968&rid=3090566

Will write more soon!

Happy writing
Bo
x

Back to normality - and the Bird Reports

27/4/2013

Mrs Golden Whistler

The good part: Celebrated Mum's birthday on Friday by having lunch in town and fixing up some business for her (a better celebration will be next Saturday).

THE BIRD REPORTS

25th April: Circuit Track, Entrance Road, Summit
RBFs + wrens + tbills in a bunch, fantails, y/f hes, spineys playing, clogs
Heard: ravens, pies, curras, babblers, pardies

26th April: Circuit Track, Entrance Road, Summit
Mr & Mrs GW (not calling), fantails, wrens, y/f h/es, spineys, t/bills, babblers, rosies, curras, wattlebirds

27th April: Circuit Track, Entrance Road, Summit (windy)
Y/f h/es, curras, pies, pardies (H), wrens (H), shrikeysx2 - calling (which I recorded) and mimicking currawongs (!), Mrs GW (see pic), y/r t-bills, striated t-bills, rosies, spineys, babblers (MOST IN CAR PARK)

28th April: Fire Track to Quarry
Pardies & Black-capped sitellas in the same dead tree, fantails + t-bills together, curras, sulphurs (H), Willie (on entrance road), MR GW (at quarry), rosies, wrens, clogs, y/f hes, corellas (large flock).

The creek, Mt Barker Springs

Writing: Sent a couple of short stories off to the Writer's Digest 82nd Annual Writing competition. Apart from that, working on the added scenes in The Isthmus - yep, they must go into the RIGHT PLACE.

Back to work tomorrow - starting with a PD Day, students back on Tuesday. It's been a wonderful two week break; hard to psyche up to the rat race. And yes, back to once a week blog posts.

Happy writing (and wish I were bushwalking too)
Bo
x

Looking east from the summit

Two days, two locations - the Lakes and the Mountain

6/4/2013

Laratinga wetlands with mist

This week, I'll start with the birds. Yesterday, I took my Mum to the Laratinga Wetlands at Mount Barker. Because of the drought, the lakes are low - as they should be in dry weather. It allows the reeds to regenerate and helps aerate some of the soils. A few of the birds waited for it to warm up before they ventured out (it was 7C)! We saw a wonderful gathering of waterbirds, and without brilliant binoculars, neither of us could ID them all, so here's what we were sure of: white-naped honeyeaters, willy wagtails arguing with white-plumed honeyeaters (will those 2 ever get on?), yellow-faced honeyeaters, white-faced heron, white ibis, banded stilt, red-kneed dotterels, spoonbill, purple swamp hen, native hen, black duck, grey teal, chestnut teal, grebe, blackbird (!), and of course - THE WRENS! I know I've forgotten a few. It's a beautiful area for a walk, run (not me!), or to sit and think.

The Pardie Tree with pardies!

It was The Big Pardie Party at MtBS this morning, yes, striated pardelotes everywhere and in groups (YESs!) They started in 'The Pardie Tree' (a dead gum - see pic) and were at several locations around the mount, including the car park. They are soooo cute! On the seen list: rosies, y/f h/es, wrens, t-bills, clogs, pies, babblers. Heard: GWs, fantails, curras, corellas, silvereye ("peepers"). Think I saw a grey shrike-thrush too.

(There are pardelotes in this pic - trust me!)

Forgotten to add the bronze-winged pigeon to the MtBS list for last 2 weeks. Apologies to the bronzie.

On the writing front: Planning the added scenes for The Isthmus. Many of these had been removed or left out previously due to word constraints. Adding more internal conflict for the protagonist (mmmwwwhhaa-aa-aaa)!

Last week of school before the holidays. It's been a difficult term.

Have a great week!

Happy writing
Bo
x

Cold, fog, and a 90th birthday

A workshop, a bird-list, and The Summiteers

Back to normality - and the Bird Reports

Two days, two locations - the Lakes and the Mountain

Author - Bo Henley

Archives

Note: My blog from Varuna is in October 2011 folder

Categories

Cold, fog, and a 90th birthday

A workshop, a bird-list, and The Summiteers

Back to normality - and the Bird Reports

Two days, two locations - the Lakes and the Mountain

Author - Bo Henley

ArchivesNote: My blog from Varuna is in October 2011 folder

Categories

Archives

Note: My blog from Varuna is in October 2011 folder