Hi All
As slow as a wet week? Winter sure hates us this year. It's been a miserable cold week, little sun, heavy rain and damaging storms, hail like snow (see previous post), and even more terrifying:"Back to Skool" tomorrow!
Where did the two weeks go??
I'll start with "The Singing Tower." I first heard of this effect in Yeppoon, Queensland, where they have a beautiful sculpture at nearby Emu Park called The Singing Ship - a bicentennial memorial to Captain James Cook. Part of the ship's sail has holes drilled to work like a flute when the wind blows. Yes, you guessed it: After a short time most of the holes had to be filled in because the townspeople couldn't sleep! Or that's the story.
So back to mine: The winds were blowing hard up there today, and walking on the west side, I thought I could hear music. I discounted the idea, thinking I was losing it, but as I returned to the car park I could hear it again. Yes, it was the tower! (see photo from 9 July below) With the winds funnelling through holes etc in its superstructure, it was "singing" - and rather well too. No, nothing as melodic (?) as from the radio station dishes, but pure WINDSONG. Wish I could've recorded it (then posted it as subliminal messages to our politicians - "We need a proper weather station at Mount Barker..")
Writing: This week's been expanding "The Isthmus" (a bit slower than I thought), and updating the blog and social media sites. Check out Robert Lee Brewer's blog post on time management for social media.
Thursday night I spent an enjoyable evening at the Police Museum in Adelaide, courtesy of an invitation from the SA branch of The Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society. Such history! Amazing photos and equipment, interesting displays and information, fabulous old cars including "The Black Maria" - and friendly and funny tour guides! Oh, and one incredible letter! Thank you SA Police Force and ANZFSS!
And to the birds (amazing any appeared this week, but hey, they have to eat): Little (yellow) thornbills, golden whistlers (male and female), superb blue wrens [it's cold, that's why they're blue], grey fantails, yellow-rumped thornbills, yellow-faced honeyeaters, eastern spinebills, rosellas, and further out: a black shouldered kite and an australasian kestrel.
In a rare burst of sunshine, took Mum to the beautiful Larantinga wetlands on Thursday. Mind you, it hailed later in the day (see previous post). Saw wrens, wood (maned) ducks, chestnut teal, spoonbill, bronzewing, pacific black duck, grebes, white-faced coots, purple swamp hens, thornbills, and a bunch of galahs, cockatoos, corellas, rosellas and wood ducks all fighting for nesting spots in two massive eucalypts. NESTING??? NOW??? Take a look at the temperature, you idiots!
And speaking of idiots...
Birds with a death wish this week: the Springs Road Willie Wagtails (stopping to collect insects as my car is bearing down on them...I braked, of course), and the Bald Hills Road Wood ducks (same colour as the road) and waddling across from the creek. Oh dear...Duck soup?
Happy writing
Bo
x
As slow as a wet week? Winter sure hates us this year. It's been a miserable cold week, little sun, heavy rain and damaging storms, hail like snow (see previous post), and even more terrifying:"Back to Skool" tomorrow!
Where did the two weeks go??
I'll start with "The Singing Tower." I first heard of this effect in Yeppoon, Queensland, where they have a beautiful sculpture at nearby Emu Park called The Singing Ship - a bicentennial memorial to Captain James Cook. Part of the ship's sail has holes drilled to work like a flute when the wind blows. Yes, you guessed it: After a short time most of the holes had to be filled in because the townspeople couldn't sleep! Or that's the story.
So back to mine: The winds were blowing hard up there today, and walking on the west side, I thought I could hear music. I discounted the idea, thinking I was losing it, but as I returned to the car park I could hear it again. Yes, it was the tower! (see photo from 9 July below) With the winds funnelling through holes etc in its superstructure, it was "singing" - and rather well too. No, nothing as melodic (?) as from the radio station dishes, but pure WINDSONG. Wish I could've recorded it (then posted it as subliminal messages to our politicians - "We need a proper weather station at Mount Barker..")
Writing: This week's been expanding "The Isthmus" (a bit slower than I thought), and updating the blog and social media sites. Check out Robert Lee Brewer's blog post on time management for social media.
Thursday night I spent an enjoyable evening at the Police Museum in Adelaide, courtesy of an invitation from the SA branch of The Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society. Such history! Amazing photos and equipment, interesting displays and information, fabulous old cars including "The Black Maria" - and friendly and funny tour guides! Oh, and one incredible letter! Thank you SA Police Force and ANZFSS!
And to the birds (amazing any appeared this week, but hey, they have to eat): Little (yellow) thornbills, golden whistlers (male and female), superb blue wrens [it's cold, that's why they're blue], grey fantails, yellow-rumped thornbills, yellow-faced honeyeaters, eastern spinebills, rosellas, and further out: a black shouldered kite and an australasian kestrel.
In a rare burst of sunshine, took Mum to the beautiful Larantinga wetlands on Thursday. Mind you, it hailed later in the day (see previous post). Saw wrens, wood (maned) ducks, chestnut teal, spoonbill, bronzewing, pacific black duck, grebes, white-faced coots, purple swamp hens, thornbills, and a bunch of galahs, cockatoos, corellas, rosellas and wood ducks all fighting for nesting spots in two massive eucalypts. NESTING??? NOW??? Take a look at the temperature, you idiots!
And speaking of idiots...
Birds with a death wish this week: the Springs Road Willie Wagtails (stopping to collect insects as my car is bearing down on them...I braked, of course), and the Bald Hills Road Wood ducks (same colour as the road) and waddling across from the creek. Oh dear...Duck soup?
Happy writing
Bo
x
