October 16, 2010 The end of the line

Now, this could be about fishing, or flying a kite, or even using punctuation properly, come to think of it.

But, it's about a forlorn train locomotive that sits abandoned on a rusty set of tracks, just 2 minutes walk from my house.

It once pulled carriages filled with local families and tourists between my town and another further up the line. Now, due to a lack of finances, it is slowly fading away, corroding and becoming a home to spiders. Little children still get a thrill from climbing up the steps into the engineer's cabin. It must look so huge and powerful to them. 

October 15, 2010 You've got mail

As in other countries, the mail must get through, no matter what the weather. In my little town, the mail delivery takes place either by Shanks Pony (in the downtown area), or from the seat of a tiny motor scooter, somewhat like  a Vespa.


Here is a photo of one of our mail men, on the main street of the town. 

We have to provide mail boxes on the fence line of our property: the mailman/woman doesn't come to our door. My mail box badly needs painting, so this photo shows the mailbox that belongs to one of my neighbours.

Now, where is that paint and a brush?

October 14, 2010 A thing of beauty

In the area, there are a couple of rose farms. They're just coming back into full production mode, after a brief winter slow down.

The bouquets of roses are so tempting, with a wide array of colours. My eyes were drawn to this bunch, which were a delicate green colour. I've never seen roses like them before, they're quite lovely.

October 13, 2010 The beauty of the Tablelands

There are a few lakes in the Atherton Tablelands, that have formed in volcanic craters.

One of these is Lake Eacham, which is about 15 minutes drive from my house.

The water is crystal clear, and has the most amazing feel to it. Many people use the lake for swimming and boating. There are well equipped picnic spots scattered along the 'front' shore of the lake.

There is a 3 km walk around the lake; it is so pretty and tranquil. You hear whip birds, cat birds and various songs birds. Tiny creatures scuttle through the undergrowth, and at this time of year, as the weather warms, don't be surprised to have a mutual startled session with a snake! Oh, and check for leeches when you get home, but they're only tiny.

October 12, 2010 Who says the Government incentive scheme wasn't useful?

You may recall my little tale of the sunbird who raised 2 fledglings in the security of my deck.

They have all flown the coop now, so I had a good look at the nest. I was quite amused to find that the female had used little pieces of the insulation batts that had been installed in my ceiling, to pad the base of the nest. It would have been soft and warm.

So, she obviously not only took advantage of the government scheme, but also knew a bit about the value of recycling. I should tell Ms Gillard about this, perhaps.

The photos are not mine. The top one is a female, just like "mine", while the bottom shows the plumage of a male who is clinging to a characteristic nest.

October 11, 2010 Suits me to a T

Sometimes, only a cup of fragrant, steaming tea will do.

October 10, 2010 Young Grasstrees

A quiet day up here in the Tablelands. A walk to the library yielded no exciting finds. But, I did note a stand of Australian native fauna, known as Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea preissii), in the library grounds.

They are extremely slow growing, and have a life span of around 600 years. They are tough, and will re-grow even after bush fires.