Life and Wildlife on the Banks of the Murrumbidgee
A late addition to the collection of trees we've been planting this year has been a group of trees that have just graduated from the Australian National University. They're now decorating the slopes of our box-gum woodland plantation with tasteful stainless steel pendants and copper necklaces identifying them. The concept of the research (by Tricia... Continue Reading →
Months ago, we arranged for some work to be done on the access tracks on both sides of the river. I hoped to have them done in time for tree-planting and fencing, to save us all bumping and slithering over quite so many boulders, and allowing Andrew and Frank to round up their stock in... Continue Reading →
We are now keeping a tropical bathroom for our new chicks. It's a good thing Mum's not here as I don't think she'd appreciate having to share with little squeaking creatures however cute they are. Most of the chickens available at this time of the winter are the crossbred Isa Browns which lay constantly... Continue Reading →
We went out yesterday hoping that it was the perfect day for a small bushfire. We've had a dry couple of weeks, and rain was predicted for the evening. Lovely. I wanted to set fire to some grass in a small enclosure on a windy ridge that Mum had made about ten years ago. It... Continue Reading →
In some places people find entertainment in running up to a sleeping cow and tipping her over. Round here, instead, we like to tip our tanks over. Especially the empty ones that are leaking and need mending.We use tanks for house water, garden water and stock water, filling them from the creek, or the river,... Continue Reading →
We've been planting grass this weekend. It seems a strange thing to do in a season that's been plentiful with the green stuff. That may have been why I got eight trays of mixed native grasses going cheap. On the other hand, I know that the top of the ridge in our Box-Gum woodland... Continue Reading →
One aspect of living outside a town is that you have to drive to get anywhere else. From being a one-car family with a lovely efficient Toyota Prius and several bicycles, we now have three cars, one of them a utility truck with a useful tray that we use on a daily basis. The... Continue Reading →
Have you seen this bird? It turns out that nobody knows much about Gang-Gangs, even though they're an iconic bird for this region. It's not really clear what they feed on, or where they nest, if their numbers are declining or if they've moved out of town. Most of the recent sightings have been in introduced... Continue Reading →
I've discovered the secret life of worms. After the wind and rain last week, I noticed lots of leaves lying around on the concrete outside my bedroom door. Except that Calypso the puppy seemed unusually interested in eating them. She eats anything her mouth can reach, but not usually leaves. Then I realized that the... Continue Reading →
Ten brave souls came out to make merry in the winter solstice weather. They scattered across the landscape like sheep (which are happily excluded by the new fence). That's because the plantings are widely spaced to mimic the type of rich grassy woodland we are trying to regenerate. In weather not as bleak as... Continue Reading →
One Bend In The River 