Grasses make my head spin. There are so many of them and I can still only identify about a dozen types confidently. About half of those are non-native, and the worst of them is African Lovegrass (eragrostis curvula). It was accidentally planted in the Monaro area, south of us, as a contaminant of the closely... Continue Reading →
SUMMER DAZE OR CIRCLE OF FIRE?
The problem with Australian summers is you don't know which you're going to have: a nice day on the river, dinner with friends, or an invasion of flames. We've had a hot summer, with the compensation of time on the river in my new canoe. Learning to use it involved lots of shouting, and... Continue Reading →
ROMAN CANDLE AT MIDNIGHT
As I wandered outside on my way to bed a few nights ago, I noticed a speck of red light on a hilltop. A star? I've been tricked before by how bright they can be in the bush. A red star? Venus? Wrong direction. Definitely not a car tail-light, on the top of a rocky... Continue Reading →
SMOKE ON THE HORIZON
The problem with hills is that when there's a fire, you can't really see anything. For one thing, there's smoke. Tuesday started with a rolling thunder and scattered rain. Lightning struck somewhere, but who knew where? On Christmas Eve 2012, while we were in Melbourne, there was a lightning strike that hit a log that... Continue Reading →