Tag Archives: musings

more ornithological observations

27 Jul

Some of you may recall my recent mumblings about the odd behaviour of a bunch of unidentified, and somewhat nondescript birds. There they were, huddled together on the electrical cable high above the middle of the river, presenting me with a  whole lot of unanswered questions… most of which remain unanswered (and forgotten… along with the birds).birds

That is… until today.

This morning as I crossed the river, I looked upstream where the sky was clear, the river still…and there was not a bird in sight. BUT when I looked to my left the fog was settled low on the water and the surface was littered with small dark creatures who appeared to be hiding in the thick of the fog.

Now I don’t know about you, but this makes me wonder what goes on in their tiny bird brains. So, you guessed ….I ‘googled it’ .

I discovered more than I care (or need) to know about bird intelligence… and while I now know that many are capable of counting… I still don’t know what this odd fog dwelling behaviour was all about (when clearly I would have chosen the sunny side of the bridge).

BUT…It’s Sunday night and no doubt the busy week ahead will mean that these big bird issues will soon be forgotten… along with the weekend.

 

P1000173

 

Advertisement

Tags: , , ,

a spotlight on the spud…

14 Jul

I feel really lucky to live in a small semi-rural village , and work just 30mins away in the hustle and bustle of a city on the outskirts of Sydney.

Every day I drive 25 of those minutes along the river… through small farms and horse studs . It’s the perfect way to wind up or wind down from work (and it gives me plenty of ‘wondering’ time).

potatosDuring these winter months it’s cold and dark as I weave my way home along the lowlands… past the small farms and market gardens. So you can imagine my surprise when I came across spotlights and headlights in the middle of a paddock this evening.The field was lit up like a showground, yet I struggled to see what was going on at the centre of all the action… until I got a little closer and discovered a massive potato harvesting operation in full swing.

Who would have imagined ? 7pm in the middle of winter and there they were all hands on deck to get the spuds out of the ground. I couldn’t decide whether it was admirable or mad… but I guess when your spuds are done they’re done, and the market wont wait.

Just one more damn good reason that I’m not a farmer… (but thank goodness some people are… otherwise where would our chips come from?)

 

P1000151

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

caught like a rabbit in the headlights…

6 Jun

Travelling home from work on these short winter days, means that it is usually pitch black before I get to the sanctuary and warmth of my fireplace… BUT the blackness doesn’t stop the die hard joggers and walkers.

I was startled the first time I came across one, but have now come to expect those small bright lights bobbing up and down, and popping out from behind the bushes on the quiet country laneways.headlight3

I wonder if these die hard runners by night, masquerade as ‘miners’ or even more interesting, gynaecologists by day? mmm?headlight 4

These miners ‘headlamps’ light up the the way with enough luminosity to blind the oncoming traffic….perfect for the jogger …but not so fabulous for the one being jogged at.

 So if you happen to be one of these culprits, perhaps it’s worth checking to see if you have a dimmer switch before you blind a driver and end up on the tar next to the flat rabbit.

IMG_9173

Tags: , , , , ,

it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain…

4 Jun

hairdresser1Those of you that have been following my musings, will know of my hairdressing dilemma. How to break in a new one that I…  like.. trust… can get to easily every 3 weeks… and that I can communicate with (especially given my vocal limitations).

I found ‘Ms J’  and, while she will never be able to ‘fill the scissors’ of my old super-hairdresser… she is lovely and ticks most boxes. However…there is a new dilemma.hairdresser

You see, she has a school-based apprentice working in the salon, who is a shocker….surly, unfriendly and really really ROUGH.

The first time I was treated to her fingers at the basin, I found myself wishing that I was having hot pokers stuck in my eyeballs… but I cut her some slack because she was so young and new.

The second time I was hoping for an improvement, but alas no !… More pain, less gain and the best part of a salon visit had been reduced to torture.

I finally found the courage to have a quiet word with Ms J and was happy (but not surprised) to hear that many had gone there before me. PHEW …I wasn’t imagining it… and it’s not just ME  that she doesn’t like.. she really is awful at her job, and yes… she is ‘being encouraged to do better’

THAT was 3 weeks ago.

hairwashingSo tonight I went expecting to find a slightly less aggressive approach with the suds …(I  even dared to look forward to it)…  You can imagine my disappointment when  she jumped in and  started ripping at the roots while scrubbing the same spot round and round in circles for what felt like 2 minutes of sheer agony. By the time we progressed to conditioner, to her credit, she did ask ‘is that pressure ok?’   … so I guess you could say that’s an improvement.

Having survived the basin Ms J asked me what I thought,  so I replied that perhaps she should encourage her young charge to consider a career change….as a hairdresser she would make a great accountant (or anything really, as long as it doesn’t involve touching another person).

IMG_9297

 

Tags: , , , , , ,