Snow in the Blue Mountains at about 11.30am


The weather here has gone crazy and so I was potentially stuck at home as the rain and sleet hit. However I chose not to! I loaded the car with some lunch and was determined to see the snow fall across the mountains. My ambition was to have a walk to Dance Floor Cave, and then a beer at the Tarana Hotel. I got only as far as Mount Tomah as the Police closed the route because of the massive dump of snow. Vehicles that made it through were covered in snow up to 30cm thick.

Creek Crossing

 Forced to turn around and not to waste the opportunity,  I chose to drive back via Mountain Lagoon and have a hot lunch in the Wheeny Creek canyon. This was to afford some protection from the wind and sleet.

Lunch, using the effective Sigg stove and the Drifta Table.

 Whilst birding was not good. I did get to see a nice Eastern Rosella, and an Australian Brush Turkey. I had not seen one this far west, the closest I had seen was at Wisemans Ferry, so their range is certainly improving. A hot lunch of a Bacon Butte with  toast  and a hot mug of tea was the order of the day. I  ate this quickly  as the rain began to team down.

The Fj Cruiser with  its new full length  rack

Fj Cruiser build update- I had a full length roof rack fitted by ARB Penrith. They did a brilliant job, unlike the Moorebank branch. The bull bar continues to "do my head in," as I had to retension the bolts again due to incorrect fitting of the 2nd bar. My advice to anyone spending thousands of dollars- Don't assume the quality of the workshops are all the same. Choose carefully, ask someone who owns a vehicle and has had some experience before you  spend.

Its all happening!

What  can  I  say? What  an amazing few weeks. From starting work again, to  deciding that the rat race was not for me, to watching Dave flying over the tops of other riders at Motocross, to driving to far out back QLD,  meeting my  distant relative "Frosty", having the pleasure of meeting Graham Chapman (renowned expert on Australian  Birds),  Seeing a Greenshank, Owlet Nightjar and Rednecked Avocet , then breaking the suspension in my  car, and limping home for 14 hours non stop, the long way back, with  all the usual tension that  occurs when  things like that happen!

Dave flying over the slower riders

Of course once I broke the suspension I was stuck and could not visit all the places I wanted to while Dave went mustering, branding, loading road trains, fixing fences, welding and driving the utes around. He had a brilliant time. Me? I  pottered about the shearers quarters, cleaning and watering the lawns, I  did a bit of guiding to help  some bird watchers, albeit "twitchers," find a Crimson Chat, maaking cups of tea and generally having a yarn.

A bearded Dragon seemed to enjoy  lazing on the lawn under the sprinkler as it was quite hot

Prior to ruining my suspension I visited Thargamindah and drove the old Cobb and Co Coach crossing across the river. unite enjoyable and the birdlife was excellent. here I saw a Noisy Friar Bird, Masked Wood Swallow and Welcome Swallow.

The river crossing at the Cobb & Co Route. All in all Kilcowera is looking Superb and there is still water in the Lagoons and the bird life is still excellent although quieter now that the breeding season is all but over.

Dave at the end of a hard days Muster. I got the suspension repaired under warranty when we returned and I have to say really no fault of the car. All in all an Excellent trip and I am sure Dave gained a wealth of experience on a cattle station. Greg and Toni were excellent hosts and Kilcowera is a place I can highly recommend as a true outback experience. As for "Frosty"? Well email me as the experience has left me "speechless"! I am sorry if this all seems a bit "disjointed" as Blogger has changed a little and I am trying to drive it! Birds seen. Great Cormorant, Purple Swamphen, Whistling Kite, Australian Magpie, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Hobby, Black-shouldered kite, Australian Raven, Little Raven, Little Crow, White-faced Heron, Galah, Blue Bonnet, Willy Wagtail,Spotted Bowerbird, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pee Wee, Apostle bird, White-winged Chough, Masked Wood Swallow, Little Corella, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Koel, Welcome Swallow, Owlet Nightjar, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Little Eagle, Spotted Harrier, Emu,Budgerigar, Richards Pipit, White-plumed Honeyeater, Black-eared Cuckoo, Noisy Friar Bird, Little Friar Bird, Laughing Kookaburra, Australian Pelican, Pied Butcherbird, Hooded Robin, White-browed Tree Creeper, Major Mitchell,Brown Falcon, Swamp Harrier, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Zebra Finch, Red-necked Avocet, Banded Lapwing, Masked Lapwing, Greenshank, Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon, Peaceful Dove, Diamond Dove, Mallie Ring-necked Parrot, Cockatiel, Native Hen, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, White-necked Heron, Hardhead, Grey Teal, Yellow billed Spoonbill, Royal Spoonbill, Pacific Black Duck, Red Kneed Dotteril, Sacred Kingfisher, Black-winged Stilt, Grey Shrike Thrush, Brown Treecreeper, Rainbow Bee eater, Crimson Chat, Australian Wood Duck, Tree Martin. Total 72.

Well deserved rest

Well, I am  off- into the channel country of outback Queensland in persuit of family  history, birds and the smell of open spaces. I  look forward to returning to the city  of Sydney (not).

Here is a poem that sums it all up  for me....

Clancy  of the Overflow.

I had written him a letter which, I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just `on spec', addressed as follows, `Clancy, of The Overflow'.

And an answer came directed, in a writing unexpected,
(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar)
'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
`Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are.'

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving `down the Cooper' where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wond'rous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the 'buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of `The Overflow'.

so.... you  can "stick" the city where it fits you. Me?  I  hope to  see a vision splendid!

See you  all soon!

Recent events

Tankers arriving in the street.

Being quite busy in recent weeks I was not to sure what to post. So here are some more photos of the bush fire event. It was all terribly serious and demonstrates just how quickly fire spreads. Here are photos of the tankers in the street, the trailer loaded and ready to evacuate as well as Dave in his fire brigade uniform.

More tankers arrive.

Over recent days I have walked into the area where the fire hit. Its really quite daunting to see just how much heat it generates, and how quickly the fire moves. It behaves not unlike Ocean currents, where there are bigger "waves", "rips" and "tides". Its all just so dangerous. After a few weeks the smell of fire and heat still exist and the helicopters still patrol. We have had a couple of flair ups but nothing out of control.

Packed and ready to roll.

The bike riding continues and I have done a couple of rides in the National Park on the mountain bike. The ankle is holding up well but i am very unfit-failing to climb the hills I used to do in one hit. However, the weight is coming off and each ride gets better. I was dissapointed to see that Cannondale now manufacture in China- no longer are their bikes "Hand made in the USA". Sad but a sgn of the times.


The Cannondale packed for its first mountain bike outing.

The recent ride I did was again at Mount Banks. Easy grade with a couple of steep pinches thrown in its a good test of the bike and me. The fire trail has a lot of larger loose rocks and sand so maintaining good balance is the key. Lunch was at my favorite cliff face which looks down into Blue Gum Forest and the Grose River. I often look into this area and recall all the fantastic walks I have done since the mid 1970's! Gosh I am getting old.

The Prophet at my favorite spot

I think riding the bike at 51 is not the same as riding as a 30 year old! So I dont expect to break records now, prefering consistancy and overall health as the goals. We shall see.

Bush fires

The 6 horse power fighter pump and hoses

Here we go again. Bush fire out of control to our west. Helicopters flying overhead with buckets, fire trucks in the street. I am so glad I neurotically clean my gutters and prepare my home with the fire pumps etc. I sit and watch the embers fall from the sky and wait....

3/9/2012 Update. The fire last week came within 200 metres of the houses and in some cases right up to the back fence. We had 120 fire fighters on the mountain and water bombers working for days. The fire is now just a back burn and the rural fire service and national parks officers will take advantage of the conditions to continue the burn off. This gives us about 5-7 years of safety from other fire threats.

It took me about one hour to have the house ready including all the buckets, mops, ladders gutters, the car and trailer packed. So I was pleased with myself.

Bird of the Week.

Brown Goshawk. ( Photo courtesy of Tassie Birds blog)

Well, I took the mountain bike out for a ride and went well. Its surprising just how quickly the body gets back into the swing of things. The bikes rear shock needs attention as its rebound felt awkward.

Perhaps the most interesting bird for me on this ride was a Brown Goshawk. Quite a common bird of prey they have interesting barring across the chest and a very long tail. It was not too impressed with my presence, which generally indicates nesting nearby. I hope so!

Bike training.

The dirt lane between the Polo fields.

In 2010 I was in England and I did a number of walks and a bike ride. On the day I climbed Skiddaw peak I noticed my right ankle was a bit sore. On the decent it got worse as if the nerve was being hammered. A few weeks later, I was riding a bike, in borrowed bike shoes and I crashed. The foot did not release from the pedal and I twisted the same ankle.
I put up with this until last year when I had surgery.

The Cannondale Synapse is an excellent training bike. ( Note its covered in dust!)

So, its been 2 and a half years since I really put training klms on a bike. I have done some small rides but really lacked inspiration to "hook in", and have done very little in the way of major walks. So my fitness has really suffered and I put on a bit of weight.

This week I decided to start some light training to get the ankle to flex and to improve my overall health and fitness.

I started in the Hawkesbury lowlands which is like riding through English country side. I have posted about it before. It was a steady pleasant 25kms and I hope to ride it every 2nd day. So far so good.

The ankle? well, it seems not to mind the rotation of the pedals however its still a bit tender, and perhaps it will never be right.

The route.

I have chosen the Cannondale Synapse to train on, as its light and nimble. I will move to the mountain bike once I have built up some stamina. It had been a while since I rode it, and its heavy by comparison. The Synapse was covered in dust, however a pump of the tyres and it was ready to go.

On the ride I saw- royal spoonbill, firetail finch, superb fairy wren, red-rumped parrot, australian magpie, pee wee, australian pelican, yellow-rumped thornbill, cattle egret, pacific black duck, house sparrow, and my favourite bird. the black winged stilt.

All the birds are starting to display breeding behaviour and nest building. Spring is not far away!