Selecting the Right Person for the Job - Especially Teachers

We have all seen great staff, and we almost certainly have seen abysmal, horrible, could not care less staff. So why are staff selected in the first place? And what does it say about the employing organisation / business?

This issue is explored in some depth in a recent Malcolm Gladwell article available here:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell?printable=true

In the examples he uses two or three very dissimilar areas but one - school teachers - is a critical one for most families. Personally I do not think I am teacher material - and do not desire to be one, but I most certainly have had a few good teachers. They are memorable, and effective.

We all have had both good and bad teachers. And most parents hope that their children have "good" teachers. But what is a good teacher?

The article attempts to explore this issue in some depth and to point out why good teachers are vital. But finding and selecting good teachers is not an easy or even a tangible process. Do you agree with the points made that having better teachers and paying them appropriately is more cost effective than almost any other option in the field of education, and that class size is a bit of a furphy? I spent time in vary large classes while at school and never felt disempowered......maybe the teachers were much better or just more dedicated. But read it and think!

Malcolm Gladwell has form as a distinguished writer - as author of The Tipping Point.

This article is an excellent read and particularly pertinent in Australia as we approach a new school year. It is also an interesting option to ponder as regards indigenous education in Australia, a topic being considered in a more serious manner across especially northern Australia. How can society ensure that "good" teachers are available in numbers for this important task? There are other difficulties in that field, but getting and retaining good teachers is essential - for that task as well as for all schools.

Local Fauna

Parrots are a significant part of the Australian bird fauna. And none probably as ubiquitous as the galah.

These grey and pink parrots are great talkers in captivity, and long lived. They seem to be everywhere across Australia, and can be the biggest problem to grain growers......they eat the seed when it is sown, and then eat the seed once the crop matures, expecially for sorghum and millets.

But today it is very wet [60mm of rain in about 2 hours] and they were seen scavenging by the roadside........eating some local grass seeds.

They can be a pest on the road, and I must confess to having hit a few in motorcars, and even the odd broken windscreen. They tend to suddenly fly off the roadside, invariably one or a few heading across the road into the path of the traffic.

They did that almost immediately after the photo!

Cyclones are Ugly

Cyclones are ugly creatures. A heart and soul of their own, and intent on causing as much havoc as possible in as short a time as possible.

Cyclone Billy seems to have by passed Australia. A Christmas present we could do without.

But looking at the composite radar image tonight, Christmas night, with the Cyclone now at category 4, I am very glad it did not visit for Christmas.

When the image shows a distinct dot at the centre you
can be assured it is an intense cyclone. Cyclone Billy has that and a very well organised peripheral structure also indicative of a well organised intense cyclone. This is even more notable on the recent infrared satellite photos of the region.

Lets all be content that it seems to be heading out to sea away from the Australian coast. It is a nasty beast!

Hecta's Thunderheads for Christmas

The wet season is awesome. Majestic displays of heavenly firepower, towering thunderheads late in the afternoons, deep grey skies layered in deepening shades with the dark grey of rain often at the bottom.

While the last few days have been relatively drier, with little rain, the thunderheads still build late each day. Hecta is alive and well!

Hecta - a derivative from hectapascal - is the name given, by the Met bureau, to the regular build up of heavy monsoonal storm clouds most days across to the north and west of Darwin on the Tiwi Islands.

Where would we be without rain? And at this time of the year, the rain brings cooler relief from the heat and stifling humidity of the day.

Christmas 2008 v Christmas 1974

By Christmas morning in 1974 we were drinking Galliano out of the bottle and using a gas stove on the back of my work panel van underneath the mess that had been our home. Yes, the annual reminder of Cyclone Tracy, which literally blew Darwin away on Christmas Day 1974.

Lots of funny stories and lots of heartbreak. We were relatively lucky, as our house while a write-off was still partially intact, but many others including some friends had their entire house and everything in it blown away.......literally, and all that was left was floorboards and the toilet bowl! And there were many like that around town, especially in the area of the northern suburbs of Darwin.

The town was evacuated, and many who left, never returned. The city was declared a disaster zone, and effective control was passed to the military in effect, at least for a brief period. We did not evacuate, and as we then had a 13 month old baby, life was at times, very interesting. A time for people to come together to help each other, to cope with the trauma and drama of the event and, as many Australians seem to do, to also crack a few jokes about the event.

It was a turning point for Darwin in modern times. People who remained wanted the town to be rebuilt and to be something better. Those who left did not have that view. Simple things.......even the gardens around houses were better after the cyclone; a deeper and improved community spirit.

Many of those still around the city do have issues with the screech of tearing sheet metal. That was an awesome noise during Cyclone Tracy, as it was usually followed by a wall or a house blowing away after the roof tore off.

There are some intriguing pictorial displays around Darwin with the NT Museum display a very much visited area. Ask Google for more information.

But Christmas 2008 is much more sedate. Cyclone Billy is now a Category 4 system, but heading out to sea off WA so probably will not cause trouble. A friend in Broome was headed off for a cyclone party just after it blew by there on the 23rd......but at a Category 1 level, and offshore.

Merry Christmas to all. Remember those less fortunate than you. While our table was replete for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, with fine china and a snowy white tablecloth, not everyone is that lucky.

Golf Hazards

I am not a golfer, although I do spend a bit of time on golf courses looking at how the grass grows.

Asians in general terms love to play golf. I have not seen a lot of fun in chasing a little white ball.....it is more fun to go surfing, snorkel, swim or even ride a bike.

And at times golfing can be a hazardous pursuit. Would one be believed if, after arriving home from playing golf, you were able to tell family that you lost more than a ball or two on the golf course?

The sign says it all...........and at a very prestigous golf course in Singapore. Definitely a need to be careful while playing golf.

Cyclone Billy Arrives

Not only do we have the monsoon front deep over the Northern Territory, now we have our first [ well second actually but first, Anika was near Christmas Island, a long way out to the west] cyclone of the season - Cyclone Billy.

Looks as if areas around the NT /WA border area will be the recipients, although it is Category 1, and winds are only at 100kms/hr, so far.

Darwin has a lot of squally, windy rain tonight, but nothing seriously problematical. Just a typical monsoonal night, with wind and rain!

There are a few people we know in the area where the cyclone is heading, but this is a fairly low key cyclone .....so far. One thing you learn about cyclones, is that they are unpredictable.

Let us hope all is well for those much closer than us.

The image is copyright Bureau of Meteorology, and off their website, with the image from the Wyndham radar.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR072.shtml

It updates regularly.....and will be doing that tonight. I am sure the forecasters will be also watching it closely.

The Monsoon is HERE

If you have never lived in a monsoonal climate, it may not gel but if you have you will know what I mean. Weeks, and months of dry weather, lately a few storms and very hot and humid with quite trying still conditions.......and then........the wind starts blowing from the opposite direction.


We have had a light but insistent NW to W breeze over the past 2 days, and since Sunday, high cloud and overcast conditions with a little rain. From about lunchtime yesterday, the rain started. Around 70mm [ 3 inches] since then overnight.


And it is still raining gently, but VERY insistently. I was going to do some serious flying today in a light aircraft, but only got as far as a flight around the airport before the weather closed in, earlier today. And it was very wet below.


The monsoon is HERE.


Overcast, cool [25C] - compared to the past few weeks of 33 - 36C, and a welcome change. Rain brings life and didn't the green frogs have a great time last night and today as well, singing very loudly about how great the rain is.


Current weather map :

The dense cloud across northern Australia is the monsoonal front.

photo off the national radar image from www.bom.gov.au at 1200 local time Darwin.

The Monsoon is Coming

This is a fantastic photo /radar satellite image from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, just a few minutes ago.


Shows dense monsoonal cloud south of Timor and long cloud tail streaming to the SE across Australia, with heavy rain in Victoria. Just a fantastic photo image.

Big Moon Rising

Tonight is the biggest moon of the 2008 calendar year.

For a monsoonal climate, and we have had a few near monsoonal showers today, it is overcast and quite cloudy, but still the moon will rise in the east.

And it has come to pass that the clouds have eased, and the moon appeared among the palm leaves ........

Then emerged from behind the leaves........colours are unusual but real. NOT the typical large yellow globe you expect in the tropics, so vivid in the drier months.

Black Cockatoos - Paraparap

Yes.....it is a palindrone, the call of the red tailed black cockatoo. Or that is how the local aborigines transliterate the sound.

Still reasonably common around Darwin, this flock were sitting happily in a large eucalypt near the airport.

They are large and very regal.


The sound is also the name given to one of Darwin's suburbs, but often shortenend to Parap.

Solar Power for Alice Springs

It is a small step, but it looks as if it will happen.

Alice Springs is to have a modest sized solar power station. The NT government has dressed it up as providing 1800 MW hours of energy per year, but in reality that is but 5MW per day, and not the instant rating more commonly seen when one speaks of a power station, eg 200MW for a conventional power station.

It is very modest..........but a significant step.

The local energy authority has been quite reluctant to move towards alternative or green power, so this seems a positive move.

Full details here: [more spin from Government] http://www.projectlink.com.au/IndustryNews/4015.html

For a city in the centre of Australia with a low rainfall and plenty of sunshine, solar power does seem a natural. Worley Parsons a large engineering company has proposed building a series of large solar thermal power stations for mining projects in remote areas. It is a well thought through concept, and the first one is planned for 2009/2010.

By the way, a solar photovoltaic system is currently being installed on the CrownePlaza Hotel in Alice Springs, and will provide about 85% of all power for the hotel.

Let the sun shine on the Alice!

Updated Options for Women

Many women enjoy the option to enhance their attributes, naturally or cosmetically. Some use enhancements offered by lingerie. To the male observer, some of these actions create positive interest, others negative.

There has been a considerable numbers of words written about women who wear the burka, hijab or whatever local name is used. Some are complimentary, many are not. Most observers see it as shapeless. But maybe not.

Wearing the burka often comes to personal choice, unless you live in a country where women may not have that choice. I have no comment on that.

But there are a few cartoonists who think the subject does offer reasonable options in offering an alternate view.

The following cartoon appeared in some Australian papers recently. Many commentators believe there is a revolution occurring among women in those areas, even while wearing continuing to wear the burka!

More Poinciana Colour

I think this year has been an excellent one for the poinciana tree flowering display. This photo was at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens, and so beautifully framed by two beauty leaf trees [ which are actually on the opposite side of the road].

Just spectacular!

Battle of the Sounds - Frog Style

With due acknowledgment to the cartoonist.............except that it has been sooooooo quiet lately around our house. There is little rian this month so far, and the frogs are quiet!

Magnificent Orchid

This orchid flowers about every 6-8 weeks most of the year, and the flower spray lasts usually 2-3 weeks.


It is just magnificent! This was taken about 2 weeks after it first reached full flower this flowering.


I guess I must be tending it in a right and proper manner!

The Poincianas are Fantastic

It is November. Hot and humid, not much rain, and the poincianas are in flower. Verdant, red and fabulous.......mostly. They have an absolutely fantastic appearance for about a month whilst they are in flower.





Their colourful display is truly awesome. This specimen is in a local suburban street.



Darwin also has a few specimens of the rare orange form. Maybe not as in your face colourful, but still beautiful on large trees. This one even has some purple bougainvillea!

Watch Out for Plovers

Plovers are common around Darwin, especially on open grass areas, including ovals and parklands.

They can be very territorial and often object to the presence of people. The usual trick is to dive bomb you, pulling aside at the last moment, often brushing your clothing or arm, or to come close to the head. Not as openly aggresive as magpies, but they can be confronting.

Today the tide is OUT..........BIG TIME!

We have an 8 metre tidal range around spring tides close to the time when the sun is directly overhead, here around the end of October. We were taking a few photos of the empty tidal flats, on grassland near the cliff top when there was a whoooooosh......as a plover flew past very close, then another and another........and then it was noticed. Another plover on the ground.....sitting eggs.

Her mate was not impressed. The sequence of photos tells the story!

He went whoosh.....while

Mother to be sat quietly for a while....

Then got upset

and there were 3 eggs!

Now she has become very stroppy!

NEW Victoria River Bridge

On the road again..........in November and yes, an airconditioned car is delightful on long trips in 40C weather. A quick 1200kms round trip to collect grass plants, and take some photos.

It can be very wet in the Northern Territory. And the rivers can rise to very great heights.

This bridge on the right is relatively new, but still has managed to be submerged for many weeks in several of the last few rainy seasons, including nearly 6 weeks last wet season from late January 2008. The river appears very benign now, in November, at the end of the Dry Season, with a few long waterholes, and little, if any, flow, except maybe after a big storm nearby. But come January and February and that water hole is part of a torrent that can be 3-6 metres above the existing bridge. For weeks at a time!

This is National Highway 1, the main circular road around Australia, and this section provides the main link between northern Australia and Perth. Not having a road connection for many weeks is a bit of a disaster.

The project will build the new bridge, about 10m above the present one, and redevelop a large section of the road, on either side, above flood heights. As you can imagine, the river spreads out almost across the entire Victoria River gorge when in full flood. The new road sections need to be mostly above that datum level.

Early days yet, but the new bridge is making good progress.

Rain and Thunder

Rain.........that is the wet stuff that comes out of the sky isn't it?

Has not been too much here lately. After a great start in mid October, it stopped raining. That is over three weeks ago!

Hot dry and then hot and dry some more. But tonight it sounds promising.........real thunder nearby.

Maybe we will get some decent rain overnight. Inland, a few places had a big storm around dusk tonight, with Batchelor [ 100km S] receiving over 30mm in about 30 minutes.

The thunder is tantalising close and, as usual, our "fierce" Ridgeback dog has decided that coming into the laundry inside the house is a good option. She loathes thunder and firecrackers [ the noisy bunger types], and is very happy to retire gracefully on a mat.
On the thunder and lightning scene, Darwin is one of the top locations world wide for lightning strikes [ and related thunder]. Neck and neck with some parts of Java, Indonesia for top spot. You can get some fantastic sky shows and spectacular photos are relatively common, both by amateurs and professional photographers.


It sounds promising.......and the weather radar sort of indicates we may have rain. You beauty!

For some fantastic storm photos, including quite a few in Darwin by Ern Mainka - go to www.redbubble.com/search/lightning%20thunderstorm

photo credits - No they are NOT mine. Top one - Joe Holmes. Typical of the view across Darwin Harbour in a good storm!

Lower one - unknown, but publicly available x Flickr.

Darwin Houses

This hot period of the year really brings out the best in people - NOT. They complain about the hot weather, humidity and burning sun, and generally get VERY short tempered. The month of the falling mango!

The usual action DEMANDED by the recently arrived family [read southern, temperate, pale skinned wife and kids] is to air condition EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY, ALL DAY!! That is expensive, and probably unnecessary. Do not get me wrong......I do have an airconditioned office [so do most people] and we opted to have the bedrooms airconditioned, many years ago. A good nights sleep, in lowered humidity, at around 25C [usually close to outside air temperature overnight] makes for a happy chappy the next day. As it does for school kids, uni students and most others.

And on those awful nights of 28C minimum, with still air, at 65 - 75% relative humidity it does ensure a decent nights sleep.

BUT......the trend is to aircondition the whole house all the time. BUT......before we examine the current house designs and issues, lets first go back 50 years or more.

The Burnett House

Designed around the late 1930s and built before and after World War 2 in Darwin these elevated houses focussed on flow through ventilation, with plenty of louvres and walls that often allowed airflow over the top internally [ ie went nearly, but not quite to the ceiling], a house orientation to allow prevailing breezes to flow through the house, and some even had ventilation in the roof space. Built with low thermal mass materials they were considered easy to live in. More details here - http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=16285

Commonwealth Housing 1950s - 1970s

A range of fantastic and simple designs, in predominantly elevated or split level houses built by the Federal Government to house public servants. They took many of the features of the Burnett houses, and developed them further.

Many were simple linear designs with living at one end, and 2-4, mostly three, bedrooms in a row adjoining the living room / kitchen, with a single bathroom and toilet. Low thermal mass building materials to allow easy heat up - cool down, with again a predominant east - west orientation, allowing a breeze through the louvres which were along the side of the house. They had generous roof overhangs for shading and direction of the rain away from walls and windows.

I must admit though that there were quite a few ocassions when the rain blew hard and did blow in on the floor...but that was easy to mop up. And surprise surprise.....from about the mid 1960s they had SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEMS on all houses. Think about that ......a giant act of faith by someone who recommended they be installed on all new houses, in around 1965!

Our family lived in one [a different model to that above, but see the solar hot water unit on the roof] and although we did insulate the roof space and aircondition the bedrooms, the rest was not airconditioned and was comfortable. Even the bedrooms were open windowed during the day.

Oh, I forgot.........all had large, 56 inch overhead ceiling fans in bedrooms and the living room, but not the bathroom and toilet [ THAT was rectified in our present home - and it is great!].

Car parking and outdoor entertaining was downstairs, and the house lot was mostly in the 800 - 1100 square metre range, with 850 - 1000 most common.

Then came Cyclone Tracy.....................a category 4/5 beast and many many homes just blew away. To be truthful though, designing to withstand that level of cyclonic force is difficult, VERY difficult.

The housing changed after that. More to follow - but this is a good read too -

ACCLIMATISATION: ARCHITECTURE AT THE TOP END OF AUSTRALIA
David Bridgman. Royal Australian Institute of Architects, 2003. $38.50.

Remove a Cane Toad - We Don't Do Halloween!

Australia does not do Halloween. That is a good thing.


However, the all pervasive reach of the US does intrude and an insidious scheming, minority seem to want to engage with the practice.


Surprisingly, Halloween seems to actually have originated in Ireland. Yes, Ireland! I heard the explanation on the radio a few days ago, and it was surprising. So do not blame the Yanks.


Rather than trick or treat.............get out with a torch and capture / collect a few cane toads. They are on the move around the Darwin suburbs, and NOW is the time to catch and remove them. We have had a dry spell now for a few weeks, and they should be close to wetter areas.




Go to it!

Gurrumul Gets a Gong [or several]

I have blogged about the extraordinary music album released earlier this year by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, and sung almost entirely in language ---his language from Arnhem land.

He and the album won several gongs at the Deadly's - the indigenous music awards last week.

But the following weekend, some more seriously upmarket awards - two ARIA awards. These are the most prestigous Australian music awards - equivalent to an American Grammy.

The album is magic.

Gurrumul won the ARIA for Best Independent Album Sunday night 20 October 2008, at the 2008 ARIA Awards. This is his second solo ARIA now, after having won one at the ARIA Fine Arts Awards for Best World Music Album.
Gurrumul also performed, the popular song "Bapa", at the ARIA Awards night.
Click here to view Gurrumul performing at the ARIA Awards.

30 September 2008
2008 ARIA Fine Arts Awards
The album, "Gurrumul" won the ARIA for Best World Music Album at last nights ARIA Fine Arts Awards. The awards were held at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place in Sydney. They acknowledge the achievements made within the Australian Music Industry across four genres, Classical, Jazz, World Music and Soundtrack/Cast/Show.

This is Gurrumul's first ARIA Award and he's extremely excited about it. Gurrumul, along with his band (Michael Hohnen, Francis Diatschenko and Erkki Velheim) were in Sydney to accept the award, before they fly out to perform at China's National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing as part of their inaugural 2008 World Folk Song Festival.

[photo x www.news.com.au]

THAT Time of Year - It's HOT

For some readers it may not be that hot.......but a steady flow of October days, now averaging 34.3C and RH of between 75 - 55% each day is a tad draining. To top it all, today was the 4th highest temperature ever recorded in Darwin, reaching 38C. We are on the coast, and normally there is a cooling sea breeze in the afternoon.

I have been working around 100km inland south of Darwin with average maximum temperatures of 38C for this month and a "lovely" 39.5C on Monday. It is VERY hot. AND NO SEABREEZE. The sun just burns into your skin!

This is the crappy season. That hot and horrible period before it really rains.

It is described as the "month of the falling mango" also "suicide month". Even been backed by a medical study released a few months ago that proved people do more strange things in the October / November period than other parts of the year. There are more assaults, suicides, and similar crimes as people go off the rails from being too hot.

Recently we had a period of several days with storms...........and that makes it worse, as the humidity goes up, and tempers shorten accordingly.

Best not to be here.................

Darwin Convention Centre - at Night

We do have a new Waterfront Convention Centre in Darwin. The NT Government has spent a lot of our money on the project.

It does seem to be "smart" architecturally, but it can also be very hot in the afternoon, as they do not seem to have got the glare and sun protection right when you are inside but not actually in a meeting room.

It does have a spectacular appearance at night though. Almost ethereal, with that purple glow around the roof edges.

Even more intriguing is the large piece of street art, made from aluminium. While interesting in daylight, it is a delightful art piece at night.

Street or similar public art works are often devisive - love 'em or loath 'em.

Well, I do like this piece of art!

The First Storm - Wet Season 2008

Had to do a job at Batchelor yesterday, and the sky was developing an ominous appearance late in the day. Storm clouds developing both to the south and north, and a sudden wind shift by about 120 degrees around 1800hrs as we were leaving.


Could there be some rain at last.


Batchelor did get some in the early evening, around 10mm. But that was minor.


By the time we had returned to Darwin [100kms north] the sky was developing that bright flashing amid the thunderheads......maybe, maybe a storm at last.


Around 2230hrs it started to blow.......the harbinger of a decent storm. Wind speeds around 50-60km/hr, a few broken tree limbs, and plenty of stuff blown around on the terrace and then it really rained. Exactly 40mm at home, in about 30 minutes. A great start to the rainy season.


And today, everything is bright.....dust washed off plants, roofs and just about everything else, streets clean, the light is bright and sharp and no doubt it will be hot and steamy as the day goes on.


A great storm, but not too much lightning. And our great guardian of the fortress.......snuck inside. Not a great lover of thunder is our fearsome warrior dog. Very happy to sit on the mat in the laundry though under storm conditions.


The green tree frogs were singing big time, so loud that it was hard to hear much else. I wonder what else they were getting up too??

Irreverent - DEFINITELY

Monsoonal life in the NT is enhanced by the cartooning mirth and irreverency of the local cartoonist, Colin Wicking - aka Wicking.

Delivering a daily cartoon for the local newspaper - the usual "meet a deadline cartoon" on local and / or world events, reasonably comon to newspapers around the world. The local newspaper seems to have a focus on crocodiles on the front page, and they do appear in the cartoons too.

Wicking does tend to be decidely irreverent. Like his DECIDLY irreverent Easter cartoons of a number of years ago. Yet, even the local christian churches were not too fazed. Cartoonists are a bit like that......getting you where it causes mirth, on even the most sombre events.

Australians are well known for taking the mickey out of one another.......enjoy his cartoons at www.wicking.net.au . Some material is focussed on local issues, such as the recent one over the Chief Minister's near death experience with his dog, but others are of broader appeal.

Di-Hydrogen MonOxide - DHMO - the quiet killer

Monsoon frogs, in fact all frogs, do rely on access to that recognised environmental toxicant, DHMO , or dihydrogen monoxide.

It is very common in most tropical regions although less common for a significant part of the year in the monsoonal and mediterrean regions.

Many environmnetal groups rail against the material, citing it as a serious concern, especially when mixed with common pollutants such as sewerage.

More detail is available on the website www.dhmo.org where a lot of detail is available to enhance your understanding of this substance.

Kerry the Kingfisher is back

We have an itinerant kingfisher who seems to visit our backyard periodically. Not necessarily at anyone time each year, but regularly, at odd times, several times each year.

Seems to enjoy a quiet sit on the Hills Hoist [ that impeccable creature of suburban backyards in Australia when backyards were big enough to have the space] and from which regular visits to grab the odd lawn grub are made.

Lawn grubs seem to be most common in October and November, but our friend has returned earlier than usual. Often spends up to an hour quietly sitting and watching as those smaller insects, worms and so on move around the lawn, swooping periodically to satisfy feeding needs.

Have not ever seen a nest, but ocassionally the pair and smaller offspring have been seen. But the brightly plumed male has strutted his stuff regularly!

We do have a good range of birds seen in the yard and nearby. The sulfur crested cockatoos ensure we never get to eat any five corner fruit......they strip the soft edges and leave the residues on the ground! There are often 4 or 5 birds at a time in the tree, as fruit ripens.

I am sure that a backyard pool provides a great water source in an otherwise dry period.

It's RAINING

Yes, the Dry Season is over.

Tonight, as in right now, it is raining. A good solid shower, and the green tree frogs are croaking big time.

No wonder the green tree frog loooks happy!

On Sunday 21 September, the rain gauge at Darwin Airport had gone 165 days without registering a single rain event. This is the longest spell of rain-free days recorded at Darwin Airport’s official recording site since records began in 1941. The previous longest dry spell was 164 days, from 7 May to 17 October 1976.


The most recent rainfall event recorded at the Darwin site was on 9 April. While Darwin’s dry season is aptly named, its unusual not to get some rain over the period. In fact, Darwin Airport has never recorded a completely dry dry-season, which runs from 1 May to 30 September.


A radio report indicated that at the airport some 3-5 kms south of here, there was a smidgin of rain earlier today, but none here.


Even the dog was distraught, and somewhat confused about this strange wet stuff coming out of the sky.


In the previous longest event, the following pre-wet season was particularly torrid, with lots of hot sticky weather and little follow up rain. And it was awful! Particularly as it was only a year or so after Cyclone Tracey, and many people, including us, were still living in makeshift houses, caravans or similar while rebuilding their own houses.


Hopefully there will be regular follow up showers. They certainly clear the air.

Can Lance Armstrong perform in another Tour de France?

Like him or loathe him, you must admit he has been a performer, and that is Lance Armstrong. Just recently has announced he will attempt to ride le Tour de France in 2009.

As a reasonably active cyclist, a weekend warrior, the monsoon frog has watched and admired his performance in the Tour each year over the past decade. Lots has been said about his illnesses, use or non use of drugs, etc. But do not forget the mind. I remember very clearly watching his eyes on more than one ocassion in the Tour. The eyes of determination! A similar - albeit fleeting - look also seen in the eyes of Michael Phelps, caught by an Australian TV cameraman in the recent Beijing games at the end of a race, before the realisation of achievement kicked in and the eyes turned softer!

Real Champions have that look, even if mostly hidden.

For a great balanced overview about Lance Armstrong, read the following and the comments.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2370631.htm

Picture copyright owned by www.1.im.cz

Strange Afflictions in Singapore

Most of those in the below 50s age group in Singapore have a strange affliction. Their right hand seems to quiver feverishly, then the fingers agitate rapidly up and down. Often at this point the affliction changes hands.......the left hand does exactly the same thing, while the right stops.

Then both hands rise together, almost irreverently clasped together in a prayerful mode. Their eyes glaze over too. That is, if they can be seen. Often they are focussed downwards.

All of this occurs while moving quite steadily, even at times a little rapidly. And not focussing at all on where they are going or whom they may bump into.

YES........a texter on the move. Mostly women too.

It is a serious hazard in shopping centres, footways, crossing the road, on buses and trains. You name it.

Definitely worse than almost anywhere else in the world.

Timor Leste gets Cane Toads from Australia

Sadly but truly, the dreaded Cane toad has been shipped off to Timor Leste, or to the less erudite – that is East Timor.

Yes, the Australian Army seem to have been the perpetrators, as the believed entry was on Army gear sent over some years ago with the Australian troops sent over there as part of the UN Mission to the country.

That dear cane toad is a known hitchhiker on equipment and vehicles, and travel that way is a well known movement option around Australia, and particularly around the NT.

It seems that a local fish culture farmer has been complaining that the cane toads are eating his young fish. It might seem funny, but in a country that is low on food already, it is really tragic!
A recent news item was quite jocular about the event, and the entry of the pest into the area. IT IS DEADLY SERIOUS.

At least they have a lot of unemployed.....maybe they can form a local toadbusters group. Seriously. Local community toadbusts in the NT are known to have slowed, and seriously reduced cane toad numbers and their movement around the Darwin area.

They are ugly creatures and a menace. Lets hope they succeed in beating the pest.

Travelling OS

The Monsoon Frog is currently renewing acquaintances with the delights of SE Asia. And the usual intricacies of dealing with strange electrical plugs, strange internet cafes, strange hotel business centres [very infrequently] and several time zones.

All the usual fun things. BUT......no tummy wogs.

More exploits on http://oldfartz-on-tour.blogspot.com

Confusion at Google

I am unsure if Google has joined the Pandora jewelry fad or not.

The new symbol on their web site today has confused me. Is it the new super particle collidor in Switzerland or a new Pandora charm bracelet? One could be forgiven for believing it to be the latter.

The Mango Season

Today marks the official start of the mango season.

A few have been picked, but how good they are is always a question. Too early picking spoils the market for everyone, as sending poor fruit to market usually means buyers get turned off.

While some early varieties are likely to be ready over the next few weeks, major supply is still at least a month away.

Bring it on!

Our Unmanaged Neighbourhood Dogs

We have an open society......and open houses. Mostly designed for flow through ventilation, breezes and comfort.

It comes at a cost though.........every neighbourhood dog is able to imprint their aural signal right on your brain.

Even this morning, on a leisurely stroll at daybreak with our dog, a fantastic time of day, new occupants of two nearby houses have loud unrestrained aural vandalism ocassioned by their ###### dogs. Dogs respond to inputs by their owners, and keeping quiet is a good option.

I have no problem with dogs barking if you come within a metre or so of the fence, but throwing themselves at the fence in a frenzy is really a bit much. We do have isuses with petty burglary but all the players do is move elsewhere, away from the menace dogs. So dogs can be a deterrent. But it is the ordinary person out for a evening or early morning stroll that cops the idiot dogs.

Oh I forgot..........got it wrong. There are no idiot dogs, only idiot owners!

I can be be a bit smug......have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a breed not well known to be a barking dog problem. She is however, not beyond giving a deep growl to indicate her displeasure at near intruders, and if she charged, you would be knocked down - smartly.

But if the owners of problem noisy dogs make a small effort to go to Dog Obedience Club classes, most behaviour problems are managed. Too often on a walk you do not even hear the owners admonishing the dog for wild barking behaviour. If a dog barks.......it should be an investigable issue. Unmanaged dog barking is not good for the owners or dog.

In more temperate climates, with more animals inside or behind more significant fences, maybe barking is not as big an issue. But here it is a serious disruptive problem.

Is it Real?

Some say they are out there, others do not, but a tiny roadside inn located about 1000kms south of Darwin seems to be the current darling of the UFO set. And it is for sale, with a likely buyer from Adelaide.

Wycliffe Well Roadhouse has come to prominence or should it be infamy as the UFO capital of Australia. There has been more sightings around the area, than almost anywhere else in Australia. Maye it is the devil grog, what else?

A guy was interviewed on the national radio today, and he went there to work as a non believer in UFOs. YET....he now is giving qualified support to the theory. THEY ARE OUT THERE.....or is it just malarky? He now seems to concur they might be.

Many dismiss the Wycliffe Well theory as a wacky advertising gimmick of self promotion for the place. Cannot say I have ever noted anything odd there. But it sure has put the remote location on the map! See here for more - http://travelaustralia.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=255903

Naturally, there are no photos to go with this blog. Aliens do not exist.

Where it is REALLY cold

The Monsoon Frog has been in the cold country recently. Fingers tooooooooo cold to write even.

Not super cold, but wet and cold - even for Australia. BUT......with the rain comes renewal, and most of temperate Australia needs the rain. A few weeks of wet, cold winter weather - a typical wet winter - is something most residents are quite happy to have. At least for a short time.

Adelaide has been cool and wet, but the Adelaide Hills.......definitely cold and wet. A visit to a large compost manufacturing site south of Adelaide - usually a great place for frogs - was very wet and cold, even a bit miserable with the overcast rainy conditions.

So now back to cool and sunny Darwin. And it is still cool. Toooooooo coooooool, way to cool for pool lap swimming. Need at least 200m to warm up! Our evenings are cool and pleasant; days warm and wonderful - nights all below 20C [ 17 -19C mostly] and 30C in the day, beautiful blue skies. Eat your heart out!!!

And the Darwin Festival starts this weekend too.......looking forward to some great events, including a concert with Gurrumul. Ye ha! If you have not heard his music - a different but eloquent and poignant take on Australia visit www.skinnyfishmusic.com.au or his my space site. Fantastic!

Its COLD

Well............relatively speaking.

The thermometer fell to 12.5C in Darwin this morning, around 0635.

For Darwin that is VERY COLD. Ranks among the few lowest EVER. The Monsoon Frog has considered "live tan". No, not sun basking for a burnished bronze body, rather the tanned leather skin, with zippers and high collars. Leather jackets are definitely the go. Even went for the blankets, rather than just a sheet, on the bed.

It was cold last evening while sitting watching the Tour de France live on TV, so cold that feet required a covering, rather than the usual bare feet. What tends to make it much cooler apparently is the low humidity plus a modest beeeze with the "apparent temperature" dipping another few degrees. The so called "chill factor" in colder climates.

But it is good cold..........you enjoy it while it lasts, usually for a few days only, as it then warms to around 18C at night, which is fine. Days are around 28 - 30C. In fact very enjoyable. In your mind you need to enjoy it as you know that by late October it will be 80% RH and 35C.

The dry season this year is fabulous. Balmy days and cool nights. BUt definitely too cold for swimming in the pool.

Apartment Living in Tropical Darwin

Darwin is seeing, like many Australian cities, a revival of the city through development of living in the city…….except that mostly it is in the air.

Sure, flats have been around in Darwin for years, and there are some horrible examples. Boxy, poor ventilation, narrow inaccessible stairs, no lifts, ugly yards – usually wall to wall concrete, no facilities – seem to have been common. Sound like a normal flat complex?

They had poor insulation, and were unbearably hot, unless air conditioned in the wet season.
Our weather swings from balmy dry season conditions in June – August of 18-30C with low humidity through to 27- 35C with very high insolation and very high humidity and still conditions in November and December before the cooling rains arrive.

Some of the more recent examples around Darwin are quite trendy, and they have that great option – a decent sized outside terrace / balcony / verandah, that is actually usable. A great option to sit and have a drink, eat or cook the BBQ and enjoy the breeze. But there are some ugly examples, and some really outstanding very attractive flat complexes.

Most have sensible design options - window shading, a floor design allowing flow through ventilation, roof overhangs for sun and rain protection, good sized windows that open well, verandah, good insulation, adequate apartment storage including a store room down in the undercroft plus some facilities - a pool of some sort, grass, gym etc or some of these. A few are even built with low thermal load materials [ often a bit more difficult with high rise buildings].

Enjoy the Darwin scene.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Orchids in the Tropics

Orchids are THE flower of the tropics. Especially the range of Dendrobium, Vanda, Cattelya and related warm weather genera that do so well outdoors in the tropics.


Yes, I enjoy growing orchids........the beautiful tropical flowers that can last for many days after cutting are really amazing in their colour, versatility of shapes and sizes and the myriad size and shape of the whole infloresence. Some have a few flowers that are large and showy, others are much larger infloresences but with many many smaller flowers. The colours and displays are awesome at times.


Singapore Changi Airport Terminals often have mass displays of orchids, usually the dendrobiums. Can not remember a single time over the past few years when there has not been a great orchid display. BUT......they are usually the more common types that fit the theme for mass displays. It is the rest that can be spectacular in their own right.


The collection at our house is modest, but there are many spectacular collections in the Darwin area. There is at least one large specialist display and competition each year locally - just orchids and bromelieads, although the local Agricultural Show also has a good display. The annual orchid spectacular in May or June each year is fantastic. Too good for me to compete.


But I do grow a few great specimens, at least I reckon I can grow a few decent Vanda orchids!

Vanda orchid flowers are usually larger, and ostentatious with various hues and striations on the flower. And they really do grow well in the hot tropics. A bit of fertiliser, light and openness allowing air circulation.......and some regular light irrigation if needed.

Change is Good

The blog has a NEW livery. Same material, same writer, but a definite new look.

A change is as good as a holiday they say. Well, definitely not a holiday, unlike those lucky northern hemisphere people embroiled in the midst of the July -August holiday frenzy. Have often wondered how come they are the holiday months.............and at last, have come to realise they are the only months of the year actually pleasant enough to even WANT to go on holidays.

It even rained for most of the 1st week of the Tour de France. AND.......an Australian is the current leader on the road in the Tour, going into the last week, and a tortuous set of rides across the Alps. Even more intriguing is that Cadel Evans was born and lived in the Northern Territory as a youngster. Need to claim him as a Territorian! There have been some long late nights over the past 2 weeks watching the race, with some excellent sprint finishes over the past 4 nights. Sure, there have been some notable and well publicised drug busts. But that does tend to indicate that the drug testing is being done and effective.

Vive le Tour!

Aquada or Humdinga or just the Quadski??

The tropics can be wet......very wet. Both in the sky and on land. It is wet, boggy and at times inundated. And frustrating to try and get around the country, or your property.

Now there is a solution. An amphibious sports vehicle......yes, and a seriously useful option, even to the point where military authorities are interested. Many parts of the Australian tropics are impassable for extended periods due to flooded rivers, as well as extended areas of wet flood plains. The usual option was to use air boats, also commonly used in parts of FLorida and South America. This new vehicle is something special.

This NZ developed concept, is finally moving into useful vehicles and has developed the Humdinga, to go with the Aquada. And the price - expected to be around A$80000, comparable with a well kitted out Toyota Land Cruiser or equivalent.

For a lot more information see the following link, including videos. This is a serious vehicle with potentially many uses, not to mention a few fun uses.

There is also a quadski.......that could be real fun. But it does have significant potential for commercial use in emergency services too.

Yes......a real boy"s toy!

http://www.gibbstech.com/humdinga.php

Tropical Houses in Darwin

Everyone needs a home - house - abode - donga - camp......or whatever. Some are flash and very expensive, while others are well, cheap and nasty.

There is a lot of debate in northen Australia about housing, block sizes and energy use. Mostly, residents need to keep cool - current very cool dry season weather excluded. So efficient design allowing easy breeze movement, plenty of windows, lots of trees and shading, even airvents on the roof, are part of the mix. Or they were until recently - as intrusion of temperate style houses with heavy thick high thermal load walls, small sliding windows on small blocks continue to expand into the local scene. Funnily enough, it is noticeable that modern homes in southern Queensland, on the Sunshine coast, are now including more warm weather efficient design, while the NT seems to be pandering to the influx of new residents and their perceptions of modern temperate housing - not what is needed in modern warm weather building design.

There are some good designs in modern apartment blocks, and some that are awful. A lot of apartments will include airconditioning, and so will houses. But that can be ok if used wisely, for example bedrooms when those hot still nights of September through December arrive, with minimum temperatures around 28C.

We are going to start with the latest edition to the Darwin skyline - Evolution. It is upmarket, expensive and all apartments. Lots of air conditioning, but it is still not finished. But high quality fit out is expected. Maybe we can add more later.

This building will dominate the Darwin central skyline. From all over. Thirty three levels. Topped out last week, with a giant tree gracing the roof, now removed.

Evolution on the left, and 16 floors of Pandanas [another new city apartment /hotel block]on the right.

Hope to add views of a range of housing over the next few weeks.

Dry Season Weather

It is dry, very DRY. The dry season [ there are two seasons here, wet and dry] is now deepening, with the weather turning COLD. Well, for Darwin it is cold. The local green tree frogs are rarely seen.

Down to a shattering 17.5 degrees Celsius last night and 18C previous night, with days around 30 - 31C. Lots of sunny weather, plus a strong persistent SE / ESE wind.....a strong wind of around 30km/hr or slightly more. Rarely a cloud in the sky. Glorious.

BUT......there is more! Tonight the temperature is predicted to drop to 16C, then 14C the next night. For Darwin, that is very cooooooooold. Humidity is way down, and the wind makes it seem drier and cooler anyway, and with the typical open style house plans, inside the house does cool down quite a lot too. Sitting still last night watching the Tour de France on TV needed internal warmers - coffee, etc to help. Even the dog protested, and came in to lie on a mat in the laundry area.

Those keen on cycling give Cadel Evans - an Australian, Born in Katherine near Darwin - a good chance to do well, maybe even win [he was 2nd last year]. Early days yet, but he is doing ok and came 4th in time trial yesterday. So there is some local interest. Makes for late nights, as is running live between 2200hrs - finish, usually around 0100hrs.

BUT........the dry season is absolutely fabulous weather. Right now!

Only difficulty is that outdoor pool swimming is cool, no - it is cold! Hard to warm up, even after a few laps. Currently, swim training has been relegated to a lower priority. Lets stick to cycling, gym work and some walking / running. It will warm up - sometime, soon?

The Monsoon Frog Can Swim

That anuran superstar, the Monsoon Frog, went for a swim last weekend. Yes, it is the Dry season and no it was not just any swim, but the Pee Wee’s to Fannie [note the correct spelling all you wags] Bay swim across Darwin Harbour.

Conditions were arduous for the 139 competitors, seen here at the start. There was a 25-30km/hr strong wind gusting to 40+ km/hr, blowing directly across the swimming track direction. The tide was coming in behind us, something positive, but it was quite rough and very choppy, with lots of white tops. Makes for difficult swimming, and very hard to see the marker buoys, even though they are quite large.

The race is about 2.2kms, and the winner, a young local "gun swimmer" completed the swim in about 32 minutes. A few minutes slower than last year’s winning time, when the race was in good conditions. Last year’s winner did not compete this year, but I suspect his time may have been slower this year too.

The Monsoon Frog battled on, for a creditable 53+ minute time, about 5mins better than last year. A very good time, considering the conditions. Must be those old surf swimming skills coming to the fore again. As a young toad, he did very well in competition surf races in heavy and tricky surf conditions.


Yes, there has been some serious training over the past few months, but over the past month even more serious issues of a big work project out of town intervened and training stopped for a while, as well as a subsequent trip interstate when it was too cool to do swim training. You do not contemplate cross harbour swims without some training. But it was a toss up whether to swim or not.

But I am glad I did.


But even better……….the Monsoon Frog is now a bit chuffed. He won the old fartz age group!


The Monsoon Frog emerges as a winner!!