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!!

Creative Blogging

"They" say that blogging is good for the soul.......but hell, with current life's pace how do you fit it in?

Somewhere between rushing out to do the shopping, repairs around the house, mowing the lawn or exercise or where? A late night solitary note in the semi-dark, maybe. It is not that creative thoughts are not leaping into the consciousness........far from it. But noting them, working on them and developing them into a useful addition to a blog does take time.

How many blogs have you read recently that have degenerated into useless mush, driven by the paranoia to get something done every day? It is not that we are all newspaper cartoonists, driven by the daily deadline. Is it not better to say it with some style rather than some mindless pap?

THAT should be a useful exercise for all bloggers.

Saying something with panache is, like all writing, an exercise that does extend the brain.

So go to it............read the mindless garbage out there, and do not repeat the same idiocy.

Surely this will bring out the commenters!

I was a child groom

Bloody hell........time flies, especially when you are having a good time!

On 25 May 2008 I had been married .......to the same wife.......for 40 years. Good times - some not so good, a very major cyclone in which our house was destroyed and we lived very rough for many months while I rebuilt a new house [ we moved one street], the usual range of dramas with four children and both joy and sorrow over many issues. But the question is would I do it again?

Indubitably....yes. Would she want me to do it again? Not my answer, but I hope so.

AND it is ruby text for the event too!

Blogging - Its Good for You - REALLY!!!

I have to confess.......this is NOT mine but it seems such a great article the blogosphere should have it available, if not already there. Comes from the May 2008 edition of Scientific American and is available in full on www.sciam.com

The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of study.

By Jessica Wapner

Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Scientists now hope to explore the neurological underpinnings at play, especially considering the explosion of blogs. According to Alice Flaherty, a neuroscientist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, the placebo theory of suffering is one window through which to view blogging. As social creatures, humans have a range of pain-related behaviors, such as complaining, which acts as a “placebo for getting satisfied,” Flaherty says. Blogging about stressful experiences might work similarly.

Flaherty, who studies conditions such as hypergraphia (an uncontrollable urge to write) and writer’s block, also looks to disease models to explain the drive behind this mode of communication. For example, people with mania often talk too much. “We believe something in the brain’s limbic system is boosting their desire to communicate,” Flaherty explains. Located mainly in the midbrain, the limbic system controls our drives, whether they are related to food, sex, appetite, or problem solving. “You know that drives are involved [in blogging] because a lot of people do it compulsively,” Flaherty notes. Also, blogging might trigger dopamine release, similar to stimulants like music, running and looking at art.

The frontal and temporal lobes, which govern speech—no dedicated writing center is hardwired in the brain—may also figure in. For example, lesions in Wernicke’s area, located in the left temporal lobe, result in excessive speech and loss of language comprehension. People with Wernicke’s aphasia speak in gibberish and often write constantly. In light of these traits, Flaherty speculates that some activity in this area could foster the urge to blog.

Scientists’ understanding about the neurobiology underlying therapeutic writing must remain speculative for now. Attempts to image the brain before and after writing have yielded minimal information because the active regions are located so deep inside. Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that the brain lights up differently before, during and after writing, notes James Pennebaker, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. But Pennebaker and others remain skeptical about the value of such images because they are hard to duplicate and quantify.

Most likely, writing activates a cluster of neurological pathways, and several researchers are committed to uncovering them. At the University of Arizona, psychologist and neuroscientist Richard Lane hopes to make brain-imaging techniques more relevant by using those techniques to study the neuroanatomy of emotions and their expressions. Nancy Morgan, lead author of the Oncologist study, is looking to conduct larger community-based and clinical trials of expressive writing. And Pennebaker is continuing to investigate the link between expressive writing and biological changes, such as improved sleep, that are integral to health. “I think the sleep angle is one of the more promising ones,” he says.

Whatever the underlying causes may be, people coping with cancer diagnoses and other serious conditions are increasingly seeking—and finding—solace in the blogosphere. “Blogging undoubtedly affords similar benefits” to expressive writing, says Morgan, who wants to incorporate writing programs into supportive care for cancer patients.

Some hospitals have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web sites as clinicians begin to recognize the therapeutic value. Unlike a bedside journal, blogging offers the added benefit of receptive readers in similar situations, Morgan explains: “Individuals are connecting to one another and witnessing each other’s expressions—the basis for forming a community.”

This article was originally printed with the title, "The Healthy Type".

Cane Toads Advance

Bugger.............just like the old Toyota ads. The dreaded cane toad pest is now in our street, even in our yard!

It is the middle of the night - noisy dog - and the male of the house does his duty and heads off for an investigation. And discovers that the dog had knocked over a package in the back yard, near the gate. But the dog is agitated..........and eyeing the front yard.

Bloody hell..........a LARGE cane toad in the driveway.

WACK WACK........and a large shovel does the job and the cane toad is despatched to the mulch bin. [They make excellent compost and fertiliser]. But in the meantime, the neighbour has arrived at her front gate alarmed by the commotion; assuaged by my glib words "got a bloody cane toad" . Peace returns!

A foretaste of more to come?

The map shows distribution in 2004.......and it is definitely moving west, across the Top End of Australia.

It is now nearly a month since any rain in Darwin and the blighters are on the move for water. Further up the rise, in an adjacent street, several were found in a swimming pool last week. And a big toad bust [http://www.toadbusters.org/] held last week at the Jingili Water Gardens captured quite a few cane toads.

Yet, as a regular late evening dog walker I have not seen them along the creek path where I usually run and walk with the mighty Ridgeback.

Bugger!