Vale MMXIX

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better person."

Benjamin Franklin

Thank you 2019 - a real treat and a challenge simultaneously. Out of control fires, job losses and gains, travel, plans and projects, visitors, busy days and languid nights, fresh food and great wine, lovely pets and the general joy of the third act.

Soon hello 2020 and an opportunity to take Ben's advice above. Take care and catch you in the New Year.

Enjoying rural ambiance in a bright festive light

Random babies doing their best to freak out Anthony

 

What's Christmas without a pic of peeps squinting into the sun?

That time of year

"If you study the rhythm of life on this planet, you will find that everything moves in perfect symphony with everything else - by grand divine design. This perfect orchestration of the cycle of life is one of the Creator's greatest and most beautiful miracles."

Suzy Kassem

As the school holidays start the puppies are overjoyed for they get to visit their church more frequently.

OMG! OMG! OMG! 

Also this time of the year is about beer and ginger beer making. It is so satisfying to make a lovely brew, but also terrifying when it goes a bit wrong. Last year we lost quite a few bottles that tasted nice but had absolutely no fizz! For a couple of chemists we got it wrong with the temperature of the second fermentation cycle, putting the bottles downstairs but not figuring on the low overnight temperatures to halt the process.

This year we have kept the bottles upstairs, but also we had a first cycle (in the bucket) slow down and then stop due to low temperatures. So outside in the sunshine and then some adding of hot water and stirring and away she went again - hopefully the product (which does smell nice and was bottled yesterday) is worth all the effort.

We started another brew last night and paying closer attention to temperature this is the result:

Early brews have been great and we highly recommend the process and the product.

Cheers!

Olde worlde

Look around. There are no enemies here. There's just good, old-fashioned rivalry.

Bob Wells

A recent almost visitor to these parts was quoted as saying that Tassie is like stepping back 20 years in time. People say the strangest things to justify their choices in life (including location), even if they're not really their choices.

As a couple we've lived in multiple cities and towns across the world, and we have yet to find Nirvana. Actually, we have not tried Nirvana, Michigan! So maybe it's out there - although looking at the photo below, maybe not?

Apparently the night life is amazing

One strange anachronism here in our Tassie house was the lighting setup when we arrived. Not a priority, but we did wonder why the house was filled with really weird "Lucci Envirolux" bulbs. We learned that they are hideously expensive, but the fun part is that when you turn them on you need to wait about 5 minutes before they come up to full brightness. So in the hall (which takes 10 seconds to amble down) we would flick on the lights and then feel our way down to the other end before the lights even made a difference - very frustrating! Most amusing were the high energy, low illumination globes over the kitchen work benches - you could hear the humming of electricity being wasted while simultaneously groping around for a knife to hopefully cut a carrot.

So over the next couple of years we swapped out some of the low energy, low illumination lights for low energy high illumination led globes which has been much better for everyday usage.

Due to higher ambient temperatures ("Not Climate Change, Not Climate Change, Not Climate Change" - you gotta love the power of three word slogans) we have recently installed two reverse cycle air-conditioning units at either end of the house. While the sparky was on location we had the team install proper LED down lights in the kitchen so we could finally see what we are cutting up for dinner (mostly dog food as it transpires that Kym is aiming to make Jess look like a WWI blimp for a Christmas Pageant).

It burns! Avert your eyes!

So if Tassie is a step back in time, is it possible that you can find a CWA shop in the middle of Hobart in which to buy freshly made gorgeous cakes for a song, as well as a nice hand knitted tea cosy for the pot? You betcha.

Brilliantly lit on the kitchen bench

And is that a bad thing? Absolutely not! Take care during the festive season, particularly on the roads as you make your way to the appropriate celebrations.

The lesson of two weevils

"We are our choices."

Jean-Paul Sartre

Last year one of our almond trees had the bulk of it's leaves stripped almost overnight. Busy as we are rushing to and from work, we barely noticed the cause, assuming it was something akin to the dreaded leaf curl (that still plagues one of our trees despite treatment this year).

But the insect world always has a few surprises for us rural amateurs, and today while we were happily (!) mowing away under the almond tree we spied a clump of jewels where no jewels should be.

Merry Christmas Mr Almond

So do we sacrifice almonds (again) or support our mates in the insect world? Well let's try to do both - so a quick shake of the tree to release the bulk of the little fellas (many of whom decided that human underpants were a great alternative spot to nest), and then on with the mowing (and dancing).

Almost ready for the local rats to enjoy

Kelly thinks that the real beauty of a freshly mown lawn is a clear patch in which to play the relentless "Frow The Ball" game that is at the centre of her universe.

C'mon human - Frow!

Bean there, done that

I make sure I get a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruit. I am a big fruit man; I am a vegetable man, anyway.

Magic Johnson

To the older generation (who don't read blogs anyway) we have to say the phrase "Fava Beans" over and over again until we realise that if we only had have started with "Broad Beans" the conversation might have flowed more freely. So this week we harvested and packed up "Broad/Fava Beans" which was a happy way to spend quality time with each other. Fourteen packets of beans later we closed out the night with a stash of them cooling in the freezer - nice one garden.

In terms of "Human Beans" we dropped into some mates today (you can tell they're mates from the Charis101 candle on the window sill in the background) to bask in their newly acquired grandparentness. We didn't get clucky at all, honest.

Well, maybe a little. Take care folks and remember that there are no monopoles out there so enjoy the North and South of all of your relationships.

On the way to a century

"If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs, and blaming you. The world will be yours and everything in it, what's more, you'll be a man, my son."

Rudyard Kipling

25 years ago yesterday Kym was watching the cricket on the telly at Woden Valley Hospital waiting for something amazing to happen when all of sudden she produced Mitchell. He's been a blessing and a joy ever since. Cricket has definitely changed (thanks Cricket Australia for alienating the public!), but Mitch keeps ticking along and making us proud. Good one, Moo...

Put the cricket back on

Mitch, Chelsea and Fur Baby Ella

Quick - call security

"Bears find themselves at the spot where two deep-seated but contradictory human impulses collide: the desire to feel protected from unforeseeable danger and the longing for unspoiled nature."

Bernd Brunner

When Oskar came into our lives we started looking around for a companion for him. Yep, arranged marriages aren't dead in some cultures. So we happened on a badly treated girl called "chocolate". She was chained up in a dustbowl, fed only occasionally and most probably beaten. To say she has had some issues would be an understatement.

But - and she definitely has a big butt - the newly named "Jess" was desperate to fit in to a family role and so she crafted the following personality:

1. Must love soft toys
2. Must bark furiously whenever anything changes (e.g. walk out of the room and come back in with a hat on - Jess will take it upon herself to remind you not to do that)
3. Encourage everyone to scratch butt by sidling up backwards into person and looking up in a pleading way.
4. Eat everything available and more if possible.
5. Be very very affectionate once you're part of the pack.

This created persona has served her very well over the years, and only just lately have the brittle cracks appeared. A few months ago she started to wake up regularly in a barking panic - due we think to her failing eyesight and hearing creating a feeling of unease when she was startled out of a doze. So off to the vet for some Diazepam and once we got the dosage right we got our much beloved Jess back.

We continue to have a few issues when she is out and about. The theory is that despite the fact that she looks like a "fur covered poo", in the dog world she seems to be some kind of supermodel, and all the other dogs want desperately to, er, covet her.

She is not into this adoration and in times past would often swim out to sea to avoid contact. Now that she is a little more land bound she can get a little too aggressive with these potential suitors. So we don't tend to walk her as often (which is fine as her knees and hips are ageing), and we often schedule outings to coincide with quiet times for her sanity.

We think we should maybe have named her "Security", although "Jess" has been a great recovery from her past ("Jessica" if she is either in trouble or has done something wonderful) and her name and personality continue to serve her well as her literal and figurative twilight approaches.

She's our big bear - long may she reign.

The soft focus is a blessing

Dis quiet Australia

"Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it."

Terry Pratchett

We have been reassured this week that all the quiet Australians are OK with the country aflame due to unprecedented fire conditions. Now repeat after us - "Not Climate Change, Not Climate Change, Not Climate Change, ..."  Well, it certainly beats having to whip up a long range policy to deal with any kind of awkwardly complicated change. Denial and therefore deniability - worth a shot if you're a bit thick when it comes to the tricky details.

Meanwhile in Tasmania we have more snow on the mountains! The spring weather throws water and then sunshine at us in equal amounts and if you don't like the weather just wait about 30 minutes. Here is the valley in all of it's glory last night - just wow.

OMG

Shabby old guy

"Now you are finally with me, you are safe now. Don't be afraid of anything. You don't have to worry anymore."

Oskar Schindler

In 2008 after returning from our English adventure we quickly wanted to stock up on animals to surround ourselves with after a drought of two years, because any other way of living just sounds like existing.

We contacted the local vet expressing our interest in any strays, left-behinds, conked out has-beens etc., and settled back to enjoy a few weeks or months of speculation as to what might cross our path.

All of two days later the vet called to say a stray mutt had been found in a highly disheveled state on the streets. He'd clearly been abandoned for awhile, had a few health issues and a fragile mental state. Oh, and he was really cute!

So adorable was this mongrel (later identified as a New Zealand Huntaway) that the ranger had taken him home instead of following procedure and housing him at the pound. He'd also brought him to our vet to treat the various internal and external ailments that such a creature gathers when fending for themselves.

We sent the hard-hearted Anthony out on reconnaissance and straight away we took delivery of our little man "Oskar" (named after Oskar Schindler). Anthony returned with a stern "He's on a 24 hour trial" to which Kym rolled her eyes in a very familiar fashion. Oskar has been with us ever since - in four different houses across two states - providing us with much needed love, comfort and canine wisdom.

Tiny Man

Early on we had to work on his peculiarities born of trauma - the first of which was an over familiarity with a certain large furry toy rabbit (exit to the bin one overused and exhausted bunny). He initially could only poo when moving on the lead and was prone to leaving a comical trail of nuggets on every walk. On the path to his version of normality he then took to delicately carrying his own (full) poo bag all the way home from walks. Initially he couldn't walk past a storm drain and had to be carried (perhaps an indication of the mode of abandonment?). Amazingly for anyone who knows him now, he didn't speak for many years. Even when whacked by a cricket ball hit by an enthusiastic child he couldn't summon a verbal complaint or whimper. He seemed mute and immutable.

He was ever reliable for a laugh with his antics (or just tics) and he became and still is an important part of the fabric of our lives.

The original bucket head sans guitar

He doesn't have that many tricks left, but his current schtick is to request politely and very calmly to exit the house - then race around in tight circles yipping crazily at his tail - very amusing Oskar.

He is now over 11 years old, very hard of hearing, very slow to move around and get out of bed. He has old man lumps on his body, smells a bit as his mouth hygiene deteriorates, has comically large tufts of fur emerging from parts unknown, and is still loved to bits by anyone who is lucky enough to cross his path.

And still cute.

Oskar

Stop the world

"There may be a great fire in our hearts, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke."

Vincent Van Gogh

Exactly nine months ago we blogged about the terrible fires in our neighbourhood. It was a shocking summer, very stressful and quite a wake up call across this state in respect of the resources available to fight a conflagration not too dissimilar to the tragic 1967 fires. The report on the summer fires makes sobering reading - interesting that little if any of the recommendations have been enacted. The phrase "climate change" or variations on this theme occur a number of times in the report, and we have paragraphs such as:

The summer of 2018-19 was Tasmania’s second-warmest on record, with the mean temperature 1.60 °C above average; and only slightly cooler than the record summer of 2015-16. A feature of the summer was persistently warm days, especially during December and January and few especially cool days.

Lately we have been seeing ferocious early season fires elsewhere as well, in Queensland, NSW and Victoria (and further afield in California and Brasil) and wondering if we are now in the new normal. Although scientists in the field confirm the link to climate change - our Prime Minimal and his spineless team seem unlikely to waver in their view that the best policy approach to large complicated issues including existential threats consist of lack of policy.

Yelling incoherently via 140 character rants seems to have replaced informed debate and our flagship western "democracies" across the globe are mired in dysfunction of their own making - anyone seen a bi-partisan bill passed lately?

So this week we were a little alarmed to see significant fires (230 hectares burnt out so far) within 10km of our property so soon this year!

Oh great.

What is that going to mean for this region when summer officially starts in one month? We shudder to think - but do take care and keep an eye on the relevant sites in your area. Last year we had an octogenerian friend of ours who had absolutely no idea that an out of control fire was within 4km of their suburban home. Oblivious and with no support or plan for the worst. Even a "have you packed a bag" was met with confusion.

In other matters confusing - we are transitioning from a semi-orderly gardening season to a complete shambles in order to enact a 3 year old plan to shift our garden 10m in an Easterly direction (to be closer to the morning sun?). This means that our normal schedule of whacking weeds etc has fallen by the wayside. But every cloud has a silver lining and our darling egg factory workers (Factory Workers?) have been out in force with their own brand of crazy gardening amongst the forest of weeds. Well done ladies and gent - stage one of garden madness well and truly underway.

Something to look for in future pictures is the lack of hoops over the orchard seen in the video below - today whilst pruning, watering and feeding the fruit trees we plucked them all out! Watch this space.

Deck, Sleep, Work, Repeat

"Rita: This day was perfect. You couldn't have planned a day like this.
Phil: Well, you can. It just takes an awful lot of work."

Groundhog Day

The groundhog did not see his shadow upon leaving his hibernation and so the back of winter has been broken. We have had couple of days over 25 degrees which is all the incentive we need to break out the deck furniture and look out onto the magnificence of God's creation at the end of the day.

We took the puppies for a trot at the local showgrounds and then back home for a well deserved rest. The pups are easily exhausted in this heat, but we find that a cleansing ale goes a long way to aid recovery.

Salud!

Going loopy

"You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine."

Tommy Cooper

The third lot of visitors in three weeks have drifted into our orbit - and lately we have taken to a nice 3-4 hour loop through some lovely countryside, picking up a meal here, a drink there, some coffee and maybe some of the best chocolate on the planet.

It's a nice quick view of the valley and this week it saw Kym and longtime friend Susan checking out quirky gift shops in Cygnet - the Royal Dalton Teapot at $285 we passed over in favour of a lovely version at the local recycling centre. Sorry snobs, if you visit us you'll definitely be slumming it!

Loop de Loop

Buddies since Grade Five!

Which hair was cut?

"Another theory about hair, not from my mother, but from the best friend. A woman who cuts her hair drastically is set to make some decisions."

Weike Wang

We have given up on Kelly being groomed by us in any meaningful way. We seemed to have been reduced to cutting out matted clumps, something which neither us nor her enjoyed. And how can you deal with any animal that grows a prodigious amount of protruding hair from between their toes? We were out of our depth.

So armed with some discretionary funding and fresh from the success of shearing the ruminants we trucked Kelly off to "Bubbles" in Margate. They said "what would you like us to do with Kelly today?" and we replied "please take this walking carpet and turn her into a dog!"

Mission accomplished!

Dad they cut all my hair off! I know sweetie, I know...

Speaking (er, writing) of immaculately groomed youngsters, we are in the middle of a three weekend hosting splurge and have been joined by Jackson and Alex on their worldwide tour of the Huon Valley. Nice to see you kids again - come back real soon.

Sitting around the couch in a totally natural manner

Pining for work

My normal life is like being on holiday.

Valentino Rossi

Not all of us are Rossi fans, and also we are not sure if there are that many people who would consider that hanging on to an engine mounted on two wheels travelling upwards to 350kph in close quarters with 20+ like minded maniacs constitutes a "holiday" - but that's Valentino (and his mates) for you.

In the meantime our "holiday" time is filled with car servicing, new tyres, motormower and whipper snipper servicing, garden duties, host duties, cooking, spring cleaning, dog grooming, etc., etc., to the point where we do wonder if going back to work early would be more relaxing.

Anyhoo - we did get out to Willie Smith's for an ale with a friendly octogenarian last night. Some of us look a little surprised to be there! Good music, good food and good company - OK the holidays are not that bad.

And they're off

"Money to me had always been merely something the sheep used to show each other how wonderful they were."

Jeff Lindsay

Long time readers will see the cyclic nature of the blog today - yes, it's shearing time again! The added bonus is lice and worm treatment resulting in some trendy racing stripes for the ruminants. It only cost a few coins from the purse and now we have some fresh faced young animals gamboling about the place and itching less - nice use of discretionary funds!

We are not amused

And even though we realise that the electronics stuff has now branched off to another blog and channel, you may be interested to see the outcome of the "grow light" experiment - which seems to have resulted in some succulent shoots that have popped in part due to the last energy sucked out of "dead" batteries.

Nice result from the erg harvester

Hay, Fever, leave them kids alone

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds exhilarate the spirit, and restore the tone of languid nature.

William Cowper

Wow we love the garden at the moment - and as hay fever sufferers we hate it as well. The flowers are going nuts and we need to mow the lawn every fifteen minutes.

What's really noticeable is the birdsong - the little blighters are in full voice and it's pretty impressive.

Captain of the bathtub

As soon as I get on my boat, something inside me changes. Then I really feel what living is.

Laura Dekker

Kym has been spending some time at home recently which has been great for the puppies. The weather has cooperated nicely (spring flower pics to follow), and when not cavorting about in the paddocks and taking over the sheep's "boat", we've even been out to the beach to connect once again with the cleansing properties of the ocean. Damn cold - but lovely.

Oh dear

Still cute after all these years

Chasing electrons?

"The individual does actually carry on a double existence: one designed to serve his own purposes and another as a link in a chain, in which he serves against, or at any rate without, any volition of his own."

Sigmund Freud

For those readers wondering what the hell happened to all the electronics posts - this is a very quick reminder that you will find your fix at the onecircuit blog and the onecircuit youtube channel. This week you will find out about the QX5252 (with a twist).

Mmmm - nice little circuit

In the meantime here is a quick picture of the forest floor down past Geeveston we took last week. See you on the other side...

Don't need them ashes

If you play good cricket, a lot of bad things get hidden.

Kapil Dev

As Australia stumbles in the ashes series in England (metaphor anyone?), Kym and I thought we might venture down south to see how the local ashes of the summer have recovered. Turning right at Geeveston, we walked into the burnt forest and were amazed to see that six months later the burnt out area is doing very well - green bits shooting everywhere and the rich earthy smell of spring seeping from the ground into the air.

Our hearts were gladdened by the sights, smells and sounds of a very much alive bush. Retiring for a soothing cup of tea and vanilla slice at the local bakery, it was a nice trip to restore our mood and set us up for a fecund season of growth and renewal.

That's stumps everyone (or is there one over to go?)

Tree ferns are doing well

Recent growth

Pretty nice in the middle of the forest - no shops though :(

A vanilla slice cures practically anything

Still some snow on the hills (view from Dover)

A necessary reprieval

"When the need arises - and it does - you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don't farm it out — that doesn't make it nicer, it makes it worse."

Robert A. Heinlein

We always thought that Heinlein was a bit overrated, but he may have been onto something when talking about the wonderful and terrible responsibility of animal ownership. Today we had to "farewell" our quirky mate Cornelius. His behaviour had been deteriorating of late, including ignoring his flock to ensure his own safety, and hogging the food instead of facilitating it's distribution.

There had been much discussion in the last few months about his usefulness on the property, and his case was not helped when he failed to sire any new fluffy chicks last season. We tried to blame it on the fires or other factors, but the sad fact is that his tenure became increasingly tenuous!

Recently we purchased a couple of new pullets, assured that they were both female. As time passed, it became obvious that the statuesque "Xena" was becoming androgynous and even dipping into the decidedly masculine side of the chicken spectrum. Today "she" crowed - and thus "Xena" has officially been renamed "Zeus". As for Cornelius - we gave him a great last day on the planet, then dispatched him for the greater good of the flock.

Long live Zeus, the new King on the block.

To alleviate the trauma associated with the "farewell", we decamped to our local watering hole Willie Smith's and enjoyed a few medicinal beverages and the magnificent "taste of the valley" board. It doesn't fully heal the wound, but it was a nice and timely diversion.

Beautiful presentation - tastes even better!

Ignorance is brisk

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

Issac Asimov

The antarctic blast coming through this weekend has been a boon for sitting around in the internal warmth and inventing ways of frittering the hours away.  It is not great for over sized rambunctious puppies who must be entertained in the same way as a toddler. Kym's approach involves throwing the ball down the hallway (although this is technically an "outside" game) while Anthony pursues more intellectual challenges, like - where is the ball, Kelly?

Before you ring the RSPCA - she always gets the ball! In fact, she is terrible at sharing and is constantly fiddling with the "game rules" to suit her intended outcome of maintaining around 90% possession.

In the middle of the brisk blast from down south, we still overhear the odd denier chipping in with the old chestnut about how there is no global warming because it is cold outside. Interesting approach to reality and best illustrated by the following image from "The Conversation"

Ass-ume the position

So amid the heavy sighs and eye rolling we will try to keep the conversation open about how weather is not climate and the gentle nudging that is in all of our interests to continue - but honestly!

And finally what exactly does brisk weather look like down here? Well, beautiful of course. It's not a lot of snow compared to previous years, but maybe that is due to a changing climate? Nah!

A light dusting on the top please

Light eggs

"People don't know how chickens can turn on you, but they can -- just like mad dogs."

Mary Ann Shaffer

Whether it was the long hot summer, the consequent fires or some other stressor, our six laying girls decided around 10 weeks ago to shed most of their feathers and stop making eggs. Whilst a few weeks off is normal around this time, we were beginning to get a little worried as the days stretched on and each evening revealed yet another disappointing view of sad empty nesting boxes.

So we made up some mash of cooked beef, rice and oil to supplement their diet, as well as high quality grain and plenty of vitamins and minerals. All of our patient care has been rewarded as they came back online this week and we have some eggs appearing again. Apparently they can sense the lengthening days and with more light comes more eggs. Nice one girls.

We have also invested in an auto-feeder and auto-waterer to take some stress out of our lives, although no doubt it would be cheaper to just buy some eggs from time to time! The garden has benefited from all of their droppings, and soon the great cycle will kick in again. We also managed to remember to spray for leaf curl at the right time this year so here's hoping for a good crop of peaches and nectarines come summer.

Whilst cleaning up the plastic from one of our local beaches this week (on the shores of Kangaroo Bay) we took a lovely pic of the scenery, and also we thought the view of the driveway trees coming back to life was very pretty (spot the sheep in the background)!

Direct flight nirvana

"Aeronautics was neither an industry nor a science. It was a miracle."

Igor Sikorsky

So maybe we are a little bit in love with air travel again? After a horror flight from Dubai to Perth in 2015 we swore off being sandwiched inside a smelly tin can with fellow sufferers (and more than a few sadists), eating truly awful food and being subjected to all manner of inhumane treatment in the name of "security" (thanks Pete and Emirates).

We are pleased to report that our junket to Perth this week using Virgin Australia's direct route was relatively civilised. We still had to line up more times than needed, but it was a great opportunity to catch up with family and friends.

It was with much relief also that we were able to track down the final resting place of Kym's dad Eric and although unconventional and subject to the usual familial discombobulation it turned out to be a tranquil spot. We spent some time remembering the moment we helped him move from pain and infirmity to the next level which at the time was quite a formative experience for both of us.

All up it was a great but seemingly fleeting visit - and if the direct route survives modern economic rationalism, then we will definitely be using it again.

The next gen enjoying rare family time together

A very Perth "swan coffee"

The local cafe complete with dog mural

Eric's outlook

In the backyard with our "grandpuppy" Ella