Gunns Plains

Posted on February 12, 2016 by kathy

Gunns Plains is a rich, fertile valley in northwest Tasmania. Named after botanist and early explorer, Robert Campbell Gunn, the Leven River winds through pastures, grazing stock and rich, red volcanic soil. Forty minutes drive from our house is George Woodhouse Lookout where George and his wife, Lurlie, are resting with a view of their beloved plains.

1.sunny view

The view is breathtaking, even on a cloudy day.

2.cloudy view2

It is a place we like to take visitors, building them up to this astounding vista as we get nearer. It was a little disappointing, one clear June day, to find the valley under heavy cloud. Still beautiful but not quite the same.

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The scenery is just as captivating once down on the plain.

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I love the poplar trees as winter approaches.

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Beneath this gorgeous landscape lies over 150 caves. The second largest was discovered in 1906 when a possum hunter’s dog fell into a hole. It was opened to the public three years later. The formations in the cave are magnificent, particularly the calcite shawls

10.shawl

and the flowstones are so varied.

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Stalactites, stalagmites, columns and young shawls abound.

This cute little fungus caught my eye.

21.fungus

The underground river still flows and is home to the endangered freshwater crayfish, platypus and eels. The delicate display of the glow worms can be appreciated when the torchlight is dimmed. We look forward to returning to the caves, maybe with our next visitors….

broken bridge

Posted on February 5, 2016 by kathy

Our latest project was a bit daunting, we’d put it off thinking it would be difficult and time consuming. There is a bridge over the stream at the bottom of the hill in the rainforest

1.before1

and the timbers have been deteriorating since we moved in. No longer was it safe to traverse in a tractor…….

2.before2

……the time had come. Michael had sourced hardwood from a local sawmill and it was already stacked and ready to go. After cutting them to length

3.cutting

we laid them out to make sure we had enough

4.laying out 5.laid out

and drilled the nail holes in preparation.

6.drilling

The old boards were easily prised off

7.prising 8.prising

and the new ones were dragged down the hill a few at a time.

9.dragging

One by one, they were set in place

10.new ones

and nailed to the supporting beams (old telegraph poles).

11.nailing

We were pleasantly surprised at the progress we made

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and the old ones were stacked for future use.

13.old ones

The last of the old ones came off

14.last one off 15.all old ones off

and the new ones were all laid.

16.all laid

It was hot work but the surroundings made up for the discomfort.

17.scenery1 18.scenery2

Side rails finished off the edges and Poppy was on hand to give advice.

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We thought it fitting that she should be first to test the strength of the new bridge.

22.finished

After that hard work in the heat, there was only one way to get back up the hill.

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Caddo Lake

Posted on January 22, 2016 by kathy

While staying with Michael’s brother and sister-in-law in Texas, we were taken to Caddo Lake, the largest freshwater lake in southern U.S.A. Half in Texas and half in Louisiana, the 26,800 acre lake was once home to the Caddo Indians. The land was bought by the Government in 1835 and within a year all were moved out.

There are a number of theories as to how the town of Uncertain, on the shore of Caddo Lake, got its name. We lunched at Uncertain General Store & Grill, their specialty being catfish, along with other tasty offerings.

1b.Uncertain

I chose the safety of a bowl of fries but Michael had no trouble tucking into a mug of refried beans.

1c.Uncertain

After lunch, we boarded the Graceful Ghost, a replica 1800s steamboat, for a leisurely paddle around the lake.

1.Caddo Lake 1a.Graceful Ghost

The wood-burning paddlewheel steamboat hypnotised us with rhythmic harmonies as we skimmed along Big Cypress Bayou.

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The majestic cypress trees, draped in Spanish moss, were surreal and eerie.

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The egrets were magnificent

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and the occasional beaver nest broke the surface.

9.beaver nest

This hitchhiker was enjoying the sunshine.

12.Caddo Lake

The Tea Rooms could do with some renovation

13.Caddo Lake 14.Caddo Lake

and if you don’t want to dine there, you can always catch your own.

15.Caddo Lake

Our Caddo Lake experience was enchanting

10.Caddo Lake 11.Caddo Lake 16.Caddo Lake

and the tempo of the Graceful Ghost inspired Michael to create a musical composition.

17.Caddo Lake

This is where you can listen to “The Graceful Ghost” https://michaelcannon.bandcamp.com/track/the-graceful-ghost

sizzling Summer

Posted on January 19, 2016 by kathy

After the warmest, driest Spring on record, we are having a Summer to match. The dry, crisp grass is the colour of freshly baked shortbread and the trees are shedding their leaves, bark & limbs in order to survive. A few stalwarts are putting on a brave show. The grevilleas and callistemons don’t let the seasons affect them.

1.grevillea1 3.grevillea3 2.grevillea2 4.callistemon2

The miniature gladioli are elegant

and the canna lilies are a brilliant shade of orange.

The strelitzia was a surprise guest last year and has appeared again in some unusual places.

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The fuchsias seem to enjoy a hard pruning in Winter, rewarding with their diverse blooms.

The hydrangeas are a gorgeous deep blue this season.

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The burgundy willow myrtle is stunning with its cascading white flowers contrasting against the dark foliage.

7.myrtle1

The succulents are thriving in our desert conditions

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and the redcurrants love the sunshine.

23.redcurrant

We only have one rose in the garden and it has to be protected in the veggie patch so the possums & wallabies don’t make a meal of it. “Mothers Love” is a pale shell pink rose with the most wonderful perfume, a perfect tribute to mum.

21.rose4

Monarto Zoo

Posted on January 13, 2016 by kathy

Monarto Zoo is the largest open-range zoo in the world, set on 1,500 hectares about half an hours drive from our former home in the Adelaide Hills. I heard about a package called “Working with Wildlife” which involved spending a day with the keepers behind the scenes. I decided I would surprise Michael in October for his birthday. Little did I know, he had the same idea for me and beat me to it in March. The obvious thing to do was go together. We had an early start and after meeting the team, breakfast for the lemurs was the first job.

1.lemur