Birds Birds Birds

Last week we had ducks in a row, this week, we have finches in the feeder and the whistling kite and the raven having a face off at the feeding station!

Water Buffalos in Kakadu

They say in the early 1980's there were about 20,000 feral buffalo in Kakadu. They were destroying the environment and threatening native wildlife. They were culled down to a couple of hundred at that point. We went on a cruise in Yellow Waters a while back and saw a couple there but this is the first time I have seen any roaming wild along the road. Although periodically there will be a story in the paper where a car or truck has run into one. They are huge animals so they can do a lot of damage if you are unlucky enough to hit one!

If you would like to read more about them, check out this site:
http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/buffalo/index.html

Wide Open Spaces

There was a nice elderly couple in the store this week, visiting from Texas. They marveled, as do I constantly, at the wide open spaces in Australia. Here is an article from today's paper that really shows you what we mean!

My Ducks in a Row

As the plains dry up and the water holes disappear the ones that remain become more crowded with birds of all sorts. Check out this spot and never let it be said that I don't have all my ducks in a row!!!

A Different Look for the Road to Darwin

Here are a couple of pictures that show the contrast from the wet to the dry and in the space of just a very short period of time. First there is a picture of a flood plain about a month ago, then a picture of the same plain on the way home last Friday, it is now pretty much dried up and the big burns are starting. This is the same road that was covered with 2 meters of water when we were marooned. Look at the entry for April 17 to see how it looked then.

Ian the Polly!

Ian has just been elected to the Jabiru Town Council. It has had a troubled past so let's hope he can help to bring it all together!

Frog in the Sprinkling Can

I was going to water my basil plant, filled the can with water and tipped it over on the basil but nothing came out!!! There was
some funny sloshing noises and then a tiny little trickle. I turned it around and peered down the spout and saw little eyeballs looking back at me, there was a frog living in my sprinkling can! You just never know what is going to happen next when you live in Jabiru!

Most Beautiful Painting

This is my favorite painting. We have a lot of great paintings in our store but this one is without a doubt the best. It is painted by Elizabeth Bangarr. She lives on an outstation called Manmoy, so far out that when she comes to town, it is a flight of a couple of hours to get here. It is unique in that when she was finished with the painting she did the basket weaving around the outside. It is done on bark and with all hand ground pigment. No paint out of the tube for Elizabeth. This is done all in the old traditional style. The painting itself has a subtle but so very pleasing sense of rythm to it. It is a mimi spirit and the cross hatching on its body is so precise, virtually perfect. The hand prints are made by taking a mouthful of the pigment and expelling it over your hand. It is hanging in the store for sale, but I think it is earmarked for the living room wall at home!