The July Report

We have had 76 mm of rain this month so hopefully the soil profile has replenished well - it was so dry. Last year we had 0 mm in July.
This week has been frosty and clear sunny days - such a contrast to last week. It was windy and chilly on Tuesday morning but we enjoyed a walk in the rainforest at Ravensbourne National Park with lunch at Beutel's Lookout, in the sun.
Wednesday was our Franke Scrub morning and we made great progress on asparagus vine to the sounds of finches.
We celebrated 30 years with Jim on Friday night with beer, sauerkraut and bratwurst at the German Club, followed by schnapps. In the afternoon we had a nice walk along the river at Teneriffe. It has become a very smart suburb.

Full Moon in July

On Saturday we celebrated 40 years since we started going out together. It was also full moon so we had 6 friends around for a campfire. Trish brought a lovely mushroom and blue cheese soup, Don brought his pear wine, we cooked chicken drumsticks and vegetables in our camp ovens, then we had an apple crumble by Rosalie and a lime delicious pudding. Donna also brought a nice slice. We were lucky to get a clear, mild night at this time of year.

A mixed recital

Last night the Twilight Recital at USQ was a tribute to Peter Rorke, a former head of the music department, composer, conductor and teacher, who died 10 years ago. We started with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man with Toowoomba Municipal Band members, then arrangements of My Fair Lady excerpts by Rorke for Glennie and Grammar Orchestra. Three Dances for Two Flutes by Schocker was played well by two former students, then the USQ Strings played two Rorke compositions, the first with a very good solo violinist. We then enjoyed Arthur Johnson singing Schubert Lieder and a strident and enjoyable Festive by Shostakovich played by the Toowoomba Municipal Band - a very good collection of brass players. It turned out to be a very good program.

A spring walk?

On Tuesday we walked near White Mountain on Sandstone. It was moist and green with purple Hovea and Hardenbergia flowers among yellow wattles and Daviesias. We walked up a dry creek with flat sandstone slabs and it was a most enjoyable morning out.
On Sunday we walked on flat sided basalt blocks up a creek among lantana and privet. It was interesting however to be in such a striking volcanic spot at Hell Hole in Ben Lomond Park, right on the edge of Toowoomba. We sat on a rough rock scree for morning tea then scrambled up a steep slope of loose dirt.

Climate change

It is a wet week. We are signed on to the Solar Bonus Scheme but Sunny Boy is straining to generate anything. Meanwhile we have exceeded the monthly average rainfall for July by almost 100%. The plastic tank is almost full and we are running it out onto the garden so that it does not overflow. The concrete tank is not yet connected and we actually have slight soil erosion from the bubbler off the house roof, where the pile of dirt was. Most of the dirt has been spread which is good with this rain.

Macro meat and sustainability

Last night we cooked our kangaroo mini-roast with vegetables in the campoven on a small fire. It turned out very well. Not only do we enjoy kangaroo meat but it is healthy and environmentally friendly [for meat eaters]. We were lucky to have a mild evening to enjoy the sunset and full moon rise before going indoors at 6pm to watch Le Tour.

It's raining again

How good is this? We got 24 mm in the previous events and now there's more. At this rate the tank will fill - the old one that is - the new one is yet to be connected. One day the plumber will come and do it. Meanwhile I am moving dirt around it and looking forward to a new vegetable garden in spring.
Last week it was wet and misty on Tuesday morning and four of us turned up for the walk as well as Don the messenger of non-start. We headed west to Kingsthorpe lookout and the finer side of town. It was a pleasant drive and climb with things looking fresh straight after rain. Gisela had made a big cake for the planned bus trip to Nanango which was postponed so we four ladies enjoyed it in the park at Gowrie Junction on the way back. We enjoyed the best of the day.
The weather on the weekend was not so good but I got out to move dirt on Saturday afternoon, then on Sunday we went visiting family with lunch at Scarborough. It was nice to see the sea and we called in on Jim and his friends moving house on the way home.
Today we walked in the Upper Perseverance area which was nice and soft for a change. The moss on the rocks in the gullies was lush and moist and the grey green lichens were leafy and bright. We even saw a pool of water.

It's raining

The Arts

This week we had a clash on our subscriptions to USQ and the Empire Theatre, but we made it to both.
The Twilight Series at USQ included a seminar by Carl Conrad Merten, sculptor, currently tutoring at the Winter School with his twin brother Rex Steele Merten, jeweller. This turned out to be very well done, despite the latter being taken ill and thus unable to be there.
We were unable to stay for the reception and drinks following, but headed in to town for Queensland Ballet's performance of Carmen, which was very good, apart from the grumbling of the airconditioning [or sound system] which took away from the music. It was a large cast and the choreography had a nice flamenco feel, while being ballet. The dancers, costumes and set were also very good.
At home my own Grand Design is in progress around the tank.

Into July

Rain fell in the first week of June, then it returned to normal and has become quite dry again. Meanwhile the tank is built and last week I missed my walk as the dirt was replaced around the tank. Since then we have moved six railway sleepers now radiating out from the tank down the bank towards the north and east. We no longer have a mountain of dirt, but there is plenty to play with around the tank.

We are enjoying now moist and overcast weather, a bit windy, but hopefully some more rain in coming days to settle the dirt before the plumber digs trenches to connect the tank to the house.
In the absence of rainfall, the solar energy has been appreciated. We are looking forward to the Solar Bonus Scheme generating income for the Cotswold Hills Power Station.

June Walks

We walked at Crows Nest creek on the 24th and it was good to see water in it for a change. It was looking much better after some rain as it had been very dry when we were there last year. On the weekend we camped near the base of Mt Superbus prior to an early ascent of the Steamer Range. It was a steep climb but we did it on a very good day, with good company in Ian, Adrian, Rodney and Warwick. Six others left at 6 am for a long circuit around the Steamers to the Lincoln wreck, returning in the dark.
After the climb through rainforest, we walked below the vertical walls of the funnel to the eastern end, where we climbed up and along for morning tea on the western end of the funnel overlooking the mast and canopy far below. [photo by Adrian Jansen]

Lunch was on the eastern edge at Mt Steamer where the view to the north was somewhat obscured by smoke from a fire on Mt Greville. It was a steep descent north to the Steamer saddle, then a short climb to a nice spur with large brush box trees. Further west we returned along an old logging track which descended into the valley and back around the prow of the range.
I really like the Main Range. Score one tick on spine.