a fleeting visitor

 

 

Di McEwen found a fairy penguin stranded on the reef at Cape Douglas where it was being hassled by a hawk and protected by two seagulls. She picked it up and found it seemingly unharmed and quite plump - probably full of tommy ruffs.
 

We rang Natural Resources South East and were advised to return it to where it was found as it may have a burrow near there that no-one knows about.

So Di did this and reports that it was last seen swimming strongly out to sea in the direct of Port Mac.

 

Fairy penguin left Di a memento on her shirt!

 



the fisherman returns

 

 

David had an extremely successful fishing trip to Coffin Bay with Roger. They caught their possession limit in whiting - 72 fish each and some were thumpers of 51 cm. Plenty of garfish but David left them for Roger as he can catch them at home.

 

 

David arrived back with Burmese kitten #2 - Jazz.

Mallory wasn't keen on this interloper to start with but now they are best friends.

 

 

Jazz (front) is blue, Mallory is brown



carnage on the beach

The beach was littered yesterday with remnants of sea urchins.

I reckon the culprits were standing on the reef - a large flock of ibis, looking for all the world like a gathering of church elders standing there in black and white, fossicking around and honking dismally.
They look lovely flying over but on the ground those beaks can inflict some damage.

 

 

Meanwhile the fisherman is off on annual his fishing holiday in Coffin Bay with Roger.

 

Before he left he constructed more cat walks and crows nest boxes for the cat enclosure.

 

Mallory can walk high up 270' around with more construction coming - still plenty of recycled timber to be used up. 

 

 

boomsmas at birdwood

We spent last weekend at Birdwood for the occasion of Helen's reunion of the 1961 Leaving Class.

 

 

I thought I would recognise everyone, having studied the 1961 school magazine - but when I met the group, panic! The 17 year-old faces in memory didn't match the 71 year-old faces until later in the day when we'd been together for a while.

 

 



25 students with class teacher Mr Hansberry

21 students sitting in the same positions.
(1 dead, 1 got the day wrong, 2 are interstate.
Our beloved Mr Hansberry dead.)

The Headmaster's house where we lived has gone, swallowed up by a modern Resource Centre. Strange to stand at a computer and think this is where my bedroom was -never heard of computers then. As we stood where our kitchen used to be I was asked to describe the house: 

Chris Barry, Diane Bannon, me, Jim Porter

 

At least my name in still on the honour boards:



It was a great weekend and we have vowed to meet again in 2026!

fernication at Beechwood

 

It's amazing what a difference a load of topsoil can make!
Thanks to Di Cameron for the treeferns and birdsnest, Mary Anderson for the maidenhair and the Garden Club for two crinkly birdsnest ferns called "Lasagne" there was something to be planted in the new cat enclosure:



Mallory thinks: "they've turned desert into a jungle"