I've been fascinated by this tree lateley.
It's a Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta). This one single tree trapped in a sea of concrete appears to be surviving against the odds. Back in Melbourne they're everywhere but this is the only one I've ever seen in Darwin. It is contained in a tiny patch of soil at the edge of a service bay in between a carpark and a service entrance of a large shopping centre. There has been construction all around it but for some reason the tree has been spared. I don't know how long it's been there or if anyone else has ever even noticed it. I've been here about 9 years and don't remember when I first noticed it but this tree never seems to change. It doesn't appear to have grown and I never notice any flowers on it. Maybe this is what has helped it escape detection and allowed it to survive in such an inhospitable environment. What a battler!
Coincidentally there are heaps of Grevillea species in the Northern Territory, they are quite a diverse group of plants which range from low growing ground covers to medium sized shrubs. This species (native to eastern Australia) is the largest that I am aware of.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Dadap Tree
The amazing tree that all the birds are attracted to is called a Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina caffra).
Kafir-boom in it's home South Africa, Thong-lang in Thailand and Dadap or Dedap in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is drought tollerant which makes it well suited to Darwin's climate of wet - dry conditions.
The Dadap is a sacred tree in Bali and is considered a symbol of fertility. The tree features in Balinese ceremonies including the wedding ceremony. "After circling the compound three times a string connecting two branches of the dadap tree is severed by the couple passing through it." (Wedding & Tooth Filing, Bali Travel Guidebook).
Dadap is also believed to have medicinal properties and parts of it are used to treat various ailments.
Big Blackfella
The current issue of Australian Geographic, issue.83 (2006 Jul - Sep), has a story titled BIG BLACKFELLA on page. 34. While making our 4 day dash to Melbourne back in April my Dad and I happened to see him from the road (Stuart Hwy).
He was a magnificent site standing tall high on a rocky escarpment like a sentinel watching over his country. He was a giant whose view encompassed everything in the land from horizon to horizon. We tried to get closer to him to find out more but settled for a slightly closer view from the road before we continued on our way.
According to the article the local Anmatjere people call him Charlie Quartpot, a rainmaker from the past. He cut an awesome image and was a good reminder that although the wide open spaces and few settlements along the way give the impression of emptyness the Australian desert is far from empty! If you manage to spend some time out there you may sometimes have a sense that you are not alone... Maybe you're not?
The amazing tree that all the birds are attracted to is called a Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina caffra).
Kafir-boom in it's home South Africa, Thong-lang in Thailand and Dadap or Dedap in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is drought tollerant which makes it well suited to Darwin's climate of wet - dry conditions.
The Dadap is a sacred tree in Bali and is considered a symbol of fertility. The tree features in Balinese ceremonies including the wedding ceremony. "After circling the compound three times a string connecting two branches of the dadap tree is severed by the couple passing through it." (Wedding & Tooth Filing, Bali Travel Guidebook).
Dadap is also believed to have medicinal properties and parts of it are used to treat various ailments.
Big Blackfella
The current issue of Australian Geographic, issue.83 (2006 Jul - Sep), has a story titled BIG BLACKFELLA on page. 34. While making our 4 day dash to Melbourne back in April my Dad and I happened to see him from the road (Stuart Hwy).
He was a magnificent site standing tall high on a rocky escarpment like a sentinel watching over his country. He was a giant whose view encompassed everything in the land from horizon to horizon. We tried to get closer to him to find out more but settled for a slightly closer view from the road before we continued on our way.
According to the article the local Anmatjere people call him Charlie Quartpot, a rainmaker from the past. He cut an awesome image and was a good reminder that although the wide open spaces and few settlements along the way give the impression of emptyness the Australian desert is far from empty! If you manage to spend some time out there you may sometimes have a sense that you are not alone... Maybe you're not?
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Pretty Birds
There's a tree on the CDU campus that is a great hit with all the nectar eating birds! I don't know what it is but it has been absolutely covered in birds. On Monday I counted 7 species in less than 5 minutes! These included: Spangled Drongo, White Gaped Honeyeater, Rufus Banded Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Silver Crowned Friar bird, Red-collared Lorikeet and the Varied Lorikeet.
I went out there with Stephen Barnett (Librarian/Photography enthusiast/Fellow Blogger) who brought his camera with a 400mm Zoom lens he was trying out and we took some photos.
I am particularly fond of the Varied Lorikeets. They are smaller quieter and less common that the noisy and agressive Red-collared ones. I've added some photos.
There's a tree on the CDU campus that is a great hit with all the nectar eating birds! I don't know what it is but it has been absolutely covered in birds. On Monday I counted 7 species in less than 5 minutes! These included: Spangled Drongo, White Gaped Honeyeater, Rufus Banded Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Silver Crowned Friar bird, Red-collared Lorikeet and the Varied Lorikeet.
I went out there with Stephen Barnett (Librarian/Photography enthusiast/Fellow Blogger) who brought his camera with a 400mm Zoom lens he was trying out and we took some photos.
I am particularly fond of the Varied Lorikeets. They are smaller quieter and less common that the noisy and agressive Red-collared ones. I've added some photos.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Sunday weary Sunday
We survived another Territory day... just. It's been a pretty gruelling weekend with both my wife and daughter sick, and the dog freaking out over the continual explosions. Our sleep was interrupted by periodic explosions loud enough to rival a 21 (big) gun salute!
We managed to go and check out a house for sale and found as with every other house we've seen it was well beyond our means. The sad thing is that it was at the lowest end of the market which has been steadily and dramatically increasing for the at least the past 5 years. I don't have the statistics at hand but the cost of housing would have increased by over 100% in that time! Now is the time to say IF ONLY! While I think of all the opportunities I'd passed up before.
It's a good time to get spiritual and nothing brings me closer to God than realizing my security is in jeopardy! (Even if it is only my financial security!) :)
Good time in deed to focus on the real stuff of life. So I went outside (the rental unit I live in) this afternoon and planted some tomato and basil seeds. While out there I heard the sound of Double Barr finches calling. Looking round I eventually found them high in a Carpentaria Palm. On closer inspection I found they actually had a nest up there (it seemed a bit high for a finch nest). It wasn't long before I had shed all my worries about the highly inflated, fat cat investor driven property prices and had re-focussed on something real and beautiful. Houses are too inconsequential and impermanent to warrant a lifetime of debt and worry. Beauty is so much greater than that!
We managed to go and check out a house for sale and found as with every other house we've seen it was well beyond our means. The sad thing is that it was at the lowest end of the market which has been steadily and dramatically increasing for the at least the past 5 years. I don't have the statistics at hand but the cost of housing would have increased by over 100% in that time! Now is the time to say IF ONLY! While I think of all the opportunities I'd passed up before.
It's a good time to get spiritual and nothing brings me closer to God than realizing my security is in jeopardy! (Even if it is only my financial security!) :)
Good time in deed to focus on the real stuff of life. So I went outside (the rental unit I live in) this afternoon and planted some tomato and basil seeds. While out there I heard the sound of Double Barr finches calling. Looking round I eventually found them high in a Carpentaria Palm. On closer inspection I found they actually had a nest up there (it seemed a bit high for a finch nest). It wasn't long before I had shed all my worries about the highly inflated, fat cat investor driven property prices and had re-focussed on something real and beautiful. Houses are too inconsequential and impermanent to warrant a lifetime of debt and worry. Beauty is so much greater than that!
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Waiting for peace.....
Here's a bit of stencilled art/graffiti from the concrete water tower at CDU. Doesn't the black-silhouetted image fit with the bland concrete wall?
I'd rather write about the Curlews or the scrub fowl but this guy is haunting me and I've gotta give him space.
I noticed it, at first, from a distance; as I was watching some birds darting through the trees in the car park.
The contrast of black on grey was like a smudge my sights keenly focussed on the honey eaters at play.
I surveyed the trees briefly before my eyes shot back with sharp involuntary precision to the image on the wall.
A threat? Yes! danger! danger?... No... no.. it's just a picture. What is it.
I move closer to check it out but just enough to determine that it's only an image on a wall.
I chuckle to myself and continue on my way. Some fancy graffiti of some dude with a Kalashnikov (AK 47). Probably a terrorist! Fearsome yes but no immediate danger.
I walked past that image several times over the next couple of weeks always looking at it from a distance always impressed by it's threatening almost menacing presence. Convinced that it was put there to threaten, to promote fear in those who saw it. A clear image of a man pointing a rifle in such a menacing way could only suggest that violence would be done!
I began to feel compelled towards this image and so one day went up and had a good look at it. Then I realized that it was the silhouette of what appeared very much to be an American soldier. What at first looked like the turban of a radical fundamentalist transformed into the kevlar helmet of an American G.I.
My view of the image changed instantly. The image mutated from aggressive attacker into protective defender. But still the weapon was held in a threatening stance.
Now I am confused!
Was he at first a freedom fighter transformed by my prejudice into a symbol of terror?
Or is he now an oppressor blindly perceived to be a symbol of justice and freedom?
I have no idea who he is supposed to be or why someone posted him there, but now that he is I feel forced to keep a suspicious eye on that wall and rarely notice the birds...
He can't be disarmed and he won't go away!
Oh yeh and the fireworks have been going off all night and the dogs been inside, right under our feet, since 5pm!
It's Territory day and it's got to be seen to be believed! (unfortunately my camera's stuffed so I couldn't get any video). Every street, beach, paddock, sports ground and spare piece of dirt in the Darwin metro area have been converted into emergency launch pads. All kinds of explosive eluminating bang, fizz, whistle and scream things have been shooting through the atmosphere since 6pm and they're still going. The sky is full of lights and flashes and the streets are shrouded in a smoky haze! Rockets are spinning out of control and people are runnin dogs are skamperin birds are a droppin and the noise aint stoppin coz tonight Darwin's rockin. And I reckon the police fire and emergency services will be busy too.
Here's a bit of stencilled art/graffiti from the concrete water tower at CDU. Doesn't the black-silhouetted image fit with the bland concrete wall?
I'd rather write about the Curlews or the scrub fowl but this guy is haunting me and I've gotta give him space.
I noticed it, at first, from a distance; as I was watching some birds darting through the trees in the car park.
The contrast of black on grey was like a smudge my sights keenly focussed on the honey eaters at play.
I surveyed the trees briefly before my eyes shot back with sharp involuntary precision to the image on the wall.
A threat? Yes! danger! danger?... No... no.. it's just a picture. What is it.
I move closer to check it out but just enough to determine that it's only an image on a wall.
I chuckle to myself and continue on my way. Some fancy graffiti of some dude with a Kalashnikov (AK 47). Probably a terrorist! Fearsome yes but no immediate danger.
I walked past that image several times over the next couple of weeks always looking at it from a distance always impressed by it's threatening almost menacing presence. Convinced that it was put there to threaten, to promote fear in those who saw it. A clear image of a man pointing a rifle in such a menacing way could only suggest that violence would be done!
I began to feel compelled towards this image and so one day went up and had a good look at it. Then I realized that it was the silhouette of what appeared very much to be an American soldier. What at first looked like the turban of a radical fundamentalist transformed into the kevlar helmet of an American G.I.
My view of the image changed instantly. The image mutated from aggressive attacker into protective defender. But still the weapon was held in a threatening stance.
Now I am confused!
Was he at first a freedom fighter transformed by my prejudice into a symbol of terror?
Or is he now an oppressor blindly perceived to be a symbol of justice and freedom?
I have no idea who he is supposed to be or why someone posted him there, but now that he is I feel forced to keep a suspicious eye on that wall and rarely notice the birds...
He can't be disarmed and he won't go away!
Oh yeh and the fireworks have been going off all night and the dogs been inside, right under our feet, since 5pm!
It's Territory day and it's got to be seen to be believed! (unfortunately my camera's stuffed so I couldn't get any video). Every street, beach, paddock, sports ground and spare piece of dirt in the Darwin metro area have been converted into emergency launch pads. All kinds of explosive eluminating bang, fizz, whistle and scream things have been shooting through the atmosphere since 6pm and they're still going. The sky is full of lights and flashes and the streets are shrouded in a smoky haze! Rockets are spinning out of control and people are runnin dogs are skamperin birds are a droppin and the noise aint stoppin coz tonight Darwin's rockin. And I reckon the police fire and emergency services will be busy too.
The revolutionary NYC cyclists
While browsing some great New York City bicycle culture blogs like Bikeblog I came across this article on a philosophy/concept/theory called 'Social Capital' at a blog called The Oil Drum: New York City."Helping New Yorkers understand, prepare and adapt to the implications of Peak Oil"
This site dares to consider the social implications of an economic collapse due to the inevitable and dramatic increase in the price of oil.
I like their alarmist approach to this situation. Why? Because there is cause for alarm!
Anyway that is kind of getting away from my point. The concept of Social Capital is probably not a new one but it is something that appears to be totally lacking from the ideologies of todays political leaders, at least in this country. It is definitely a term that I have never heard mentioned from the Australian media or politicians. So if you're interested to know what it is click on any of the URLs above and you can find out a bit more.
There seems also to be a culture of bicycle activism that expresses such a social conscience that presents a strong argument against the status quo that favours cars over people on urban or city streets.
These guys are revolutionary! Their blogs describe what it is like to be a cyclist in a hostile city environment where there is little consideration for cyclists or pedestrians and cars have right of way regardless of the harm they cause! How we travel must have some bearing on our thinking and our connectedness to others and these guys make a clear point that cycling is the more enlightened way to go...
While browsing some great New York City bicycle culture blogs like Bikeblog I came across this article on a philosophy/concept/theory called 'Social Capital' at a blog called The Oil Drum: New York City."Helping New Yorkers understand, prepare and adapt to the implications of Peak Oil"
This site dares to consider the social implications of an economic collapse due to the inevitable and dramatic increase in the price of oil.
I like their alarmist approach to this situation. Why? Because there is cause for alarm!
Anyway that is kind of getting away from my point. The concept of Social Capital is probably not a new one but it is something that appears to be totally lacking from the ideologies of todays political leaders, at least in this country. It is definitely a term that I have never heard mentioned from the Australian media or politicians. So if you're interested to know what it is click on any of the URLs above and you can find out a bit more.
There seems also to be a culture of bicycle activism that expresses such a social conscience that presents a strong argument against the status quo that favours cars over people on urban or city streets.
These guys are revolutionary! Their blogs describe what it is like to be a cyclist in a hostile city environment where there is little consideration for cyclists or pedestrians and cars have right of way regardless of the harm they cause! How we travel must have some bearing on our thinking and our connectedness to others and these guys make a clear point that cycling is the more enlightened way to go...
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