A Sandy Beach Almanac

Farewell, Sandy Beach

2006-09-07T15:16:00.000+10:00

Sunset, Sandy Beach,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

I'm moving over the next few days to Emerald Beach, which is two beaches south of here. It's a lovely spot, but my son and I will not be living right on the beach, so I won't be doing an Emerald Beach Almanac. Time will preclude it too, because I have begun a few rather large projects recently.

Thank you for you support of this website. I have had great fun doing it and it's been a privilege to bring to readers worldwide some of the interesting things I've found within 1,000 paces of my wee cabin.

I will keep this site here indfinitely in case you wish to browse the archives, which are found in the sidebar. Thank you again, and all good wishes to everyone.

You'll find me here.

First day of Spring

2006-09-01T13:39:00.000+10:00

Wildflowers over Back Sandy 2,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

Australians call September 1 the first day of Spring, just as March 1 is the first of Autumn, December 1 is the first of Summer and June 1 is the beginning of Winter. The custom dates back to early colonial times and has to do with the dates on which uniforms were issued to the British guards of the convict colony.

Looking south towards Emerald Beach from Bare Bluff (the south headland of Sandy Beach). Click for more Sandy Beach photos taken from Bare Bluff at dawn this morning. And it was a beautiful morning, with a carpet of tiny yellow wildflowers at my feet.

I didn't see the old boomer 'roo who startled me (as I startled him) on Bare Bluff earlier this week at dawn -- kangaroos are not common here, though they are at Emerald Beach, two beaches south. He stood nearly as tall as me (6 ft) and, about three or four meters from me, bounced off hell for leather into the heath.

Evidence of gold mining long ago

2006-08-26T08:06:00.000+10:00

Evidence of gold mining long ago,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

A close look at this shot shows two bolts in the rocks. These, I am told, were placed there for a flying fox in a gold-mining operation. At the top of this headland you can still see mullock heaps from diggings. This point is between Back Sandy Beach and Emerald Beach.

Aboriginal midden

2006-08-22T08:10:00.000+10:00

Aboriginal midden,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

This Aboriginal midden, or place for domestic waste disposal, is on the south headland of Back Sandy, which is the beach immediately south of Sandy Beach. The biew is looking north towards Sandy Beach, which is beyond the headland. The midden is composed of shells discarded over long periods of time.

Sand ripples at dawn

2006-08-17T07:31:00.000+10:00

Sand ripples at dawn,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

The sand that disappeared from the south end this week showed up at the north end, changing the nature of the rocks there. Because of all the sand, where a week ago there were rick pools, it's easier to walk around the large rock which I call 'Cormorant Rock' and I've heard referred to as 'Submarine Rock', because of its shape.

This morning's sunrise

2006-08-13T11:56:00.000+10:00

This morning's sunrise,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

It was especially beautiful on the beach at dawn today.

Sandy Beach eroded

2006-08-12T08:39:00.000+10:00

Sandy Beach eroded,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

High winds, high seas and possibly high tides have stripped Sandy Beach of thousands of tonnes of sand this week. This is what remains of the south end. I suppose that in a year or two things will return to normal.

Out for an "early"

2006-08-02T14:23:00.000+10:00

Out for an "early",
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

Two surfers out for an "early", at dawn this morning.

Spring is sprung?

2006-08-01T14:41:00.000+10:00

Spring is sprung?,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

It's only August 1, but in this neck of the woods the jasmine is bursting with Spring beauty and fragrance. In Sydney the jasmine -- harbinger of Spring -- usually starts blossoming on about August 25, but here, up north, we get our first signs of Spring a little earlier. Today has been a perfect Spring day in the middle of Winter, but not quite as warm as both days of the weekend just gone, when it was T-shirt and even swimming weather.

Birds at dawn

2006-07-17T08:04:00.000+10:00

Birds at dawn,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

Best viewed at the largest size, these birds were flying very fast and I couldn't identify them (looked to me like pigeons -- maybe topknot pigeons but I've never before seen that species fly over the ocean). They flew along at breakneck speed just offshore, then proceeded inland.

The wheel turns

2006-07-14T08:08:00.000+10:00

The day is overcast and cool. A fairly typical and not terribly exciting Winter's day.

But we have had some wonderful warm days with scarcely a cloud in the sky, and temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius. And we are well past the Solstice soon it will be Spring, but as the days lengthen, of course, the cold strengthens, and the next month is Sandy Beach's coldest period. By the time late August and September come, we'll be back in our T-shirst, by day anyway. The wheel of the year turns so beautifully.

September will mark something else. I will be moving to Emerald Beach, two beaches south of Sandy. It's a beautiful place, but I won't be actually on the beach as I am here. It's a matter of economics, as so many things are. I will be taking a house rather than a cabin, as my 14-year-old son Remy is coming to live with me. A cabin on Sandy Beach is affordable. A house on any beach in NSW is not.

I'll miss Sandy, and Sandy Beach Almanac, but I'll have something much better in my life, namely my wonderful son, and a very nice domestic situation in and village in which to enjoy a new phase. There won't be an Emerald Beach Almanac in the foreseeable future. The wheel will have moved on.

Moonstruck

2006-07-11T19:05:00.000+10:00

Moonstruck,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

Fly me to the Moon

2006-07-10T19:03:00.000+10:00

Fly me to the Moon,
originally uploaded by Pip_Wilson.

I shot this from my front gate at sunset this evening.

Today's rainbow

2006-07-04T16:18:00.000+10:00

Today's rainbow,
originally uploaded by Pip from Oz.

Today's been a rainbow day. The first one I saw was this one at 9:20 at the Raj Mahal on the Pacific Highway. Since then there have been plenty, like an unexpected appearance of a lot of old friends. Bravo Ma Nature! The one shown here capped off a good rainbow day.

No dolphins, just a cloud

2006-07-03T13:15:00.000+10:00

Clouds yesterday,
originally uploaded by Pip Wilson from Australia.

I went to the beach just before lunch today and the first thing I noticed was a pod of dolphins swimming from the middle of the beach southward, just behind the line of breakers.

Near the back of the beach (I mean where the vegetation begins) I stood on a sandhill a bit more than a metre high, to get the best vantage point I could in this relatively flat environment.

Just then about eight dolphins surfed a wave. Behind them, the island on the horizon. Behind the island, a massive bank of thick, white, billowing cumulus clouds. The sun was over my left shoulder. All was perfect. I clicked, the camera worked and I was pretty excited.

Unfortunately, my camera (as much as I think it's briliant) on long distance shots takes a long time with the shutter, and is not great with zoom shots, so all I got was a nice scenic shot of the beach. :: sigh ::

Oh well, here's the cloud from last evening. Better than nothing I guess.

Help keep four-wheel drives off beaches

2006-07-02T19:35:00.000+10:00

An email today from a reader. You, too, can take action to help keep cars off Sandy Beach.

Hi Mr Wilson

I just typed in sandy beach and got onto your web site. just wanted to let you know, I cant believe nothing has been done about vehicle access to the beach so I took your advice and emailed the following to your local newspapers, radio and council. hope it helps because we wish to move up to the area after christmas.
Cheers
G.

Whilst holidaying in coffs harbour we discovered sandy beach, The kids myself and my partner thought it was the best beach. however each day we visited 4wds would access the beach and drive along it. why? they clearly had no boat or boat trailer at tow. the sign clearly states no cars, my 7 yr old son soon grabbed his 3 yr old sister when a nissan navara went past. I was too slow to get a rego and the vehicle too fast. Then if i did have a rego what do i do, it would be my word against theirs. what can we do to stop this. Does council need to resort to bollards to cordon off the boat ramp area to stop nuisance 4wders? In this situation emergency vechicle access would be hindered because of nuisance 4wders.
yours sincerely
G. McC

Tucker time

2006-07-01T19:44:00.000+10:00

Tucker time,
originally uploaded by Pip Wilson from Australia.

Today at the Chili Festival at Sawtell, about 40 minutes south of Sandy Beach. More Chili Fest pix here.

I'm a member of the Rainbow Region flickr group for North-eastern New South Wales.

Where is Moby Dick?

2006-07-01T19:42:00.000+10:00

Whale watching at Sawtell today,
originally uploaded by Pip Wilson from Australia.

The whales were passing in their annual northward Winter migration, but a long way from shore. Today at Sawtell, NSW, Australia.

What I missed last week was a white humpback whale -- an albino like Moby Dick -- which was seen locally heading north. This week's copy of the local The Independent newspaper has a photo.

Another midwinter sunrise shot

2006-06-29T21:43:00.000+10:00

Midwinter sunrise,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The sun is far north as it's midwinter, but rising further to the south a little each morning. A good time to be thinking about making a spotdial on the ceiling.

Midwinter sunrise

2006-06-29T21:32:00.000+10:00

Midwinter sunrise 1,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The nights are now quite chilly, and it was cool on the beach at dawn, but not cold. This fisherman seemed to be enjoying it as much as I.

The last few days have been warm, mostly sunny, and beautiful at Sandy Beach.

Lizzie

2006-06-27T14:53:00.000+10:00

Lizzie,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

While Johnny's renovating the nesting box in anticipation of the pitter patter of little wings, Lizzie is taking it pretty easy.

Pregnant Gouldian

2006-06-27T14:49:00.000+10:00

Pregnant Gouldian,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Poor Lizzie can hardly fly at present and no doubt is 'great with egg'. Usually no Gouldian would let you pick them up, but she can hardly move. I even nearly trod on her on the floor.

Meanwhile, Johnny Gould is busy renovating last season's nest in the nesting box. What a man!

(If you also live with uncaged birds indoors, there's a flickr group called Uncaged! Birds in our homes just for you.)

New flickr group for North Coast photos

2006-06-27T11:42:00.000+10:00

If you or your friends take photos anywhere between Bellingen and the Queensland border, you're invited to join the new flickr group, Rainbow Region: Bellingen-Coffs-Lismore-Tweed and share pics. Amateurs and professionals welcome. Depending on how this one goes, I'm thinking of starting a Sandy Beach group.

Tagged: flickr, photos, photography, australia

Spangled drongo eating grasshopper

2006-06-27T10:46:00.000+10:00

Spangled drongo eating grasshopper,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

In this picture, the Spangled drongo seems to have a long beak, but in fact it's swallowing a big grasshopper.

Tagged: australia, birds, nature, photos, photography, flickr

Spangled drongo

2006-06-27T10:45:00.000+10:00

Spangled drongo,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The Spangled drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus) is, one hopes, not as stupid as its name suggests. (In Australia, 'drongo' means 'idiot'.) You can easily tell the species by the distinctive fishtail.

This one is fairly young, as the spots haven't fully formed on his body, and he was crying out, presumably for his mother.

Tagged: australia, birds, nature, photos, photography, flickr

Flying foxes at Woolgoolga

2006-06-25T11:22:00.000+10:00

Flying foxes at Woolgoolga,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This picture is not from within 1,000 paces of The Ponderosa, but not very far away. It's from Woolgoolga, by the lake, about 7 minutes' drive or one hour on the hoof north of here.

At about 9.30 am these Flying foxes at Woolgoolga were keeping each other awake with a cacophony of squabbling, squawking and screeching.

My talk on the Lawsons

2006-06-24T16:24:00.000+10:00

My talk on the Lawsons,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

On Wednesday night, June 21, I gave a talk at Coffs Harbour City Library on the topic of Louisa Lawson and Henry Lawson, entitled, 'What you weren't taught at school'. My topic was based on the novel I have just written about the Lawsons, and my research (contained in the 100,000-word online Louisa Lawson and Henry Lawson Chronology).

In this one-hour talk I covered in haste the relatively unknown lives of these two great Australians -- the 'Mother of Women's Suffrage' and her poet/author son. I covered such topics as terrorism, sedition, communes, mental illness, and much more.

It was very pleasing that more than 90 people returned RSVPs for this occasion. Unfortunately, space was limited and more than 20 people had to be turned away. My thanks to Enzo Accadia and Judy Atkinson for organising the sucessful wine and cheese night, and to all who attended on a cold and rainy Winter Solstice night.

This is the best photo available. The blue sleeve is because I stood in front of the projector.

Tagged: henry+lawson, louisa+lawson, australia, australian+history, progressive, radical+history, literature

Wrong way in Coffs

2006-06-20T15:02:00.000+10:00

Wrong way in Coffs,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Seen in the main street of Coffs Harbour, NSW. Today.

I asked the friendly parking inspector if he sees this sort of thing very often, and he said only sometimes, and they're usually drivers from the UK. Don't ask me why.

Today's rainbow

2006-06-19T15:41:00.000+10:00

Today's rainbow,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Rainbows last for so short a time, it's a privilege to have a camera around when I see one. This one arrived at about 3pm on this cold and drizzly day.

The whales cometh

2006-06-18T15:10:00.000+10:00

I spoke with friends in Sydney this morning, as they were watching whales pass by Bungan Head, near Newport Beach. Yesterday a young whale came close to the headland and, I was assured, waved its flipper at them.

I've been checking the Pacific regularly but not yet seen any of this year's migrators as they head from the Southern Ocean to Winter and breed in warmer climes off Queensland. I'll keep checking, but of course I can't be sure I'll see them. If you're a local and see the whales, I'd be very pleased to hear from you so I can race onto the beach with my camera.

Grandkids and roos

2006-06-11T14:58:00.000+10:00

Grandkids and roos,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Two of my five grandchildren visit the roos. Taken this morning at Emerald Beach headland, NSW, Australia, not far from the Pacific Highway. Emerald Beach is two beaches or about 3 or 4,000 paces south of Sandy Beach where I live. It's the next beach south of Fiddaman's Beach, which most people call 'Back Sandy'. The island in the picture is Groper Island, which lies off Sandy Beach and inevitably shows up in many of my beach shots.

Tagged: australia, environment, flickr

Injured kangaroo

2006-06-03T12:28:00.000+10:00

Injured kangaroo,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This young buck was on a low bridge about 2km from The Ponderosa, on Graham Drive at Sandy Beach this morning. He had a broken leg and was covered in mud as he had come out of the swamp where perhaps he had been thrown by a car, maybe last night or at dawn -- he was flailing around all over the road.

I had the devil's own time trying to slow down the Saturday traffic around him while waiting an hour for a licensed shooter from WIRES, the state-wide wildlife rescue service, to put the poor fellow down as he was considered to be beyond saving.

When driving at day or night, but especially at twilight, please keep an eye out for roos in this area as they sometimes hop out from the scrub at quite high speeds. It's a danger to them, and to you.

Tagged: australia, wildlife

John Gould gathers for the nest

2006-06-02T15:38:00.000+10:00

John Gould gathers for the nest,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I put some cut long, dry grass from the park into this philodendron planter as the birds are nesting. Unfortunately there is no longer an egg in the nest. I guess their first attempt at parenting was a failure (teen marriage), so maybe next season.

John takes this to the nest box in the bathroom, and he's been weaving a very nice nest -- much nicer than the earlier picture I posted, the one with the egg -- for when Lizzie does start laying properly.

Pink sea urchin

2006-05-31T19:33:00.000+10:00

Pink sea urchin,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This one was so pretty and delicate, about the size of a golfball.

Burnoff at Arrawarra Headland

2006-05-31T19:31:00.000+10:00

Burnoff at Arrawarra Headland 1,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

National Parks authorities, taking advantage of the late-Autumn weather, did a controlled bush burnoff at Arrawarra Headland.

Mr Bluey pays me a visit

2006-05-25T20:14:00.000+10:00

Mr Bluey pays me a visit,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The Blue-tongue lizard is the largest member of the skink family, and can live to 30 years.

Try as I might, I couldn't get this fella at my door to poke out his fantastic blue tongue when I clicked, except once when all I got was an out-of-focus shot. Yet he was poking it out a lot because of my interference with his daily sun-bathe. Will I ever learn how to use this Olympus camera???

Sweet red capsicums

2006-05-24T17:25:00.000+10:00

Capsicums,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's nice to be able to go out the door and grab a sweet red capsicum to eat as a quick snack. Now, in May, they are fruiting often.

Egg Number One

2006-05-21T12:23:00.000+10:00

Egg Number One,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Lizzie Gould has just laid her first egg. I'm sorry to show such a third-rate photo, but perhaps you'll excuse me as this is the first time I've ever had a bird lay an egg and I'm a bit clucky. It's also not easy to get an opportunity to get to the nesting box in the bathroom while they're not taking turns sitting. I hope I'll get chances for better shots soon.

I've expected this egg for at least a couple of weeks as Johnny has been collecting fibres and taking them to the nesting box, which for more than a year neither of them had showed any interest in. Then, about two three days ago, Lizzie's behaviour was very unusual. She was walking around as much as flying, and eating twice as often as usual. Sometimes she would walk right up to me at my desk, and one time she actually flew and landed at my left hand, which is very unlike these scaredy-cat little flying flowers.

Also, about five or six days ago, when I awoke, Lizzie was missing, and Johnny was upset and whistling for her. I found sitting quietly her in a box of junk in the corner of the shack, but there was no egg as far as I could see. She let me pick her up, take her into the other room and place her in the nesting box.

The egg, by the way, is miniscule -- probably only about 12mm long, and pure white. I had no idea what to expect. According to this expert a Gouldian hen lays a clutch of about five to seven eggs. Now I'll be watching for any more nice surprises during the coming week.

(If you also live with uncaged birds indoors, there's a flickr group called Uncaged! Birds in our homes just for you.)

Tagged: finches, bird, birds, gouldian, egg, nest, australia, pet, uncaged

Clouds from the surf

2006-05-21T04:45:00.000+10:00

Clouds from the surf,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Something about this cloud took my fancy so I thought it was worth wading out to catch it. The water is still quite warm although we're more than halfway through Autumn.

Raj Mahal Emporium

2006-05-20T18:53:00.000+10:00

Raj Mahal Emporium,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Exterior view of the Raj Mahal Emporium at Woolgoolga.

Elephant's eye at Woopi

2006-05-20T18:47:00.000+10:00

Elephant's eye,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This is more than 1,000 paces from my home, in fact about 7,000 paces, but I had cabin fever and had to go to 'Woopi' for some groceries.

It's an elephant statue at the Raj Mahal Emporium on the Pacific Highway at Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia, which has a large Sikh community. The Indian-style emporium has been in disrepair for some years, giving the appearance of complete abandonment.

Fly to this location (Requires Google Earth) or see where I live at Sandy Beach on Google Maps

Sandy Beach on a Google map

2006-05-19T17:49:00.000+10:00

Sandy Beach on a Google map.

Fingers crossed for Feedblitz

2006-05-17T10:16:00.000+10:00

If you are an email subscriber to this blog, your subs from today will no longer come via Bloglet but via Feedblitz. I hope the transfer goes smoothly, and you are welcome to let me know if it does or doesn't.

If you don't get this blog in your email box each day, you are very welcome to join the happy throng by signing up in the sidebar on this page.

Update: I'm a dirty rat. I've said harsh things in the past about Bloglet, but this post at Feedblitz explains a lot of stuff I didn't know, so this is my public apology to Monsur who pioneered blog-to-email subs and did it altruistically, not as a money-making scheme. He has actually allowed Feedblitz to import all his free 'customers' (read his new post). Good luck to Monsur in all ways, and thanks. And anyone else who appreciates what he did can email him at bloglet at gmail dot com.

Tagged: internet, rss, email, internet+resources, blog, bloggers, blogging

Naked Aussie birds in my shower - video

2006-05-16T23:47:00.000+10:00

I now have two Gouldian finch videos on this page -- the courtship dance of the cock bird (John Gould) for the hen (Lizzie), and a new one of the cock and hen enjoying my shower, which they do most mornings. I hope you enjoy these one-minute videos which were taken with my Olympus C-370.

There is now a flickr photo group called Uncaged! Birds in our homes for people who share their homes with uncaged birds indoors. Maybe you know some other nutter like me who would like to join, so please invite them.

Tagged: gouldian, finch, finches, birds, pets, australia, video

Look Ma, no brains!

2006-05-14T19:12:00.000+10:00

Look Ma, no brains!,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

See Neanderthals drive over colonies of crabs and frighten sea-birds as though wildlife were the enemy!

Sandy Beach is a beach, not a road. A small proportion of the population spoils it for the rest of us, terrifies and destroys the wildlife and damages the environment. By law, vehicles are not permitted on Sandy Beach (except to launch a boat, which seems fair to me) but Coffs Harbour Council does almost nothing about the growing problem. See The Sandy Beach Wave -- a suggested method of dealing with the problem.

Visit the Sandy Beach Neanderthals slideshow - note the picture of the Neanderthal car and the baby's pram. Worth enlarging.

As it grows, this set will also document other Neanderthal behaviour that almost every Sandysider wants to eradicate, but we haven't quite worked out how (like leaving garbage on the beach).

The Gouldian finches are starting to nest

2006-05-03T13:07:00.000+10:00

The Gouldian finches are starting to nest,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's May, and Winter is approaching. It seems rather late for this behaviour in a tropical bird, but perhaps living inside my cabin has altered their biorhythms. Johnny, the cock bird, seems to be the only one of the pair who has dared to enter the nesting box, which has been in the bathroom where they roost for the whole 15 months that he has lived here. Is Lizzie pregnant? Only time will tell. For a month or so, Johnny has been collecting threads and similar, but until today has not taken them into the nesting box.

Bird porn: Gouldian finches mating

2006-05-03T11:10:00.000+10:00

Bird porn: Gouldian finches mating,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's May, and Winter is approaching. It seems rather late for this behaviour in a tropical bird.

Grey Butcherbird visited me

2006-04-30T10:09:00.000+10:00

Grey Butcherbird visited me,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This Grey butcherbird came to visit this week, parking himself in the frangipani outside my door and singing what is one of the loveliest Australian birdsongs. Like most butcherbirds, he wasn't terribly afraid of me, though of course I couldn't get so near as to get a close-up shot and my camera is not built for good zooming. This was the best I could do.

Autumn colours

2006-04-30T09:35:00.000+10:00

Autumn colours,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

And they say Australia has no seasons and the bush has no Autumn colours.

Kids at play

2006-04-21T17:58:00.000+10:00

Kids at play,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The water is still warm, but not for much longer. These kids were having fun at the end of the season.

It's a beach, not a road

2006-04-21T17:50:00.000+10:00

It's a beach, not a road,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This is what we hope to eradicate from Sandy Beach, and all the beaches of Australia. Neanderthal tracks. I'm sure that anyone who lives here feels really upset to see this nearly every day on our bit of paradise.

Don't forget to report cars on the beach. God knows it's a long haul, but we'll win for Ma Nature in the end.

Recycling is now IN. But no cans please.

2006-04-17T12:10:00.000+10:00

Back in the '70s we tried to get a resistant Bellinger Shire Council to get some recycling happening. It wasn't happening in the great councils that Bellinger councillors admired and aspired for their bailiwick to be like, such as Las Vegas and Singapore, so it was quite a struggle, and of course we were dismissed as dirty rotten hippies. They knew that landfill and burning at the local garbage tip was the way to go, for plastics, metals, timber, garden waste, paper, dead hippies, you name it.

Of course, these days most councils in the civilized world have recycling facilities, maybe even Bellinger. Even troglodytic Coffs Harbour City Council now does, and recently gave Sandy Beach residents three wheelie bins per household. Red for domestic garbage, green for garden refuse, and yellow for recyclables. It's very commendable, and nice to see from a council that has a reputation of being as progressive as King George III.

Trouble is, along with the bins they gave each household an A4, black-and-white, small-print guide on how to use the bins. It's about as much use as tits on a bull. It should have been colour-coded, maybe something to stick on the fridge, but instead it is alphabetical, extremely complicated and requires a PhD in semantics to decipher. (And several of us have wryly noted that it contains information entirely at odds with the instructions printed on the top of the bins.)

Worst of all, it doesn't have a listing for cans. You know, cans, those things that every ten or fifteen years some people buy, use and dispose of. You can look under 'C' for 'Cans', or 'T' for 'Tin cans', but you won't find them listed there. Now, let's talk quietly, just you and me, in confidence. Have you ever bought and used a can? It's not as though they went out of fashion, is it? I was at the supermarket this morning, and I started counting cans. I stopped after 79,639 when the manager came and asked if I wanted him to call an ambulance as I was prostrate from sheer can-counting exhaustion.

This is just a friendly request to those people at Coffs City Council, who (as you will know if you have read past editions of A Sandy Beach Almanac) count me as one of their favourite people, and, indeed, it is said, have a glossy 8 X 10 photograph of me in their lunch room. I'm told it is affixed to a dart board.

A humble request: How about a proper recycling guide for the 50,000 people in the city and surrounding districts?

Tagged: recycling, sustainability, permaculture, environment, activism

Beach cricket on Easter Sunday

2006-04-16T20:08:00.000+10:00

Beach cricket on Easter Sunday,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Easter has brought visitors to Sandy Beach, and it was good to see this group having fun with a bat and ball on a day that alternated bteween sunny and cloudy; not as hot as yesterday but not a bad day for playing on the beach.

Squidoo bedoobydoo

2006-04-16T01:08:00.000+10:00

Hey mate! Will you please rate my Squidoo?

Tagged: squidoo

Got a lazy fiver for an old mate?

2006-04-15T15:26:00.000+10:00

Curryfest 06 Woolgoolga 8
Originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Beautiful African-Australian women hair braiding at the Curryfest. If I'd had $5 I would have been next in the queue.

Red Hat ladies

2006-04-15T15:05:00.000+10:00

Curryfest 06 Woolgoolga 7,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Red Hat Society women looking fantastic at at the Woolgoolga Curryfest today. They are out early for Red Hat Day, April 25

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens ...
Jenny Joseph

Keep the customers satisfied

2006-04-15T13:45:00.000+10:00

Curryfest 06 Woolgoolga 5,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Well, it really was on. The Sikh guy serving found a way to keep the customers' minds off the long wait, at the Woolgoolga Curryfest today. It was hot, and I don't mean just the food. I have seven pix at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pipwilson/

Will CurryFest be on?

2006-04-14T17:46:00.000+10:00

I mentioned here quite a while ago about the Woolgoolga CurryFest, on this Easter. I've been to Woopi at least four times this week and haven't seen masses of bunting, banners and posters. In fact, not so much as a single fly-specked notice in a shop window.

Is it really going to be on, and if so, why hasn't it advertised itself on the busy Pacific Highway that passes Woolgoolga, or even at the thronged market day held last weekend? It's baffling to me. Still, CurryFest has a great website. I'll go tomorrow and see what's happening, if anything.

Louisa and Henry Lawson night at local library

2006-04-12T19:36:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately, but I won't be AWOL as much now. As I said before, I've written a novel about Louisa Lawson and Henry Lawson and it's kept me very busy. And just wallpapering one's dunny with rejection slips does take one quite some time as well.

Click the image ... if you're a local I hope you'll come and meet me and, if you like, throw tomatoes at this function in June.

I've earned a 'pool-room tan' these past months. See you soon in the great outdoors!

Tagged: henry+lawson, australia, literature, australian+literature

March is fun time in a Sandy Beach garden

2006-03-18T20:09:00.000+11:00

Lyndon LaRouche movement in Coffs Harbour

2006-03-12T20:19:00.000+11:00

Who'd a thunk it? Wacko Lyndon LaRouche people have set up a literature street stall in Coffs Harbour, NSW, here in rural Australia.

Buncha cirrus clouds

2006-03-12T10:51:00.000+11:00

Buncha cirrus clouds,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The rainy weather that we all got sick of in February seems to have gone. The whole sky was full of cirrus clouds the other day. It was spectacular. Pity the camera can only take one little fraction of the sky in one shot because I'd love to share that whole sky with you.

Big wasp, him dead

2006-03-12T10:23:00.000+11:00

Dead wasp,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Not pretty, I know, and I didn't want to kill it but it wouldn't leave me alone. Imagine how big it was before it curled up in death. I'd hate to have been stung by something that big -- even the little ones hurt.

I had to kill a snake this week for the same reason: he wouldn't leave me alone. He tried for days to get inside The Ponderosa and I had to dispatch him in self defence. It's illegal to do so, but I suppose in self protection it's not an offence. If not, the law is an ass.

More stormy weather at Sandy Beach

2006-03-04T13:12:00.000+11:00

More stormy weather at Sandy Beach,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Where did the beach go?

High tide and storm

2006-03-03T12:46:00.000+11:00

High tide and storm,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Today we have a combination of days of stormy weather (some flooding in nearby towns like Bellingen), and an unusually high tide. This pic is taken from a path leading to the beach.

Gouldian finch courtship dance video

2006-03-02T20:24:00.000+11:00

The male Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae) performs his mating ritual, but the female (who at first turns her tail towards him, exposing her vent) decides she has a headache.

The first part of the ritual involves the cock bird (John Gould-Wilson) nodding his head rapidly to his chest. Then he hops up and down like a maniac. Lizzie doesn't seem to care, although the dark colour of her beak indicates she is "in season". Better luck next time, Johnny.

See my one-minute home video at Google Videos.

Click image to embiggen.

Tagged: gouldian, lady+gouldian, finch, finches, birds, australia

Ghostie

2006-02-28T17:16:00.000+11:00

Ghostie 2,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This cute Ghost crab, which is well able to defend itself, seems to be above ground and waiting for the rain to stop like the rest of us at Sandy Beach, except perhaps the banana growers.

Dead Barn owl in the middle of the road

2006-02-27T22:33:00.000+11:00

Dead Barn owl in the middle of the road,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Seen in Bray Street, Coffs Harbour the other day.

Red-bellied black snake

2006-02-25T12:53:00.000+11:00

I don't mind snakes at a distance, but not at my back door, especially as I rarely wear shoes. So I got a bit of a start this morning when I nearly trod on a Red-bellied black snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus, one of the most common snakes in Australia (not that there's anything wrong with it). Of course, once he got a look at my ugly mug he was more scared of me than I of him.

This critter's venom is described as 'strongly haemotoxic; cytotoxic'; there is no record of anyone actually dying from the bite of one, but it will give you a very nasty suck.

It's a diurnal snake, usually found around streams, swamps, lagoons and similar restaurants serving its preferred tucker, frogs. Its diet also includes lizards, birds, mammals and some fish, even other snakes, but very rarely almanackists. Of course, almanackists who have a fishpond outside their door, with one fat goldfish and an equally chubby frog, might as well hang a 'We Speak Snake' sign on their door.

Today is now Clean-up Leaves Day around The Ponderosa.

"This snake is dangerously venomous but bites are rare because it is usually a placid and fairly docile snake, preferring to enact a lengthy bluff display with flattened neck and deep hisses rather than bite. It grows to a length of 2.5 metres, and is a very distinctive snake because of its simple and unvarying coloration. The upper surface of this snake is glossy black while the belly is light pink to brilliant red." Source

Distribution (Queensland Museum)

Large photo of Red-bellied black snake
Photo of its fangs in skeletal view
What to do for bite of the Red-belly

Snake season is here again

Tagged: australia, snakes, reptiles

Golden miracle of design

2006-02-20T12:46:00.000+11:00

Golden miracle of design,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I hope this picture shows how the Golden orb-weaving spider gets its name. The web really is like spun gold. As you can see, one of the strands of the web traverses a long distance, about three metres, ten feet or so. But over the roof of The Ponderosa today there is a horizontal web strand, spun by a regular Orb-weaver, I think, that goes from next door to the same frangipanni tree in this picture -- a whopping ten metres or so.

By the way, the Orb-weaver who set up camp over my front door on the weekend (pictured below) has gone, and taken her web with her.Not a trace remains of that miraculous and beautiful weaving, but at least I now have this new golden one to admire. When you really look at a spider's web, it's amazing what you find, even inside yourself. Hence the grand myth of the goddess Arachne.

Orb-weaving spider locks me in

2006-02-19T10:56:00.000+11:00

Orb-weaving spider locks me in,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I can't leave The Ponderosa without breaking her perfect web.

Pink-tongue lizard visits me

2006-02-17T15:49:00.000+11:00

Pink-tongue lizard visits me,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This fella showed up just now. Looks like something bit off his or her tail, but it's still a cute baby -- probably of the mother whose photo I showed just a few weeks ago.

Bluebottles

2006-02-15T19:42:00.000+11:00

Bluebottles,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Not a good day to go swimming. The nor-easter brought in a lot of stinging bluebottles this morning.

Hang glider today at Woolgoolga

2006-02-13T17:22:00.000+11:00

Hang glider today at Woolgoolga,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This was a friendly bloke -- he gave me a wave.

Golden orb-weaving spider

2006-02-03T12:12:00.000+11:00

Golden orb-weaving spider,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Protector of The Ponderosa.

Back soon

2006-01-17T19:24:00.000+11:00

After five years of daily Almanac posting, I'm taking a few weeks to put my energy into a few things that need doing, including my nearly finished novel. I might pop in from time to time, but for about a month I hope you'll excuse me from regular posting. In the meantime, you might like to use the menu bar at the top of this page for plenty more at the Almanac. Thanks, dear reader.

Herrings

2006-01-16T21:57:00.000+11:00

Herrings,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

An easterly breeze on a warm day, and a nice warm current bringing in lots of herrings and a feed for the cormorants.

The Sikhs of Woopi, Part One

2006-01-15T15:10:00.000+11:00

I live five minutes out of Woolgoolga ('Woopi', we call it), NSW, Australia, which has a thriving and respected Sikh community -- people from the Punjab in India -- which makes up a large proportion of the local population.

This excellent audio documentary, which will be available here for listening online (unfortunately only in Real Media) in a few days' time, tells very well the story of the local history of my Sikh neighbours. It speaks of acceptance and racism, both, but has a positive outlook.

As I was listening to it on my car radio, the sounds of wonderful Sikh temple music played at the very moment I passed the beautiful Woopi temple, which gave me a smile, and also when I pulled into a Sikh-owned fruit stall to buy some nanas.

"From the end of the nineteenth century guest workers were coming to Australia from The Punjab in India to work as itinerant farm labourers. An unusual sight in regional Australia, with their turbans and long beards, they did the dirtiest and most difficult jobs.

"In this program their children and grandchildren tell their story, one man’s father walking as a child from the Murray River up to Ballina. During the Second World War they were able to get regular work in the banana growing industry and came to settle around Woolgoolga in Northern NSW. Their Australian co-workers loved eating their curries and chapatis or 'johnny cakes'."
Hindsight

Broadcast Sunday 15 January 2006 at 2pm, repeated Thursday at 1pm

More on Woolgoolga :: See you at CurryFest over Easter!

Tagged: sikh, australia, india, religion, multiculturalism

WTF?

2006-01-14T21:40:00.000+11:00

WTF?,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I have no idea what this is, do you?

Moonrise

2006-01-14T21:07:00.000+11:00

Moonrise,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Another beautiful moonrise over Sandy Beach, the first of the year. It came up at about five past eight and I happened to be there to catch it. It's a beautiful evening, too, 25C (77F) with a very slight NNE breeze.

Breakers on the island

2006-01-10T12:31:00.000+11:00

Breakers on the island,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

At Sandy Beach we had a high surf yesterday, with breakers hitting the rocks around the island.

Sand smiley

2006-01-10T12:08:00.000+11:00

Sand smiley,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's a wet week in the high days of the children's school holidays. But somebody is calling out Old Sol.

Stars and revellers, New Year's Eve

2006-01-01T10:36:00.000+11:00

Stars and revellers, New Year's Eve,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

My night-time photo-taking needs a lot of work, and this is the only shot that half worked out. But I hope you can see a few of the billions of stars. Midnight on Sandy Beach was warm and ablaze with the Milky Way almost at its best, as the air was fairly clear for Summer, and moonless.

There were fireworks, and people throwing firesticks for a while. Hopefully next year I'll get the hang of this camera's night-time potential.

These girls came over to find out what the strange old codger was doing lying on the sand. What he was doing was having the time of his life and his best New Year's Eve for years. Happy New Year, everyone! And this blog is one year old today.

Rock 'n' ripple

2005-12-30T12:21:00.000+11:00

Rock 'n' ripple,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I love the action of the receding waves ... in the water, not in my hair.

Another view of yesterday's cloud

2005-12-29T12:43:00.000+11:00

This evening's storm at Sandy Beach 2,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This evening's storm at Sandy Beach

2005-12-28T19:54:00.000+11:00

This evening's storm at Sandy Beach,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Good storm this evening, eh, Sandysiders?

And now a cicada!

2005-12-25T00:39:00.000+11:00

And now a cicada!,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I'm getting quite a few visitors tonight ... because of the heat.

Christmas beetle

2005-12-24T21:45:00.000+11:00

xmas_beetle,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Christmas eve. Right on time.

Merry Christmas to Sandysiders and visitors

2005-12-24T12:46:00.000+11:00

Click to embiggen

Current Conditions
Updated: 12:00 PM EST on December 24, 2005
Observed At: Coffs Harbour Mo, New South Wales
Temp: 102 °F / 39 °C
Partly Cloudy
Humidity: 16%
Dew Point: 59 °F / 15 °C
Wind: 8 mph / 13 km/h from the NW
Wind Gust: -
Pressure: 29.73 in / 1007 hPa (Falling)
Visibility: 22.0 miles / 35.0 kilometers
UV: 11 out of 16

Local weather

Looks like it'll get hot soon; it's only noon. :)

Merry Christmas to one and all. See you after the break. Drive safely.

Another view of Santa's Cave

2005-12-21T00:58:00.000+11:00

Another view of Santa's Cave,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Santa's (fridge) Cave

2005-12-20T16:41:00.000+11:00

Santa's (fridge) Cave,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Merry Christmas to subscribers and visitors. (Click.)

Gannet plunging film

2005-12-20T12:52:00.000+11:00

If you would like to see a short 9.5MB flm of a gannet (or maybe a tern?) plunging into the Pacific in front of the same dawn I posted a pic of here yesterday, click here before Christmas (when yousendit.com will remove it as they only keep items for seven days). It was a lucky shot, best watched enlarged but not full screen.

Dawn today at Sandy Beach

2005-12-19T08:02:00.000+11:00

Dawn today at Sandy Beach,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Rainbow with birds and island

2005-12-15T13:58:00.000+11:00

Rainbow with birds and island,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This was rather a nice snap, I think, of an interesting scene at Sandy.

Wave and cloud

2005-12-13T11:15:00.000+11:00

Wave and cloud,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

I took this a few days ago. I was enchanted by the wild and ragged shapes of the wave, cloud and tree horizon, yet with a flat surface of sand in the middle.

Ripple

2005-12-13T10:58:00.000+11:00

Ripple 3,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Cronulla: Only people can stop John Howard's mob

2005-12-12T21:40:00.000+11:00

Now that racist violence has broken out in Cronulla (southern suburb of Sydney), Australia's reactionary Prime Minister John Winston Howard must be made accountable by the citizens.

We can not expect the media to do it because of the high concentration of media ownership among Howard-supporting conservative owners. (According to Reporters Without Borders in 2004, Australia is in 41st position on a list of countries ranked by Press Freedom.)

The first thing he must do is publicly condemn John Stone (former treasury secretary and National Party senator) for his article 'Some will not integrate' and Stone's statement: "I am thinking of founding the Queen Isabella Society" -- referring to Isabella of Castile, the notoriously cruel ruler of Spain who, with her equally horrendous husband Ferdinand, created the Spanish Inquisition, ordered 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion, expelled Muslims, and so on ... Read on at the Blogmanac

Tagged: australia, cronulla, racism, islam, muslims, human+rights, muslim

Jeff the Coffs Council gardener

2005-12-11T10:36:00.000+11:00

Jeff,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This is Jeff, who is a good sport and allowed me to snap this Christmas-tide photo. Jeff works for Coffs Harbour City Council and the street roundabouts which he is responsible for are a delight to local residents and visitors. He is also well known, in five minutes chatting with him, three people driving by called out a "gidday" to him. Thanks, Jeff! And season's greetings to all.

Another shot of yesterday's storm

2005-12-09T11:34:00.000+11:00

Clouds Sandy Beach yesterday 2,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Clouds Sandy Beach yesterday

2005-12-09T11:33:00.000+11:00

Clouds Sandy Beach yesterday 4,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Or are they UFOs?

We've had a hot week, with temperatures in the high thirties, or about 90-100 Fahrenheit, most days. Yesterday this storm came by at about 1.30pm, with some great lightning, but it by-passed Sandy Beach itself.