Whoa Geeze!!!

Friends in High Places

We wouldnt have attempted this steep climb with deep holes on our own, but when out with your local 4WD club you can try more challenging tracks than you would when out alone. A little tug with the 'snatch strap' was all we needed to get out and up to the summit. Another couple this hole trapped were not so lucky...4WD can be a very expensive hobby if bad luck strikes.

Bush Birthday Picnic

Alternate uses for your Hi-lift Jack

The Hi Lift Jack is an important 4WD Accessory, but that shouldnt discourage you from using it in other inventive and imaginative ways.
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Quite by chance I noticed a brick falling out of the bottom of our house, and pointed it out to The Most DH. After investigating we found that the South side of the house was suffering from being wet all the time. In a drought. Go figure.

So, we need to dig a drain to deal with it. The bigger, and more immediate problem was that the concrete footing the hot water heater sits on, had been undermined. The hot water heater was attempting to pull itself free from the house. Oh, no you dont, you tricksy bugger!

The Hi Lift Jack was employed to re-level and hold the hot water tank while we excavated, and poured a new footing. A great day was had by all.

Rock Climbing in a Land Rover Discovery Series 1

Proving its all about picking your line, here The Most DH pilots the Disco up some fairly serious rocks. And all this on 29 inch Cooper ST's. A couple weeks later, we went back at night and did it in the dark - now that was a gas!

She's more articulate than I am lately

Here our trusty Land Rover Discovery powers her way up a punishing 4WD trail somewhere in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. You can not only see some good wheel articulation, but you can also just glimpse the new front diff guard* underneath. (Its the bit thats still shiny.) Later in the day our new rear diff guard* paid for itself by taking a nice hit during a water crossing - but no pics of that this time.

Anyhow, here is a shot from the top for you to enjoy.


* diff guards
Metal housing designed to protect your differential**

** differential
(disclaimer: this is a nutshell explanation - do not write and complain)
A vehicle's wheels do not always rotate at the same speed (like when going around corners) Your differential compensates for that, preventing one wheel spinning while the other drags.

So obviously, 'cracking a diff' leaves you S.O.L.***

*** S.O.L.
S**t out of luck.

3WD Action

I snapped this one at a recent 4WD rally event that The Most DH and I attended. We had a great day and the only damage sustained was the passenger side mirror got ripped right off.

Hey! That tree jumped right out in front of us, shouting "Stop logging now or there will be more attacks!"

Honestly.

Too much fun

We get out exploring whenever we can, and Ive even had a go at driving off road - its a hoot.

Might be off line awhile again after tuesday the 9th, as I am scheduled for microsurgery of my right hand. Long time readers will remember that last August I had an open carpal tunnel release done, which didnt go as planned. After they get it open again they will be able to find out what went wrong, and if there is anything this specialist can do to improve or repair it. "Fingers crossed" LOL.

Touring Canopy

The Touring Canopy mounts to our roof cage, and sets up in a flash. Shade is essential here in Australia.

It makes stopping for a cuppa a very civilized affair.

Somewhere in the Blue Mountains

I do not remember exactly where this was taken - but we did a little rock climbing and sat and enjoyed the view a while.

Im still not up to regular blogging, but do feel the urge more often. Lets see how it goes, Ciao for now!

Young Xanthorrhoeas in bloom

Lucky me! Usually when we see grass trees (Xanthorrhoea) we are speeding by, and cant stop for a shot, But on this day, I got to take my time with this nice specimen.




This last shot shows that the plant deploys its blossom in a sort of spiral, one row is open now, and indeed, there were a few bees working them despite it being a very cold and grey day. But you can also see a second spiral of flowers still in bud. Now thats one smart plant to spread its resources out over a period of time, as opposed to all at once. After all, what if you bloomed when there were no pollinators out and about? You'd be stuffed, Mate!

(I need my eyes examined again, I could swear this was a crisp shot when I took it. Harumph!)

These next shots I took in Perth, 2005. First, a mature specimen shows you why they are called 'grass tree'.



And here is a cross section of ones trunk, it had been blown off in a storm.



We had one of these once, in a pot. It lived very happily, untill we bought the house and sunk it into the garden. Was dead in a week! LOL

At the end of the road...

Lunch, and a show

After picking up and attaching the new roof cage, we set off for a leisurely tour back toward home. Nothing of any real interest happened untill we arrived in Lake Macquarie, at about lunchtime. We found the main street and set about observing which eateries the locals were visiting; which by the way, is my #1 travel tip. If the locals arent eating/drinking there, then give it a miss.

The winner for lunch was the Parkview Takeaway, the crumbed snapper was divine! (Here follows the obligatory meal shot, a first for this blog.)



We scouted about for a place near the lake where we could set down and enjoy the view with our steaming comestibles. The weather was gorgeously clear, but terribly cold, so we opted to stay in the car.

Which turned out to be a very good decision.



More next time, Ciao!

"a more authentic appearance" LOL

I took this shot for The Most DH, I think the artsy angle of the shot will make him laugh. He has been doing alot of work fitting out our Disco for future tours. He took the back passenger seats out, and filled the whole back with a sort of low set of drawers he made. In those drawers will live all and sundry recovery gear and perhaps just as importantly, the Tea and Coffee Making Facilities.

In this shot, you can see the exterior accoutrements we have recently added, via ebay. She had an alloy nudge bar on her nose originally, but we think the full steel bullbar and matching side rails are much sexier. And although a brand new one would have been nice ($1300+), a used one has a more authentic appearance ($600+/-) for our old girl.

Sometime in the last few weeks we won the auction for the roof cage. The seller was only three or so hours down (?) the coast, so we planned a day trip to go pick it up. The next few posts will feature pictorial highlights from that day.*

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* That is...if I can remember that.

The last two or three days on this new med have had some promising signs. Although concentration is seriously imparied, which is why Im quitting here for today, Its been an hour an a half since I began this post! (((LOL???)))

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus funereus

Most of the group did fly off, suspicious of my intentions. But this one was content to enjoy its pinecone munchie for a few minutes more, before following its mates calls deeper into the wood.





After it flew off, The Most DH let the Rover roll downhill to pick me up. Excited from my encounter, and grateful for being so well loved, the rest of the day was spent happily exploring muddy tracks that didnt appear on our GPS.

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Sometimes groups of these fly over our house, I always run out to see them whenever I hear their call.

For more information please see:

Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo at the Australian Museum Online
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo at Wikipedia
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo at Birds in Backyards

A friend in deed

So, depression, eh? One of the more insidious aspects of it is; everything you enjoy doing goes bye-bye. You find everything to seem to be more effort than it can possibly be worth. Its all far too hard. Better to just sit, stare and ruminate on what was, or might have been, if one wasnt such an abject Loser.

A few weeks ago I foolishly made a casual comment in the direction of The Most DH about realizing I hadnt had the camera out in an Ent's age. Then, about an hour later, I found myself being escorted out the door and into our Rover, already packed with all the camera gear, and a modest selection of snack foods.

And what was my reaction? I was genuinely miffed. I complained that the day was too rainy for any good shots and proceeded to sulk for 110 kilometres.

Undaunted, The Most DH drove us off road into a state forest, and after sighting a group of yellow tailed black cockatoos, pointed them out to me, and parked.

Well I couldnt see them from where I was sitting, and confidently predicted that IF I was to rouse the slightest bit of interest, they would surely take off before I could raise the lens.

The Most DH opened a couple cans of fizzy drink for us and munched some cheezy crackers. Between bites he gave me a narrative on the birds activities and locations.

He kept it up for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes he had to work at me untill I could no longer resist the temptation to just slip out into the forest, have a bit of a stalk, and maybe, just maybe the universe might give me a little win to build some new confidence on.

Maybe...

Off with 'Roo!

Hello, you beautiful creature! How are you today?


What? No, wait! Aw, Please?


Yeah, well, alright then. Guess its cooler in the shade. See ya later, Shiela!

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Shiela = Chick, Bird, Lassie, Squaw, Dame, Spinster, Maid, Lady, Hen, Sow, Mare, Frau, Señora, and et aliae.

Tight-lipped Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard

There was dappled shade on the road ahead, and among the shadows lay an inconsistent shape. We slowed down to scan more carefully, and sure enough, one of the 'shadows' was actually a lizard basking in the heat from the road.



This one has had a run in with something, maybe one of the areas many falling rocks, or perhaps someone has had a go at trying to eat him! Either way, his wound has knit together very nicely. Check out those claws! He will surely need those to help him climb in the terrain around here.



Silly me, I had hopped out of the Rover with only the 'Long Nose' on the camera, so I actually was unable to get a shot of him in his entirety.


Being perfectly comfortable as he was, he was not concerned with my walking right up to him. Indeed, he probably would have stayed put even if Id gone back to the car for the shorter lens.

But..."Safety First", I had best get us both off this road before some hoon comes along and kills us all. I looked back at the Rover for a sign from The Most DH, who obliged me by calling out "Stroke his tail, and he'll shift."



And indeed, he did. Now you can see how his pattern helps him blend into his surroundings. Sorry he would not show his lovely bright blue tongue for us, they are shockingly blue!

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Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard (or Skink) at Wiki
Blue Tongue Skinks.net

I miss the one who lived in the garden, I am over-run with snails since it left!

for the 3rd

More views from our drive of the Wombeyan Caves Road.

Warning! Tommorrow there will be pictures of a lizard,
so if you dislike reptiles, please skip me for the day.

See you then, or thereafter!

Endemic rough road, Epidemic in blogland

Most of the blogs I routinely read sound to me lately like people are on rocky roads of thier own. To those of you that is true for, I hope you enjoy a change of scenery for a bit.

As for this road, well, heck! At least it had recently been graded!


Alot of big rocks falling down onto the road from higher up, enough to keep the nerves on edge, even after my side of the Rover was no longer overhanging certain death.


When a spot safe to pull over presented itself, we found this sunny strawflower.