Why I dont work there anymore....

 I bet you're wondering how I rolled a road roller on a flat road aren't you?

Who knew you could start an aircraft in gear? let alone that it could start moving and shred another plane like that. (the local universities learn to fly plane)

 It's not my fault...they should have painted their ute a bright colour... like Red..Oh..Right!

Seriously...it was only a little bomb..






















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Only Joking

You’ve heard of the Air Force’s ultra-high-security, super-secret base in Nevada, known simply as “Area 51?”
Well, late one afternoon, the Air Force folks out at Area 51 were surprised to see a Cessna landing at their “secret” base. They immediately impounded the aircraft and hauled the pilot into an interrogation room.
The pilot’s story was that he took off from Vegas, got lost, and spotted the Base just as he was about to run out of fuel. The Air Force started a full FBI background check on the pilot and held him overnight during the investigation.
By the next day, they were finally convinced that the pilot really was lost and wasn’t a spy. They gassed up his airplane, gave him a terrifying “you-did-not-see-a-base” briefing, complete with threats of spending the rest of his life in prison, told him Vegas was that-a-way on such-and-such a heading, and sent him on his way.
The next day, to the total disbelief of the Air Force, the same Cessna showed up again. Once again, the MP’s surrounded the plane… only this time there were two people in the plane.
The same pilot jumped out and said, “Do anything you want to me, but my wife is in the plane and you have to tell her where I was last night!”

 I love this photo, some countries just know how to load a truck dont they? (I think theres a truck under there)

 Do you see what I see? (or is there something seriously wrong with me?)

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Quandong…Yeah, I spelled it right!

The Quandong is a truly unique native Australian fruit. Found in the arid and semi-arid regions of all Australian mainland states , Quandong trees have been classified as belonging to the santalum genus of plants. Ideally adapted to arid environments, the Santalum Acuminatum species is a semi-parasitic plant. Quandong trees can tolerate high  salinity levels and often rely for their complete water requirements from the root systems of host plants. Across their native distribution range, Quandong trees typically grow 2 to 3 metres in height, with a dense leathery crown of leaves perhaps 2 metres wide. The trees cant be transplanted and are notoriously hard to propagate. They have to have a host plant and once they grow into the hosts root system they are married forever. Strangely they do no damage to the host plant but simply share the root system which continues to grow to support both plants. It was believed for many decades that the only way to make them grow was to pass them through the gut of an Emu. Emu's love the fruit and eat lots of them, from the droppings the seed geminates surrounded as it is by fresh fertiliser. The seedling sends out tiny roots and if they find the roots of another plant they become one...a very strange plant indeed. Fossils of the fruit have been found that are 40 Million years old.

 Lots of seed with not much fruit.












Ever since childhood I’ve eaten these berries as Jam, Ice Cream topping and Pies, the pies are my favourite, served with Ice cream or Cream. Basically you pick the fruit, take out the stones and dry the husk to intensify the taste. They keep for years sealed in bags or tubs and can be quickly reconstructed by simmering in a little water and lots of sugar. The fruit is very tart, lots of people dislike the taste of the fruit straight off the tree but made into jam or pies the earthy taste is strange but wonderful. Imagine a cross between the strange tart taste of Rhubarb and rich Plum. ish.. hard t describe.

  
These days this humble fruit has been noticed by the rest of the world and it’s value has skyrocketed. That’s bad news for people like me who have always wandered into the bush to pick a few buckets each year. Australian restaurants are charging around $30 for a tiny portion with a splash of cream, I cannot imagine what the Japanese are paying in their trendy restaurants. 

Traditionally the Quandong was an important food source for Australian Aborigines. Amongst male members of central Australia’s Pitjantjara people, Quandongs were considered a suitable substitute for meat. Eat too many of the fruit though and they have an unfortunate effect on your bowels.

I've been discovering trees while out in the bush riding my various bikes over the years, once found I can go back and pick a few fruit from time to time. I've been watching a small group of trees growing by the roadside for about 15 years now and they have finally begun to fruit, so I stopped to take photos for you and of course eat a few fruit. About twelve seedlings came up after road works covered a tiny area of bush about 15 years ago, they thrived on the tiny bit of extra run off water from the road and here they still stand ten meters from the busy highway fruiting at last. Like I said that's bad news for me because unscrupulous people illegally pick and dry the fruit and sell it. The fruit ripens over a period of months so any fruit eaten or blown off the tree by harsh weather conditions does not ruin the trees chances of reproducing for that year. The unscrupulous few though take every last fruit and the green ones ruin the taste of the product. Everyone I know who picks the fruit returns the seeds to the bush after husking them. The trees are pretty rare and hard to grow so scattering the seeds back in the bush gives them the best chance of growing and making more trees. 



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Rules To Live By

THE TEN SECRET STEPS TO A GREAT RELATIONSHIP

(MALE VERSION)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lake Eyre Basin

All these photos are the work  of  Angelika Wegner.

Central South Australia is mainly desert today but 100 million years ago it was lush green forest around many interconnected lakes.

These days it's flat and barren with little or no life to be seen, the lakes are still there now as salt flats. Occasionally a dry river or creek will flood down from far off Queensland bringing fish, turtles and bird life to the countries centre. When this happens Australians and tourists alike flock to the lakes to see Pelicans and other sea birds breeding in unbelievable numbers. 

The evaporation rate is far higher than any rainfall, so over time the lakes have concentrated salts from far off places. The salts are many metres deep and in fact the lakes are up to 15 metres below current sea levels.

Australia would be a very different place if the lakes were permanently full again….

This photo is actually Opal Fields, mining stretching back over 100 years.

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