18th October 2009, between Adamsons and Creekton falls.

This is the only time and place that I’ve seen pink mushrooms. There was one more within 100 metres of this one.

Popularity: 19% [?]

10th May 2009,  Near Geeveston

These things are tiny, just a few millimetres across. I’ve only seen them on the lower half  of horizontal (fallen) trees. They reach out to get some light, although there’s usually not much light available where they grow. They are translucent.

Popularity: 20% [?]

10th May 2009, near Geeveston.

These are only two to three millimetres across.

Where I work there are different sections. To a degree there are also different cultures, habits and customs that have formed over time in these sections.

The section I used to work in, there are some obvious customs. One custom is to attach a paper tail, made out of paper hand towel, to the back of your pants without you knowing. It is pretty comical to see someone wander past with a tail dangling behind them.

And it evolves. A new person started there - he is from the north of Tasmania. He quacks, like a duck. As he walks past you hear ‘quack quack’. Now, at different times, everybody erupts into a quacking frenzy that runs for a few seconds then just stops. This has caused some questions from those not in the know but within earshot.

The area I work in now, they grunt For example, an office person on an errand came in and tried to ask a question - she received a cacophony of grunts and roars. She laughed, waited till the idiotic response died down, then tried again. As soon as she mouthed the first word the cacophony erupted.

Back in her office, she thought she might get an intelligible response to the question via email. The primitive mass discovered the hitherto unused web cam that was given to us for the misguided hope that it might be used for online meetings. It was removed from the cobbled together dalek idol (see below for likeness) that the mob used for worship and some questionable rituals and reincorporated into the magic gizmo that allowed us to browse the internet and do email. A response was choreographed and recorded (with sound) of what she had experienced on her first attempt at questioning and sent as an email attachment.

These people have built up a primitive but effective vocabulary with their grunts. I’m beginning to understand some of the meanings, and sometimes catch myself grunting in acknowledgement. I’m also beginning to wonder, if they could have communicated with primitive man, or present day primates?

There is more, like the negative choice game, used to explore your social and moral boundaries.

Popularity: 16% [?]

27th May 2009, Mt Field National Park

The rain has stopped; it looks like four days of good weather, at least.

I rode my motorbike to work this morning, and home again this afternoon in the sun.

Even the locals are saying this has been more rain than usual. It has been hard to get motivated to do stuff outside. So, I’ve been mostly researching cameras and lenses - I still can’t decide - and doing other indoor things. Every time I go outside, I’m wearing gum boots.

Everything here is now in flower - flowers are appearing around the block. A really nice thing about Tasmania is that people have planted daffodils everywhere. You can see them in the middle of paddocks and on road sides.

And the parrots have arrived, eating the kernels of fruit that fell to the ground earlier this year.

Popularity: 21% [?]

29th May 2009,  between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown.

Tasmania has little pockets of rain forest scattered about. It makes me wonder what the forests used to be like - I don’t think I’ve seen a rain forest here that hasn’t been logged at some time.

There are still a few areas of old growth forest, but they are actually under threat right now, or being logged right now.

After the protests to stop the Franklin dam in the early 1980’s, legislation was passed to lease public lands to interested logging companies for a token amount. By doing so, public lands became private property. This means that logging companies can put up locked gates on formerly public roads through formerly public forests, and commence logging. If anyone does go there to protest, they can be arrested for trespassing at the least.

This is insane to me. People who want to see these magnificent forests aren’t allowed to; businesses who want to cut these (our forests) down, are allowed to. And it gets worse. It is taxpayer’s money that put the roads into these areas that are used mostly by logging companies. And it is an industry that is subsidised by tax payer’s money in lots of other different ways (and here).

The links I’ve supplied are quick and dirty - there is an abundance of information on the net re these issues. It’s old news in Tasmania. It’s also old news in Gippsland, where I used to live.

Popularity: 21% [?]

29th May 2009, between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown.

I found some photos from a few months ago. I was about to delete them off my system. I shall try to show them over the next few weeks.

They are mostly from the magic place near Geeveston and the Strahan trip. I stopped posting them because I had already posted a few fungi shots.

Right now it is cold. There is snow on peaks every where I look. I was beginning to think the worst of Winter was over.

And the rain! It has rained most days for the last three weeks. I’ve been taking advantage of this to check out waterfalls. They are roaring with water - hard to photograph because of all the aerated water floating about, the camera gets wet as soon as I pull it out.

Tonight’s picture is from the walk into Nelson Falls; we were there in June. It is with Wiebke’s camera - essentially the same as mine but no flip out screen. The mushroom is low down on a tree trunk, so I was showing Wiebke how to set the camera up and take the shot blind (not looking through the camera’s viewfinder to compose the shot, holding the camera facing up). I’m pretty happy with this one - it was my second attempt.

Popularity: 22% [?]

27th May 2009, Mt Field National Park

That’s what I think when I take photos of mushrooms like this, that they are little worlds. Worlds that most people walk past without seeing. And I imagine there are smaller worlds again, that I don’t see.

Be warned - there are more mushroom photos for future posts

Popularity: 34% [?]

10th May 2009, close to Geeveston.

It is the eve of our holiday; a last post before we go.

We won’t be near towns for a few days, it will be interesting to see how Wiebke copes with limited food choices

The last time I had breakfast with her, we were having pancakes. I put some elderberry jam on mine, Wiebke put lots on hers.

Then, with the expertise of a brickie, she trowelled on a five cm layer of quark, a strange cheese that tastes like yoghurt.

Then, on top of that, applied a layer of sugar straight from the bag that it came in.

She was laughing self consciously at the amused look on my face and my silence.

The pancake had disappeared underneath all the stuff she’d put on top of it; it’s role seemed to be limited to providing the theme for her breakfast, without actually contributing much to it.

I’ve just read this to her; and she laughingly said, “you haven’t even seen decadence yet, that was just an entrée”.

Popularity: 22% [?]

2nd May 2009, near Geeveston

This is my favourite walk. It is so wet, dripping with mosses and lichens off all the trees and most other surfaces. Old rotting logs full of life. So many different mushrooms - black ones and green ones as well. So often we would stop in wonderment. And, it is an interesting walk; little ups and downs, the track constantly changing direction. It goes flat for a while, then you are on the side of a steep rain forested hill that drops hundreds of meters to a roaring creek that you can hear but not see. We have been here two times now, and still have not made it to the falls, too busy stopping to photograph beautiful miniature worlds within this beautiful area.

And leeches. But they belong here too.

Popularity: 22% [?]

2nd May 2009, within 10km of Geeveston.

It is Friday. My work week is busy, mundane, and I don’t get enough sleep. I daydream about weekends, cameras, motorbikes, and an upcoming longer holiday.

Wiebke is complaining about her busy life, and why does it have to be this way.

I’m reading an Asimov book. He talks about a world that has so many robots to each person. Robots do all the menial stuff; farming, labouring, housework, cooking meals. The population is stable - no major growth, no major decline, so the planet has enough resources to support them all luxuriously and still remain healthy. People are happy and content - life is good.

I suppose if all we have to complain about is being too busy, or not getting enough sleep, life is good here too.

I still need a nap though.

Popularity: 21% [?]