Cyclone ready?

       Cyclones are a tropical weather system similar to hurricanes except they spin the opposite direction due to Coriolis force. I would classify them as less severe than hurricanes but they shouldn't be ignored either. Townsville is supposedly due for some serious cyclonage, like 150 years due.

      Well here one comes, tomorrow.

      I would equate this with a tropical storm verging on a cat 1 hurricane so batten down the hatches but no need for panic, yet. The one that is following it is due to hit landfall Thursday and is much bigger. That one  has got me on my toes...

     In order to be cyclone ready I should: move the critters inside, move the plants inside, basically move anything I care about that I don't want subjected to 165 kph+ (102 mph) winds inside and have plenty of water available. Power may be cut, but I'll live, I'm stocking up on ice. I have bread, eggs, milk, and vegemite so I'll be fine. (I've also got a bunch of fruit and veg, nutella, oatmeal, taro chips, Tim Tams... ) I think I'll survive. 

Let's see how it goes..... weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

UPDATE!

30/1/11

Looks like cyclone Anthony will be hitting just south of me and therefore I'll miss the worst of the storm. It's still nothing to snub your nose at. Townsville and Mackay have been preemptively declared disaster areas, so it will be a good precursor to the bigger and badder cyclone just behind it.

Here's the latest:Weather update: 9pm.

UPDATE! 

31/1/11

This morning I awoke to business as usual. Chirping birds and dew moistened grass, so no rain really. It seemed to fizzle out just south of us so that one is a miss! 

Next Thursday might hold different results with Cyclone Yasi being upgraded to a category 4 and expected to reach a category 5 by Wednesday. The warning areas go as far north as Cairns and as far south as Bowen. So as of now it's swung upwards and we will either get hit head on or get the nasty side of it. Unlike hurricanes, cyclones can change direction at any time so nothing is set in stone. I will keep updating this post as the storm develops.

UPDATE!

1/2/11

It looks like Cyclone Yasi has us in her path. Severe winds and rain with a massive tidal surge. I'll start battening down the hatches after work today. I'll keep updating on this post and you can track the storm via this website: Cyclone Yasi tracker

UPDATE!

2/2/11

 Here is the latest on the storm's position:

  

Looks like were going to get more of a wallop than we previously thought.  A category five now and heading south, could be the worst cyclone Queensland has seen. Good news is I'm prepared. I can seek shelter under the main house which is bricked in if necessary and I have plenty of food and water. I have portable BBQs to cook on and charged up all my batteries. So worse comes to worse, it'll rain sideways and flood some areas, howl like crazy and blow stuff around. My little granny flat may have some issues with water coming in but not much and the roof may be a little flighty but all in all we should be safe and that's what matters.  As always I'll keep you posted as much as I am able.

On a side note, I have plenty of beer and wine so helloooo cyclone party!!!! Woot!

STRAYA DAY!

Traditionally Australia day was to promote nationalism and pride for one’s own country. The tradition of noticing 26 January began early in the nineteenth century with Sydney almanacs referring to First Landing Day or Foundation Day.  That was the day in 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet of eleven convict ships from Great Britain, arrived at Sydney Cove. The raising of the Union Jack there symbolized British occupation of the eastern half of the continent claimed by Captain James Cook on 22 August in 1770.

                                                 My little Granny flat all decorated. 

Today it’s about getting wasted and running around in everything that could be made with an Aussie flag on it and listening to Triple J’s top 100 countdown on the radio; maybe a bit of cricket if it’s on.

It’s a shame really because the traditional owners of this land have to look upon this debauchery and think about how their land was invaded. I don’t mean to get all left wing but I truly am affected by the indigenous people here and wish to respect them and their glorious and soon-to-be erased history.

Sandy, a very committed volly  at the RSPCA told me to wear aboriginal colours on Australia day, I didn’t really have any, save for black (the colours are black, yellow and red) so I ended up in an Aussie flag bikini with a white top over it and a blue skirt. (Oh the hypocrisy)

                                                      Drinking New Zealand sparkling, ironic?

It ended up being a very relaxed day, I worked for the first half as it was a national holiday and the RSPCA was closed but the animals still need to get fed.

Afterwards the day way spent relaxing with some beers and then off to the store to gather the BBQ supplies because what's a holiday in Oz without a BBQ?

                      Tiger Prawns decorated with a flower from one of my orchids and Aussie pinwheels!

We set off at dark to the nearest park (Currajong park) and grilled up some banana prawns, chicken kebabs and a steak!

                      Of course Robbie did the honors and I learned you shouldn't grill shrimp (prawns) with the shells on...

Emmanuel from my old house came to add some French flare the evening and it was quite a lovely time.

What did I learn from today? That I need to find a way to contribute to the local Aboriginal community and that Aussies get REALLY into Australia day above any other holiday, well most Aussies. 

                                    

My new digs!!!

I moved out of the roach hostel today and into a lovely granny flat in Gulliver. There were just too many people there, it was poorly kept and the landlord was nuts. I will miss the pool however but there is a nice one here in the neighborhood. 

I hate moving but moving when you don't have that many possessions is great!!!

Now I enjoy a simple and clean life behind a house owned by a yoga instructor and her Slovenian husband. They welcome my pets and I have my own place with my own kitchen and even a lovely yard with freedom to garden! 

Happy in my own little corner of the world.

I love my little verandah with a great breeze coming through so no need for Aircon, just open it up and nature provides the cooling needed!

The louvered windows provide excellent ventilation and cool plants on the fence outside provide nice scenery!

                                                          

My bed is in the loft above, there is a fan in the rafters that I put on at night and I even get a chill sometimes!              

                               

                      

The lounge and desk area is really nice and super colourful, just the way I like it!

Looking out onto the verandah, many more plants will be gracing it soon! My cupboard is inside so as to keep the critters from rummaging through it and my dresser and chest of drawers have plenty of room for my loads of cloths!

The kitchen is a bit unconventional being outside but I like it as it doesn't get hot when you cook and nothing really gets into your stuff if you keep it clean which I do now that the only dishes I have to do are my own. :)

I went from one colourful cottage in Texas to one here in Oz and I think it suits me rather well!

BIG wheels. Mo bettah.

   So the car search concludes this week with a truly awesome find. An '01 Mazda Tribute V6 4x4.

        This baby comes with alloy wheels, a sunroof, a towbar,  roof rack, CD player, automatic transmission AND as I mentioned before, it's a 4x4. I think I struck gold kids and I feel pretty good about it. Since I'm buying it from a dealer I also get a warranty which will fix anything that might go wrong. It's mileage (kms) is relatively low at 99,200 miles (160,000 kms). 

 All I need to do is get used to driving on the other side of the car on the other side of the road. I think I'll manage. :)

Lastly and most importantly, I need to slap a Texas bumper sticker on her and we'll be ready to rock!

Trouble in paradise?

         Perhaps it was a bit naive for me to move here and think I would find nothing but smiling faces, eagerly awaiting my fascinating stories of life from Texas.... I am a sort of celebrity here, well rather, a novelty. Not many of my kind grace this fantastic continent and far less fall into the bowels of Townsville in North Queensland but here I am, in all my starry-eyed stubborn glory. I've mentioned before that the people here are far from idyllic yet I find them charming in their odd red-neckary because in the end they mean well. This may apply to everyone here as far as I can tell but I do know one thing, there is one horribly rotten apple; my landlord.

       Adam Jeremiah, an oddly Christian name, is an awful and perceivably insane man. He owns the property at 4 Sixth Avenue, South Townsville and has run off countless tenants with his aggressive, childish and ultimately violating approach. I should go on to note that he has even failed to properly maintain the property due to his lazy attitude towards even the smallest maintenance; taking four days to perform a simple repair on a aircon unit, prioritizing a swim in the pool over the security of his tenants whose pool he swam in. His laziness can be seen in the inactive smoke alarms, the very active roach population of various species and his slaughter of the beautiful palms, ferns and frangipani trees that once used to grace the property before he took ownership.


      Adam asked a real estate agency to ask me to vacate the property within 24 hours while I was at work. Anyone reading this will know that this is not something you can ask someone to do without due cause. To what do I owe this honour? I harbored ducks for all of an instance for they are no longer here and did not stay long either but a breach it was as no pets are allowed on the property. He might have never known had I not left a dog cage downstairs in the run-down semi-functional bathroom outside. I didn't have a truck to haul it until the following day so it stayed there and Adam saw it when he came over unannounced. What then followed was a very bizarre and unnerving encounter with a man that needs a psychiatrist and a heavy dose of Xanax. Either way, I made a mistake and understandably he was upset, it was his demeanor that was unnerving and his response even more so. I won't bore you with legal talk but suffice it to say that if I were to breach he is to notify my lessor, and she is to notify me with 48 hours to remedy. Since the breach had already been remedied, no further action needed to be taken yet this is Adam we are talking about.... He "Big Brothered" me with the help of another flatmate. Her help was and still is a mystery to me in its nature as I have been nothing but kind to her but I suppose being pestered by someone of his level of madness would motivate, I can only try to understand. 


       In the end, it has been a small annoyance at the bottom of a pile of bigger concerns. He has no leg to stand on and I have been in contact with the more than reasonable real-estate agency that has the unfortunate task of managing his property. I leave, of my own volition, at the natural termination of my sub-let on Monday and move into a wonderful granny flat/shack where I can have reptiles, birds, and even my ever-so-handsom and greatly missed cat. The landlady there is a yoga instructor and full of good energy so I'm pretty stoked! 


      What have I learned?? That one bad man can bring about 7 great people. These people all existed beforehand but this ordeal (if you want to give it that dignity) has brought them to the forefront as wonderful, supportive friends. I would like to thank Robbie for his prompt and devoted attention to the legality of this matter and his kind shoulder to lay my head on. I'd like to thank Sandy for the offer of her home and boat and her advice and support emotionally, reminding to take the good in life instead of focusing on the bad. I would also like to thank Carly, my flatmate who is also undergoing an eviction without due cause whose sisterhood in this matter has been of great moral strength to me. I would like to thank Chantal for listening and making the best mojito in Townsville. I would like to thank Maurry, Julie, and Kiri at work for being at my side, giving me advice and offering me their shoulders to lean on.
Lastly and never the least I thank God for making me so strong and reminding where I came from. 


     The moral of the story kids: Don't Mess With Texas!!! 


I would also like to thank this frog for making another day in Australia Ozsome:

Flood update.

       The floods here is Queensland are pretty epic. Like most things in Australia, if it's hard core elsewhere, it's epically hard core here. The floods are no exception. While it's not flooding in Northern Queensland where I live we are still effected in that the supermarkets are almost empty. No lettuce, tomatoes, infact most fruit and veg are gone save for apricots and plums. No meat, the milk is gone too. The trucks are now driving inland to deliver food up north. If you go to the local market on Sunday you can get food. There really is plenty here locally save for lettuce and the odd vegetable. North Queensland is an oasis of tropical fruit, so no shortage there.

    The images of these floods are pretty shocking too:

           It's unbelievable the magnitude of these floods. Some footage of the flash floods in Toowoomba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY at about a minute in it all starts to go crazy. I've never seen anything like this in my life. It must be horrifying for the people living there. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

       Many people are coming together to provide aid to the flood victims and acts of heroism are seen everyday:

These guys are saving a family heirloom.

Wait a second.... hey there fella... I think I need to start helping out down there ;)

                          If you can't be here to help, please donate to the flood relief.  

AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

So I HATE cockroaches.....

I've tried a variety of desensitizing techniques but I vehemently despise, abhor, and loath them.  So suffice it to say that when I returned from an evening bike ride to find Joe's Apartment in my kitchen I freaked. I got the surface spray and went ape wild!

I got to my room, my holy place, my shrine to clean and all that is calm and I see a shadow skitter across the floor.... I shudder. "surely not in MY room" yet I see it... I get closer in the corner next to the bed and the wall and I spray with all my might but what comes flying at me is NOT a cockroach but a HUMONGOUS spider with a roach in it's mouth!!!!

Yes kids, it's true. I had an out of body experience tonight. I simultaneously wanted to end the life of one species and preserve the life of another whilst petrified with an aerosol can in my hand as my only means of continuing forth.

It turns out that this spider is actually a Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria) and non toxic to me. You must understand that this spider is a good 4" across so it gave me a real start and with a roach in it's jowls.... I was forced to capture it.

Turns out it's quite timid... I might have accidentally captured a friend in my battle against las cucarachas.... the morning will deicide it's fate. I look forward to moving away from this roach hostel in the next two weeks.

So I may have some wheelz...

         The car search has been pretty frustrating for me. It's really hard to find a 4x4 that is an automatic here. I still need to get around so I thought I'd just get a little car to get me to work and run errands in the meantime. I got the North Queensland Trader as soon as it came out and found a '92 Mazda 323 in it that fit the bill.

Big pimpin. 

      I need to get new brake pads and change the battery but it runs fine! I might spray paint the roof where it's faded with something cool like snakes and lizards! Hello art car! Not bad for 2,000$

     The woman selling the car has said it will take a week for her to get a Road Worthy Certificate and if I don't find something in the meantime I will be cruising around in this. I'll keep you posted...

Wildlife encounters.

             I started my day early to go to Billabong Sanctuary and got to experience some pretty cool things. First off, cleaning a Koala enclosure with a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo as my companion. She (Jacko) is quite sweet and loves scratches but makes it kinda hard when she wants to ride around on your hand while you are raking. Koala enclosures are not that hard, much like cleaning a bird enclosure, the droppings are small. They are actually like deer pellets. You rake, remove eucalyptus, dump out water from the canisters (pots) and refill them so fresh eucalyptus can be put in. Pretty sinchy stuff AND you

get to give a scratch to one of these guys.

            The rest of the day included helping with reptile presentations and assisting people with photos with the snakes. It's kinda crazy, the guests are allowed to hold the snakes and get pictures of them with it. At the San Antonio Zoo they could only touch the snake with two fingers while I held it. This was really cool that they could experience the weight of the snake and feel it's muscles as it moves. It's a bit nerve-racking too because you don't want them to accidentally hurt them by squeezing them or rubbing their scales backwards. The other neat thing is that a child of any age could hold a snake. So this little boy, about 5 came up and wanted to hold this Black Headed Python that was about one and a half meters (five feet) long; I wasn't sure he was old enough to hold him so I looked over for approval to put this snake on him and got told to "wrap him up" so I did. It was pretty funny and cool to see his reaction. He was so pleased and his parents snapped photos of him and this snake that was bigger than he was! 

     At the end of the day Robbie took me into the reptile room to show me some of the cool critters.

 That's a baby Freshwater Crocodile (freshie).

In the background you can see a Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) and a Shingleback Skink (Tiliqua rugosa).

This is a Legless Lizard (Lialis burtonis)

A favourite of mine, the Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) about to eat his lunch!

           As the day ended an afternoon shower came through to cool things off. I love the way the water changes the colour of this tree and creates stripes down it's trunk.

      I have been needing to learn to drive a manual and adding to the difficulty the gear shift is on the left so I needed practice. Robbie was kind enough to lend me his car and we went to the park where dirt roads and speed bumps allowed me to practice going through the gears and a lack of traffic minimized the risk of me careening into something. We practiced until it got dark and prepared to leave, upon leaving we saw this little fellow, heating up on the asphalt (bitchum).

A Coastal Carpet Python (Morelia spilota sub sp. mcdowelli) 

We had to move him off of the road so he wouldn't get squished.

                                                      

                                                     Robbie, working his magic. 

(My videos are having problems playing in some viewers, if you can't see it leave me a comment and I'll work on converting to a new player, any suggestions are welcomed.)

It's been a good day today. The wildlife here offers me endless opportunities to learn and always excites me. :)

Whistle while you work... R.S.P.C.A.

I won't lie, working for the R.S.P.C.A. is hard, not just physically but psychologically. You can't save them all and the amount of animals that come in is truly overwhelming. My little dingo/kelpies have been reduced to three and by the time I return to work there may be only one... I've fought for them, kept them alive for weeks but when I leave there is no one left to speak for them. My little girl (the light one) will be spared, the other two are deemed as aggressive (agro) and won't make it. The sad thing is they are just being puppies and sometimes puppies nip or quibble over food, these pups are NOT agro. With that being said I do understand that when so many animals come in you have to look at what is most adoptable... It's hard on me and I get a bit bummed at times, it takes alot out of me but I choose to focus on the good things about working here like the lives I save and the general enjoyment of working in the bush.

Today I was picking up bowls to feed out and found a friend!

This is a White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea).

I cruised around and showed everyone at work my cool find and told them what it was, some of them recognized it and told me that they call those "greenies". How original haha!




I was out by the tool shed and turned around and saw this guy:

This is a Titan Stick Insect (Acrophylla titan)




      Of course I had to pick it up! I also paraded around with this guy however my co-workers weren't as pleased to see this find... Some were warning me of it's vicious bite! I didn't seem to have that problem, he just kinda hung out on me and I even had trouble getting him off! 


     I have found that many people don't notice the stuff in their own backyard. It is the same for anywhere you go really, it takes someone interested in animals or wildlife to notice that kinda stuff. I guess I'm just tuned into it, I always have been. I do love telling the Aussies about the cool things that live around them and the amazing species that brought me across the world to live with.


      As many people know, I LOVE reptiles and a big motivator for my move to Oz are the high population of venomous snakes and the variety of monitor lizards. I have read about them and studied them but to be living amongst them is the best education a herpetologist could ask for!

This is a Keelback Snake (Tropidonophis mairii). It was killed with a weed wacker (whipper snipper) because the court ordered community service lawn kids (flouros) thought it was a taipan. Sadly, this snake is non-venomous and cane toad resistant meaning it was a VERY good snake. I can't get mad at the kids, they didn't know but I did talk to them and their supervisor to educate them and told them to come find me if they ever saw another snake. Education is key, without it conservation has no meaning.

     I also got an ambo call recently to catch a duck and her ducklings in order to save them from two cats left to run amok in the neighborhood. It took quite some time but I managed to gather the ducklings but failed to catch the mother, this left me with four Pacific Black Ducks. When I returned another duck got put into my care, a juvi average white duck. This prompted me to make an impromptu wet brooder:

         All in all working there isn't so bad because it's the animals that make me happy; the people however... leave much to be desired. Below is a document posted by our manager on appropriate communication at work. I thought it was a joke at first, but it's not.... [caution to impressionable children, the picture below is not suitable for you so AVERT YOUR EYES!]

Yep, it's a bowl full of cherries this lot.