A Summer Date

Seeing as we're stuck inside thought I might share some photos.

A couple of days ago Matthew took me on a date. So where do you go on the coast when you've lived here most of your life and it's freaking hot outside...

UnderWater World!!!

It's airconditioned, dark and full of wonderment!

I discovered it's terribly difficult to take pictures of fish in tanks. First of all it's fairly dim. Then there's the fact you can't ask a fish to stay still. And lastly anything that's not an SLR will focus on the glass rather than what's beyond it.... So needless to say my photos aren't terrific. But here are some of the gooduns.

Personally I adore the weedy seadragons. They're so majestic and understated. I sat there watching them float around for a good 10 minutes. Their lives must be so serene here. Everyone is doing their best to keep you alive. No predators, perfect water and all the krill you can eat. Seeing a seadragon hunt down one of those transparent little morsels is quite the spectacle. One second they're just flitting about and next they vanish, sucked up by this terror of the sea!

 

And everyone loves a lionfish. So beautiful, so graceful, so goddamnfreakingdeadly! Why anyone would want to keep one as a pet is beyond me...

The only other thing in this tank was a stonefish blobbing about on the bottom. Ugly thing. You wouldn't have seen it if there wasn't a plaque stating its presence.

Tropical fish are fascinating. Evolution definitely did them a favour. If you come to me and say there's not a single tropical fish that you think is cool I'll punch you in the face and tell you to look again.

 

This is the pignosed turtle. I'd never met one til this day. I'm glad I did.

 

And otters! Holy Crabapples they're cute! Imagine if cats lived in water. The world would a whole lot nicer if otters ruled. Our otter masters would be just and wise. Bringing an era of peace and harmony as all prejudices would be abolished and replaced with platonic love. I call it the Frolicism Movement.

 

 

At the end of our excursion we found these two. Giant crayfish!!!!

We were lucky enough to stumble upon them at feeding time. A long stick with a fish on the end descended from the unseen room above and these guys were remorseless. Lucky for the fish he was long dead.

 

There were all sorts of other awesome things to look at which didn't photograph well. Blind cave fish, enormous noxious catfish, the seal show and a massive tank with a tunnel built through it filled with sharks, rays and turtles.

All in all an excellent day out. 

Inspired we then went down the road to enjoy some beer battered barramundi and chips Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Everyone Talks About the Weather

Good news everyone!

It's raining. And how. It's not a happy little summer shower. Or even an unhappy summer storm. It's three days of torrential downpour. With more expected. The Rain Gods have an evil sense of humour. So from one extreme to the next we're now on flood alert.

Our current location lends to relative safety from rising waters however the lawn now looks like this

Green! It took two days for what could come back to do so. You may recognise those sticks sitting puddle adjacent. That little patch has not enjoyed the summer. 

Last time this happened the street leading out of here went under and the cars on the street were worse for wear.
So the three of us are stuck inside. Perhaps sitting around relaxing on the couch will be a pleasant couple of days. That is until the food runs out.
On that note I'm going to go construct a raft out of palm fronds and wire-ties...... 

Little Blurps of Potential

The Postie brought me a present today! Got them from diggers.com and I'm pretty excited. They were a little more expensive than you'd get at places like Bunnings. But we're talking $4 a pack with $6.50 delivery for the lot as opposed to $3 a pack and a drive. I think it's worth it for white carrots and mini capsicums!!!
(ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ

So I made another calendar!

Hot Enough for You?

I know it's been all over the news. We've been copping record high temperatures for the last few weeks resulting in BOM adding a new spectrum. The cat's turned into a mouth breather, Matt's been very vocal about it and I've been struggling myself. The gentleman who owns our flat installed ceiling fans just before Christmas. I could hug him. This place has been standing since at least '77 if the Telecom box on the wall is anything to go by. And yes you read that right. For the last 35 years people have been suffering through summer here without ceiling fans. Let's have a moments silence for those poor souls.....

Also as Christmas is over I'm spending an inordinate amount of time at home. You'd think the place would be spotless, you'd be wrong. But I have had the chance to do a little creating. 

From the couch we can see into the yard. The lawn is not faring well....

To commemorate this historical heatwave I fashioned this little doodad! I thought Calidum was an appropriate title for this hot piece Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ*

I did think gold chain might have made more sense but it's impossible to look out the window without squinting so I chose silver for that infernal glare!
This summer has been painful. However there's been no fires in our area, no deaths from heat exhaustion and I haven't lost any shoes to the bitumen so I can be glad of that. Despite the whinging I'm not looking forward to Winter.

A Calendar!

I made a calendar. Go me. Thought I'd share its glory with the world.

A zip folder! Mayhap contains gold?

Dex Herself

Seems a little silly to have posted anything without so much as an introduction.

You may call me Dex.

I reside with my partner Matt and our catkin Widdershins in a small dwelling on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. If I have a spare moment from working retail and household tasks I tend to spend it in the garden or crafting. Though I've never liked the word craft is does seem apt to describe all manner of hobbies. This blog has been created with the intention of sharing these time killing fancies. Perhaps you will find something amusing among them and make this face (ﾉ･o･)ﾉ

I have an Etsy Store where I peddle some of my wares. It's more of a vanity project than a money making scheme. I just enjoy the idea that someone likes something I made enough to wear it in public.
Unfortunately I'm the only one who uses the camera so you'll have to put up with a selfie I took previous to a recent night out.

So now you can put a face to the words.

A Bit of Mulch

Lawn clippings! Glorious lawn clippings! They've been drying in the brutal summer sun for the last week. Now they're ready to be put to use. I'm afraid it's not much to look at but it does please me and the garden.

(　＾∇＾)

Garden 1

Garden 2

Little blobs of lettuce. Probably not the best time of year to plant it but there you go.

Garden 3

 In the little pot is hopefully going to be some catgrass. And that is the chilli from the house of Hades.

 

Garden 4

I spent two hours in the sun. Granted it was during noon but I came inside with quite a hue. Summer....

o(-_-;*)

A Start in the Garden

So I've made a start in the garden. 

It's a small, long patch along the fence built into a retaining wall divided into four parts. 

The soil had been left to its own devices and sun baking for a while before I got there. Which made for a pretty hard slog.

I forgot to take the before pictures but here's one of the neighbour's end.

Behold the horror!

With a bit of compost, sheep poo and ash from our recent fire the soil has come up a treat.

I've also set up some chicken wire to support the coming crops.

Garden 1

That black thing is the solar charger for a string of LEDs I set up so I could water in the dark. And there's a monster rosemary bush off the end.

Garden 2

I started on this part November last year. The marigold flourished up to the last couple of weeks. It's been hot. SOOOOOOO hot. Even the palms are suffering. The chilli however could not be happier. There's also a couple of melons vines which are surprisingly soldiering on.

Garden 3

This is a terribly boring patch of dirt adjacent to the chilli. Which by the way came from hell. 

 

Garden 4

And yet the most boring patch......

So that's the introduction to our little garden (^^)

A New Year

So it's the new year. I can only hope it gets off to a better start than the last one. Not that it was a categorically terrible 366 days. It was more of a nonevent. So here I sit in front of a small fire, still recovering from the antics had two nights ago, contemplating the coming year.
I'm not one for expectations but how's this? I hope to get my garden flourishing. That would be pleasant. I hope my car powers through another year. That would be fantastic. I hope to organise an overseas trip. That would be exceptional.
So here goes nothing. Bring on 2013. Who's with me?