I've gotten into the swing again at last and have been going every weekend for the past couple of months. I even had a 3 dayer the weekend before last. But no matter what I plan to do on a weekend it's like the bush over rides those plans and needs to be tamed before it gets too big.
Last weekend I heard a radio and some macheteing down the back. I thought that odd so went to check and found Ashley my neighbour at the back fence. He told me he wanted to put his cows in the paddock next to mine and needed to check the fences before he did so.
Of course he found the huge tree that had come down on our fence and was about to cut it up so he could mend the fence. I was rather embarassed because it was my tree but it was too large for my chainsaw.
Of all the neighbours I've met I've found Ashley the most likeable. Not too sure if the feelings mutual.
I offered to help but he seemed very independant about it so I set about clearing the fenceline from the top down to where he was working to reduce any further problems with the fence in the future.
I still need to continue down from there to the gully where the back boundary is.
However my new weapon against the lantana arrived last Friday and I diverted to making a path down from the back of the shed to the back gully. It's a circular saw blade for the brushcutter and let me tell you this is a scary thing. You have to be conscious all the time where you are putting that thing because the way it melts through not only lantana but modest sapplings and branches as well tells me it could delimb human or animal easily.
It was so overgrown down the back it was hard to tell when I'd reached the gully.
Unfortunately I've never been able to get the tractor down there because there was no route gradual enough to drive. I may need to get an excavator in to make a shallower track down there.
Oh and speaking of the tractor, another part failure and repair job in the last couple of months. The casting for the thermostat cracked and started leaking. I bought one on ebay and fitted it but it must have been a one hung low job because it wasn't a perfect match in that the water neck sat lower than the original and there are two bolt holes for the front of the fuel tank that don't line up. They are further forward.
Let me tell you there was more swearing than on a ship full of sailors when I discovered this.
It meant another trip before I could have it running again as I needed a longer radiator hose.
As if to really get under my skin after thinking I'd finished at a new hose and cable tying the fuel tank. The bloody thing wouldn't start. Fortunately for me I remembered seeing what looked like oil leaking from the ignition coil sometime before and was able to pinch one off an old ute I have lying near the shed. That fitted I was in business again.
I made a second path down from halfway down to the dam but looking at it now I think it may be too steep for the tractor as well. If not going down then probably to drive back up.
Anway I went to check the fence at the gully where I remembered another huge tree had fallen and woe is me it was gone in one section across the gully and very worn in another.
There must have been a huge amount of water through there after the last time I'd been there.
It's a nice spot when it is hot and the water seems to have redefined it prettier even than it was.
Perhaps because there was still water in it even after it hasn't rained for a while. It's usually dry except for after rain.
Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures for a while but I will stick some in my next post.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Has the green movement had it's day?
I once was glad to consider myself among the crowd that cared for the planet. With influences for social justice and the environment from Peter Garrett and his music. Songs like blue sky mining really went down deep in my heart.
It hurt a lot after years of respecting this guy to learn that once a politician you put on the same colours as your party. The party first above all else. It even makes me wonder if it wasn't about the money and niche markets all along.
I read this morning even after million dollar add campaigns and rallies yesterday that still only a third of people are in favour of the tax. I am so proud of the people. Often accused of being sheep, it seems most can see through the hog wash and spin being thrown at them for the last 6 months.
It isn't over yet by any means. But it can go one of two ways. Either the people hold out and the Prime minister backs down or the tax is done regardless .
If the tax is established and I suspect it will and people see it for what it is and how it has cost them without doing what it is claimed to do I'd suspect that there will be a backlash on green groups and politicians.
While I have no sympathy for politicians of any colour I think it is a shame that donations to worthwhile causes for the environment and wildlife could reduce either due to households being cash strapped from the emmissions tax or just hatred at the greens for visiting this tax upon them.
The one statement I see all the time from supporters in the green movement is " any action on climate change would be a step in the right direction as far as I am concerned"
So they are admitting that they aren't confident that it will work to the level required but as long as they think they are winning it will do.
Thats my thoughts for now.
It hurt a lot after years of respecting this guy to learn that once a politician you put on the same colours as your party. The party first above all else. It even makes me wonder if it wasn't about the money and niche markets all along.
I read this morning even after million dollar add campaigns and rallies yesterday that still only a third of people are in favour of the tax. I am so proud of the people. Often accused of being sheep, it seems most can see through the hog wash and spin being thrown at them for the last 6 months.
It isn't over yet by any means. But it can go one of two ways. Either the people hold out and the Prime minister backs down or the tax is done regardless .
If the tax is established and I suspect it will and people see it for what it is and how it has cost them without doing what it is claimed to do I'd suspect that there will be a backlash on green groups and politicians.
While I have no sympathy for politicians of any colour I think it is a shame that donations to worthwhile causes for the environment and wildlife could reduce either due to households being cash strapped from the emmissions tax or just hatred at the greens for visiting this tax upon them.
The one statement I see all the time from supporters in the green movement is " any action on climate change would be a step in the right direction as far as I am concerned"
So they are admitting that they aren't confident that it will work to the level required but as long as they think they are winning it will do.
Thats my thoughts for now.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Update
Time for an update of whats been happening at gullygunyah. A lot and not much at the same time.
I've since given up on any plans to build new accomodation in the near future and stuck the shed savings into the mortgage which is redrawable anyway. Silly of me not to have done this from the start. But I thought it was going to happen quicker than it has worked out.
The rainfall in the past year has seen me losing the battle against the jungle that surrounds the humpy.
I spent all last year cleaning up and being so happy with the results and then the extreme wet season take me back to the start again. The tractor as to be expected from a 50's model is proving to be a pain in the ass and needs constant attention. Fortunately nothing major at this point.
The battery I was running my power from died an early death and I learnt a lesson I should have known already about shoddy manufacturers rebadging their crappy products under other names.
I got barely 3 years out of it and it never had a hard working but avoid AmpTech batteries which I was told belongs to super charge and has various complaints about it's quality about the net.
So I've bought some Trojans this time with double the capacity and at least double the lifetime
of the other. We had this type at our fishing club and they got at least 6 years of hard work from them by 20 odd fisherman. I hope I get 8-10 at least.
It is difficult having a foot each in two camps particularly working mostly alone and I have at times been so close to just saying right that's it sell the house in Brisbane and move to gully full time. The current economic conditions in my trade make me feel all the more that way.
It's going to be an interesting 12 months ahead because I suspect that may be my direction chosen.
The lower gully or back gully was flowing hard I could hear it from the shack. Kelly loves water and is the strangest dog in that she will put her head under water and look like a snorkeller. I thought dogs didn't like water in their ears?
She is as all good cattledogs worth their salt a fanatical game player. Also great company while you're working and actually useful. With the tonnes of lantana and unwanted sapplings cut and all the dead wood collected from the ground, she loved to catch as I threw it onto the stacks and helped by pulling and tramping the stacks down.
There's more I could post but that will do for another.
I've since given up on any plans to build new accomodation in the near future and stuck the shed savings into the mortgage which is redrawable anyway. Silly of me not to have done this from the start. But I thought it was going to happen quicker than it has worked out.
The rainfall in the past year has seen me losing the battle against the jungle that surrounds the humpy.
I spent all last year cleaning up and being so happy with the results and then the extreme wet season take me back to the start again. The tractor as to be expected from a 50's model is proving to be a pain in the ass and needs constant attention. Fortunately nothing major at this point.
The battery I was running my power from died an early death and I learnt a lesson I should have known already about shoddy manufacturers rebadging their crappy products under other names.
I got barely 3 years out of it and it never had a hard working but avoid AmpTech batteries which I was told belongs to super charge and has various complaints about it's quality about the net.
So I've bought some Trojans this time with double the capacity and at least double the lifetime
of the other. We had this type at our fishing club and they got at least 6 years of hard work from them by 20 odd fisherman. I hope I get 8-10 at least.
It is difficult having a foot each in two camps particularly working mostly alone and I have at times been so close to just saying right that's it sell the house in Brisbane and move to gully full time. The current economic conditions in my trade make me feel all the more that way.
It's going to be an interesting 12 months ahead because I suspect that may be my direction chosen.
The lower gully or back gully was flowing hard I could hear it from the shack. Kelly loves water and is the strangest dog in that she will put her head under water and look like a snorkeller. I thought dogs didn't like water in their ears?
She is as all good cattledogs worth their salt a fanatical game player. Also great company while you're working and actually useful. With the tonnes of lantana and unwanted sapplings cut and all the dead wood collected from the ground, she loved to catch as I threw it onto the stacks and helped by pulling and tramping the stacks down.There's more I could post but that will do for another.
Friday, June 3, 2011
A long time...
A lot has happened since my last post and I probably would not be posting now but for my feelings about the hoo hah about the carbon tax. I figure if I am going to disagree with other bloggers that I follow, the least I should do is allow a fair return by opening my blog up to discussion about the tax and ets coming.
And when I say coming it's as sure as every other boom the stock market and financial institutions have created.
The deception has been brilliant to the point that environmetalists believe that mining companies and power producers fighting against it are worried about the cost to their pockets. So lets screw them and side with wall street.
And this is somewhat true but also false at the same time. Don't get me wrong I am no fan of mining companies and what they do to farmers and people where they want to dig their holes.
As businesses go you have expenses and profits. The profit is what you have after all expenses have been removed. If expenses go up then the final price on your product goes up. And the consumer pays.
If however you are competing in a market where some of the competition does not have as many expenses as you then you cannot compete. That is why all our local industries have failed one after the other here to the point we import way more than we use to. Thankyou aus gov.
That is what a carbon tax will do to our local industry yet again and continue us on the path to total dependance on imports. Great for the oil reserves hey?
So bits of paper are to be issued that represent an amount of carbon emmissions. We all know how much a piece of paper is worth. A fraction of a cent. So there is a huge profit margin in these bits of paper for governments and companies issuing them. No surprise that some of the biggest supporters for carbon taxing have interests in these carbon credit issuing offices.
But even more evil is the veiled surprise a couple years out from the introduction of the carbon tax in the form of an ets. Yes we won't have a fixed price that people can budget for but a moving price. You know like the moving price of petrol or interest rates.
Ok 10 dollars a week certainly doesn't sound like much even to people close to the line with their budgets but what happens when the market decides that the value of emmissions is 250 dollars a tonne? Wouldn't that mean the cost to people would increase to 100 dollars a week?
I'm sure that could rock a lot of people's budgets.
But if you happen to have a lot of carbon credits it would make you very wealthy. Who is likely to own a lot of carbon credits? Well you might say people who are creating emmissions. Unfortunately the stock market was designed with good intentions but due to greed in man has ended up a monster out of control. We have seen the Great depression, we've seen the tech bubble, we've seen the housing bubble, guess what's next.
Speculators have at times driven the price of oil to extremes and didn't that hurt. Get ready for the same on the price of emmissions per tonne.
The crying shame is that the very people who care about the planet are helping to bring this about without achieving the thing their hearts desire. A cleaner planet.
And when I say coming it's as sure as every other boom the stock market and financial institutions have created.
The deception has been brilliant to the point that environmetalists believe that mining companies and power producers fighting against it are worried about the cost to their pockets. So lets screw them and side with wall street.
And this is somewhat true but also false at the same time. Don't get me wrong I am no fan of mining companies and what they do to farmers and people where they want to dig their holes.
As businesses go you have expenses and profits. The profit is what you have after all expenses have been removed. If expenses go up then the final price on your product goes up. And the consumer pays.
If however you are competing in a market where some of the competition does not have as many expenses as you then you cannot compete. That is why all our local industries have failed one after the other here to the point we import way more than we use to. Thankyou aus gov.
That is what a carbon tax will do to our local industry yet again and continue us on the path to total dependance on imports. Great for the oil reserves hey?
So bits of paper are to be issued that represent an amount of carbon emmissions. We all know how much a piece of paper is worth. A fraction of a cent. So there is a huge profit margin in these bits of paper for governments and companies issuing them. No surprise that some of the biggest supporters for carbon taxing have interests in these carbon credit issuing offices.
But even more evil is the veiled surprise a couple years out from the introduction of the carbon tax in the form of an ets. Yes we won't have a fixed price that people can budget for but a moving price. You know like the moving price of petrol or interest rates.
Ok 10 dollars a week certainly doesn't sound like much even to people close to the line with their budgets but what happens when the market decides that the value of emmissions is 250 dollars a tonne? Wouldn't that mean the cost to people would increase to 100 dollars a week?
I'm sure that could rock a lot of people's budgets.
But if you happen to have a lot of carbon credits it would make you very wealthy. Who is likely to own a lot of carbon credits? Well you might say people who are creating emmissions. Unfortunately the stock market was designed with good intentions but due to greed in man has ended up a monster out of control. We have seen the Great depression, we've seen the tech bubble, we've seen the housing bubble, guess what's next.
Speculators have at times driven the price of oil to extremes and didn't that hurt. Get ready for the same on the price of emmissions per tonne.
The crying shame is that the very people who care about the planet are helping to bring this about without achieving the thing their hearts desire. A cleaner planet.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Lack of inspiration
It's been another fortnight since I could get to the property and even though there was a small amount of rain it all looks real ugly at the moment. I felt so uninspired at the weekend all I did was kept my fruit trees alive with a thorough soaking.
If these weather conditions continue with the northerlies so much I reckon we could see heatwaves in the 40's for a week at a time come January.
I have gone and got myself a puppy to replace Ruby although I could never replace her. The puppy is just so adorable but poor Aldi was crying when I brought her home. She is a little red cattle pup born on the 11th August and is called Kelly. I could have renamed her but I thought I may as well leave her with the name the breeder gave her. If I did rename her I'd call her smiley because she has the cutest lines either side of her mouth that makes it look as if she is smiling all the time.
I will post a picture of her soon but I think I've posted enough dog pictures for now.
My chooks at home are laying very slow. But at least they are laying. I've marked some eggs with a smiley face so I can tell the older eggs from the fresh ones. they've taken it in turns to go clucky. Psycho last year and dopey and chookie chook this year. I feel sorry for psycho as the other two sit on the eggs all the time and she's all alone. They use to always stick together the three of them.
If these weather conditions continue with the northerlies so much I reckon we could see heatwaves in the 40's for a week at a time come January.
I have gone and got myself a puppy to replace Ruby although I could never replace her. The puppy is just so adorable but poor Aldi was crying when I brought her home. She is a little red cattle pup born on the 11th August and is called Kelly. I could have renamed her but I thought I may as well leave her with the name the breeder gave her. If I did rename her I'd call her smiley because she has the cutest lines either side of her mouth that makes it look as if she is smiling all the time.
I will post a picture of her soon but I think I've posted enough dog pictures for now.
My chooks at home are laying very slow. But at least they are laying. I've marked some eggs with a smiley face so I can tell the older eggs from the fresh ones. they've taken it in turns to go clucky. Psycho last year and dopey and chookie chook this year. I feel sorry for psycho as the other two sit on the eggs all the time and she's all alone. They use to always stick together the three of them.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Need some rain
While Brisbane had some storms over the weekend it barely spat a drop at Pierce creek. The tanks are ok but even the weeds are wilting. Some of my fruit trees looked desperate for a water after a fortnight between visits. It was just so hot I took it easy only putting a ceiling fan up when I got there. Made it a bit more comfortable. I thought it would be better to use a household ceiling fan through the inverter than those small 12 v fans for cars/trucks. It draws between 2.5 and 3.5 amps depending on the speed you use. Sure worked well.
I found some gate posts already cut left behind by the previous owners. They're 8 foot long and 10 inch diameter. Someone in the toowoomba chronicle was advertising ironbark posts that size for 28 to 37 dollars each. I need 4. Not a lot of money saved but still a saving.
Hopefully there's a southerly next weekend to make the job of digging them in a bit more comfortable.
I found this beautiful compilation of action shots of cattledogs in a slideshow to some good music on Youtube if it interests anybody else. Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCyv3MeoYHI&feature=response_watch
I found some gate posts already cut left behind by the previous owners. They're 8 foot long and 10 inch diameter. Someone in the toowoomba chronicle was advertising ironbark posts that size for 28 to 37 dollars each. I need 4. Not a lot of money saved but still a saving.
Hopefully there's a southerly next weekend to make the job of digging them in a bit more comfortable.
I found this beautiful compilation of action shots of cattledogs in a slideshow to some good music on Youtube if it interests anybody else. Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCyv3MeoYHI&feature=response_watch
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Relaxing day
Here's a snap from Sunday when we got to spend a few hours fishing in Hervey Bay. I took this on round island where we stopped for lunch under the trees. Thanks Kylie for packing the delicious picnic lunch.
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