Weekly Chat, Sunday March 7

Alan: I was lucky enough to see that "live" - so tiny!  Love it that the schoolkids were logged on at the same time and able to see the chick.   

Off to gym (with all the necessary bits!)

Over 4000 watching the eagle cam now and it is amazing how many schools are involved.

Here is a picture of the james river bridge falcon with her eggs:

Thursday started pleasantly bright – mild morning wasted by attending hospital.  Temp stayed up but with strong breeze giving high wind-chill in the afternoon.  All well at hospital – well, basically, they asked how I am, I said I am doing ok right now, they said come back in six months!  Directed greenhouse shelving positions this afternoon, and then washed more flower pots.

AQ – we really enjoyed Griff’s rivers of Britain – hope you like them too.  Thanks again for the history instalment. Annette – sorry your Wednesday did not go too well – hope Thursday has been better! Diane – sorry to hear you were tired – hope you have had a good rest.  HeatherB – hope you have been able to open pictures – we are often finding they come and go, so don’t give up!  Still thinking of you – and the family.  Margobird – glad you enjoyed your parliamentary experience – and a nice meal too.  Alan – WV Eagle chick kept us waiting – Mum just doesn’t seem to be able to take her eyes off it!

Got delayed coming on here tonight, so I think that’s all from me – very tired after early morning start.

Alan, have seen none of your pics except Bassenthwaite osp nest, and I so want to see Hamish! :((

DjoanS, got yours from your page, thanks.

HeatherB, hugs from me, I can’t see anyone’s flowers though, hope you liked them... Oh no, you can’t see them either!

AQ thanks for several history sessions recently.

Windfarm/birds links for those interested in finding out

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4222351.html

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-6975308.html

RSPB has a view too - http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/windfarms/index.asp

And these Australian reports think one bird per year would be killed in each of the three large varieties of birds studied - http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/wind-farm-bird-risk.html

And this conservationist in Spain says it’s much more. It’s a long article but near the end, just before the conclusion, there is a section called Finally we have the bird problem. http://www.john-daly.com/windfarm/index.htm

Unknown said:

Brilliant! Brilliant! Just had my first view of the chick.

Great capture Alan. You do such great work for this group.

There is a continual roar in the background today. Vroom. Vroom. The car race must be on. I wimped out of my archives visit today as I have a niggly headache. I didn't think peering at old writing would improve things. Stayed home and did (most of) the ironing. Also some research for the history saga. Until I start typing, I don't realize how little I actually know. LOL

While you are all looking forward to spring, I have to express my delight that my winter (red) gladioli have started to flower. As well the spring stars have sprung a few green leaves anticipating a damp autumn.

OG  busy with flower pots, Annette busy exercising, Alan posting pics*, TerryM busy finding wind-farm info, Margobird settling down to a humdrum life after not throwing her shoes at the MPs, Diane busy finding black penguin links, and so on and on. And maybe others just reading posts.

* Not fair, most of Alan's pics seem to appear. I wish I knew his secret.

Continuing SA history . . . In the 1890s with Australia suffering drought and depression, gold was discovered at Coolgardie & Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Many South Australians left by boat for the west to try their luck. Landing at Albany or Fremantle, some walked several hundred miles to the goldfields pushing their belongings in a hand-barrow. Other means of travel are illustrated on http://valuingheritage.com.au/learningfederation/6597.html

Once the alluvial gold was worked out, companies were formed to mine the gold reefs. George Brookman in 1893 formed a syndicate of South Australians to send two prospectors to Western Australia. Money from the rich claims that they pegged at Kalgoorlie, was sent back to SA.

Other money flowed to SA from goods sent to the goldfields. Campbell Deland, who began working in a bakery in Kalgoorlie, wrote letters to his family in Gawler SA, requesting chaff, flour, eggs and other goods be sent, because "about the only things WA can produce well are Hay, Fruits and Timber." He recommended that no more than 100 dozen eggs be packed in bran in a well-labelled cask. He could sell eggs as soon as they arrived for up to 3/- a dozen, even 2-3 weeks old. He wrote "lots of the things . . .are sold for 2, 3, 4 & 5 times the price that you pay for them [in Gawler]."

Evening/morning all:

AQ:  I know how you feel about the onset of the cooler temps; by October I'm thoroughly tired of the sun (must sound very ungrateful to UK bloggers) but it does get a tad relentless and that's when we typically get the hot desert winds too. That's why we're all so thrilled with the lovely gray wet winter we've been having. Interesting in your history post that folks made money providing the basic for the folks in the goldfields; same in Calfornia, where one man and his wife finally arrived in a town in the Gold Country, he went off to look for work/gold and she immediately started cooking food and selling it from the wagon - and made money. Of course, there were the ladies of the night, too....  Many of the then-Yankee owned cattle ranches (previously Mexican ranches) made a fortune shipping beef to the miners.

Finally got caught up with weeks of newspaper sections, newsletters, etc., that have been piling up. Still haven't tackled the ironing though....   Thanks everyone for posts and pix!   And to all the US folks back east, I see another storm heading your way, with maybe 10 inches of rain due for NY? 

Yes Annette, I think the smart ones didn't look for gold but opened up stores or pubs and made their money more easily. Kalgoorlie had ladies of the night. I believe tourists can visit one of the brothels. I don't know how far they go with the re-enactment. LOL. Not another storm for the US! We desperately need rain. I get tired of seeing the weather map each evening with little icons showing rain everywhere else around Australia.