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old-dog wrote:

When the weeds sway and part and you see green lip abs the size of dinner plates shining like diamonds in the filtered sunlight, your mouth starts watering as you sneak up on them with your screwdriver and pop them off. I Don't mind their poor cousin, the crusty looking black lip abs too. Nothing tough about abalone when properly prepared.

Old-Dog. Hi.

Sounds like you’ve had a lot of experience with abalone.

I’ve always heard it’s about the preparation, too often you hear whining about toughness, obviously don’t know what to do.

You painted an idyllic picture in my mind of those abalone grounds.
All manner of life must abound. Good stuff. AW

tubeshooter wrote:

Don't forget to ask about the bearded clams PD.
I haven't seen one in decades, but I hear they're still available.

Fresh water yabbies for me have to be well salted and accompanied by a seafood sauce with a touch of tobasco. I can't eat mud bugs any other way.

Tubeshooter. Hi mate, hope ya kick in arse.

I haven’t seen a bearded clam for a couple of years either.

Elusive buggers !!!. AW

haha AW
As you'd be aware, the bearded clam was prolific in the 70's but rapidly declined shortly after.
Something to do with Brazilians I believe.

tubeshooter wrote:

haha AW
As you'd be aware, the bearded clam was prolific in the 70's but rapidly declined shortly after.
Something to do with Brazilians I believe.

I think you’re onto something there.

Having travelled and surfed in France over a few decades, I must say, I like women who are hirsute in areas that are a bit clammy and I’m not just talking about the basement, first and second floors can be appealing also. Au revoir. AW

GuySmiley wrote:

^^ The last several posts - nice double entendres gents … sweet dreams

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aC0LSOyAYdE

Cheers Guy. ^^ Naughty but nice.

Great chatting with you today and always.

Geez us guys can clock up some literary miles in a day. AW

Edit. I’ll check out that female artist tomorrow, Queenscliff , her, art and my family are all connected to that hamlet.

That's what I like about you AW
There's no beating around the bush.

tubeshooter wrote:

That's what I like about you AW
There's no beating around the bush.

Tubeshooter. You are a classic, Luv ya.

Well, my current personal circumstances, there’s definitely been no beating around the bush of late.
But hey, you know me well, I’m always bush walking. AW

I envy U having all that Bush 2 explore and get your teeth into Alfred .

I am in a Tundra zone atm .

No bush , no humidity , dry as a Shag on a Rock .

Consistent weather and I can do whatever I want , rain , hail or shine .

GuySmiley wrote:

Botanical name for said bush @AW?

Guy. Morning.

Oh, that’s an easy one. Pubis familiaris . AW

Pop Down wrote:

I envy U having all that Bush 2 explore and get your teeth into Alfred .

I am in a Tundra zone atm .

No bush , no humidity , dry as a Shag on a Rock .

Consistent weather and I can do whatever I want , rain , hail or shine .

PopDown. You’re a classic

So good, clever and funny!!!

Had me choking on my muesli.. AW

GuySmiley wrote:

AlfredWallace wrote:

GuySmiley wrote:

Botanical name for said bush @AW?

Guy. Morning.

Oh, that’s an easy one. Pubis familiaris . AW

Good morning @AW

I'm guess just like the Grevillea alpina Lindl is known for only growing on Mt Zero at Gariwerd Pubis familiaris is known to grow only on Mt Venus although I'm told recent trends suggest traditional cultivation methods have changed to more of a tailler les buissons de près!

I think it’s a global phenomenon these days Guy.

The organic supply chains offering up the finest of finely sharpened Japanese steel cannot keep up with the demand.

I always have with me the sharpest secateurs for when bushes need a trim, Felco is my choice, Swiss engineering, par excellence.

Alas, I’m hearing these days the inorganic slap, slip, slop removal technique expedites the process and it’s just a swipe to the left, a wipe to the right. Nudis confrontationalis

Au revoir . AW

.

I'll try again. Slowly moving out of the Stone Age.
Some snaps that relate to places and things mentioned here recently.

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blackers wrote:

I'll try again. Slowly moving out of the Stone Age.
Some snaps that relate to places and things mentioned here recently.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBVH6DHTfgI/?igsh=dnI4b3dpbnpzMG1o
KI and it's wildlife, and rain.

500 million year old sandstone. From memory that’s around near Remarkable Rocks.
Nice photos. Good stuff. AW

Beautiful photos blackers , the water droplets is really cool.

magic!
: )

Lovely Blackers!

GuySmiley wrote:

Good morning @AW, mmm, comment dire cela en français à propos des messages d'hier ? when in France I visited Monet's garden and the gardens and parterres of Versailles Palace. Give me Claude's garden and its wild unkempt shrubbery any day ....... although I left a little bit of my heart in Ravello (below), have a good one

“Everywhere I look something reminds me of her.” -Frank Drebin

blackers wrote:

I'll try again. Slowly moving out of the Stone Age.
Some snaps that relate to places and things mentioned here recently.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBVH6DHTfgI/?igsh=dnI4b3dpbnpzMG1o
KI and it's wildlife, and rain.

That 2nd pic is amazing. Nature's sculptural brutalism at is finest.

Nice bokeh on the water drops.

AlfredWallace wrote:

GuySmiley wrote:

Hey there @old-dog & @AW, is there anything bigger and more varied in colour than a KI tiger snake? Spent a few weeks touring France a few years back with a KI farmer and the photos of the tigers he showed us blew me away!

GuySmiley, Old Dog, Tubeshooter, Basesix , PopDown

I might digress.

How good is the written word , I post a yabbie photo and look how much dialogue we’ve all entered into ?

Food for the brain, in-house brain training, fucking brilliant.

Absolutely fabulous, AB FAB.

Members of the Swellnet engine room.

Guy, throughout the Bass Strait Islands, King & Flinders, the Hunter Group, Three Hummock, Mt. Chappell and all those stepping stone islands like Dog, Seal etc. in the Vansittart Shoals area linking Wilson’s Promontory to Tasmania in the last ice age.

This would also apply to those islands west of Kangaroo and the other Flinders Island west of the Eyre Peninsula , Port Lincoln Islands as well, Greenly, Neptune etc.

Snakes phenotypes ( what you see on the outside) is mostly a result of where they live and what they eat.

For example, my brother, who is like me, loves the entire biological world.
Back in his uni days, his class went to Mt.Chappell Island in Bass Strait to do ecology stuff.
Most of the time was spent studying, avoiding and being careful around the biggest and blackest tiger snakes in the country.

A result of having very few predators and an unlimited supply of Short-Tailed Shearwaters (muttonbirds). He remarked at the length and girth, never seen tiger snakes like them before. Isolation produce’s nature’s wonders. AW

Alfred. Spent a week in the Furneaux Group years ago on a mates boat scuba diving and fishing. One night we were moored off Mt Chappell Island and in our well lubricated state dared one of the guys to introduce a new species of snake to Mt Chappel Island by stripping naked and running into the bush. He didn't get too far but in hindsight was probably a stupid thing to do even without tiger snakes in the equation, or the fact it is a protected island. Young and dumb though!!
Some of the biggest crayfish and green lip abalone I've ever seen in my life around there. Landed 3 crays in the 5 to 6kg range. Scenery is next level.

Gazza , you Scored and have taken Crustacean capture 2 another level imho .

I was almost Astacoideaed and Parastacoideaed with hunger and desire .

Seems like the Tigers are worth meeting , 4 a feed like that .

edit

Your mate is not the 1st guy 2 strip naked and run around when pissed , no way :) !

garyg1412 wrote:

AlfredWallace wrote:

GuySmiley wrote:

Hey there @old-dog & @AW, is there anything bigger and more varied in colour than a KI tiger snake? Spent a few weeks touring France a few years back with a KI farmer and the photos of the tigers he showed us blew me away!

GuySmiley, Old Dog, Tubeshooter, Basesix , PopDown

I might digress.

How good is the written word , I post a yabbie photo and look how much dialogue we’ve all entered into ?

Food for the brain, in-house brain training, fucking brilliant.

Absolutely fabulous, AB FAB.

Members of the Swellnet engine room.

Guy, throughout the Bass Strait Islands, King & Flinders, the Hunter Group, Three Hummock, Mt. Chappell and all those stepping stone islands like Dog, Seal etc. in the Vansittart Shoals area linking Wilson’s Promontory to Tasmania in the last ice age.

This would also apply to those islands west of Kangaroo and the other Flinders Island west of the Eyre Peninsula , Port Lincoln Islands as well, Greenly, Neptune etc.

Snakes phenotypes ( what you see on the outside) is mostly a result of where they live and what they eat.

For example, my brother, who is like me, loves the entire biological world.
Back in his uni days, his class went to Mt.Chappell Island in Bass Strait to do ecology stuff.
Most of the time was spent studying, avoiding and being careful around the biggest and blackest tiger snakes in the country.

A result of having very few predators and an unlimited supply of Short-Tailed Shearwaters (muttonbirds). He remarked at the length and girth, never seen tiger snakes like them before. Isolation produce’s nature’s wonders. AW

Alfred. Spent a week in the Furneaux Group years ago on a mates boat scuba diving and fishing. One night we were moored off Mt Chappell Island and in our well lubricated state dared one of the guys to introduce a new species of snake to Mt Chappel Island by stripping naked and running into the bush. He didn't get too far but in hindsight was probably a stupid thing to do even without tiger snakes in the equation, or the fact it is a protected island. Young and dumb though!!
Some of the biggest crayfish and green lip abalone I've ever seen in my life around there. Landed 3 crays in the 5 to 6kg range. Scenery is next level.

garyg1412. Hi mate, sooooooo, good.

“Like Sands Through The Hour Glass, So We’re The Days of Our Lives.”

A great retrospective of fun times passed, that’s for sure.

Those countless islands I’ve mentioned and others such as Big Dog, Little Dog, Clarke, Cape Barren, Passage, Forsyth, Long,Doughboy,Anderson, Tin Kettle, Badger, Big Green, East Kangaroo, Reef, Dover, Erith, Swan, Inner & Outer Sister islands, you could spend your lifetime quietly exploring them all, with basically nobody around.

At least from a conservation and protection aspect, islands infrequently visited by humans bodes well for the wildlife.
Everywhere man puts his foot, we seem to stuff it up.

Thanks for posting such alluring photos, it gets mine/our adventurous juices flowing.

I must say , a decade ago, my family and my brothers family went to Grassy on the east coast of King Island, we witnessed the greatest Fairy Penguin show on earth.
Waited until the sky became its darkest for the day, around 10.15pm that time of year.
We all remained motionless, each of us hiding and laying low behind or besides a chosen rock on the beach.
First, a couple arose from the ocean, then ten, the 100, then 500, then 1000, and so on.
They all marched along totally dismissing our presence, all within inches of us, heading straight to ‘their’ calling chicks in sand burrows in the primary dune scrub.
We were gobsmacked. Birds doing what they’ve done for millennia, despite all the bad treatment inflicted upon then in early settler years.
I encourage anyone to go visits any of those islands for incredible wildlife experiences.

And yes, garyg1412, it’s thirsty work and a cleansing ale would be only fitting. Good stuff mate. AW

Great photos GaryG. Fun times.

Great pics garyg and words AW - was flown into Flinders, CB and King for work and given the keys to explore it all in 4x4 when I'd finished, absolutely loved it and a highlight of my working life, seeing a beach with millions of non human footprints on it, seeing the shearwaters at rush hour time, penguins... Also got to see all of the NE coast of Tas that faces the Furneaux - view from Mt Waterhouse overlooking them on a winter's afternoon with the Tasman shining silver is a sight to behold. Would love to climb Strzelecki one day...

velocityjohnno wrote:

Great pics garyg and words AW - was flown into Flinders, CB and King for work and given the keys to explore it all in 4x4 when I'd finished, absolutely loved it and a highlight of my working life, seeing a beach with millions of non human footprints on it, seeing the shearwaters at rush hour time, penguins... Also got to see all of the NE coast of Tas that faces the Furneaux - view from Mt Waterhouse overlooking them on a winter's afternoon with the Tasman shining silver is a sight to behold. Would love to climb Strzelecki one day...

VelocityJohnno. Hi mate.

So good, ‘keys to the city’ kinda stuff. Would’ve loved to have been with you.

Yes, there’s something about isolation, like when you feel you are the attraction and the biological world is looking at you, friend? Or foe ?.

Mt Strzelecki would be nice, probably on ya own, can’t imagine there’d be many others around.
At the north end of Flinders is also the nice Mt. Killiecrankie nature area where you can find Killiecrankie Diamonds.
Not true diamonds, it’s topaz, shit loads of it.
Early settlers and mariners thought they’d stumbled across a fortune.

NE tip of Flinders, at the river camp, there’s the odd wave, brother and a mate circumnavigated the island 25 years ago looking for waves.

We’ve certainly got some fascinating places on our doorstep. Good stuff VJ. AW

Anyone liking Great Pic's will be Impressed what the NGV announced today .

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has been convinced by Tony Elwood , to lend us some special paintings , next Summer ( Boston time ) .

The NGV announced that next Years Winter Blockbuster is - French Impressionism .

All the Big pieces and names from the Museums collection , are coming 2 Melbourne .

Check out some art at the NGV in the morning and check out the art at The G , in the afternoon .

Have an Italian lunch at Tipo 00 , 2 mix the day up .

Water is cold , bring your wet suits .

Rain drops

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Rain drops from the recent storms.

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Apologies for the double post. I’ll try to stick to one this time. KI landscapes.

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blackers wrote:

Apologies for the double post. I’ll try to stick to one this time. KI landscapes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBi4l7IT-EN/?igsh=YmN1NG1vNGdmdHA0

Blackers. Love ya work, beautiful mood setters. Well done, takes me back to my visit 15 years ago. AW

Beautiful AW , Flamingo like .

As Bruce would say " Looks Delicious " .

Yes, lovely shot AW.

AlfredWallace wrote:

The plant is from the S, SE-E regions of South Africa.

It’s a Gasteria sp. (Asphodelaceae family) .
A fail proof succulent. Many a grandma had them in the 1970’s, they are still around, mine is about 300mm in height, very old and can form a large clump. No horticultural attention needed at all.

I have it because of its flowers, the first photo is the corollary tube before it opens.

The New Holland and White-plumed Honeyeaters as well as Red Wattlebirds love sticking their tongues down the tube for a nectivorous meal.

As most would know, succulents can have amazing flowers. AW

Speaking of books (in the madhouse thread) have you seen these AW ? The artwork is quite good and a slice of colonial history documenting the wildlife the settlers found. I'm not really well informed in the names and such so didn't realise that some or most of the names remain from back then.

I am conflicted though in that the specimens were all captured and killed in order to make the paintings. Still interesting to read the notes and find out how numerous and widespread the birds were at the time, and seemingly how easy it was to catch them as well, not like they are today. There is a wonderful painting of the Nestor Productus, the Phillip Island Parrot in volume 5 but I think it is now extinct though so we're lucky to have a reminder of what we have lost and the importance of trying to look after what is left. I suppose it shows the importance of keeping some forms of environmental protections and "red tape" rather than being led down the path of further destruction in the name of profit

https://archive.org/details/birdsaustralia5goul/page/6/mode/2up

And seeing as I'm on the bird theme, an entertaining podcast for a lazy afternoon with our gentleman friend Alfred Wallace playing a prominent role.
"The birds Edwin Rist stole were valuable and collected in the mid-1800s by one of the greatest scientific explorers of his time: a man named Alfred Russel Wallace"

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/654/the-feather-heist

Fliplid wrote:

Speaking of books (in the madhouse thread) have you seen these AW ? The artwork is quite good and a slice of colonial history documenting the wildlife the settlers found. I'm not really well informed in the names and such so didn't realise that some or most of the names remain from back then.

I am conflicted though in that the specimens were all captured and killed in order to make the paintings. Still interesting to read the notes and find out how numerous and widespread the birds were at the time, and seemingly how easy it was to catch them as well, not like they are today. There is a wonderful painting of the Nestor Productus, the Phillip Island Parrot in volume 5 but I think it is now extinct though so we're lucky to have a reminder of what we have lost and the importance of trying to look after what is left. I suppose it shows the importance of keeping some forms of environmental protections and "red tape" rather than being led down the path of further destruction in the name of profit

https://archive.org/details/birdsaustralia5goul/page/6/mode/2up

And seeing as I'm on the bird theme, an entertaining podcast for a lazy afternoon with our gentleman friend Alfred Wallace playing a prominent role.
"The birds Edwin Rist stole were valuable and collected in the mid-1800s by one of the greatest scientific explorers of his time: a man named Alfred Russel Wallace"

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/654/the-feather-heist

Fliplid. Hi mate.

Thank you so much for those references. Looks like some good reading.

Yes, pictorial evidence of birds and other biota is sometimes all we have to peruse and dream over these days.

Blimey, early naturalists like Audubon ( most famous American in that field) killed thousands of birds, that’s how they learnt about them but inadvertently they were having a dramatic effect on populations. He killed the last Robin Red Breast which had become the rarest bird down to one in the wild, so he thought well, I’ll go out with a bang and be remembered for that.
John Gould the same, they all killed stuff, he wasn’t as bad as Audubon.

And, even my life idol , Sir Alfred Russel Wallace (yes one L not two as it’s often incorrectly written) killed ample mammals and birds but also collected voluminous amounts of invertebrates.
He classified on the go, he was incredibly intelligent for a 25 year old, euthanised organisms, pinned, framed and done in the proper biological technique of preservation.
He was way ahead of Darwin at the time for the formulation of his theory of Natural Selection.

In his famous, still available today, the best book I’ve ever read, “The Malay Archipelago “ he clearly states killing and skinning about a dozen orangutan in Borneo, purely to learn for future prosperity.

The great benefit of everlasting scientific names written in Latin or Greek is that they transcend time, what was written back then, in many cases today, still exists because that’s the beauty of that type of nomenclature ( naming ).

For example, what was Eucalyptus saligna back then , is still correct today.
Globally scientists talk this language so they know exactly which species are being referred to, no matter if you speak hundreds of different languages. Good stuff, thanks again.
All the best. AW