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 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
 A Lavender Farm has to be an awesome place. Someone caught a honeybee gathering pollen in midflight in one of the pictures. They sell their own brand of lavender tea. Maybe there is lavender honey as well? I can just imagine the heavenly odors in the air during harvest time. In one of the pictures it looked like harvesters in the fields. Maybe it was just tourists. It was a lovely place to visit. We use lavender soap to wash the dogs in the summer it really does keep off the fleas. I am encouraging the planting of herbs this holiday in my family gifts. I am returning home today. We may have another family gathering if the weather does not snow on our plans. I wish everyone who reads my blogs and all the 30-Day Challenge bloggers a Happy New Year. May 2017 bring peace and prosperity to everyone. Happy Blogging. ![Merit Badge in Blogging
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| O.K. I can do this.  Although I'm sure K would not want me to try it. The walk back up to the glider will get us a lot of exercise, because we want to ride down more than once. Blue Moon will be especially excited on this ride.  I can see Andre riding down screaming jungle monkey tunes all the way down. Did you notice the wild landscape on the way down and on the way back?Now we are ready for rest for sure. Three days to 2017.  apondia#1781748 |
| https://youtu.be/aIA7GOdIndI News broadcast in 2010 explaining real life situations in Queenstown. https://youtu.be/3IchMupVR4E A Salmon and Ginseng farm in Tasmania As we draw closer to the end of our Australia trip I look back at the many sites we have visited. I feel I know more about the real Australia than I did before we started. I looked at Australia as a tourist. As we visited awesome natural sites I realized the deep feeling the Aboriginals have for this land. It is special to know there are people in different countries who have ancestry dating back thousands of years. They understand the natural world before technology took over society. I have viewed Australia through the lives of people who actually live there. They are the friendly willing people who encourage tourism not just for the money (very important to them) but also welcome people who do not live here, to show the style, beauty, and special aspects of this country. Only four days left in 2016 counting today. Prepare to welcome 2017.    |
 The time at Mt. Oval Playground was a lot of fun. There were adult size swing sets. Andre had fun bouncing people off the teeter- totter. Many of our group crowded onto the merry-go-round and ended with crazy walking patterns from dizziness when they disembarked. I saw the mocking jay, Brother nature, and even five sixer staggering toward the food lines. Princess Megan Rose was helping Andre who was also staggering and yelling who-who-who. I helped with the food with some special beef recipes. http://www.beefandlamb.com.au/How_to/Cattle_and_sheep_farming. We had Beef, Asparagus stir fry. I liked the char-grilled beef skewers with tomato vinaigrette. Another tasty dish was beef burgers with blue cheese, plus beef pieces with sundried tomato pesto in spinach wraps. Today we toured the Cadbury Factory. We always used to buy big Cadbury Fruit and Nut bars at Christmas. Then, for some reason, they stopped selling them close to our shopping areas. This year we were checking out in a grocery store and there they were so I grabbed a couple at Thanksgiving but they were long gone by Christmas. The tour was nice. Off to rest for awhile now. Happy New Year 2017.   |
    I came away from Melbourne with a recipe for Pemmican and a knowledge of a book "The Lost Ways" by Claude Davis. Today I have a recipe for tomato curry from https://www.islandcurries.com I explored the Salamanca Market. It started with 12 stalls now there are over 300. I listened to street musicians, saw a blue man, watched a tourist struggling with a camera wearing a pink balloon hat, looked at all kinds of shops from a polaroid booth to hats, jewelry and all kinds of food. There were so many things to see I lost everyone in all the crowds. What a shopping day this was? Merry Christmas to All. |
| I'm happy tonight it is almost 5 p.m. and it is not dark outside yet. Winter has started but the days are getting longer. I did not tour Melbourne yet but I will. Yesterday was a total day of shopping. I enjoyed the 1000 steps it was a joy to walk up in all that growth of tree and plants. Did you see all the Lavender? Another fun trip was the train ride. Sit still for two hours and watch as the mountain whizzed by and the children hung out the windows taking in all of the sites. This year Carols by Candlelight started off a lot different than the one in 2015. I like the Christmas music and sharing it at a large gathering with Blue Moon, Princess Megan Rose, the Laughing Jay, Andre, Brother Nature, Hark the Herald Jaybird sings, Wolves Denning, AlyCat, Wakeup and Live---- and all the others I may not have mentioned has been a special Christmas treat. Merry Christmas to All  |
| I heard the Sunday Newsweek program on PBS is going to host a program to tell people what to expect from the Trump presidency on Christmas Day. It is broadcast early on Sunday morning. What a way to celebrate Christmas. OH Yes! Chocolate for Christmas. Did you see the little girl on the web site eating the big chocolate ice creme cone with a piece of shaved chocolate in the middle? Plus, if I had the chance I would eat the light cheese dome from the Bread Top Shop. Then, save a Wish Log for later. The winery tour was in a beautiful valley, with wildlife galore to view. I seem to be running late on a lot of these prompts but I am still enjoying all the places we visit. Merry Christmas:  |
 I definitely spent a lot of time visiting the Taronga Zoo. Blue Moon had to drag me away so I did not miss the ride to Canberra. This was the meat of the journey. I spent quite a bit of time in the Parliment. I looked up their constitution so I could get an understanding of the way the governing bodies coincide. Did you know that Australia is its own country? I needed to understand the reference I see every now and then, to the Queen. The government is set up to recognize Queen Victoria and her descendants. The government makes all it's own decisions, as a country. The Queen is now only a figure who makes decisions that are recommended by the Australian Governing body. It is kind of nice to understand the way other governments are set up. The library visit was not long enough. I need a year to spend in some of the places I visited in Australia. The library is in the process of being digitized. They have maps, books, manuscripts and music being saved on digital media, extending from the 11th century to the present time. The library has a published, "Guide to the Collections" by C.A. Burmester. The guide tells people about all the collections in the library. You can find the collections on-line. I did not look very far at them because the pages kept going beyond the number nine. Music Link I found in my travels: https://youtu.be/PKUuMLAgXBY "Walk Off The Earth"  Merry Christmas |
| I'm never happy in the middle of any city in a building that soars into the air. The Grace Hotel had all the luxury anyone could need and the rooms were comfortable. There was one time in the evening when there was a ruckus in the hall but I heard a floor manager talking to the loud people and it soon quieted down. I used the Wifi to catch up on email and check out news around the world. Sleeping long and peacefully was a real happiness. Sydney Opera House was a very educational tour. Since I've never been to NYC, this has to be the best scene of performing in a large theater that I have ever experienced. The breakfast was spectacular. The taste of those pastries will linger for a long time. I can do this Bridge walk. I walk about 4 to 5000 steps per day so the approximate 1400 will be easy peasy. The height is a beautiful way to have a good view of this part of Sydney. It was like walking among the clouds, with fresh air. By the time we reached the botanical gardens, strolling trough the gardens was so peaceful. I found a Southern Magnolia from the USA among the many blooming plants. Christmas in Aussieland is a gift for this year.  |
 HI: I've been fighting with a snow storm at home. Keeping up with barn chores in the horrid weather is not bringing me happiness. I also was involved with reading a book that I needed to return to the library. So, my travel experience in Australia is suffering. Nevertheless, Time Zone is a blast. I love mini golf so of course, I talked the Princess and Blue Moon into one game. Andre can play too. One game is all there is time for if I move onto some of the other experiences. "Let's Go Jungle" and "Mini Rider 3D" are two of the other hands on moves I tried out.  I wonder if they would franchise somewhere close to where I live?I'm ready for Sydney. There is a hop on hop off ferry; I plan to buy a ticket and use it a lot. What are the up- front plans? I have to visit the Taronga Zoo. It was started October 7, 1916. That's an old zoo. according to https://www.wikpedia.org, it is divided into 8 zoogeographic regions, has 4000 animals and 340 species. It will take some time to cover it properly. That is on 52 acres. I wonder if I have to walk the whole thing or if I can ride part of the way? Guess I will find out when we get to Sydney. See you there! ![Merit Badge in OctoPrep
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