Dec Saturdays

 What is it with non stop rain all day on Saturdays in December.  This one is socked in here so it must be another good stamp day.  Late arvo yesterday we went down to the beach to check out the council cleanup. Every year this happens and I reckon they get a different person to do it as it is done a different way each time. On this occasion the old sea grass has been pushed in fairly ugly mounds to the ends of the beach. Previously we have had good efforts to incorporate the dried stuff in the foliage at the back.  The beach itself is now very clear for its full length so I guess that is a tick. 

swept beach kept beach

spruce gate sluice gate

Queenscliff reconnoitre

 We got the bikes out even if it was blowing a gale as we needed to checkout exactly where a Christmas picnic could be held between all the required facilities. There are just a few tables with shade but there are around 50 existing tables so we should fit in somewhere.  We bought some rolls from the local bakery and sat at the proposed table.  This is also 100 metres to the beach which was too blowy to sit at.  We rode around to the other side of the rip and the beach was much sheltered there. There were also some rock pools for a dip.  The ride back to the car was half pushed and half blocked by the wind. 

shade table

hold onto your hat

start/finish

pier view

FruitFall not FruitFul

 The first of the very few nectarines was found on the ground with a large scoring mark down one side. The tree is now covered with netting as are the strawbs. We have not seen any possums or possum pee on our decking for over a year but we can hear them. Two years back a possum nest was set inside a fern that was hanging against the brick of the house. The babies squawks were transmitted loudly thru the wall, until we worked it out and took down the fern.  For the last few nights we have had that same sound coming down the wall in the same location.  It was incessant until the mother came back.  There was no such nest outside so I took to the roof as we had heard a few other noises.  I didn't do much except try to get torchlight into crannies and I made alot of noise doing it. It was enough for the mother to grab the offspring and try somewhere else, so far.  In the meantime one nectarine is down with four left.  The strawbs have taken a bug hit but I did collect a half dozen.

Fish Finder

 I spotted one of the best fish I have seen and didn't have to swim for it as it came up to me in the shallows. I have a good view of it in this video but have no idea what it might be called. I tried describing a darkish fish with a pointy fin on its head positioned between slightly bulbous eyes etc etc but never got close to getting a picture back that looked like this one.  There are fish picture id apps you can install but I think they need the photo taken while you are holding the fish, then they will tell you to throw it back in or keep it.   The annual council beach scrape is happening right now.  Hopefully they wont try to bury the grass but move it away.

Five Year Pass

 It has been 5 yar since the prostate removal and the main indicator is the PSA count which has been undetectable since it was taken out.  The doc says the local medicos can now keep tabs on the count and maybe do another test in 5 more years time, even then if it starts to rise it most likely will not mean any trouble. I asked if I get a health medal, a wall plaque or at least a certificate of merit, no, just a good luck, a be on your way and I never need to see you again.  I got back in time to see the NBN truck outside laying fibre optic cable down our street.  So if we want to get light speed into our house we will have to pay for the connection, Pure Bookkeeping will that is.

Star Revisited

 I got some extra gear out like water shoes, gloves and the long picking tool.  The water was at high tide level at 9:30am this morning so I timed the swim for that.  The grass growth this year is huge.  I still found a path thru all of this stuff to get my way across to the pole line. It is around here that we spotted the star yesterday and was able to find it again after a bit of casting around. I went back and got the shoes and the glove and scooped it into a bag. It is quite spiky thru the glove.  I showed it to one guy who said he had seen them closer to PortArlington.  I took this one way up the top and into the bushes where it was not getting back into the water.  That's one down and a few million to go.

Northern Pacific SeaStar

 Just walking thru the shallows before and spotted a starfish we had never seen before.  It has purple tips which is the giveaway sign for a persistant predator pest that was first seen in the bay in 1986 and now there are millions, as they are voracious eaters and reproducers. I think I will go back tomorrow and throw it in the bushes.  Also on the way back there was a guy busily erecting a flagpole, taping off an area of the beach, raking all the grass out of it and generally making himself at home and excluding everyone else. Turns out it is a Sea Scout Cubs' end of year party and there is buried treasure inside the tape. Be prepared.  We also trialled the new umbrella arresting system UAS.  The UAS was only half deployed as it seemed like it was only half a breeze but we tried it anyway.

Summer

pest

rope attached sand bags

sea scouts  not unfurled