The House(s) of Fran_mart

Summer is the season for harvesting more stuff.  Some of it grows by itself - too damn successfully unfortunately - towards the top of the block. Having noticed the blackberries were ripe before we hosted a lunch last weekend we picked a couple of litres then, and went back for a more determined effort yesterday.  I think I picked about 4 litres more and some friends another 8l.  There are still plenty left.  Amongst those left, and not because they are unripe, are the whiter ones in this image. I went up again this morning (to spray some of the regrowth brambles in the rest of the block) and noticed about 30 starlings fly out of the main patch.  The main species evident while we were picking were Superb Fairy-Wrens and Noisy Friarbirds. Back at the vegie garden the plums are still delivering.  I think we must have picked about 30 kilos some of which have been eaten, a lot frozen and and about 10kgs given away.  The strawberries are doing nicely again. Our tomatoes are

After 3 weeks of trying the walk finally went ahead.  The weather was quite satisfactory, although I was wearing a fleece the whole time. We went via the Cotter Dam and Frances scored this photo as we came home.  In most places they'd have made a viewing area to look at this quite imposing site: being the ACT Government the road is a no-stopping area.  (I suspect their OHAS lawyer has gone feral about getting sued if the dam collapses.)  Once past the bitumen the gravel road was in very poor condition.  .  Here is the explanation: For some reason the cash-strapped ACT Government is shifting many truckloads of gravel along the Mt Franklin Rd.  This was happening when ANPS visited Mt Franklin on 10 December and I would have heard at least 12 trucks go past today. Given the narrowness of the road in parts it is very dangerous - we had to wait because another truck was coming.  If they spent the money on controlling St John's Wort, blackberries  and Scotch thistles it would

Apologies to those hanging out for the post about ANPS going to Mount Aggie but I have about 90 images to go through and that will take sme time to organise.  In the meantime here is some excitement from this morning. I looked out my study window and saw a canid exploring a pile of topsoil. After a while it cleared off.  Then I looked again and there were at least three reynards - from the look of things an adult and two cubs. I had to take small dog out for a comfort stop and all foxes headed for the hills.  Tammy got their scent and was most interested.  Some stern barking was administered - and I don't think she'd have backed off even if she had realised that each of this pack was about 4 times her size. I suspect they had originally been attracted by the corpse of a kangaroo elsewhere in the paddock.