The House(s) of Fran_mart

So El Camion Real (apologies to Spain and France for mutilating their languages) was fired up for a settle down drive to the North West. We were heading for Lake Cargelligo in an area where it can get rather warm in Summer so had checked the forecast carefully.  The result was: 27 March: 32C maximum 28 March: isolated showers, chance of rain 29 March 26C maximum. Read on, to find if it is true that meteorologists are mathematicians who couldn't get a job with Lehmann Brothers. I have previously posted about the phenomenon of " stick figures in back windows ".  We noticed quite a few of these as we went around, but thought this collection - at the first comfort stop, after an hour - perticularly amusing.  What intrigues me is that I have never noticed these things for sale anywhere.  Wheredyagetem? Anyhow, having got that snap we headed off down the road - enjoying the luxury of space in El Camion - being fascinated by a truckload of at least 6 fibreglas...

.. on Carwoola as on Pamplona .  While my prose is more about 'bull' than bullfighting the sunrise here this morning was brilliant so I thought I'd share it with you.  I think the colours are reasonably realistic and not an artefact of the camera! Somewhat later we went off for our dog walk and the mist had ascended to fog stature. The dog may just be visible in the second shot. if enlarged (the shot that is: the dog cannot be enlarged - except in circumference). There were many spider webs around of which this was the largest.  The spider's lair is the rolled up leaf in the middle of the web.

I recently posted on Carwoola birds about l ast year's Tawny Frogmouth stor y.  Since I put that up they seem to have become more frequent sightings in their old haunts, which is good.  They are still very immobile most of the day. Apart from starting the post with a reasonable image this does a fair job of indicating the different shapes of the two birds and also shows the much more noticeable tawny patch on the female. After spotting the Frogmouths this morning we headed off on the usual dog walk.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me, as we were treated to a great kangaroo boxing match.  As well as the sight of the wrestling the sound effects were incredible with the thud as a kick was landed to the abdomen being reminiscent of Big Mal Meninga stopping Blocker Roach  in his tracks.  Both combatants were aware of our presence and seemed, initially, to mutually agree to a pause in hostilities to watch us pass by.  Unfortunatel...

I will confess that I have invented the word "opterous" to suggest "wings".  The post begins with a winged mammal: I am unsure which species of bat this is, as the image is a tad unfocussed.  However it is a noisy blighter when up in our ceiling at 10pm.  The hole it is emerging from is no more than 2cm wide at its extreme. The next image is of man made wings seen at dawn this morning.  Our Flightradar24 application suggests it is a Jetstar flight from Melbourne, heading in to Sydney.  It was at 37,000 fet going over our place. Moving briefly into matters aerial, what had attracted me out was the sight of these clouds. An hour or so later it was still a bit humid, giving this pleasant view across the Hoskinstown Plain towards Mt Palerang.  Later in the morning we went into Civic (aka Canberra City) where  found some white things with wings - Little Corellas - making nice on a window ledge.  I am intrigued about the white ...

After a couple of longish trip (according to the protocols of the mid-month Walks) today was deliberately closer in to the urban area.  27 members and guests met at West Belconnen Ponds ... ...  at 8:30: it was not as hot as as it might have been but equally, not cold (which it also might have been). The birds were most obliging with some interesting sightings before we had finished greeting one another!  I rather liked the Great Egret and Australian White ibis imitating a Pushmepullyou.  For a grassy area in Belconnen there were few Red-rumped parrots observed on the day.    I believe the sign used to say "no swimming" ...  .. but it appears cormorants can't read.  There were at least 100 cormorants (mainly Little Black, but also a few Little Pied and Great mixed in) in this flock which moved up and down the pond while we were there.  They were actively and successfully fishing for much of the time.  To support such a floc...