Tales of Home [7]

{{{Journey home via car along the shore front, well some of it. And sound was loud unpleasant wind rushing over the camera white noise, so stuck some music over it instead. Oh, and sorry about the wobbliness and rubbishness, I just stuck my hand out the car window and tried not to drop the camera and or smash it and my hand against parked cars wingmirrors!}}}}

Beautiful, Petty! Ending with the bird and the sunbeam was great. The music choice is perfect, too. Now I'm imagining you cruising around blasting that on your car stereo.

It always amazes me how much your vegetation looks like mine. Your rushes still have their winter brown showing, so I'll say 2 or 3 weeks ahead of you at the moment which is almost of month ahead of where we normally are at 1 June.

{{{Thanks Eldo.

Dave- is that El Nino affecting your end or are we behind? Also lot of sex about at the moment- hence the little bird gathering nest making material- there were loads of them darting about in mating pairs above the water and chasing each other in little hops from reed to reed- but too fast and small to get a decent shot sadly, though I tried}}}

We're that far ahead. It's the earliest, warmest spring here{measured in degree-days above 45 F for those who care (halfy)} since they started keeping records. El Niño had a major effect this year, but the overall climate change is obvious from year to year too. A lot of sex here too. The frogs are almost deafening on warm evenings. The doves have particularly loud sex too, but it's starting to get a little quieter in the woods the last few days, so I think eggs are starting to happen. Swallow's nests all over the barns.

David H wrote:The doves have particularly loud sex too

How similar does it sound to when doves cry?

Dig if you will a picture:

Somehow that picture left me far more confused than I was before.

Animals strike curious poses. Maybe you're just to demanding?

Must be why I'm never satisfied

must be.

{{{{I started to say "you and your mamma" but decided best not to go there.... }}}}

I must say birds must have the darnedest time figuring out how to 'do it' the first time around. I'm with Eldo: that picture leaves me a bit flummoxed. But then trying to figure out how else the task is to done leaves my head whirling. Can't they just spawn like fish?

Ummm...uhh..just google "cloaca" and if you've got any more questions ask your mother  

{{{Jeez! City kids.... Nobody ever taught them about the birds and bees. No wonder so many of 'em have messed up sex lives! }}}

Its been over 35yrs since i left my home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Awh Chris Is this your old home ? Are you feeling homesick ? you must feel iffy now & again.

Petty, I enjoyed that ride. The song was spot on, & at the end, with that lone bird flying away, was perfect

So you're not a native Aussie, Chris? Were you 'transported'?

{{{Some nautical pictures}}

{{The Waverely, the worlds last ocean going paddle steamer still in service, pulling into the pier}}



{{No idea what sort of ship this is, nice though- Dave! Expert required!}}}



{{Friend took this today near where they live}}

The "cotton tufts" pic is nice

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{{Some nautical pictures}}
{{No idea what sort of ship this is, nice though- Dave! Expert required!}}}

The Waverley is awesome! I love steam too. It's great to see one of these old ladies still working!

OK, I'll take a shot. She's rigged as a barkentine (square on the fore, fore and aft on main and mizzen masts) but she's a bit unusual in that she's gaff rigged on the mizzen but only carries staysails on the main. Three masts on a boat that small is fun, but it's really just showing off. Two masts would do the job better with less windage, less work, less maintenance, and less cost.

The picture is a bit dark, but to my eye her hull has the lines of an old Baltic working boat with those full bows, the kind of hulls you saw coming out of Danish boatyards in the 1920's and 30's, but that cabin has no business on a work boat. It's pure yacht.

So my guess is she's somebody's favorite toy. She may have started life as a commercial fishing vessel and later been converted to sail. Alternately she may have a sail training program. With all those square sails they're going to want a fair number of young agile deckhands to haul braces and go aloft to furl.

{{{ I have to say Dave I was just doing some digging around on it, figuring if its was berthed around here now most likely it is part of the Tall Ships gathering, and that is in fact why its here. You arent entirely spot on but you aint far off either.
Her name is the Thalassa.
But you can read more about her here- http://www.tallshipthalassa.nl/en/

But count me even more dully impressed than the considerable amount I already was with your nautical knowledge}}

Ah, Dutch then! That explains the full bows. As for their program, they seem to have found a niche market that I'd never dreamed of....

Scotland: Sailing and Whisky tasting 2016

Whisky Journey 1 :
Embark: Saterday May 14th at 14.00 hrs in Oban
Disembark: Saterday May 21st at 10.00 hrs in Troon   € 1095,00 p.p.

Whisky journey 2 (Islay Whisky Festival)  FULLY BOOKED!!
Embark: Saterday May 21st at 14.00 hrs in Troon
Disembark: Saterday May 28th at 10.00 hrs in Troon    €1195,00 p.p.

Whisky Journey 3:  FULLY BOOKED!!!
Embark: Saterday May 28th at 14.00 hrs in Troon
Disembark: Saterday June 4th at 10.00 hrs in Troon   € 1095,00 p.p.

Whisky Journey 4:
Embark: 13th of august  in Invergordon Scotland
Disembark: 20th of august in Invergordon Scotland

NEW>>> WHISKY/SCOTLAND EXPEDITION  FULLY BOOKED!!
Date:          4th of june til saterday 11th of june 2016
Embark:     Invergordon Scotland  at 14.00h pm
disembark: Invergordon Scotland  til 10.00h am
Price:          € 1095,00 p.p.
We wil sail to Orkney and Wick. In this week you can visit a few distillerees an enjoy the great nature of Scotland
(Look on our special Whisky sailingtrip website with all information: www.whiskyzeilreizen.nl

Hope nobody falls overboard after all that whisky.

halfwise wrote:So you're not a native Aussie, Chris?  Were you 'transported'?

Set off on a black Friday 1981 and arrived on Valantines Day.

Is this for real or a photoshop job ? If its for real you gotta love the way the Aussies just say it how it is, Im that tired of PC now !