A magical dolphin experience

 Do you ever have a day that turns into something magically unexpected? Our last Sunday was like that. We are blessed to live near water, the Collie River, the Leschenault Estuary, Koombana Bay and the Indian Ocean.  We decided to take our boat out in the bay to see if we could catch a feed of herring. 

The water was at it's sparkling best. So flat the reflections were a perfect copy. 

The pelicans were at their usual spot having their morning meeting on the sandbar between the river and the estuary. 

And soon we were out in Koombana Bay with the Indian Ocean beyond. 

As soon as we anchored a dolphin swam right up to our boat. I had my newish point and shoot camera with me. It has an underwater feature that I hadn't used before. I leant over the edge of the boat with the camera, but at this angle I couldn't see the camera screen, so I just pointed the camera in the general direction of the dolphin and kept snapping.

The dolphin came right up to where I was. Then minutes later returned with her baby. This was a truly magical and most amazing experience to interact like this with these wild dolphins. It is a day that I will always remember. We have encountered dolphins many times out in the bay, but never like this. 

At one stage we had four or 5 dolphins swimming around our boat. But despite this we still managed to catch our bag limit of herring. 

In Bunbury the Dolphin Discovery Centre  located on the Koombana Bay beachfront aims to educate people about wild dolphins through their education programs, interpretive centre, beach interactive zone, and dolphin boat tours. 

The Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) have been visiting the Koombana Bay beach since the 1960s. The Interaction Zone was established in 1990 and the Dolphin Discovery Centre in 1994 to allow tourists and members of the community to interact, understand and enjoy the group of five to six dolphins that regularly visit this Zone

Koombana Bay is home to about 50 dolphins who live in the Bay all year. An estimated additional 100 visit throughout the year. 

You can read more about the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre, their history and work by visiting their website here - Bunbury dolphins

People are advised if out boating to let the dolphins come to you, don't pursue them, and please don't feed or touch them. 

Have you ever had a dolphin smile at you? 

Other places in Western Australia where you can interact with wild dolphins are:

The Peel-Harvey Estuary at Mandurah

Monkey Mia, Denham, Shark Bay 

We are so lucky to have these amazing creatures so close to home. 

The camera I used is a Olympus Tough 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this little look at the wild dolphins of Bunbury. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me
Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Lumping the grain crop - what is a bushel?

 Something entirely different today.....The summer wheat harvest is long been over in Australia. 

And now we hear on the radio each day the price of wheat - per bushel. 

What weight is a bushel I asked my husband this morning. We hear it all the time, but he didn't know either, so I went searching.... apparently A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an imperial and US customary unit of volume based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. 

But how was this determined? What volume is a bushel? I discovered that the bushel weight is different for different grains. According to Rayglen Commodities there are 48 pounds of barley in a bushel, 30lbs of sunflower, 34lbs oats, 56lbs of corn, and 60lbs of wheat (36.744 bushels to the tonne of wheat). Fascinating.... confused yet? ...... you can go to the link above to read more.

At its simplest, a bushel is a unit of measurement. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the U.S. bushel was derived from the Winchester bushel, a British measurement dating back to the 15th century. At one time, farm products could be measured by how much would fit in a bushel basket.  Read more at: Kanzas Wheat - What does a bushel mean to me? 

and this.....One bushel of wheat will yield approximately 42 pounds of white flour.....One bushel yields enough flour to make 70 one-pound loaves of white bread or 90 one-pound loaves of whole-wheat bread. 

I researched further. And I found out more of the history on the South Australian Government's history page - Transporting the Crop. .   

Traditionally, grain was packed in jute bags, mostly imported from India....These bags were handled manually until the end of World War 2..... Bags from the harvester were placed in heaps in the paddock for sewing.... The tops of the bags were sewn together by teams of bag-sewers using hemp twine. The bags were carried on the backs of "lumpers". 

I thought I had an old photo from my Dad of the wheat bags in the paddock, but all I could find was this one. 

The job of the lumper would have been strenuous and back-breaking work. Here is an interesting fact from Co-Operative Bulk Handling Limited. CBH Group on Faebook

 - On 9th December 2020, 93 years ago, Bill Cestrilli (pictured) established the CBH record for lumping and stacking the greatest number of wheat bags in one day. At Miling, (in the Western Australian wheatbelt north of Perth) Bill stacked a whopping 1,725 bags of wheat in eight hours - equating to 143 tonnes of grain. Not bad for a 74kg man! Here is a pic of Bill. 

I am not absolutely sure, but I think my uncle lumped wheat during the Depression in the wheatbelt. Here are another couple of pics I have borrowed from the net. 

Wheat bags were a very useful commodity, used for - veranda blinds, bed covers, stretcher bed bases, shoulder bags, rain covering, saddle blanket, room divider in a cottage, door mat, and many other uses you can read about here.... The mighty wheat bag

Below you can see a simple tent and bed base made from wheat bags which would have been typical in the wheatbelt during that era. We saw this display in a historical village in Wagin. My uncles slept on beds like this in a tent near the house throughout their youth. I think my Dad did too. We even had a "stretcher" like this at home. I remember sleeping on it once. 

To read more: 

Rayglen Commodities - Crop Bushel Weights 

Transporting the Crop. .  - South Australian Government history site 

The mighty wheat bag - Great Australian Story.com

Adelaide AZ - 1840s

Kanzas Wheat - What does a bushel mean to me? 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you and yours are well. We continue to be relatively safe from Covid here in Australia, although there are massive floods on the east coast right now, and a state of emergency has been declared in those areas. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me
Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Red capped gum & Tree Street Art Safari

Hi everyone! Just realised it is Tuesday afternoon, and I haven't post for this week. I have been busy getting all my stuff together for the Tree Street Art Safari in Bunbury on this Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It is always a fabulous day. I will again be hosted at 13 Banksia Street, if you happen to be in Bunbury. I will be there with my eco-print and photographic products. 

So today, I will just post a couple of pics of the fabulous Red Capped Gum Eucalyptus erythrocorys - illyarrie - which is flowering brilliantly in our area right now. So bright! I love the way the flower emerges as the red caps pop off. 

I also blogged about them last year....also during a little blogging break.... hmmm... .Red Capped Gum

Stay safe, enjoy your week, and I will be back next week. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you and yours are safe and well. 

Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

All Seasons
Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Garden Affair
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 

Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Pink Rosea Marri tree

 Hi everyone, here we are into another new week. I hope you and yours are doing ok. 

Last week I introduced you briefly to the pink form of marri tree - Corymbia calophylla "rosea" - which was a totally new tree to me. I had seen it before, but didn't realise it was the pink form of the usually creamy marri. 

This plant is so beautiful I thought it deserved a post all of its own.  The creamy marri is very common (I've blogged about them before. The Marri Trees are flowering). It is flowering profusely at the moment. You see whole trees covered with these flowers. 

The pink form, rosea, is less common. The nuts, which you can see below here, the parrots love, are commonly called "honkey nuts". 

Formerly known as Eucalyptus calophylla, Corymbia calophylla is a large tree, not suitable for gardens, as it can grow up to 40 metres in height and occurs naturally through the south-west of Western Australia in a range of habitats. The common name Marri is a Noongar word for blood, which has been used to describe the sap that weeps from wounds in the bark.  The large urn shaped nuts on this tree are commonly referred to as honky nuts. They hold large seeds that provide a food source to native birds such as parrots and cockatoos. WA Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority

I love the way the pods pop open to release the flowers as you can see above and below here. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you and yours are safe and well. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Stay safe and whatever you are doing, enjoy your week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

You might also like: The Marri trees are flowering

More information: Flora Base and Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, WA

Thank you to The Wildflower Society of Western Australia on Facebook for helping me with identification. They are a fabulous resource. 

All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Sharon's Sovenirs 

Garden Affair

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

February 2021 wrap up - Covid photo a day project

 Hi everyone! Here we are already in March! It is the first day of autumn here in Australia, so I guess those in the northern hemisphere are looking forward to spring. I hope you and yours are staying well and safe. 

There is always something flowering here in my corner of the world. The bees are loving the Eucalypt Marri - Corymbia calophylla - flowers right now. 

I know I have said it before.....but I didn't expect when I started my Covid photo a day project in March 2020 to still be taking photos a year later. But here we are. The Covid vaccine is starting to roll out around the world, and I hope this will make us all breath easier, that there will be a dramatic drop in hospitalisations and deaths, restrictions will ease, and we will slowly get back to life as it was before Covid. Though I think we should hang on to some of the things we have learnt during this time....like what is important, and having a quiet space. 

We in Australia have been very fortunate with relatively very low case and death statistics. I don't know when the vaccine will be available to my family, but we will certainly be ready for it. 

I am not sure when my photo a day project will end. Perhaps I will round it up on the day I started last year, or the day I receive my vaccination. I don't know yet. But here for your enjoyment, I hope, is a glimpse into my life in Australia during February 2021.

1 February 2021 - Monday - we came into a  unexpected snap 5 day lockdown due to a community spread case of Covid 19 in our capital city Perth. I spent the day making 2 masks each for everyone in my immediate family. 

2 February 2021 - Tuesday - early morning walk along the Collie River in Eaton. Yes we wore our masks.. Something new to us. 

3 February 2021 - Wednesday - early morning light on paperbarks along Millers Creek walk in Eaton.

4 February 2021 - Thursday - bonus shot - street art under the bridge along the Millers Creek walk.

4 February 2021 - Thursday - the bush is tinder dry. Our hearts go out to people north east of Perth where there has been a bushfire raging all week. Over 80 homes lost.

5 February 2021 - Friday - beautiful Frangipanis in my garden

6 February 2021 - Saturday - bonus shot - raindrops on my hydrangeas in my garden.

6 February 2021 - Saturday - the bees are buzzing in the marri flowers

7 February 2021 - Sunday - we have had rain all night from a tropical low. We went down to the beach this afternoon. It started to rain again. I wanted to capture some dramatic shots. It wasn't as rough as I expected due to the offshore wind. I've enhanced in Lightroom.

Monday 8 February, 2021 - kite-surfers and wind-surfers having fun on the Leschenault Estuary. Should have had my bigger camera!

Tuesday 9 February 2021 - again, should have had my bigger lens with me. Egret along the Collie River walk

Wednesday 10 February 2021 - eucalypt leaves along Millers Creek walk

Thursday 11 February 2021 - getting some new botanical eco-print cards ready for Tree Street Art Safari in March

Friday 12 February 2021 - back to our normal Friday morning volunteering routine in the Eaton Primary School library

Saturday 13 February 2021 - fabulous Chinese lantern display in the Stirling Gardens friendship gardens for Chinese New Year. These lanterns were decorated by school children. So effective. More pics here - Chinese New Year

Saturday 13 February 2021 - bonus shot autumn leaf eco-print

Sunday 14 February 2021 - surprise Valentines Day lunch at Green Door Winery in the Ferguson Valley. This is the 100 mile share platter.

Sunday 14 February 2021 - bonus shot - after lunch we went up to the Collie Dam to check on progress of the dam wall mural. It is looking amazing. More about this project here - Painting the Wellington Dam Wall

Monday 15 February 2021 - paperbarks along the Miller's Creek walk

Tuesday 16 February 2021 - baking day - apricot slice - yum

Wednesday 17 February 2021 - collecting shadows

Thursday 18 February 2021 - getting ready to sew

Friday 19 February 2021 - making tote bags from eco-printed fabric

Saturday 20 February 2021 - flags at the Bunbury Multicultural Festival

Saturday 20 February 2021 - bonus shot - taken by my husband - me with my Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company family at the Multicultural Festival.  That's me standing next to our only male dancer, 4th from left. 

Sunday 21 February 2021 - Scarborough Beach waterfront, Perth - we travelled to Perth to attend our nephew's 40th birthday party which was cancelled last year due to Covid. 

Monday - 22 February, 2021 - sheep truck on the highway on the way home from Perth

Tuesday - 23 February 2021 - collecting shadows along the Miller's Creek walk

Wednesday - 24 February 2021 - making eco-printed tote bags in prep for the Tree Street Art Safari

Thursday - 25 February 2021 - our quinces are looking fabulous

Friday - 26 February 2021 - red capped gum - Eucalyptus erythrocorys - illyarrie - are bursting into flower in our area.

Saturday - 27 February 2021 - Corymbia calophylla "rosea" - the rarer variety of Pink Marri - flowering at the end of the Miller's Creek walk. You can see the common creamy coloured Marri at the beginning of this post. 

Saturday - 27 February 2021 - bonus shot - beautiful moonflowers in my garden. They only flower at night for one night. Epiphyllum oxypetalum, or the Night Blooming Cereus. You have to keep checking the buds to work out when they are going to open and then remember to go out in the dark with a torch. They have a very strong scent to attract insects. 

Saturday - 27 February 2021 - bonus shot - making greeting cards from hand-made paper made with eco-printed paper scraps and leaves.

Sunday - 28 February 2021 - grinding sand pigments during a fascinating workshop making artists paints from natural materials with Helen Coleman in Mandurah.

I hope you and yours are safe and well. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.