The view from my "office"

[JohnM]

Do you need to water in the seeds ?

No - it’s a winter growing season in SW Australia.

 

[RooFlyer]

I hate 6am flights, but there are compensations



Office view, Sydney Shangri-La

 

[kookaburra75]

Not quite the Shangri-La, but the day is looking good at Penrith.

 

[JohnM]

Do you need to water in the seeds ?

No - it’s a winter growing season in SW Australia.

Just to clarify: all trials are aimed at replicating actual cropping methods in the area chosen for the trial. The only difference is that the plots are small, so seed, fertiliser etc. has to be measured precisely in order to be able to make valid comparisons of growth and yield. The GPS tracking, auto-steer, opening the cone to drop seed and so on keeps everything precisely located in an orderly layout.

It also saves a lot of walking measuring and pegging plots and ensuring square.

With farmers sowing crops in the hundreds and thousand of hectares, there is no way any irrigation occurs in such broadacre crops (the WA grain belt is maybe 300,000 sq km). Those crops (wheat, canola, barley, oats) are all winter-growing/spring maturing and hence are only grown in winter-rainfall areas in Australia under natural rainfall. Drought=no crop.

Those particular trials were, as I mentioned, canola. The seeds for each plot were in a very small envelope. Barely grams of seed are needed for a single plot (12 sq m). (Seeding rates for commercial canola crops are 2-3 kg per hectare - and a hectare is 10,000 sq m).

There has been good rain across the WA grain belt and the soil at that site had very good moisture. The press wheels ensure that the soil is pressed against the seed to ensure moisture can be absorbed for germination. The plants are then on their own, just like any commercial crop.

 

[RB]

Port Hughes from caravan park


Moonta


Waiting for owners to finish coffee Port Hughes

 

[RooFlyer]

Sydney University clock tower, housing one of only two carillons in Australia



The Quadrangle ( or part of it)





I’m sure this is an ancient laugh



Looking back, heading back to the city

 

[drron]

Tonight's office -Spice lounge,Seaport,Launceston.
.

And the view from it.
.

 

[henleybeach]

This is from the other day- made the 6am walking the dog worth it!
Adelaide - Kidman Park

 

[RooFlyer]

Pioneer Room, Automobile Club of Australia. Terribly pukka. Was attending a birthday party for a grand old lady, guests included High Court Judge, Members of the Press Council, Sydney City Councillor, AKA the Great and the Good .... and then there was me!



Unfortunately the tucker was abysmal, so a couple of us repaired afterwards to the bar on L36 of the Shangri-La



... where I got incredibly strong déjà vu from 27 years ago when I first moved to Sydney and this was the bar of choice for late night rendezvous....

 

[RB]

Port Hughes a different sunset


Maitland Sth Aust



Minlaton Sth Aust C of E

 

[VPS]

Adelaide sunset this week. I've been in my new place almost 5 months and I can now see the sun set easily and interesting to watch the movement

 

[henleybeach]

How can you not love Autumn

 

[kookaburra75]

How can you not love Autumn

It all depends on whether you have to rake up the leaves all not You know what I'll be doing this weekend.

 

[henleybeach]

It all depends on whether you have to rake up the leaves all not You know what I'll be doing this weekend.
View attachment 247963

Autumn is lovely, when it’s on the councils footpath and not your backyard !

 

[QF WP]

It all depends on whether you have to rake up the leaves all not You know what I'll be doing this weekend.

You just need a leaf blower that sucks (and mulches).

 

[Cossie]

Or run over them with a mower, which is what swmbo does, into a catcher and then into the compost bin.

 

[kookaburra75]

You just need a leaf blower that sucks (and mulches).

I do have one, that I use for getting the leaves off the roof and out of the gutters. It's a classic kludge of the vacuum/blower, pool hose and a mount made of plywood sitting on top of the green recycling bin. I'll take a photo of it this week end and post it up.

Or run over them with a mower, which is what swmbo does, into a catcher and then into the compost bin.

I do that to start with, until I fill up the compost bins. Thankfully there is a green waste centre near our place, so I can fill up the flexible garden bins with the extra leaves and take them there.

 

[Flashback]

Autumn is lovely, when it’s on the councils footpath and not your backyard !

In theory....... although here in the UK it then turns into dangerous slippy slush as the rain mixes with it! If only the high rates of Council Tax we paid would cover the footpaths etc. being cleared..... oh, wait ........

 

[Drakecula]

I do that to start with, until I fill up the compost bins.

Our green bin is currently empty and we're just around the corner if you want to stash some there

 

[kookaburra75]

Our green bin is currently empty and we're just around the corner if you want to stash some there

Thanks for the offer, I should be right as the green waste centre is close by - and I think there's enough leaves to fill several green bins