Hi there Casey,
Whew, it certainly is hot here today. The temperature outside is 36 degrees C [96.8F] and it hasn't even reached the middle of Spring yet. On the radio it said it was the 6th hottest October day on record and tomorrow they are expecting at least 38 degrees C which would make it the hottest October day since records have been kept. Hey, Casey, you never warned me it would be this hot out here. You sent me off on my trip in winter clothes! Thank heavens Pat has sorted some summer gear for me.
All the eastern states are in the grip of the worst drought ever with 92% of NSW being affected and no good rain forecast until March 2007. Because of this there is a total fire ban but still fires have been raging in all the Eastern states for the last few days, some deliberately lit. Why would someone do such a stupid thing? Pat said she has to be very careful with the water and no water is allowed to be used outside the house for any reason unless you have a water tank. Luckily she planned ahead and had one installed because of the swimming pool and her large garden. In fact the Central Coast is the worst affected area in the whole state as they only have 15% water left in the dam and they say only the top 5% is usable.
As the pool looked a cool relaxing spot I decided to take a dip and I went and pulled on my cossie [swimmers]. Boy didn't I get a surprise outside. There was this dragon creature laying next to the waterfall. Pat said it was a water dragon and this was the first time she had seen it since last summer as they hibernate over the winter. I was very brave and got as close as I could so I would have a photo to send you but I tell you mate, I was ready to run on the slightest movement as they have long powerful legs and claws which looked very sharp. I might be brave but I'm not stupid!
Here I am holding a stick pointing to the end of the tail so you can see how long it is. Water dragons grow to about 1 metre in length and the tail is 2/3rds of the body length. They have a central row of enlarged spiky spines at the back of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, getting smaller and smaller until they reach the base of the tail. At the tail the spines divide into two rows. Their upper body is a grey-green with cream and black bands on the body and tail. Underneath, the body is a creamy brown-grey. They have loose folds of skin under the jaw, giving them an almost Bearded Dragon appearance. This one was an Eastern Water Dragon [living on the east coast of Australia] and the males have a red chest so we think this one must be a female. They talk to each other by bobbing their heads, inflating their throat pouches, doing push ups [that must be a funny sight] and waving their arms. They eat just about anything. Water Dragons generally run on all four legs, but when they want to go faster they arch their backs and lift their fronts legs off the ground and run on their back-legs, like dinosaurs do. They are actually a very ancient line of lizard and have been around for a similar length of time as crocodiles, about 20 million years.
Suddenly in a flash it was gone and into the pool. Wow, didn't she move fast. We managed to get a snap of it. Apparently they dive into water to escape from danger and they can remain underwater for up to 90 minutes. They can even eat and sleep in the water. Their tail is designed to help them swim. It is mainly muscle and is shaped with flattened sides, to help cut through the water like an oar.
Then I saw another one over in the bushes. What a beauty! He must have been a male as he had a bright red chest and was fully grown. Wow, too cool!! Look at his beautiful markings.
After all that excitement I was looking forward to a refreshing dip as it was getting very hot outside, so, after the dragon had left the pool, I hopped in. What do you think of my big ripples in the pool? You can see I'm having fun.
There is another native lizard that lives at 'Serendipity' and it's an Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard, the largest lizard of the skink family. It is silvery-grey with broad dark brown or blackish bands across the back and tail. They have a long body [grow to about 600mm], large head,short legs and toes. The tail is shorter than the body. When threatened, blue-tongues open their mouth wide and stick out their broad blue tongue that contrasts vividly with the pink mouth. If the threat does not go away, blue-tongues may hiss and flatten out the body, making themselves look bigger. A frightened blue-tongue may bite if it is picked up and can cause pain but they are not poisonous. Sometimes their tail might fall off if you grab it but it heals quickly and another shorter tail grows back. They eat plants and animals.
It was relaxing, playing and floating in the pool while listening to the native birds in the trees above. We were visited by kookaburras, magpies, cockatoos and beautiful lorikeets and rosellas. I heard a splash and looked up to see a kookaburra having a bath and drink in the birdbath nearby. Of course I took a photo of him to show you. The flower around him is a native called the Kangaroo Paw. The Laughing Kookaburra is one of the larger members of the kingfisher family.
Their chuckling voice is a common and familiar sound throughout the area. The loud 'koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa' is often sung in a chorus with other kookaburras. Hover over the photo on the right and hear how they laugh. Some people say that if you hear a kookaburra laughing that it is going to rain. They eat insects, worms , snails, small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds. They have a very sharp eye and can sit still for a long time just waiting and then suddenly they will pounce on their prey. Small prey is eaten whole, but larger prey like snakes or mammals are killed by bashing it against
the ground or tree branch. They can become tame and Pat said she can feed them from her hand with fresh meat as she can with the magpies.
After the swim we had a light lunch of ham sangers [sandwiches] and an apple. I decided to spend the afternoon playing with Tara, Pat's
dog. Tara is a Border Collie and she is gorgeous. Tests prove that the
Border Collie is the most intelligent of all dogs and she certainly is. She showed me some of her tricks. She can count to 5, pick up rubbish and put it in a basket and then take the basket to the waste bin plus other cool stuff. At night she says her prayers before bed. Border Collies are used as sheep dogs in Australia and are bred to run over 80 km per day but Tara has a life of leisure. Her favourite game is soccer so we played in the backyard. The flowers in the photo are called Gaura or Butterfly Bush and I think they are very pretty.
As night approached we had a typical Aussie barbecue for dinner which consisted of snags [sausages], steak and various salads. It was delicious. After dinner I thought I would hit the sack [go to bed] so changed into my PJs [pyjamas] and settled down for the night. Then I heard this scratching noise outside. It went on and on and I wondered what on earth it could be. I grabbed a torch and crept outside. There sitting amongst the bushes was a Ring-tailed Possum. Pat had told me earlier in the day that one lived in the tree fork at the back of the yard. That is the tree behind me in the photo. It sleeps there all day and when it is dark it comes out to look for food, quite often digging up vegetables, picking the fruit or eating the rose buds. Pat said it can get annoying sometimes but they are a protected species. They have a rounded head with slightly bulging eyes, short rounded ears and in their mouth have 3 pairs of upper teeth and 1 pair of lower. The tail tapers with a white tip, naked underneath, furred above. It is carried in a coil when not used. The tail and the body are about the same length, approx 300-350mm each.
I have turned your mouse into a torch. Move it over the image below and you'll be able to enjoy my experience. Can you see his tail wrapped around the branch below?
As I was wide awake I thought I better tell you about my day at 'Serendipity' before heading off to bed again. I think we are planning to go to Sydney over the weekend so I will write when I have more stories to tell.
Your mate, Stanley.
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