Macca's Meanderings

 Hi everyone Life has been busy lately. Hence no blog posts for a while. We are sure that we are not alone with that problem.  Where has this year gone?  Our family gathered in January when we celebrated Nancy's mother's 98th birthday near Maleny, Queensland. Kristy, Dean and Noah made it so we had four generations in our line present. Nancy's older brother Ken, currently has five living generations in his family - a very special achievement!  Nancy's mum has declined throughout the year. Consequently, Nancy has spent a lot of time in Queensland this year. Sadly she passed away a couple few weeks ago.  Bryan came into Darwin for a Marine Mega Fauna conference in February and snapped the photo below of a wet season sunset over Darwin Harbour. In March with our senior ranger, Bryan attended a forum in Katherine. We flew into Tindal Airforce Base near Katherine. Our son Jayson is working there currently on the major upgrades - the runway extensions can be seen in the botto

Hi This week we had a memorial service for Nancy's mother, Isobel. She passed away recently, a couple of months short of her 99th birthday.  The video below reflects on her life of faith and service to her family and others.    

 Hi  Below is a short video about a mimosa infestation we recently inspected near Cape Croker. Mimosa is a Class A weed which means it is the highest priority rating for weeds in Australia. This is mimosa leaf - which are light and touch sensitive. If left un-treated mimosa will form thick mono-cultures on floodplains and swamps.  During the video you will notice the impacts of feral pigs and in fact, if you look carefully you will see a couple of pigs around the still wet area of the drying swamp.  Take care Bryan

 Hi Recently the rangers went up to Cape Croker. We took along some of the traditional owning family with us. While there, we inspected a mimosa infestation (Class A weed) which is located behind some sand dunes. Below we return from inspecting mimosa to climb the sand dune. The east coastline of Croker Island is beyond the dunes. These sand dunes have been created by years of consistent easterly winds which we receive through the middle of the year - sometimes referred to as the 'trade winds'.  Here you can see that the dunes are slowly but steadily moving inland, covering all in its path - including this paperbark tree. The mimosa infestation is on the right in the far distance. A big sand dune, the wind leaving it's ever-changing patterns on the sand, under a big blue sky with the 'song of the sea' in the background. Returning back home we travelled along the beach. With some concern, we noticed four separate green turtle tracks leaving the water to lay eggs howe

 Hi  Recently we spent a few weeks in Victoria to be a part of Kristy and Dean's wedding. While in Victoria we  took a little extra time off and had a look around. One afternoon we took a drive to Queenscliff near Geelong. The wind was considerably cooler than in the Top End however the scenery was great.  The sunset looking towards Point Lonsdale. While at Queenscliff, one of the Spirit of Tasmania vessels came through the heads into Port Phillip Bay.    After the wedding we had the pleasure of looking after grandson Noah for a few days - Noah and Nancy getting some breakfast organised. This little fellow loves his fruit! Noah and Aunty Laura. Another day, Nancy and her sister Heather spent the day at the working gold diggings museum, Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. While they were there, I did a bit more family research. My great grandfather James McDonald was born at Linton Diggings near the current day small town of Linton, located south west of Ballarat. On his birth record his fa

 Hi In a previous blog post I mentioned that we had a wedding coming up. Our son Dean married Kristy. The wedding was held on Kristy's family's property between Geelong and Ballarat - a peaceful setting tucked in a valley beside the Moorabool River.  It was a lovely sunny day. Locals say it was the best weather they had enjoyed for a long time. The family and guests arrived and were enjoying the sunshine while chatting. In northern Australia most of the year one tries to avoid standing in the sun however during spring in Victoria the sunshine is very pleasant.   With the deep sound of a truck's engine exhaust brake, Kristy arrived in her dad's truck, which had been highly polished for the special occasion. Usually this truck carries sand, gravel or dirt but today it had a VIP aboard - the bride, Kristy. Kristy and Dean wrote their own vows which added a special personal flavour. Grandson Noah wanted be a part of the proceedings, which only added to the ceremony.  We we

 This week our faithful little dog PK, passed away. She had become such a big part of our family and will be missed greatly. She has been with us for nearly 11.5 years, living in many different places and travelling to all states and territories except WA and Tassie. Join me on a photo story on our little fury friend PK. We got PK in May 2012 while living at Lajamanu in the Tanami Desert. She had just been weaned. Shortly after we went camping. In the photo below she pays Nancy a good morning visit.  Right from a young age she enjoyed time on the kayak - fishing on the Victoria River. A few months later we spent a week in Alice Springs staying with Al, Cathy and family - in the middle of winter. PK curled up next to their dog 'Diesel'.  In late 2013 while travelling from SE Queensland to Alice Springs, we spent a few days at Emerald and did some kayaking on the Nogoa River. PK had a really good sense of balance. Enjoying a pat and a scratch with Dean. Fishing on the Victoria Ri