After months of the local banksia trees showing only their old scruffy looking seed pods ~ Today, after a lot of rain, I noticed a couple of beautiful fresh lemon yellow banksia flowers blooming 🙂 The genus Banksia is named after the botanist, Sir Joseph Banks who accompanied James Cook on the 1768-1771 voyage to Australia. […]
Christmas Beetles
Before the Christmas season is totally over, I want to share with you this photo that I took on a walk during the festive season ~ a Christmas beetle They get their name due to their ‘sudden’ appearance at this time of year, but they look as though they have come dressed especially for the […]
16th November 1878 – 51st day
“Up at 7.30. Joey has been busy the last 2 days making a box for his tobacco. You not think me idle all this time as I find plenty pf pleasant occupation with my stamps. Rice for dinner to-day; this the sailors call “strike me blind” but why I cannot inform you. Saw the pigs […]
11th November 1878 – 46th day
“Up at 7 for a bath. Another calm today for a change. Joey has been doing some washing this morning again. Little Dux is laid up with the yellow jaundice which is anything but nice. She has to lay in bed a good bit & as it is rather sultry in as well as outside […]
10th November 1878 – 45th day
“Up at 7.30 & find the weather still very fine but the wind has dropped very considerably. Our companion is still with us as she has been for the last 7 days & it is a pity we do not know her name. She has been gaining on us all day being lighter but if […]
9th November 1878 – 44th day
“Up at 7.30. Another fine day with good breeze. Did from 8 to 10 knots all day. Had another bed making day which must last for some time now as it is too hot a job to be done often. I find that last voyage when they had coolies on board, that our house was […]
8th November 1878 – 43rd day
“Up at 7 & did nothing but read & play cards all day. An average of 8 knots all day today. Had some songs in the evening & to bed at 11. This afternoon we were less than 300 miles off the Brazilian coast & saw a few land birds which are sometimes seen at […]
7th November 1878 – 42nd day
“Out at 7.30 & had a bath. Doing about 7 knots all day. The heat is now so intense that it is impossible to do anything so that the news are therefore very scanty. In the evening had some gymnastics & to bed early.” Extract from A.Whelen’s journal aboard the Hesperides sailing from England to […]
4th November 1878 – 39th day
“Quitted our cockerwalks at 7 & had a bath before breakfast. Another fine & hot day with a little breeze & we now hope to make some headway as it is now the last of a 9-day calm. One day we did 13 miles, another 17 & another 25 which is really wretched work. Cards […]
2nd November 1878 – 37th day
“Another dead calm & only 300 miles from the line so imagine how cold it is. Joey & I made our beds once again for a change our usual time for making them is every 2 to 3 weeks. Little of consequence occurs today. Had a game of whist & to bed at 11.30” Extract […]