@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

perkinsy

@perkinsy@aus.social

Writer (technical writing, blogging at stumblingpast.com), digital history, owner of #OfficeKitty (see profile pic). Enjoys gardening in #Melbourne #Australia

Interests:#OzHist #DigitalHumanities #documentation #WriteTheDocs #GardeningAU #Environment and watching a bit of cricket on TV.

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perkinsy, to random
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

We gasped at the beauty of the light filtering through the rain forest and stopped many times for photos. I think this photo was taken around 10am. The water on the road was steaming under the light of the sun.

We both enjoy taking photos just for the sake of taking photos. It helps one focus on the beauty around one. This is my favourite photo of the ones I took today.

perkinsy, to random
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One of our walks. We live in a dry continent but the Otway Ranges have a lot of rain forest. There is a lot of mud and the air is damp. We could see our breath in the middle of the day.

perkinsy, to random
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

Triplet Falls in the Otway Ranges. On our walks today we also saw numerous eucalyptus regnans (Mountain Ash). These magnificent tall straight trees are the largest flowering plants in the world. I didn't take any photos of them as I found it impossible to capture their height and magnificence in a photo.

perkinsy, to random
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There are so many magnificent tree ferns in the Otway Ranges!

perkinsy, to random
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

Today we went searching for koalas in the bush in the Otway Ranges. It reminded me of Michael Rosen's poem...

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.

Uh-oh!
A forest! A big dark forest.

We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.
Oh no! We've got to go through it!

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.
Uh-oh!
A snake! A poisonous snake!

We can't go over it.
We can't go through it.
Oh no! We've got to go around it!

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

We're going on a bear hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We're not scared.
Uh-oh!
Dead trees! Pale, ghostly dead trees.

We can't go over them.
We can't go through them.
Oh no! We've got to go under them

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

WHAT'S THAT?
One big fluffy lump!
Two big furry ears!
Two sleepy, shut eyes!
It’s not a bear!
IT’S A KOALA!!!

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

Here is a close-up of the koala.

In most of Australia, koalas are endangered, but at Cape Otway there are too many of them and they are killing trees because they are eating all the leaves. There is a program in place to move some koalas to different areas.

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

When we were on a walk out the back of Halls Gap when I was 8, my father spotted a koala in the bush. For the rest of the walk I tried hard to find one myself but couldn't.

It wasn't until today that I actually found a koala in the wild. I woke up this morning and said to my husband that today I was going to find a koala in the wild. We went on lots of walks but it wasn't until towards the end of the day when we were walking down Manna Gum Drive at Cape Otway that I found one myself. We also found another one a bit further down the road.

Today's achievement ticked another thing off my life-time bucket list. It was a small thing, but a bucket list thing nevertheless.

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

@ibk I have not heard of this place. Thanks for letting me know!

We are in the Otway Ranges

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

@ibk I haven't explored Gippsland much. Will put it on my list of places to explore

perkinsy, to australia
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The culture of 'dropping in' has withered away in Australian cities in particular. Even before the pandemic it had waned, but the pandemic has really reinforced habits of social isolation.

How can we revive this act of friendship AND be considerate of the person we are dropping in on?

One thing I think is important is to first ask people if they are free for a visit.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-23/etiquette-of-dropping-in-to-friends-house/103852588

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

@mativity Your Canberra experience - LOL. I have no idea re SA as I have not lived there but I do remember it happening when we were living in Melbourne in the 1990s. It happened often when we were living in Far North Qld after that. When we moved from there to Sydney's Northern Beaches and I naturally did the drop in thing there and very quickly learned that wasn't a thing that should be done!

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

@Glasnozt You have a point. Advanced warning robs the visit of the spontaneity that is the signature of dropping in. I suppose we are trying to transition back to a drop in culture by giving some king of opportunity for the person we propose visiting to opt in to a drop in visit?

The idea of a drop in is there is no appointment. Perhaps the following opt-in options would count:

  1. A few minutes before the drop in. Call/text "I am going to be passing by your place. Are you up for a visit from me?"
  2. A few days before: "I am going to be in your area on XX date. If I have time, are you OK for me to drop in and visit you?"

@skua suggested that one could ask a person if they like the idea of dropping in without advanced notice. This would be a seeking of global permission for dropping in. This would probably be more in the spirit of dropping in.

perkinsy, to random
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perkinsy, to random
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

We are spending a few days in the Otway Ranges. Today we went to the Cape Otway lighthouse. You can't go into the lighthouse at the moment because of a 'mercury spill'.

This is a photo of the coastline from the base of the lighthouse. There was no wind today and the sea was flat.

perkinsy, (edited )
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Here is the famous Cape Otway weather station that we hear about in weather reports. It is automated and small.

Read the Alt Text and sign to learn some #OzHist of this weather station and weather maps

perkinsy, to melbourne
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This Azalea is looking the best in years. The leaves are a healthy, rich green colour. Previously they had a paler mottled appearance. It is autumn, yet it has a couple of flowers. I am not a fan of the frilly, pink flowers of some varieties but I like these flowers.

This plant was given to me by my mother. I receive her excess and unwanted plants. She enjoys buying plants and I enjoy receiving her rejects - a good arrangement.

perkinsy,
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@Susan60 I have not done anything to deal with any pests or diseases which is why I am so surprised it has got rid of whatever pest that was causing the leaves to go pale and mottled.

perkinsy, to technology
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

"You're not technical enough" is often said to women. In the Tech Leading Ladies blog, Michelle Gleeson unpacks the reasons for this and suggests how to push back on it.

https://techleadingladies.com/2024/05/21/not-technical-enough/

perkinsy, to random
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

Seen on the way to work: someone had deliberately tipped over full bins of rubbish (including food) all over the footpath.

If you are mad at the world, don't tip over full rubbish bins and make it worse for everyone.

perkinsy, to melbourne
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Someone has stolen the salvia that was thriving in our street garden and covered in flowers for months. It has been carefully dug out.

One of our neighbours has given up on a nice front garden because of people stealing his plants. This is why I stick to nasturtiums and geraniums - free and easy to grow from cuttings or seeds. No-one wants to steal them.

perkinsy,
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@weezmgk I am thinking of a 'smile for the camera' with a smiley face sign. I want to make the point but do it in the spirit in which the garden was planted - to bring joy to people. It might be too subtle but I will try it and see.

I will replace the plant with another geranium. They don't seem to steal them.

perkinsy, to melbourne
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

'Ditch the lawn' movement in southern Australia shows the benefits of removing the traditional patch of grass in front of homes and planting things that will attract birds etc.

My mother ripped up her front lawn in 1987 and again in her new place in 1993. At the time I thought it was strange but the results in both gardens convinced me that this was a great idea.

If we needed a place for our children to play we walked to a park

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-19/turf-lawn-grass-rewilding-biodiversity-native-gardens/103845840

perkinsy,
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

@largess That is a tricky situation!

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