Guhday mates from Donnie, Your Aussie Koala information & entertainment director
We have been to the grocery store or as they call them here, supermarkets several times since we have been in Australia. Each time, I have seen many products with the name of John West on the label.
So, I thought it would be informative and fun to share some stuff I found with you.:)
Who is John West?
Today, John West is a brand famous throughout the world.
In the early 1800’s though, John West was a man; an ambitious migrant from Linlithgow in Scotland who went on to chase gold seams in California, mill the giant timber of Canada and Oregon and most importantly, export salmon to the world.
John West
The first fish John West processed were salted, packed in barrels and shipped from Oregon’s Colombia River to California and then on around Cape Horn to nourish the hungry workers of Britain’s industrial north.
Seeing the potential – and being the inventive and ambitious Scot that he was – John West not only co-founded the Westport Cannery, he devised and built his own automated can filling machine to get it up and running.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
John West has been a fixture in the kitchens of Australia for the best part of half
a century and today is one of the nation’s best loved food brands.
Guhday mates from Donnie, Your Aussie Koala Coles’ Trolley Expert
Well, first off, I do apologize for this post running a little behind. I have been working on several to try and get ahead. We are leaving on Friday, I believe, for the weekend to the Blue Mountains and I’m not sure if I will have Internet/WIFI access until we get back to Camden, Sunday night? So, after today’s post, I will schedule a couple of posts to publish automatically around midnight of Eastern Standard time (EST) in the United States.
For today, On: Trolleys.
I’m not exactly sure, but I think Australians refer to “trolleys” as anything that has wheels and moves including: elevators and escalators, but certainly what we call shopping carts in the United States.
In Camden, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the two local and frequently visited places by the general public, for grocery shopping are: Woolworth’s (not the familiar past 5 and dime department store) and Coles’. This post is about Coles’ and their trolleys (shopping carts).
Have you ever grabbed a shopping cart at the store and it seems like you always get the one that has a flat spot on one wheel and as it rolls it goes frump, frump, frump, squeaks or just doesn’t roll right? Me too! Problem solved at Coles’!
Coles’ Trolleys
OMG, these have BIG O’ HUGE wheels and roll so smoothly, you check between the wheels and the floor, just to make sure the trolley (cart) is not actually floating over the floor! As shown above, there is one size for quick shopping of a few items or the average size for more items or say, your weekly grocery shopping. I say “weekly” shopping loosely as, it appears just like in Japan, many people shop daily. Like Japan, Australian refrigerators are smaller than in the U.S.A., which seems to suggest that many Aussies shop frequently. They also, as the Japanese, like their stuff, really fresh!
There are, of course, some other carts with baby seats similar to the car seat or child-restraint seats used in most vehicles. The baby seat carts are attached to the trolley/cart and have seat belts.
There are trolleys/carts for those that are walking impaired or challenged.
Then there is another kind of trolley/cart that I have never seen before!
Jolly Trolleys for Kids
These are much more than just adorably cute! They are constructed with the same quality of materials as all the others. The flags attached are not to advertise the name of the store. The flags are so the adults (any responsible adult) can easily find the kids. And the trolleys/carts are for much more than mere amusement, to keep the children occupied. They are important teaching aides. And they help instill in the child the – “I’m not a little kid, I’m a grown-up,” attitude, most kids desire to embrace. And each child is instructed that if they do not return the cart to the place where they got it at the end of their shopping experience, they will not be allowed to use one next time. That’s a pretty good lesson in personal responsibility, good manners and discipline.
Father and daughter shopping
Notice how the little girl is in front, leading her father? Oh, and she is taking this so seriously too, just like an adult! 🙂
Oh, I love these trolleys/carts! They are the best made and the easiest to steer and guide and glide that I have ever seen! And yes, just like in the United States, I’ve seen these in and around the neighborhood. I know of no complaints at Coles’ so, I guess these wandered off trolleys/carts, make their way back home, eventually! 🙂
With all this sincere and honest praise about these trolleys/carts, there is just one problem…
…what’s missing in this picture?
Yes, what’s missing in the above picture? Yes, that’s my foot you see. But there is no bottom rail!!! I can neither be pushed nor run fast and jump on and ride this cart through the store and the parking lot! 😦
I suppose these were built this way because, either my wife Susan told them they should or they just knew I was coming! 🙂
Guhday mates from Donnie, Your Aussie Koala Scientific Discovery Discoverer
For quite some time, we have been told and have been taught that the world was at some time past, was once, one large land mass in the midst of water, we now call oceans and seas.
Then also, some time ago, the popular catch-phrase – ‘a global village’ was coined to show that the world is really a small place and that we are all connected by some commonality called, “the human race” or simply put, humanity.
Yes, yes, I know that I, as a Koala, am an arboreal (tree hanger-outer) herbivorous (leaf eating) marsupial (pouch carried) mammal (milk fed), Phascolarctidae(the only extant bear that lived in a pouch), cousin to the wombat, native to Australia, and not a human bean! 🙂
But I have made an all-important discovery!
Despite our many differences in language, culture, the many pigments within our skin, our beliefs, economic status, education, intellect, talents and skills and whether we are female, male or a child, we all have much in common. Principally, each of us desire life, liberty and the pursuit of, “happily ever after,” at least every once in awhile.
Oh sure, there are birds and bugs and plants and animals here and where ever your there is that are no place else on earth, and everything I guess got land-locked whenever the great land divide took place, but there is still proof we were once all connected!
And now, for the first time ever, I, yours truly, here in Australia, at almost the bottom of the world or just plainly, here down under, have undeniable and irrefutable PROOF that we were all once connected!!!!!
Dandelions are all over the world!
Note: And I don’t want to hear anything about this being possible because of bird migration either! 🙂
Guhday mates from Donnie, Your Aussie Koala Camden Show guide
Well the Camden Show. Where do I begin? The Show was held April 4th and 5th, 2014 in Camden, New South Wales, Australia. I probably took close to 300 pictures and with the exception of perhaps a small handful, I’m pretty happy with the rest of them. Choosing which ones to share and sizing them (down) has been quite time consuming. But I had the time.
Thus far during our stay here, it seems we have some activity on one day, followed by a day of rest. This has worked out very nicely for me. I’m not sure what factor or factors may be involved (my age, physical condition, the high humidity, intense sun or all of the above), but walking a lot and the activities have pretty much left me spent the following day. Adjusting to the time zone and/or jet lag may have made their contribution to my tiredness as well? But nothing hurts, I feel great and enjoy the walking just like we did much of it in Japan too. Days have been really pleasant. The temperature rose during our visit to the show, but was cooled off by the weather-predicted rain or actually, the downpour. It was nice, fun and funny. We were all able to duck into a large tent of interesting demonstrations and wait out the rain.
Well anyway, back to pictures. I have chosen 50, yes 50. That may seem like a lot and they are not because I believe they are such great shots that I want to share them with you, but because they reflect the wonderful Camden Show. It is very similar to any county fair you may have ever been to, but still different. So I will just start with pictures and some text and some captions and see how it goes. Perhaps it will end up with more posts about the show? Here we go.
Lady in a lovely 1960’s style dress as we walked inBalloons and colorsInteresting – Lady Funerals?Beautiful display all made from fruits, vegetables and seedsHorse and Riders nicely dressed and groomedWhip crackingSusan’s New Aussie HatAussie HatsPainted Pony. Do you see the silhouette of the head of a horse on its side?Aussie Coats – lanolin/bees wax coated
Well yes, camels! We missed the camel race, pooh. 😦
Authentic Aussie Wear Wearers 🙂Brahma Bull Yee hah mates I mean partners! 🙂Some baaaaad Sheepies 🙂Sheep Shearers Shearing Sheep 🙂Close Shave Sheep Shearer!Beary CuteAussie Snake WomanBuy what you want and put it in a show bag
Show bag shops were everywhere. Very decorative and artistic billboards. You find the stuff you want for a certain price and then put it all in a show bag. There were many of these vendor/shop/kiosks. Very popular with the youts (youths). 🙂
Henna Tattoos anyone?There go the sheep again, heading for their sheep shearingSand Sculpture First Prize. WOW, did the artists know they would win?Cattleman Cattle Cart Hauling20 Cattle Cart Team 🙂Kite flying and there were several balloons lost to the clouds.Large Christian Commune eatery.
The Common Ground is a totally self-supported and self-sufficient Christian Commune. The support themselves by places like these eateries. We ate in one in Picton Australia where I recorded the Bell Birds. see: Bell Birds here
They make their own clothing and grow their own organic food, some of which they use in their restaurants. Their food is excellent! I believe they have a sister cafe in Ithaca, NY in the United States.
Common Ground
Bundaberg Distillery Display
This was an interesting and miniature museum. It was filled with history of the company which is a major producer of rum in Australia. Various shapes of bottles were on display as well as the process involved in how rum is made from raw cane sugar. We even got to taste samples of the molasses. The next picture is of a bottle of rum made to look like one of those pirate movie pistols.
Rum PistolPetting Zoo for the kids. OK, kids younger than me. 🙂
Soft & Fluffy Feely Touchy Thingies
Touchy Feely For Kids of Every Age
Old Carriage and a Wheel Maker
Blacksmith making horseshoes
All kinds of…
…Rides!
Beautiful Horses and……Clydesdale Horses too!
Airplane displays and rides.Cotton & Wool Displays
A Real Cotton Ball
Edible Art for KidsMore Edible ArtA Bloomin’ OnionA Beautiful Swan Fit For Feasting
There was something for everyone at the Camden Show! So many different kinds of food, animals, shows, rides, demonstrations and people of all ages having fun. It rained both days and was not perhaps the greatest for the vendors pocketbooks, but it was a wonderful experience. They even put down straw and other materials so people did not have to walk through the mud. That’s was real nice and something I have never seen in the United States at any of the fairs I have ever been to. And the children were all so engaged, curious and their excitement was well contained, controlled and managed. People were all, for the most part, nice, friendly and well behaved. No alcohol was allowed except for the two wineries that gave samples. All in all it was a wonderful time. I was like a young child again. I would have loved every minute of both days, rain and all, but glad for the time I had. It was all eye candy for me. My camera was not unhappy either. 🙂
After we left the tent where we ducked under after the downpour of rain had stopped, we had to take the ardent and difficult task of getting home. WE HAD TO WALK LESS THAN SIX MINUTES TO GET HOME!!! 🙂 Around 9:00 PM, we watched the fireworks from the middle of our street. That was perhaps the closest and best view of fireworks I have ever had. And it was produced by a world class and world renown top pyrotechnical company, F0ti International, based in Australia.
Then two of us walked back to the carnival at night and watched the wild Brunby run. The Running of the Brunby are wild ponies in Australia, similar to the Mustangs of the southwest in the United States. So I will conclude this post with a small Youtube video I made and uploaded.
Guhday mates from Donnie, Your Aussie Koala Swagman
Today, I had intended to share our experience with The Camden Show on Saturday April 5th, 2014, here in Camden NSW Australia. But there are so many pictures I would like to share, I’m still working on it. But, but again, today’s post has pictures from this amazing show. I separated the pictures out for this post because, even though they were taken at the Camden Show, this post should be considered as a whole other subject. The subject is, Damper. Before I explain what damper is, please allow me to set the stage.
In previous posts we looked at such things as the Kookaburra Song which mentions the Swagman. The swagman is a bit of a character in Australian folklore and a very real person or persons, that out of necessity lived very meagerly. Their common mode of transportation was their two feet. Their traveling companion was Matilda, the pack on their back. They traveled around in this manner because, many were poor and moved from place to place seeking better opportunity. If any were well-off-enough to have four-wheeled transportation, it was most likely well-worn and kept together with whatever they could find for parts and that their wit could muster. Their home and kitchen was a campfire. They took shade and some protection from a Coolabah tree, a kind of eucalyptus. Their Billy boil (a metal pot carried on their back for water and to make tea over fire) was essential. Food was often scarce and they needed something easily affordable, simple, easy to make and something filling, to rid themselves of hunger. This common food was called Damper.
Let’s enter the campsite look of a Swagman. And kudos to those that presented this visual and informative and DELICIOUS display at the Camden Show!!! 🙂
Some Swagmen might have had some old wheels like thisBill the Swagman
Bill the swagman.
They would look for a nice place to set up camp. Their campfire area would look something like this.
Swagman KitchenMust have water or bring it to make your billy boil and damper
So what is damper? It’s delicious, that’s what it is! 🙂
Damperis a traditionalAustraliansoda breadprepared byswagmen,drovers,stockmenand other travellers. It consists of awheat flourbasedbread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is an iconic Australian dish. It is also made in camping situations in New Zealand, and has been for many decades.
Preparing damper
Damper was originally developed bystockmenwho traveled in remote areas for weeks or months at a time, with only basic rations of flour, sugar and tea, supplemented by whatever meat was available.The basic ingredients of damper were flour, water, and sometimes milk.Baking sodacould be used for leavening. The damper was normally cooked in the ashes of the camp fire. The ashes were flattened and the damper was placed in there for ten minutes to cook.
mixture in pot over hot coals
Following this, the damper was covered with ashes and cooked for another 20 to 30 minutes until the damper sounded hollow when tapped.
Damper is covered with a lid of hot coals
Alternatively, the damper was cooked in a greasedcamp oven.Damper was eaten with dried or cooked meat orgolden syrup, also known as “cocky’s joy”. Cocky’s joy – were small farmers who settled or perched (like a bird) on the portions of his land that wasresumed for agriculture. Some believe they were first called this from the area of Cockatoo Island, hence the word “perched.” So the joy of the Cocky’s was to be able to have land to settle and something to sweeten their damper, which was by tradition, golden syrup.
Damper done down under and ready to come up and eaten
Golden syrupis a paletreacle (un-crystallized syrup made from refining sugar).It is a thick, amber-colored form ofinverted sugar syrup, made in the process of refiningsugar caneorsugar beetjuice intosugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance similar tohoney, and is often used as a substitute by people who do not eat honey. I like to use this instead of Karo syrup (high fructose) when making my pecan pie. I think it is better for us than high fructose corn syrup and I like the added character it brings. It is more expensive than Karo syrup, but worth every extra cent!
Golden Syrup
Molasses, or dark treacle, has a richer color than golden syrup, and a stronger, slightly bitter flavor.
Slather on some butter and pour on some golden syrup and dig in! 🙂 Thank you Swagman Bill!
I have been promised an authentic Australian Damper recipe. Can’t wait to get it and make it for YOU, when we get home! 🙂
Take it away Dingo Dennis!
Dennis Dingo Dryden
Waltzing Matilda Australian unofficial National Anthem
Lyrics by
A.B. Paterson
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
………………..
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
…………………
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thorough-bred
Down came the troopers One Two Three
Whose that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me
Whose that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker-bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
………………….
Up jumped the swagman sprang in to the billabong
You’ll never catch me alive said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Well, not even a year ago if you would have told me I would be in Australia, I would have been just as surprised then as I am now! Once the reality set in (whenever that was), one thing for sure I wanted to see here (besides grand baby Felix, his Mom & Dad and the animals of Australia) was the Sydney Opera House. I would have been glad, just to see it from the outside and with a further glad, to seeing it inside. I spent several hours on line at http://theoperahouseproject.com/ looking at a timeline of the making of this beautiful architecture. I invite you to click on the link above, do yourself a favor and do the same thing! It is interesting, informative and awe inspiring!!
Harbor BridgeDarling HarborSydney Opera House sails
WOW, were we in for a surprise! Surprise and excitement is really an understatement!!! Why? Well not only would we see outside and inside of ‘The House’ we were treated to a whole day downtown Sydney, a fabulous dinner of fresh oysters and on-and-on, and tickets to a live performance of the world-class Sydney Orchestra and choir! Did I mention or emphasize enough the word, “LIVE’?!”
DESCRIPTION:
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
Powerful, spine chilling and epic. Ridley Scott’s blockbuster, Gladiator, comes to Sydney for its world premiere, and the film score will be performed live in concert by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Lisa Gerrard.
The Sydney Opera House will transform into the Roman Coliseum as Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s sweeping and dramatic score, among the all-time favorites, is brought to life by a full symphony orchestra while the movie is played in high definition live on the giant screen above.
Gladiator, winner of five Academy Awards, and a Golden Globe for Best Original Score – Motion Picture follows loyal Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe – born in New Zealand, but now an Australian citizen), who is betrayed when the emperor’s ambitious son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), murders his father and seizes the throne. His family dead, and reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murder of his family and his emperor.
Now I have seen this movie a couple of times previously, but NEVER like this! There was an intermission where you could move about, get something to drink, go outside and etc., but OMG, by the start of the rest of the movie, I kind of got lost into the music itself and the vocals from the choir and the lead vocals from Lisa Gerrad that actually performed on the original soundtrack for the movie. The timing and the volume and the acoustics of the opera house were incredible!
Inside Sydney Opera House
The performance received and was much-well-deserved of a long, standing ovation! And by the way, the people of Australia generally and genuinely love to dress up when they go out. It was nice to see this!
Many years ago and even before my time, 🙂 the first movies were black and white and before the “talkies” (movies with sound), background music was performed by a sole pianist, some other musician, musicians or a small orchestra. Our experience at the Sydney Opera House was like a trip back in time. By this I mean, the old becoming new again. Obviously we cannot go to the movie, rent one or buy one and expect like “fries come with that,” to count on a live symphony and chorus to show up. But WOW, wouldn’t it be great if this was the common thing!
For me, I have never appreciated the importance of music in a film as much as I now do! And it was just beyond words to express my gratitude for this experience, for the incredible seats and to not only hear this music “live,” but to see the musicians as they played and the vocals as they were sung by such a world-class orchestra, choir and the vocalist that sung on the original soundtrack. All together, this was perhaps a lifetime experience being first in Australia, 2nd in this theater, 3rd to experience the movie/live music/visual display acoustics and to share this with my best friend and the love of my life! And I am thankful that Jonathan and Caitlin our ‘gifters,’ were here to join us and that they had some much needed time together. A big shout out to Wendy that took care of baby Felix, so they could enjoy date night! 🙂
I do apologize for some of the pictures above as they are not to my satisfaction. I have been having some difficulty with my camera recently. Also, the favorite digital media card for many professionals and me is compact flash. Unfortunately, it is a terrible design for downloading via a card reader to my computer. Before I left for our trip, I bought a new card reader so I could download my pictures to our laptop. Yesterday, the pins got bent and I had to get a new reader today. Today was raining so I spent it recouping my energy, and catching up with pictures and posts. I will need to address my camera with perhaps something new after we get home and I find some money or knock out all my teeth so the tooth fairy can visit me big time! 🙂
Sydney Opera House is a marvel of vision and construction. I believe I am correct in saying that each year, Sydney and Australia celebrate this icon in what is called, ‘The Lighting of the Sails.’ This year, the event starts on May 23 through June 9th, 2014. I would love to be here for this, but we will already be home. Each year it is different. I will close with a beautiful picture from http://vividlive.sydneyoperahouse.com/lighting-the-sails/?gclid=CO-Ph9Pixr0CFQUJvAodA7IAIg and two (2) YouTube videos, highlights from 2013 and 2012. If possible, crank up the volume and watch these FULL SCREEN! Enjoy! 🙂
Waltzing Matilda Australian unofficial National Anthem
Lyrics by
A.B. Paterson
Swagman
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
………………..
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
…………………
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thorough-bred
Down came the troopers One Two Three
Whose that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me
Whose that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker-bag
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
………………….
Up jumped the swagman sprang in to the billabong
You’ll never catch me alive said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
Swagman’s cork hat
Swagman a term describing an underclass of transient temporary workers, who traveled by foot from farm to farm carrying the traditional swag (bedroll). Also characteristic of swagman attire was a hat strung with corks to ward off flies. Kind of like a hobo or someone during the 1920-30’s during the depression when times were tough and work was hard to come by.
Billabong means drinking spot or pool in an intermittent stream. Because of the very dry conditions in out-back Australia, streams and rivers can often become dry leaving only a few water-holes where stock are able to drink
Coolibah tree is a type of Eucalyptus. It is is used to treat snake bites. The tree inhabits the arid and semi-arid open woodland areas of Australia. Its common name is of Aboriginal origin and Aborigines used part of the tree to treat snakebites.
billy boil is to make tea over a campfire
Waltzing Matilda is the knapsack on the back of a swagman. Where he goes, Maltilda waltzes with him.
Jumbuck is an Australian slang word for sheep
Tucker bag – a storage bag for food
Squatter in this instance means landowner
This tune is a traditional Scottish Melody and the words are by A. B. Paterson who is generally referred to as Banjo Paterson. He also wrote the Kookaburra Song.
I only thought we were in the country until we actually went into the country. It was a nice ride from Camden to Picton, New South Wales, Australia about 16 miles. We saw rolling hills and cows and sheep much like anyplace I have ever seen. If not for driving on the right side of the car and on the left side of the road, it all looked similar to anything I’ve ever seen. On occasion there would be a sign that read, “Stay in line unless overtaking,” meaning the center lane was for passing ONLY. Somehow, before we leave, I will snap a picture of the road sign for Kangaroo Crossing. But again, everything seemed quite the same. WOW, was I about to be surprised!
Our destination was the Razorback Inn, a quaint out-of-the-way place to eat that was established in 1849.
The Razorback InnMenu from ‘Common Gound’
The eatery is now run by a Christian Commune called, ‘Common Ground.’ They make their own clothes, live in the area, and run the restaurant including making all the food from scratch and natural and wholesome ingredients. A s delicious as the food was and as charming as the place was, this was not the most memorable experience, of this experience to me. It was in fact, the Bell Birds. Yes, that is what you read, what I wrote and what was meant! And as the name implies, the birds have some association with bells because, however they make this sound, they sound exactly like bells!!!!!!
The Bell Bird or the Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys), commonly known as the Bellbird, is a colonial honeyeater found in southeastern Australia. The common name refers to their bell-like call. “Miner” is an old alternative spelling of the word “myna” and is shared with other members of the genus Manerina. The birds feed almost exclusively on the dome-like coverings of certain psyllid bugs, referred to as “bell lerps,” that feed on ucalyptus sap from the leaves. The “bell lerps” make these domes from their own honeydew secretions in order to protect themselves from predators and the environment.
Bell miners live in large, complex social groups. Within each group there are subgroups consisting of several breeding pairs, but also including a number of birds who are not currently breeding. The non-breeders help in providing food for the young in all the nests in the subgroup, even though they are not necessarily closely related to them. The birds defend their colony area communally aggressively, excluding most other passerine species. They do this in order to protect their territory from other insect-eating birds that would eat the bell lerps on which they feed. Whenever the local forests die back due to increased lerp psyllid infestations, bell miners undergo a population boom.
The sound is beautiful and quite enchanting. It is difficult to believe that you are hearing these sounds and that they are made by birds. Adding to this difficulty is their size. They are so small and so fast, it is almost next to impossible to see them in the trees and capture them with a camera. The following pictures of the Bellbird are not mine. I was able to capture their unimaginable and unbelievable sound, but I found a wonderful video on Youtube, so I will use this to share with you.
Gum Tree (a species of eucalyptus) where the Bellbirds love to feed
So waltz Matilda and tie me kangaroo down sport, we’d put some shrimp on the barbie for you, but I don’t really think they say this in Australia?
Paul Hogan, yep the same mate that played the lead in the ‘Crocodile Dundee’ movies
“Shrimp on the barbie” is an often-quoted phrase that originated in a series of television advertisements by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan from 1984 through to 1990. The actual quote spoken by Hogan is “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you”, and the actual slogan of the ad was “Come and say G’day”. It has since been used, along with some variations, to make reference to Australia in popular culture.”
You know, a lot of people like those prepackaged dry Ramen noodles. Personally, I just never understood what the big deal is. Well, these pictures are the real deal and I love it. Real thick sauce of boiled down vegetables and peanut sauce. Add lots of green onion, thin sliced pieces of delicious meat (pork and beef) and of course, noodle. I am told the translation of the Japanese on the bowls in thee pictures mean,…
…”the best thing you can buy under heaven!”
I can believe it! There are people that eat this every day for lunch as it is very good for you and filling. I can understand why! 🙂
Chopsticks, spoon, slurp and enjoy! 🙂
REAL Ramen Noodles“The Best Thing You Can Buy Under Heaven”
gatheringplace.blog 