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Author Topic: What's flowering: Queensland  (Read 144220 times)

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #200 on: March 09, 2019, 06:44:16 am »
Had a bit of a habit myself once..60 a day and a pack of pipe tobacco a week! Gave up when I was living in suburbia for awhile after I ran out to the gate to put the milk bottles out (yeah I know ancient history) came back wheezing . Stopped then and there never had one since ....40 odd years clean.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #201 on: March 09, 2019, 07:21:46 pm »
60 a day!! Wow - in todays money this must be close to $100.
My father used to smoke this many - often two at a time!
He gave up when he was 50 years old from one day to the next and lived to 85.

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #202 on: March 10, 2019, 09:59:50 pm »
Fellas, smoked "rollies" since Day01 as Dad smoked the "fine cut" style, teaching that art but
not until 'maturity' at age 21, as was the rule back then. Being a busy life I soon switched
to "ready rubbed", and apart from a 7year break when the "smoking is bad, okay" campaign
kicked off I've been at it for sheer enjoyment for decades now.
A 50gram pouch is $75 so a few of those a fortnight is pretty close to breaking point for
the domestic budget, which is exactly the sharp end of social pressure.
The flowers are magnificent though, and attract bees. Heh.
Sooo, back on topic?
The rain is gone BOM are saying and so we start the windup to the year's build.
I have a mystery tree (to me) which flowers every other year with a very light even
sickly sweet honey. It is bursting right now but getting hosed each night, up till now... BOM
reckons. I'll try and get some pictures of the foliage and blooms, hoping for an ID.

Cheers.

Bill

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #203 on: March 11, 2019, 01:20:43 am »
" 50 gram pouch" Wow - I have to tell my missus.
I grew up in Switzerland and there was no age limit ( or maybe I ignored it) and I started at 14. I was about 6 ' even then and this must have helped.
I could not afford proper cigis and used to buy water damaged stock. The taste must have been wonderful  :shocked:
Send us the photo of the mistery tree and we will see if we can work out what it is.
Still coughing my heart out - not feeling weel at all.
Looks like we may get a shower later.
It has been hot as here.

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #204 on: March 11, 2019, 03:41:26 am »
Max did you get that storm that went thru? Missed us completely 37 and way too hot.

I have to fess, I worked for an Austrian guy who was a chain smoker and cigs were laid on for the Sales team I was sales manager. Most unusual even in those days! I doubt I could have afforded the habit if I'd had to pay, bought my own pipe tobacco though.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #205 on: March 11, 2019, 08:06:26 am »
Max did you get that storm that went thru? Missed us completely 37 and way too hot.

No, a few spits and a bit of noise. Yes, hot. More to come.

Yes, I remember the days when pretty young lady's handed out small packets out side the office and factory.
My emergency pack in the Swiss Military also included some cigs.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #206 on: March 14, 2019, 08:23:34 pm »
Missed out on the storm again - looks like North, around Gympie got some

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #207 on: March 15, 2019, 06:09:49 pm »
Yes missed us as well. But you must have got last nights lot? We had 80mm.

I left Loganlea at 1540 yesterday afternoon and it took me over 3.5hrs to get back to Palmwoods. I have never driven through such consistent heavy rain and storms in my whole life usually they pass over quite quickly but I seemed to follow them all the way up the coast. I think I hit a top speed of 80 at one point but it didn't last long at one point I was down to 30 and it was still probably a bit fast for the conditions.... one of those drives where you just intensely concentrate and wish wipers had a faster speed than flat out! A case of following the tail lights in front of you cos you can't really see the road and breaking early. Also somewhat disorienting travelling so slowly and not being able to see landmarks to know exactly where you are.
Amazing light show, there were 3 occasions when the lightning and thunder were simultaneous the lightning so close you have momentary blindness!

Early night for me as not long after I got back we lost power for the night and I was ready for the sack anyway.

Looks like plenty of rain forecast. Was starting to get a bit dry.
Hope you are all good up there.
Cheers
Mark

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #208 on: March 15, 2019, 08:10:57 pm »
Yup Mark...those drives are at the edge of trying, for sure.
Had a relapse with the "caugh" so back to Town for more drugs and 'upgrade'
to an inhaler, off the durries again of course.
B0M has us lined up for another week of Wet from Monday, I am hoping they
get that wrong... had enough by far. Buuut brilliant days right now, place looks
a picture and our pentas (sp?) is going full bore with the hibiscus smothered in blooms
on all dozen or so shrubs. No massive blooms happening so hopefully those buds
will wait till after any rain.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #209 on: March 15, 2019, 11:08:57 pm »
Hi Bill
Had a few showers pass thru over the last few weeks...enough to encourage the strelitzias to go again, second flowering this season, maybe the high temps have them confused. The bees don't mind them and were working them on Thurs. We have about 50 very large clumps. The gums might be up for another round as well.
Hope it stays fine for you you have had plenty of the wet stuff to be going on with.
Cheers
Mark

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #210 on: March 19, 2019, 04:30:56 am »
Hi Mark,
had a good storm Friday and last night.
Had no power on Friday evening but only 34 mm of rain.
Just got the internet back - phones and internet go all the time here.
Another 34 mm last night.
All good rain - lovely but humid day today.
Still battling with my virus but getting better. It seems to take much longer to get on top of these when you are older.

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #211 on: March 20, 2019, 05:58:22 am »
Gidday Fellas, into our fourth evening of showers with not a lot of rain (180mm)
but constant, like drizzle then bursts. One longhive must have got jack of it all
yesterday morning going into a flight frenzy so they got locked down. Mobs of
trees blooming just they carn't get to it long enough to stay busy inside.
So we all sit here waiting and watching John Wayne spaghetti westerns!

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #212 on: March 20, 2019, 06:11:36 pm »
Gidday Fellas, into our fourth evening of showers with not a lot of rain (180mm)
but constant,

180mm is just showers....seriously? That's more than some parts of Oz have had all year!

Take care mate hope Trev swings away from you and doesn't come back as they say.
Cheers
Mark

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #213 on: March 21, 2019, 05:17:19 am »
Gidday Fellas, into our fourth evening of showers with not a lot of rain (180mm)
but constant,

180mm is just showers....seriously? That's more than some parts of Oz have had all year!

Take care mate hope Trev swings away from you and doesn't come back as they say.
Cheers
Mark

Seems like he is parked up for a bit around Aurukun/Weipa either building or dying,
who knows!? The rain band is intensifying and spreading though.
https://meteologix.com/au/satellite/1389-e-135-s/satellite-water-vapor-10min.html#play

And yeah, some would kill for just 30mm, but around here it's gotta top 200mm in a day to
get attention. Like, had a phone call with an old cohort in the South after lunch today and left
the vege patch to take it, leaving behind a 2gallon bucket with fork and pliers plus bits and
bobs. Shower came over during the call and so when I got back to packup an hour later the
bucket was overflowing, the floatables washed out.
It aint known as The Wet Season friviously, I tellya. ;-)

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #214 on: March 21, 2019, 08:08:26 am »
Bill
That is amazing. Must be mold growing out of everything.
Mate you can have it. So it's true what they say about you northerners you do have webbed feet!
Take care mate.
Cheers
Mark

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #215 on: March 21, 2019, 10:23:38 pm »
Bill, looks like you are getting more of the wet stuff.
We could do with some more. Our dams are not full as yet. More on the way in about a week - so they say.
I checked all our hives. Lost a weak little swarm - not un-expected.
The rest are doing well - indeed i may take some honey off if the weather is suitable.
Not much flowering but the bees are bringing in honey : some white cappings and i can smell it in the evenings.
Any honey coming in, Mark?

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #216 on: March 23, 2019, 04:25:30 am »
We took some honey off today - about 60 kg from 4 hives. This time of the year I'm very carefull not to take too muc - flowering has eased but there is newly capped honey - snow white.
Interesting tasting honey - like a slight caramel/mocca taste.

Hot workinmg with bees - hotter tomorrow if we are game.

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #217 on: March 23, 2019, 08:11:51 pm »
Bill
That is amazing. Must be mold growing out of everything.
Mate you can have it. So it's true what they say about you northerners you do have webbed feet!
Take care mate.
Cheers
Mark

Yeah Mark that's those guys down on the Coast - Babinda to Cardwell, no ear hair, just mold! ;-))

Trevor has moved on and with luck is going to bring drought breaking rains to Central and SouthWest
grazing country. Some are already reporting falls of more than 100mm overnight (Maccas Australia - ABC).
Unpacking the cyclone packdown today we hope that's it for 2018/19 as the temps are dropping radicly
with 30C days and 24/26C overnight. Place should only take a fww days to dry out in those conditions.
Max would know when to pull honey so a bloke can only say he's on bl00dy good country pulling honey
in March - we can only hope there is blooms after this rain!

Cheers.

Bill


Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #218 on: March 24, 2019, 02:37:08 am »
Hi Bill and Max
Was going to get into the hives today but  36C and too hot to be playing around with that stuff. I find the sweat just continually runs in my eyes and a veil doesn't lend itself to wiping them all the time especially when the girls are wanting to get intimate with my head. LOL.
Fair bit of bearding today but not excessive so they are a bit hot.
I have no idea what they are working but I have 4 triples that need sorting, the honey smell in the apiary is amazing. 60% humidity so good drying day for the honey. Will get stuck in early tomorrow before the heat kicks in again and take those 4 supers off and check the others. I know one of the nucs needs a full size box as they have filled the lid.
In a former life keeping bees in NZ I would be getting ready for winter at this stage of the year. I am just in awe of this place (Sunshine Coast) if it weren't for the pesky SHB, beekeeping life would be perfect.
Pleased that the rain has stopped for you and it is drying a bit. Sounds good with the rain sweeping down the centre lots of prayers being answered, if you believe in that sort of thing.
Anyway off for a swim in the pool, gotta stay cool somehow.
Cheers
Mark

Offline eltalia

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #219 on: March 24, 2019, 04:31:34 pm »
It's all happening, he's sitting right over the guts of the interior dousing the place.
A younger man would be loading the Hino, throwing the swag and campoven in the
cab and heading West.
A killing to be made on the wildflowers after this lot gets done, I tellya!

Cheers

Bill

-- http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/charts/viewer/index.shtml