ANOTHER ROYAL WEATHER ALERT

In  a   surprise  telephone call  from  the  Queen  of  the  Jungle  she  announced  that  her  Rain Orchids  had exploded   into  a  mass    of    white   flowers   , normally  an   indication   of  good    rain   within days .  However,    as reported in this  blog,  flowerings   of   late   had  been  followed  by  slight falls  on  Magnetic Island , resulting  in  the  Queen saying   orchids appeared to  be  baffled  due  to  climate  change . 

With  the  weather- watching , close  to nature  Queen  still on the  line , we  checked   our  Rain Orchids , in  three  locations , one  above,   found   they  were  also  out  in  full  bloom.    So   are we in for   a bucketing  ? A television  weather report  last  night  stated  Townsville   had    received  more  rain than usual in recent  months. 

While  there is a   heat  wave  in  the  Northern Territory , a  contact  in the  Darwin rural area  says  his  billabong  has  suddenly  started rising  rapidly, there having  been   some  big  falls of late  ; we  also were informed  that  heavy recent  rain in  the   Weipa area of North  Queensland  is expected to  cause  prawns to  run  and  Grunter  fish,  feeding  on   them  ,  will  make  for   good   fishing .

NEW ARTY WORK IN THE BLOCK

 Bulldozer   blade   tracks   produced   this   animated  painting   on a    Magnetic Island block  being  prepared for construction of  another  new  dwelling ,  one  of   several  sites  on  which  there  is  activity .  When it comes to  location , location, location , the new   residence will  be in an ideal  spot. Close to the sea, near a Mexican restaurant , a shopping centre with a  bottle shop, one  neighbour a talented musician / composer  and   bushranger   expert  .  What  more  could  you  want ?    Vallis  photo.   

IN THE GREEN BELT

Rain  clouds  over  canefields , Babinda . Wellington  pic.

 

VALE JILL JOLLIFFE

 Word  just received that  freelance journalist and author Jill Jolliffe , 77,   has died in Melbourne  from  heart failure. Jill , who lived in Darwin for a  time ,  reported on East Timor from  l975, wrote  Finding Santana   and Balibo  , made  into  a  film .   She  had  been  suffering  from  dementia.   

LURE OF THE TROPICS

View from Magnetic Island  across  Cleveland  Bay. Vallis .

 

DON'T CRY / WAIL FOR ARGENTINA

 Hatched during the hubbub following the Socceroos win  over  Denmark, these Curlew  chicks  , with  their protective parents ,  are  the  latest  addition  to the Little Darwin  menagerie.  Much larger and older  chicks  in the  backyard  run about  like rugby league  frontrowers , knocking  their  elders  out of  the  way when  food  is  thrown  to  them .    

NAUGHTY FRENCH PHOTOS ON WHEELS

 Seemingly  instantly  bought   from   the current    fabulous  offering of   Australian photographs from   1860-1940  , issued by  Douglas Stewart  Fine  Books, Melbourne , is   one  consisting of  six  carte  de  visites  of   French   risque  poses , published and  sold  in  Melbourne   around  1870. 

They  carry the imprint    of   W, J. Norman , Looking Glass  and Picture  Frame  Manufacturer , Elizabeth Street , Melbourne . 

The bookshop says these photographic reproductions of saucy prints,lithographed by Gustave Barry (1848-1882) after Philippe-Jacques Linder (1835-1914), published by Norman around 1870, would be considered fairly  innocuous  by most of  us today in  terms of their sexual content.

Yet there could be little doubt that they would have shocked the sensibilities of  Melbourne’s conservative society of  the time.

For this reason , they provided  an interesting  case study of  what publishers in colonial Melbourne could get away with, as well as illustrating how outré material of  this  type  was  marketed.

 More

Other subjects  covered include  -  Ballarat goldminers, the  Eureka  Rebellion  , Australian- New Zealand  boxer  Otto Cribb  circa  1901,  bricklayers , the  Bendigo Pottery Depot, a 1907 Broken Hill  dust storm , a novelty photo of two  men  in a  mock  aeroplane  flying  over Luna  Park,St. Kilda , a  swagman sitting on  his  swag, a  billycan  and  knife nearby,    a jockey, a  West Australian   anthill ,  Afghan cameleers in the WA goldfields, ,the  Melbourne Club, rabbit trappers. 

There is a hand-tinted shot of   the camp  of  Aboriginal  miner   Benny Roy , at Wortupa,  on  the  goldfield in the Gammon Ranges , south of Arkaroola, South Australia . Possibly taken  as early as 1890, it is priced at $650.  An earlier    photo  of  Victorian  Aborigines in a  canoe  is  listed  at  $1650.

A series of   photographs  depicting   Queensland   fruit  and trees- bananas ,papaw , Jacaranda , etc.- apparently part of  a  promotion by the   Queensland   Tourist  Bureau ,  all  sold ,  almost as  quickly as  the risque  pix . 

A  Crookwell Rifle Club Shoot , $100 , taken about  1907 in the  southern tablelands of NSW,  was  the work of multi-skilled  professional photogapher  Herbert Blackadder . He  was  also a dentist, a chemist and   refereed  rugby matches .