SUNDAY DRIVE

The hot weather we have been having makes me just want to stay inside in the cool of the air-conditioning but today we decided to get out and take a drive ( in the cool air-conditioned car !!) to see the sunflowers.

They are growing in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane and about 2 hours later we came upon this field.

As you can see it is very dry and the poor flowers on the edge of the field were showing the lack of water.

You can see how withered the leaves are and the background is pure country Australia - grey-green and brown.

 However as you move further into the crop it gets better and soon there is a sea of happy yellow facing the sun.

 Such a pretty crop.

We were a little early as this was the only field properly in flower.

The rest will probably burst forth in the next two weeks.

On the way home we passed this pretty house in Gatton.

It is built in the typical Queensland style,

set high off the ground to guard against floods but mainly to catch any breezes that may be around.

Wide verandahs and a central hallway leading past a bedroom on each side at the front  to a "lounge" room (living room ) and dining room with kitchen and bathroom in the enclosed part of the back

 verandah.

A very practical design for our climate. You will find many of them in any Queensland country town.

You may remember I posted about "Old Queenslanders"   here  way back in 2010. 

It has been one of my most visited posts over the years.

We were home by 4:30 and it is finally cooler than the 32 degrees it has been all day so I'm off for a cool Aperol Spritz which is our drink of choice in the heat.

Cheers.

SNAKES ALIVE !

Summer is the time that snakes become more active here in Oz

and this Summer they seem to be more active than usual.

It's not so uncommon to see a snake slithering across the path as you walk in bushy, grassy areas in parks and gardens. 

Mostly they don't bother people but this year there have been a lot more people than usual who have been bitten by them.

The one below is a Common Brown Snake.

Brown snakes seem to be the ones that are most common in biting incidents and part of the problem may be in identifying them.

This group below are all Brown snakes and as you can see they are all definitely not brown in colour !

I like to give them a WIDE berth .......

and the one photographed recently in Cardwell, North Queensland (NOT a Brown snake this time ! ) would certainly have me moving in the opposite direction ....

F A S T.........!

THE BATTLE AGAINST THE HIGH COST OF ELECTRICITY

Here in sunny Queensland these days we have air conditioning to combat the heat. 

As well as high temperatures we have high humidity and that's a killer !

How we survived in days gone by without air- con I don't know. 

In my teaching days the heat inside the classroom (35 degrees plus ) with thirty hot sweating bodies after play break was unbelievable ( so was the smell ! ) and not an air conditioner in sight !

But keeping cool with air conditioning comes at a price...... A very high price !

The cost of electricity is climbing rapidly so we have finally taken the plunge and installed solar panels.

Twenty- one of them !

In a country with so much sunshine it is sensible to harness the sun

and even when the aircon is going all day we use the electricity we produce ourselves to power it. 

It's a simple idea really and very successful for us.

I just make sure I wash, bake, turn the dishwasher on, as much as possible during the daytime.

Our neighbours also have them.

Looking round the neighbourhood most houses have them.

Different numbers of panels......and different placements depending on roof shape

And the direction that the house faces.

We are looking forward to the day when we can store the electricity we make in the day so we can power our lights at night.

It would be wonderful to be self- sufficient

And great to be rid of those power plants churning out their horrible emissions into the atmosphere.

Cheers.