Saturday 28 June 2014

Let Sleeping Whales Lie.

In response to Gabriel’s comment about drowning, I tell you this true story.
While in Eden (S coast NSW), living on my yacht, a gale came through that sank one boat in the harbour and damaged several others.
I skedaddled at the start and anchored off the lee shore, spending the next three days sleeping, reading and fishing. After the gale had blown itself out, I headed back to the quaintly named ‘Snug Cove’, and my spot on the wharf.
At about the half way mark I found myself on a collision course with at stationary Humpback Whale. I changed course enough to miss, but close enough to see it was quite still, apparently dead. But around her, circling slowly was a calf, probably about three metres long and very much alive.

A dead whale, if washed ashore presents quite a problem for authorities, and of course there was the added problem of a motherless calf. So I radioed Marine Rescue to report the body, gave its position and asked them to call me with any follow up news. About two hours later, my phone rang and it was a National Parks Officer, with more news.
He told me he found the apparently dead whale where I said it would be and circled it as I had done. He then drifted up close and gave it a poke with his longest boat hook. What happened next almost cost him a boat.

She reared up and swished her tail towards her tormentor, swiping the boat and sending a wave of water over the crew. She then took off at top speed towards Antarctica, a frantic baby thrashing away in her wake. They followed at a distance to be sure she had not been injured. But she eventually slowed to cruising speed and all returned to normal.

 Pic: from Wickipedia.
 Coal: Nature’s hazardous waste dump.

Friday 27 June 2014

I was hoping to practice mouth-to-mouth… but…










I bounded, with gigantic leap
Into the bottomless deep.
I dragged her ashore,
But then heard her snore.
Not dead, just soundly asleep!

I found it in the Draft File! Silly me!


Really, Your Honour!










I must say here, right from the start;
And admit it was not very smart.
But I thought she’d drowned,
So I took down her gown,
All the better, to massage her heart!

To those who went looking for me. Sorry, I wrote this on Monday, but somehow it got lost!
Hop over to Tess’s place for great stories and poems.

Coal: Nature’s Hazardous Waste Dump.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

When we were kids we said some amazing things!



















Reminds me of this nonsense poem:

One fine day in the middle of the night,
Two dead men got up to fight,
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other,

One was blind and the other couldn't, see
So they chose a dummy for a referee.
A blind man went to see fair play,
A dumb man went to shout "hooray!"

A paralysed donkey passing by,
Kicked the blind man in the eye,
Knocked him through a nine inch wall,
Into a dry ditch and drowned them all,

A deaf policeman heard the noise,
And came to arrest the two dead boys,
If you don't believe this story’s true,
Ask the blind man he saw it too!

 Thanks Tess for another challenging picture from her collection.

 Coal: Nature's hazardous waste dump.

Monday 9 June 2014

DIY 1955. OMG! I was there.



















Two track TEAC,
Stereophonic playback.
Three speed, sync'd heads,
VU’s in the red.
Two mikes, placed right
Make a demo, outa sight!

 Split to Tess's pad for more nostalgia!

 Coal: Nature's hazardous waste dump.