Raffle prize Valentines Day, Rapid Creek, Darwin

I really enjoyed Valentines Day! I went to dinner at the Beachfront Hotel with Pauline and Karen and I won the Jacobs Creek raffle prize, wine, chocolates, a nice Jacobs Creek apron and chocolate kissing paint!!

Belly view of Frog at Howard Springs

This frog was enjoying insects attracted to the light in the kitchen at Howard Springs.

Sunday morning storm

Taken from my front door at Karama,this is a rather noisy thunderstorm early on Sunday morning, with lots of thunder and lightning.

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Another example of bird life in the Top End, a Blue-faced Honeyeater

Torresian Imperial pigeon

This Torresian Imperial pigeon I saw at Howard Springs property.

Annie

Annie, a Golden Retriever I have been minding at Howard Springs.

Rainy morning at Howard Springs

Lovely tropical downpour at Howard Springs

Sunday lunch at Cornucopia

Again a great day with the Fergusons and Karen at the Cornucopia Cafe for lunch on a Sunday.

The Ferguson Clan

Karen and I bumped into more tourists at Fogg Dam, the Fergusons. Clive and daughter Katie have been holiday in Darwin for the past month visiting Pauline.

Same bird different pose!

OK, its not exotic, but it is photogenic!

Very photogenic Willie Wagtail

This bird kept on providing great photo opportunities at Fogg Dam.
Interesting, there are two variant of the spelling, but most spell it a Willie Wagtail rather than a Willy Wagtail. In any case its a Rhipidura leucophrys, a member of the Australian fantails

Yet another Frog

Green Tree frog at Howard Springs retreat

This Green Tree frog delighted us at a dinner party I held at Howard Springs whilst housesitting.

Fungi at Charles Darwin National Park

I went to Charles Darwin National Park and saw some interesting birds especially kingfishers and bee-eaters. Also a great variety of plants etc.

Something a little different

This is Molly who still lives in Adelaide. Its one thing I have noticed in Darwin, that it appears to be a dog town rather than a cat town. I guess with so much wildlife in suburban gardens, that is bird and reptiles and frogs, that's it is perhaps best that cats are not kept as pets.

Grasshopper with blue eyes

Interesting grasshopper at the Territory Wild Life Park. Note the brightly coloured eyes

Frilled Necked Lizard

This lizard was part of the reptile display at the Territory Wildlife Park.

Yet another Orb weaver

This was a slightly different colour and even bigger.

To get more information about Australian Spiders, Dr. Ron Atkinson from the University of Southern Queensland has a very useful site.

Find a spider

Another view of the Orbweaver

Another view of the same spider. It was a little dangerous, not because of the spider, but I managed to have two leeches attach themselves to me when I went into the bushes to get a better shot!

Orbweaver spider at Territory Wildlife Park

I went to visit this great place again with the Ferguson family and there were a couple of great Orbweaver spiders. This is the female. Notice the little red spider on her, thats her spouse.... not long for this world!

For some interesting facts about spiders
National Geographic

Cullen Bay Sunset

A great place for a meal and a drink. I had a few drinks with work colleagues and then a seafood dinner.

Carols by Candlelight Darwin

A balmy tropical evening. Great artists and fantastic fireworks to end a pleasant evening.(Thanks to Karen for photo and Pauline for silly hat!)

Holding the Possum

Possum Magic at Corroboree Tavern

We were having a meal at the Corroboree Tavern and a local bushie "Poo" introduced us to his baby RingTail possum "Yoda".

Brown Falcon at Fogg Dam

On our trip to Mary River Park we stopped of at dusk and saw this lovely bird. Its a Brown Falcon.

Chinatown in Melaka

This was on a day trip across the border from Singapore to Malacca/Melaka.
Lots of colourful sights and sounds.

Even the taxis were colourful

The highly decorated pedicabs were a treat!

Closeup of Sunflower in Malacca

This was part of a colourful town square in Malacca on a day trip from Singapore.

Pauline enjoying a Fannie Bay sunset

Pauline enjoyed a walk on the beach with Karen and I at the Darwin Sailing Club recently.

Kingfisher in aviary at the Territory Wildlife Park

This was one of many birds in this wonderful collection of well set up aviaries, worth the entrance fee at the park just to see the birds alone!

Barking Owl at the Territory Wildlife Park

This really does bark like a dog and is part of a good display.

At rest

This guy was one of the old pedicab drivers

At Singapore Zoo with a python

I paid a small donation and was able to handle 3 snakes, a first for me!

Second trip to Territory Wildlife Park

I took my second trip to this wonderful park whilst on leave, this is the Osprey, part of the Birds of Prey display.

Busy Boy

I had to arrange to get Powerpoint presentations for the TopEnd event and load them, fun!

My favourite dish in Darwin!

This is Eggs Royal (Smoked Salmon and poached eggs) at the Cornucopia Cafe, at the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery.

Di Thompson

Di Thompson a long time Adelaide library colleague came to the conference as the keynote speaker. She was well received. Here she is with my new team member Pauline Ferguson at the Darwin Sailing Club.

Valmai Hankel

I asked Valmai Hankel, wine writer and former Rare Book Librarian to speak at the ALIA TopEnd dinner. It was a great event and she was a delightfull success.

A very busy week

I was involved in organsing the ALIA TopEnd Symposium and also attended a dinner and a workshop on Evidenced Based Librarianship with British authority Andew Booth. This is Andrew enjoying himself at the workshop. It was a great professional development opportunity.

An Osprey at the Territory Wildlife Park

This was one of the raptors that were part of a great display at the Territory Wildlife Park. This was one of many displays and everyone must go to see the park.
Territory Wildlife Park

Happy Jose

This was a great way to spend his last day in the Northern Territory. Jose was suprised at the displays at the Territory Wildlife Park.

I have gone Troppo and its not even the "Build Up" (a period of high temperature, high humidity which is very close as "The Dry finishes. On Saturday I went with the Director, Ruth and Jose Mendes our East Timorese visitor to the Territory Wildlife Park, which I highly recommend.

Nesting or resting Curlew

Not happy with me at all!

One of the pair of Curlews

They were not happy with me photographing them ...lots of hissing!

Seen at CDU carpark, a pair of well camouflaged curlews

This pair I saw at one of our carparks recently.

Saying Farewell to Jose

We thanked each other, I have learnt a lot about East Timor and now want to visit one day.

Jose was presented with a laptop for his library

Jose has a farewell lunch at which he was formally presented with a laptop computer for the library. We enjoyed a good lunch and some speeches.

Visit to Northern Territory Library service

Jose with Bill Constantine, Manager,Resource Management, NTLIS.

Jose went to a number of Darwin libraries

This was on a visit to the Northern Territory Library.
With myself, Robin Hempel, Reference Librarian, Northern Territory Library and Faridah Antwertinger from CDU Library

Jose Mendes

Jose Mendes has spent the last month living with me and undertaking training here at Charles Darwin University, He is from the Library at the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosae (UNTL) (National University of East Timor.)
See this site for more information about his university and library.
http://www.untl.labor.net.au
Their library need lots of help....
Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosae