The Ides of April

I know I haven't posted in a long time; sorry.

Saturday
We went to Farm and Garden Day out at the experimental station just south of town. Initially we were going to ride bikes out there, but then Justin got a flat tire and needed a new inner tube. R ended driving Justin, M and me.

There were tractors, of course, and lots of farm animals: Brahman bulls, a donkey, goats, piglets, ducks, a goose. The chook barn proved mildly entertaining. There was a baby wallaby at the wildlife rescue table, and a whole snake booth! There was a pest management booth with a various bugs and spiders in jars, as well as a live poisonous centipede about 5 inches long. We asked, "Are those around here?" The answer was "Oh, yes. That was found by our entomologist in her kitchen. She decided to keep it as a pet."

Greening Australia was there selling native trees and grasses, and we talked for a while to a farmer about sesame growing. I had never seen that plant. He was talking about different varieties and the different products derived from sesame, and I was reminded of the camel who lived at the house across from our homestay in Eritrea and spent its days walking in a circle to grind sesame seeds into oil.

Meanwhile we were serenaded by an authentic Katherine country singer; one of her original numbers was about 'mississippi moonshine' but she did also have at least one song that was actually about her dad's experience as a drover (basically an Australian cowboy). Her voice was nice, and I'm looking forward to the Katherine Country Music Muster in two weeks!

I did take a bunch of pictures there but I can't find the cable to move the pictures from the camera, so you'll just have to use your imagination!

Friday
I went to Greening Australia in the morning (only the second time I've actually volunteered there) and had a great time. We just re-potted trees all morning (aside from an extended "smoko" or morning tea), but it was fun and educational! I met interesting characters and got to hear local perspectives on various issues.

In the arvo (afternoon), I worked on the library at the language centre. I think it was my sixth day doing that. I don't love doing it, so I won't say more about it.

Tuesday
J and I are encouraging each other to write stuff to submit to the Northern Territory Literary Awards, so we met at a local cafe to share progress. I'd never been to this cafe before (it's really not quite a cafe in the sense of that word that you might have if you live anywhere bigger than Katherine, but it's also closer to a cafe than anything else here, and it has "cafe" in its name), but knew the owner has a reputation of being a talker. He did not, however, interrupt us or start talking to us at length until we saw him doing some hand-calculating from some figures on a computer screen. I asked why he didn't use a spreadsheet program for that, and he said that he'd forgotten how to do the formulas. So, I ended up showing him how to use formulas in excel. It was nice to feel useful!

Last Weekend
I went up to Darwin with R. Three markets. Hanging out with nice people (his friends), sometimes on their verandah, which was really an outdoor living room (they also had an outdoor shower next to their garden, the whole thing surrounded by lots of tropical greenness). It was great to be around people who are just reflexively environmentally aware ("Here's a plate and fork to take down to the market"), but I was also shocked to realize that I hadn't thought of bringing my own dishes although there was a time when I would never eat food in throwaway containers. It was a good reminder!

What other pleasures did Darwin offer? A mango daiquiri at a beachside bar as the sky lit up with an amazing sunset. A great, tiny, non-mall bookstore, open till 10 pm! A funny little neighborhood bar called the Mississippi Queen (outdoor seating: tables in what clearly used to be a driveway, with fairy lights and potted plants, a pond with lilies next door and the very loud sound of frogs; you walk through that to get to an actual old skinny train car which is outfitted as a bar inside; red velvet and brass being my dominant recollections) with a cranky old gay proprietor.

Meanwhile, Justin went on an interesting bush trip with B.H. (For a travel agent's well-written description of traveling with BH, try this.) It was a good trip, and I wish you could hear him tell about it. BH suggested that Justin bring me the next time, which I'm excited about. There were some harrowing bits, but that's part of the adventure. (For example, the house where Justin stayed had a mean dog which had to be chained to a bed while they were there and barked ferociously every time anyone walked past the doorway; there were also three pet pythons living uncaged at the foot of another bed; some of the bush trip involved people riding on the roof rack of the troopie; etc.)

Well, that's the update! We're heading off to the 20th anniversary celebration at the Katherine History Museum today, so stay tuned!