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January to April 2014
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- January to April 2014
13th April 2014
The storm has passed - After a wet and wild Friday night and an even
wetter and wilder Saturday all is now calm. We had more than 150 mm
of rain and winds over 100 kph. This morning there are several
fallen trees around and mountains of branches, leaves and other
vegetation but apparently no major damage.
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11th April 2014
The forecast for tropical cyclone "Ita" has changed - originally it
was going to cross Cape York well north of Cooktwon and continue
west and dissipate. The forecat now is that it will cross the coast
at Cooktown and then move south, southwest and directly over Cairns,
where I am. Fortunately by the time it gets here it will hopefully
only be a category 1 (currently a category 5). Probably not going to
be a beach weekend. The weather forecast for Cairns is a 100% chance
of rain and winds to 150 kilometres per hour.
The Swimming Pool Furniture "Stored" For The Cyclone
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2nd April 2014
Reading, Reading, Reading - I mentioned in January that I had
started to read again (for the first time in many years) - Since
then I have read all of Dan Brown's novels (Angels & Demons, The Da
Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, Digital Fortress and Deception
Point). I have read several other books as well as more Stephen King
novels (Cujo, Full Dark No Stars, Blaze, Cycle of The Wherewolf and
The Gunslinger). I am currently reading The Bachman Books and Doctor
Sleep (Stephen King).
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23rd March 2014
So much for the sky looking brighter - the heavy rain is ongoing
(150mm plus over the past week) with forecast of the same to come
during the next week. This weather pattern is apparently normal for
this time of year (towards the end of the "Wet Season").
I am looking forward to the "Dry Season" so that I can get out and
about more and return to the
beach.
Nice Weather For Ducks
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21st March 2014
After two days of heavy rain the sky looks slightly brighter this
afternoon. I just photographed a wallaby with a baby joey in her
pouch eating the grass below my balcony.
Wallemena and Baby Wally
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23rd February 2014
The weather here in Cairns is still typical "Wet Season" - hot, very
humid and lots of rain. Within the next month this should start to
ease and become slightly cooler and dryer.
I had a slightly different "Aussie BBQ" yesterday, "Kangaroo Kebabs"
and they were very tasty. The meat is very lean and not tough at
all. I plan to make a Kangaroo stew with the leftover meat.
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5th February 2014
I have decided to reduce the amount of walking and jogging I do as I
think I have been overdoing it a little. I had unconciously
increased the distances I was covering and then realised that I had
got up to an average of around 120 kilometres a week. Recently my
back has been a bit stiff and I have stopped jogging altogether.
From now on I will walk only and keep it to an average of between 70
and 80 kilometres a week.
The weather here has been cooler than usual for a few days and we
have had quite a lot of rain. The monsoon trough is moving South and
I think we are in for plenty more rain over the next few weeks.
I consisdered catching the train from Cairns down to Townsville just for a break
but decided to wait until the bulk of the monsoon rain has passed. I
will probably also rent a car and drive up to Cooktown once the
rains have eased.
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29th January 2014
Getting ready for the first Cyclone of the season - although it may
not even become a cyclone - it is at least going to be a big
tropical storm and it is going to cross the coast very close to
Cairns where I am. The wind has been gale force for the past two
days with lots of heavy rain - this is forecast to get worse
tomorrow and possibly Friday as well. One of the main issues is the
peak tides of the next two days meaning there may be flooding in
coastal areas (not where I am).
There are many disappointed tourists in town because all trips to
the islands and also reef cruises have been cancelled (they should
have been aware that there are cyclones, tropical storms and regular
rain in the "Wet Season")
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14th January 2014
The "Wet Season" (Monsoon) has finally arrived - unfortunately for
me it arrived when I was 10 kilomtetres from home on my long Sunday
walk (I got completely saturated). It has probably rained more in
the past three days than it did in the previous three months.
I am starting to re-discover the ability to relax again after being
unable to for many years. I would still rather be
travelling but I am coming to accept that I will be here for quite
some time.
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5th January 2014
As I have not been travelling for the past year I have begun to
read again. I started with several Stephen King books - Under The
Dome, 11/22/63, Carrie, Cell, The Shining and It - Also The Midwich
Cookoos by John Wyndham and 10th Anniversary by James Patterson. I
have just started Deception Point by Dan Brown.
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