Half an hour of torture - Once a month

I just got my first taste of mudding, and my knee is no longer the concern.

Chris was busy taking the quick steps required so you don't sink too far. But after a couple of minutes of that I had to stop becuase I felt like I was about to pass out or throw up. My chest was just pounding and I couldn't catch my breath. Walking through mud is a whole different story to walking on a firm surface.

The most pleasant moment was when I fell on my butt trying to extract my foot. I didn't want to get up, that mud was quite comfortable.

My lower back now aches from all the leaning down and having bad footing. It's fascinating out there, but the physical toll is ridiculous on an unfit person like me.

At least now I'm rested, watered and showered. I must go off and sort these samples before the Ingrid eating snails eat everything! It's gonna be a hot one today, Ricki reckons around 40C. At least I can spend a bit of that in the air-conditioned mud-lab.

Half an hour of torture - Once a month

I just got my first taste of mudding, and my knee is no longer the concern.

Chris was busy taking the quick steps required so you don't sink too far. But after a couple of minutes of that I had to stop becuase I felt like I was about to pass out or throw up. My chest was just pounding and I couldn't catch my breath. Walking through mud is a whole different story to walking on a firm surface.

The most pleasant moment was when I fell on my butt trying to extract my foot. I didn't want to get up, that mud was quite comfortable.

My lower back now aches from all the leaning down and having bad footing. It's fascinating out there, but the physical toll is ridiculous on an unfit person like me.

At least now I'm rested, watered and showered. I must go off and sort these samples before the Ingrid eating snails eat everything! It's gonna be a hot one today, Ricki reckons around 40C. At least I can spend a bit of that in the air-conditioned mud-lab.

Hot days = weird bird behaviour

The front birdbath was being plagued with brown, rufous throated and singing honeyeaters as well as flycatchers, willie wagtails, double-barred and long-tailed finches, rainbow bee-eaters, little friarbirds, yellow white-eyes, peaceful doves. Two bowerbirds were bouncing around in the trees above.

And a pair of goshawks were monopolising the back baths. Usually when a goshawk is around the birds scatter, but I guess today they were all just too damn hot.

Spent a plesant morning sitting in the air-conned mud lab, listening to music and sorting specimens. Now back in the hot office with just a fan. I wish I could get away with not mudding at all and just doing ALL the sorting instead.

Hot days = weird bird behaviour

The front birdbath was being plagued with brown, rufous throated and singing honeyeaters as well as flycatchers, willie wagtails, double-barred and long-tailed finches, rainbow bee-eaters, little friarbirds, yellow white-eyes, peaceful doves. Two bowerbirds were bouncing around in the trees above.

And a pair of goshawks were monopolising the back baths. Usually when a goshawk is around the birds scatter, but I guess today they were all just too damn hot.

Spent a plesant morning sitting in the air-conned mud lab, listening to music and sorting specimens. Now back in the hot office with just a fan. I wish I could get away with not mudding at all and just doing ALL the sorting instead.