What I read in 2014

My Year in Books (according to Goodreads, which will be accurate as I do use it to keep track of my reading).

Some of these were read for university (some of which I had read before); many were read for pleasure; fortunately most of the uni books were pleasurable to read as well! I have also read quite a lot of textile/sewing/craft books - I don't include ones I have skimmed through, only ones I have genuinely read from cover to cover, something I am doing increasingly often these days. (Most probably as a displacement activity instead of actually doing craft!). I am still working my way through the myriad of thrillers/detective novels left behind my my father. Most of them go to the op shop after reading, unless they are by Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh, in which case they go into the collection.

I have decided that this year I will include at least a brief post about every university text read, as most of my blog hiatuses were to do with uni study and therefore it would keep the blogging in hand.

And finally, a funny chalkboard I saw outside a pub in Bendigo a few weeks ago:

The Painted Hills, Anna Creek, South Australia

I had never heard of the Painted Hills on the Anna Creek Station until July this year, when we took a scienic flight over them.  This is some official information about them:

THE ANNA CREEK PAINTED HILLS, previously called the SECRET PAINTED HILLS, are a spectacular and recently discovered section of the pristine Breakaways country in the far north of South Australia.

It is a rocky outcrop of large and small hills, which emerge suddenly out of a flat, desert landscape. The hills are approximately 20 kilometres x 18 kilometres in size. It is believed that the Anna Creek Painted Hills are the leftover effects of 50 million years of climate change, with the climate going from glacial to wet and semi-tropical over million of years.

The changing colours of the hills are believed to be a result of oxidisation. The deep red is due to the oxidation of iron in the rocks, while the white sections are where iron has leached away.

"MAGIC OF THE PAINTED HILLS REVEALED"

"Deep in the South Australian outback lies the painted desert a fragile lunar landscape of ochre-red and mustard yellow rock weathered over millions of years and as large as a regional city ... People are already comparing these areas in terms of their tourism potential to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Bungle Bungles".

These clay and iron-oxide formations are estimated to cover an expanse of 20km wide and 10km long. The Painted Desert is according to Dr. Gehling, the leftover effects of about 50 million years of climate change - the climate has gone from glacial to wet and semi tropical over millions of years.

Adelaide University geologist John Foden said the rock formations were extraordinary - it seems to me something to do with deep weathering and erosion of an ancient landscape - the changing colours were a result of oxidation. Station owners were doing their utmost to protect the site due to its fragility and would in no way allow four-wheel drives to be able to go there.

(The AustralianNewspaper 8/7/06 P.1)

Depart William Creek on unique trip to view the Anna Creek Painted Hills set in the outback of South Australia - an area of 30km by 10km of sandstone hills in pristine condition and incredible colours. No roads exist in this area and can only be view by air.
A unique and spectacular opportunity to view one of Australia's hidden iconic landmarks. (Very few have seen these hills in the last 50 years). William Creek is located in one of the most remote areas of Australia.

Flights Depart hourly every day, between 8.00am and 5.00pm.

Join us in viewing this amazing landscape from the air.

Rate Guide: $260.00 per adult; $234 per child. (Duration approx. 1 Hour)

- See more at: http://www.wrightsair.com.au/more-information/anna-creek-painted-hills.aspx#sthash.SymDlFbh.dpuf

If you are ever in the area and have the opportunity, do take the scenic flight.  We did one that included flying over Lake Eyre as well - you can do individual flights that fly over one or the other, but the fully inclusive one is good value for money if you can afford it, and really breathtaking.

Thus followeth many pictures taken by me of the Painted Hills from the plane:

Lake Hart Salt Mine

I loaded up the pictures for this about six weeks ago and have been sitting on them ever since, unable to write another blog post because I wanted to finish this one, but stuck.  I've got lots of other Central Australia stuff to blog about so I need to get on with it!

And I have just been to my first Geelong Fibre Forum and have lots of things to say about that too!

Lake Hart, South Australia, near Woomera.  It was the site of salt mining up until the 1930s and the salt was taken by rail on the Trans Continental Line to Sydney for domestic and industrial use.  It was supposed to be twice as 'salty' as other salt, and free of gypsum.

This pictures show a huge pile of bags of salt (7,00 tons originally, though I;m sure some of that has dissolved and disintegrated) that had just been left in situ since 1931 in the sun (and occasional rain). It is an astonishing sight, similar to an industrial ruin that had sunk into the landscape and taken on an organic form. The hessian bags have largely rotted away but have left their imprint on the salt, and are the reason for the odd drapey shapes in the pile.

The railway line is still there though the trains don't go there any more, obviously.

Amazing skies over a dead flat landscape - taken over the lake.

Salt.  It wasn't until I tasted it that I believed it was salt, it must have melted and resolidified countless times over the decades.

It was a haunting landscape and a poignant reminder of the death of a once lucrative industry.

Blogtoberfest 14

Occasionally it is fun to play with photo software.  I don't have Photoshop (too expensive!) so rely on the software that comes with Picasa and stuff that I can get on my phone.

I took these last year and played with them, using various filters and the like.  It amused me.

The only thing that is not tweaked with them is the basic composition.  It really was a heart shaped leaf, pretty much the colour that it is shown in the top photo, on a gravel path in a park.

Blogtoberfest 11

I knew it would get too hard to keep up with Blogtoberfest, I'm feeling too tired to think of anything interesting, so here is an odd picture snapped in a Lakes Entrance cabin several years ago.

Blogtoberfest 10 - Wordless Wednesday

Blogtoberfest 6

Pretty cast iron gate in Broken Hill, NSW.

Blogtoberfest 3 - Wordless Wednesday

Ladies Only?

In the centre of Melbourne lies a large Anglican cathedral. There are benches set in the grounds, right by the bustling street. A few weeks ago I noticed this sign set into the pavement in front of one of the seats.
Presumably it dates from a time when Ladies might need some respite and a sit down, but obviously couldn't share a public bench with a man.

It was a little reminder of a different age, while a very 21st century crowd raced past- including me with my modern smart phone on which I took the photo, used software to 'antique' it, and I am even writing this post on the phone - all while thinking of crinolines.