Day eight
The beach we camped on also contained Hermit crabs, but to the Grandaughters delight there were also many Cowry shells as well. She took a selection of sizes and asked me to help find interesting pieces to photograph or collect.
Unfortunately my finds did not meet with much approval.
I had collected mainly corrals that reminded me of various fungi forms, which I found most pleasing.
We did photograph my collection, but left them behind in the cavern that had been eroded into the rocks by countless tides.
The
Granddaughter also did this with most of her shells, leaving them after taking a photograph. She had decided they needed to be where they were and left them behind.She explained to me that it was best in natural settings to 'take only photo's, leave only footprints'. I must explain this philosophy to Ray, maybe next time he goes on a camping trip he wont try and smuggle half the woodlands back in his pack.
I have been contacted by the Australian Government and they gave me a long and involved talk that boiled down to - 'you found it, its your problem.' Ah. Oh dear.
Here I sit with a piece of red corral, thinking for some reason of Peter.
Bunky is my only consolation, and when you seek understanding from a stuffed bear you are in trouble, or so I believe.
After careful consideration I have named the baby dinosaur Tobiys Antignous Spiritwarden. Toby for short. My fellow travellers were strongly in favour of calling him R for Raptor, as a common name for man's best friend here is Dee for Dog.
It is a bit of luck that Toby is a male raptor, for they are smaller than the females and less dominant. They are equally intelligent however and Toby should prove trainable. The use of a shrinking spell such as the one used on us by the Ghostmaster will undoubtablely be needed to keep our lives less exciting and I have already sent word to Winston asking him to dinosaur proof the firehouse.
We have set up camp by a creak a little way up a river, in a lovely jungle like gorge. At first there were two other tour groups there, one from the sister boat to The Lady Christine, but they left soon after, giving us the run of the place. Toby's presence had nothing to do with it.
It is peaceful here. I can hear exotic bird song and the tumble of fresh water over stones as I write. In the leafy green shade I have seen tiny brown lizards, elegant green stick insects, graceful butterflies and dainty dragonflies, some red, some black. There were several spring fed little basins, most with there own small waterfall.
I soaked in one of the water holes, having first taken a stint at crocodile guard. Not that there were salt croc's here, it is to high up the river, but some of the fresh water types may have been around.
The water when I got in was perfect, heated slightly from the underground spring. There were baby prawns in there as well, and some tiny brown fish - a form of guppy I believe. Peter has mentioned the possibility of getting a spa, I may have to support him in the move after all.
We next begin to gather firewood, although it is still bright daylight, the night apparently descends swiftly into the gorge. I offer to chop the wood, but soon decide to modernise and go with the chainsaw instead.
Night does descend swiftly and the group gathered to look up at the stars and bicker over constellation names. I do not interfere as I have learnt by now that it isn't the right or wrongness of an argument the main family group is expressing, it's more a forceful flow of information. They like being right, but they like being wrong, too. Most peculiar.
Steak in mushroom and pepper sauce is for dinner, with plum pudding and custard as dessert.
We go to bed early to get up early for a special trek tomorrow.
On my travels today I have seen - red capped robins, splendid wren, black winged stilts, Silverguls, baby prawns, various Butterflies, dragonflies, stick insects and brown lizards.
