ANEMONE FUNGUS AND 30 LEGGED BUG

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt.

Another beautiful crystal autumn day and more work on the roof. I can hear P:-) clomping around above me. The bricks were used to hold down the sarking while glue dried.

 

And while we waited  for the glue to dry we cleared up some branches on my deck in the back yard.

By the end of the afternoon the deck was clear, thanks to P:-)'s diligence.

I spotted an interesting fungus on one of the dead branches.

I have never seen any thing like this before. It was like sea anemones. I discovered it was called Stemonitis axifera. It is really fascinating and goes through a few changes before it reaches this, its final form.

The lyrebird has been back, pecking at my windows.

 It is the male that has the elaborate tail.

 

  And what is this bug? I found it in my bathroom basin this morning. It was about 3cm long. Uggh!

 

I googled 'Australian bug with 30 legs' and immediately came up with  Scutigera coleoptrata. Apparently it originates in the Mediterranean, but has moved all over the world and typically lives in people's houses. It is insectivorous so probably does no damage. I suppose if there is one around there are more. For some reason I find this bug very creepy so I hope I don't come across any more.

And I bought some new glasses.

   

These are nothing like anything I have had before - usually I have metal frames - but these are symbolic of my bright new future. They  actually make me feel happy to look at them.

Interesting sites

1.

 

Photo source

St Alfred's Anglican Church in Melbourne has a sophisticated passive heating and cooling system.  Click here to view the church and read about it. 

 

2.

 I am in the process of downsizing so I am interested in compact living.  If you click here you can watch a 4 minute video on compact living.  It shows the type of compact house a family can live in.

 

3.

Photo source

This is a Jewel Wasp. It can turn cockroaches into 'zombies'. Click here read all about it. Make sure you watch the video at the end of the article. It is really interesting.