Tavern's Member Picture Gallery.

Oh, yeah, and they're the least of the worries. It's very a much a "must use insect repellent" area, but that's life in the tropics.

 

So you don't let it bug you?

 

@Wreybies : I know what you mean. It was like that in Australia, just they had these incredibly large, hairy, jumping spiders as well It's a part I don't miss...

 

BTW @Wreybies, I may have to swing down some time for a vacay in the tropics.

 

That... just sounds awful....

 

The good thing is, they are utterly harmless to humans. But still...

 

Aack! that's gross and terrifying! f there is one thing that truly scares me it's overly large spiders! that is one of the most suspenseful things I've ever seen!

 

Well, it's official, I'm an English teacher. (Yes, that is your Lemex overlord).

 

@Lemex, congrats, you handsome devil!

 

@Lemex, proper proud of you!

 

So, I know these jungle pictures are random, but here's where I spend my morning time before the equatorial sun forces me indoors.

Finally made it to the drop off:



And here is the spot I call Fern Gully. That's still my land, but that's proper Bear Grylls territory down there. I need better boots to try and go down there.



This is the path I'm clearing to the left of the drop-off that leads to the flat area where I want to make a deck:

 

Those pictures are beautiful, Wrey.

 

Big congrats, @Lemex! Now you need to show us a picture of you downing a yard of ale in celebration!

 

Outstanding, Lemex!

Go forth and shape some writers.

 

@Lemex Congrats! But I thought you were the first white wolf to become an English teacher. Now I get it; you must've been in human disguise there at the graduation because the dean always brings his cat to every event, and that would've caused all kinds of mayhem had you been there as a wolf. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.

@Wreybies It's so cool to have a backyard jungle. In fact, it's so cool to have some property of your own that you get to(have to?) groom and trim and machete away to your heart's content.

 

@Lemex So good to finally see your face, and topped with a mortar board to boot. Congratulations... I deeply envy anyone that can stay the course. Goodness knows I've tried but it's just not in me.

@Wreybies As a little juxtaposition to your gorgeous pics.... (did I ever happen to mention I'm a severe camping enthusiast? My tent would fit beautifully into Fern Gully. ) ... I thought I'd give you's all a peep at what I'm currently looking at.

​

This is my local enclave's bonfire which will be getting lit just before midnight on Friday. I did a quare bit of bitchin' here last year on the subject. What you can't see from this vantage point are the copious quantities of broken glass etc. which will be cutting up local dogs paws for the next few months until the council sends a team out to clear up the mess, all at the tax payers expense.

Which leads me to this:



They are not fooling anyone. Despite the use of tyres being heavily criticised, and cash sums being available to implement the use of 'green' beacons instead, the locals insist on clinging to tradition. The pallets only make up the outer shell—as you can see from the above pic—the centre is entirely composed of assorted tyres, from 18 wheeler to tractor, car to bike... all carefully placed to limit air passage through, thus ensuring the mass smoulders for at least a week.

How can I seriously be expected to believe they do this for love of Queen and Country when they don't even give a fig for the quality of air their own children are breathing? We implemented a smoking ban for a reason. And yet the government does nothing to prevent this. I'm not going to be able to hang out washing for a fortnight, nor open a window, no matter how warm it gets. I'm also gonna have to mop out my apartment three times a day, to avoid a build up of soot and ash on my floorboards. Also the smell of the toxic smoke freaks out my poor critters for the duration.

And I'm supposed to be enthused by this 'Public' Holiday? I'll be doing my usual and ducking down 'til it's all over.

Oh... and if anyone is wondering... the placards that are placed at the top are those of local politicians whose stance they disagree with. Anna Lo, of the Alliance party, and spokesperson for our large Chinese community seems to be incurring their wrath this year. What next.... burning books?

 

Thanks everyone. I'm a very happy wolf at the moment. Metamorphosed into a man for a day and that photo.

 

@obsidian_cicatrix Wow. Inky, sooty, rolling clouds of nasty wow. Burning things for tradition is groovy and all ... but tires? Wtf, so many tires. We'd throw one in a bonfire during a gravel pit kegger from time to time ... but wow. I am supposed to be learning how to write and expand my vocabulary and w/e but all I can think is wow. And the rows closer to you! ROWS. Look at those rows. The scent of patchouli and ass would be what hit you first, then the sound of a hundred sandals and calloused feet, a horizon of dread-locks and mo-hawks and finally the smell of pot. AND THEN - hippies would stop it. If that happened in Oregon. Perhaps Oregon could lend you some hippies? We have plenty. All joking aside, I am sorry you have to endure that mess.

@Lemex Congratulations good sir!

 

Burning tires on purpose? Are they nuts?

Not to depress you further but 15 Reasons NOT to Burn Tires (they don't all apply and there is redundancy):

 

Oooh, yeah, these little buggers live in the house and scare the bejebus out of you late at night. But yes, harmless.

 

@Selbbin : It's even worse when I'm driving down the freeway and one of those jumps into my lap from the sun visor.

 

That's actually the cause of many accidents and road deaths. So they are deadly in a way.

 

@DLeo Ta... I'm one Moses sandal short of being a hippie myself. I mean, I'm not adverse to lighting a wee fire, hell, they can bare-scuddy dance and jump through it Beltane-style for all I care. It's the tyres and treated wood I object to.

@GingerCoffee

Preaching to the converted. I was seriously considering making up some flyers and passing them around on the 11th night, but: 1. I would be risking my health, (and I don't mean by toxic pollutants :O) and, 2. It's not like these folks don't know all this already.

Many of the local housing estates have made the decision to accept the Council's money and have purchased the aforementioned Green Beacons. They are reusable two part metal frames that burn carbon neutral Willow chips... unfortunately, round here they seem to measure patriotism by how long the toxins are released for, and how many trips the fire brigade has to make to the site. Anyone familiar with slow burning tyre fires in landfills will know how incredibly hard they are to extinguish.

Another thing is that you'll rarely see a mature person around while the building is being done. When I was at the site taking pics, the majority of the builders were very young, some as young ten with a little assistance from older teenagers. By the time this one is built it will be approx five stories high. To see the youngsters up the top of it, trying to pitch the larger tyres in, is a scary sight. What mother or father in their right mind?—I just don't get it.

It wouldn't take much to bring bulldozers in to dismantle it, but the powers that be wouldn't dare. It appears that in Northern Ireland the trade-off for peace is lung disease.

 

@Selbbin : I know! I was on my way to uni one day, driving around 80km/h, when the damn thing jumped into my lap, it was a miracle I managed to stop the car without crashing. As much as I love Melbourne, this was a deal breaker...

@obsidian_cicatrix : I'm so sorry about the environmental disaster under your window! It's appalling public health authorities are allowing it. I'm pretty sure every single respiratory and cardiac patient would have grounds to sue the Council if they ended up in hospital during those 2 weeks. Alas, ours is not a litigious country... This means that institutions can get away with literally anything, indefinitely. Just think about these child abuse scandals, the BBC, hundreds of Tories, Westminster, hospitals, schools, social services, police... Fifty years nothing was done, and it was all common knowledge.

Everywhere else where things work better then they do in the UK, for example in Australia, it's only happened as a consequence of legal decisions and trying to avoid massive payouts.

 

More choir preaching:
Should've checked the pressure: Bonfire stack piled 40ft high with tyres collapses just days before 'Eleventh Night' celebrations in Northern Ireland

The images are very interesting.