Toads, dung and coffee beans
Hmm. Think I'll write a blog. Got no idea what to write about, and my mood's not ideal, but hey, everyone else is blogging away so I guess I'd better contribute something. Anything really...... just for the sake of it.
So what can I blog?
I don't want a chat blog; if that was my scene I'd spend my time in the threads. I don't want to pinch and paste someone else's poem or post a worn out joke. I'm not attention seeking, religious, egotistic or heart-broken. And I also feel that I've gotta walk on eggshells around here and not write something that's going to upset some delicate soul. We are, after all, in cyberworld; safe from that nasty place most people here commonly refer to as the real world.
I suppose I could just say a quick "hello" and hope for the best. Hope that someone may at least comment or notice me.
But this is a blog; my log or journal..... written by me, for me or anyone who may find it of interest; and I'm not out to win a popularity contest. Whether people read it or not does not concern me; neither does the standard of my writing skills. What concerns me most is transporting ideas from head to keyboard. All I need is an idea.
So what can I blog?
As I'm typing this, with no idea where it's going, I occasionally stop to have a sip from my mug of coffee. I'm a sweet tooth so there's two and a bit spoons of sugar for my fix. Fixed on sugar.... which has got me thinking how there's a lot of history about this stuff. When distilled we get rum and, because we had no coinage at the time, it just happened to be Australia's currency in her early years. The first sugar plantations in Queensland got under way in the 1820s and were worked by the Kanakas..... very lowly paid workers "imported" from various south sea islands. Almost considered slave labour, having to send them back home was the main reason why Queensland was dragged kicking and screaming into federation.
And off course there is the cane toad..... introduced on expert advice into the country from Hawaii to keep the cane beetle under control. Cane toads are highly toxic and most animals that try to eat them will die. Females lay up to 30,000 eggs a season and can live to around 30 years of age. And they are now adapting to the cooler climates and moving into NSW. Just to rub it in, the toads cannot climb the cane to get to the beetles which in turn rarely come to ground.
I'm not sure exactly what type of cow provided the milk for my coffee. Maybe a Friesian or a Jersey. Cattle are also introduced; and there's around 30 million of them dropping 12 million pats on the ground every hour. This time the experts got it right however by bringing in something that actually worked..... the dung beetle. This particular scarab hails from Africa and is much more adept at breaking down the pats than the native beetles which evolved with all the kangaroo poo.
I guess the instant coffee I use comes from beans that originated in Ethiopia or Yemen and eventually found it's way to Brazil where it was cultivated. Before it's arrival, sugar was that country's main export and the Portugese who colonized the joint also had to go to Africa for another import. This time it was the slaves to work the plantations. Hmm... sounds familiar.
Well... I've done my usual trick. The mind wandering off again and now my coffee's gone cold. Better go and make a fresh one, get back on this keyboard and write something.
So what can I blog?
Comments (23)
Next time if you do not know what to write, can you write something about your birds? I think they have learnt how to fly now!
Think I'll make myself some more coffee but I like it brewed, not instant although I do use milk and sugar also.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
billy i told u b4,u have got it,have to post more often.
but i guess u do so any time u feel it .thanks for this,simple and touching.i drink my instant coffee frozen .its a greek way to drink ur coffee on summer heat.with fresh milk and brown sugar.we use straw and we fill the glass with ice cubes.the secret is to drink it slowly.that means to have spare time.lol
Your style of writing is so unique and interesting. I love informational blogs that get you thinking, and you learn something fascinating.
THANKS FOR SHARING~
LOVED IT!
Your friend
And as they say: practice makes perfect. I've never done this sort of thing before I started blogging here and feel it's becoming easier as I go. It's all to do with confidence.
And I'll let ya know how those magpies are going. Won't be long now before the season starts.
Enjoy ya winter.
I read it all...very clever indeed...
And comments all positive and full of information...
The only coffee I like is Irish coffee with a dash of Bailey's and some whipped cream. Problem is, I want it first thing in the morning.
I'm a big drinker of Bewley's tea and love it hot with some sugar.
Horse manure always helps make the soil better (Mom and Mamaw swore that when they blended it with some coffee grounds and leftover egg shells that made for the best fertilizer around) and you're right about the corn- MMMMMMMMMM Yummy!!
Next time I'm down the shops I'll check out what kind of teas we've got..... in tea-bags that is. I'm too bloody lazy to brew the stuff.
And as for the toad. A suitably sized tee placed underneath it, and a good nine iron shot, will send it well and truly into the trees!
I happned to be born and brought up in a small coffe plantation. The day of harvesting we wake up 5 a.m, had limited time for break fast, prepare the sacks, backets and divided the areas for the casual workers who reported early.
Mostly the coffee is picked twice or three times a week. Unfortunately till now no one have invented a machine to pick coffee is done manury coz u have to select the ripe bean leaving the green to get ripe. The picking coffee seasons rain fall heavly and we continue the harvesting as we have limited time to get to factory to mill and we still do second selection, the first grade beans and second grade. In my place it's hilly and we had to put bags on our back as the small tractor would not get to all corners. We had a bit as i can't call it lunch inside the same farm and occasionally a cup of tea or porridge of which i went to make when my daddy decided that we needed something to warm us.
As we get to the factory did the selection of the first grade, the second and register our number which was 702 and wait on the queue. Sometimes on higher season we would spend three days waiting and i remember we even spent most chrismass there, although i enjoyed it, as it was only time i would see my secret admire without my brothers notice.
For me i don't take coffee, i think of it as hell. If u really need fresh one take a cup 5 am, tomorrow
Yeah.... I've had one of them.
Actually there was a fair amount of truth in when I wrote I have no idea where this is going. It kinda just worked out the way it did.
Stream of consciousness eh? My teachers used to call it lack of concentration.
After i finished my high school i did invite my secret admirer to visit as i was home alone, but he did no my intentions. It has been long this my girl friend was pushing me to try to be a full woman and i thought this was the night. All was well till when was five o'clock and was his time to sneek out of the house, but he crashed with my bro. returning from his night out.
They exchanged a few blows and of course my protective bro. give me a piece of his mind on how this was shameless plus bla bla and so on..... but i had already started onother era on my personal life and nothing was the same again.
Maybe you should have just screamed out "Burgler!!".
The two of them would have still traded blows but at least you would have been off the hook!