Hello!
Well, it has been a while since our last issue, but we have been busy with projects and learning many new things.
Shortly after Issue #50 in January 2019, Tasmania experienced a rather terrifying new weather pattern. Normally, our lightning storms originate from the northeastern waters, but this time we were hit with dry lightning storms coming in from the western ocean.
The resulting fires have scorched or burnt many significant forest areas, including the Earth’s tallest known flowering plant, three of the contenders for Earth’s largest flowering plant, and many billions or trillions more plants of several species. Loss of life and built property was thankfully minimal, but we’ve seen the forest landscape change in a way that will resonate through the centuries. We’ve got some photos, for you, of course.
In other news, glad to report that Giant Tree Expeditions has launched and we’ve been running tours into some beautiful areas on ancient forest. Come join us! It’s at www.GIANT-TREES.com.
So, with apologies for the delay, and many thanks to the contributors who have been waiting patiently, here let’s embark on our 51st episode to explore our beautiful island.
We’ll gain some insights into Kiara L’Herpiniere’s amazing work on egg shape diversity. Not only do birds themselves come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but so do their eggs.
The Tasmanian Magic Project will help us to learn how to identify supernatural marks left by previous generations, and give us a way of connecting the superstitions of the British Isles with the colonial architecture.
And, finally, there’s a tiny little set of pictorial masterpieces awaiting you from an old stamp collection picked up at a flea market sale. Each one is a little window into another time and another place.
Before you launch into it, do also take a look at the upcoming Hobart Writer’s Festival (https://hobartwritersfestival.org) happening from 13-15 September here in our fair capitol city. It will be an amazing event built upon a strong sense of place… Enjoy!
All the best,
The Editor
