drawing

Fiery flowers of the silky oak, Grevillea robusta. Silky oaks are older than dinosaurs and literally drip nectar – but watch out for the cyanide. Of all the grevillea, the silky oak is the one that catches my eye. It’s the largest and tallest of the species, reaching up to 30 meters. They’re now blooming along the east coast and in some inland places – like huge orange light bulbs dominating the skyline. Grevilleas literally drip nectar, much to the delight of native birds and bees. Aboriginal people enjoyed the sweet nectar straight from the plant or mixed with water — the original lolly water. But you have to know which species to taste as some, including the silky oak, contain hydrogen cyanide that could make you ill. Like other grevilleas the silky oak also contains tridecyl resorcinol, which causes an allergic reaction leading to contact dermatitis. The chemical is similar to the toxicodendron in poison ivy. Silky oak timber was widely used in colonial times. Then it was marketed as “lacewood”, and that name persists today among some who use it. Source: theconversation.com/silky-oaks-are-older-than-dinosaurs-a...

Looking fantastic in 2019 via Patryk Sadowski

I think this design is from the 1950s. See details - www.irishlights.ie/tourism/our-lighthouses/inishtrahull.aspx

' ... This tall and slender lighthouse is an important element of the twentieth-century built heritage of County Donegal. Constructed of robust modern materials, it retains its originally form and character. It was built to designs by the engineer A. D. H. Martin (1915 – 2004), Engineer-in-Chief at the Commissioners of Irish Lights from 1956. ... From - www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40900...

[Aside] Via Trove from 1953 -

Heavy Smoker Dies At 104 LONDON, Mon (AAP): Ireland's oldest woman, Mrs. Bridget McGonagle died yesterday. She was 104. _ Known as "Queen of Inishtrahull"— a tiny island nine miles north of Ireland— Mrs. McGonagle smoked 30 cigarettes daily. She had never been on a train or a bus.

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266064675?searchTerm=I...

beachcomber australia [Aside]s are very welcome!

Flat-weed, Common Cat’s-ear, Hairy Cat’s-ear, False Dandelion, Long-rooted Cat’s-ear, Hawkweed Native to Europe. Naturalised throughout Australia and New Zealand. Perennial herb to 80 cm tall and oblanceolate (lance-shaped with point attached to stem) leaves 2-30 cm long and 10-40 mm wide. Leaf margins are toothed to slightly lobed. Leaf surfaces are rough and covered in short stiff hairs. Flower-heads are 20-30 mm across on leafless and slightly scaly stems. The flowers are bright yellow. The fruit is a cypsela or achene (dry, indehiscent, and one-seeded), 8-17 mm long with a long beak. Source: vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/sip_...