FRIDAY 17 MAY DUCK CREEK
Today was warm and a little humid.
Mike did some mining in the morning. Bl helped with the bucket raising. Some mullock had fallen in from the top, overnight, and this had to come out.
John and I sifted a couple of tumbler lots from earlier dirt, without finding anything of note, only a few small chips.
At Mike’s current mine
Mike finally reached the bottom of the shaft and said he could see some opal bearing material. Whether this shaft will prove to actually bear any opal remains to be seen!
After lunch, I went for a walk along the dry bed of Duck Creek. It was an attractive area to walk, providing an easily followed “path” that took me through mulga scrub.
The dry bed of Duck Creek
I discovered a water-filled open cut, behind Mike’s place. I was taking a photo near the camp, when there was a loud, close, hissing noise – made me jump and think “snake”. Wrong – it was a Spotted Bowerbird, in a nearby tree. I didn’t know they hissed, until now.
A leopardwood tree
Sign by Mike’s entrance – and the main road through the area
Back at the van, I made some guacamole dip and took it over to Mike’s house, as a treat. B and his wife arrived just then, so they had some too, as did Bl, who arrived back from somewhere he’d been, just in time.
Our tea was battered frozen fish, and fries.
John and Bl went to Mike’s to watch videos.
I had a wash, from a bucket, in the van. Then read. I was asleep by the time John got back from the picture show.
John felt that he had done his “duty” now, after three video sessions. I hoped Mike would be satisfied with this! Still, it was not costing us any money to stay here, so the video watching was a small price to pay.
