Wildlife of Outreach

After a wild trip to get to Cairns, it was a pretty wild one when I got there.  I had never seen a wild cassowary and then on our drive into Mission Beach, there he was!  This lovely strong male was just walking along the road.  In fact we were just cursing at the car in front for being so slow and indecisive, and then we saw why.  Then of course, our car was slow and indecisive!  It is always a pleasure to see them in the wild.  It is more of a pleasure to see it from within a car's protection.  Cassowaries have their own form of protection, as you can see from this male's head!  We were all very excited and the only camera that I have on Outreach, is the iPhone.  So the picture isn't up to scratch but still ..... very cool!

Ignore the last little bit of the video, because we were excited (I know I have said it before) and I was driving, so Mim was struggling with the phone!

Then I saw this little beauty on my way home from the airport

He is an Emydura and was wandering around our creek (now drivable)!

Dragons and Turtles

Turns out, I already had Levi's special night time protector!  Levi actually preferred this dragon after I told him the story of how I got him.  I nearly didn't buy this special dragon.  I vacillated about buying it.  I picked him up and carried him around the store and then I'd take him back and put him back on the shelf.  I couldn't leave without him but at the same time I was struggling with buying him at all.  I was at Disneyland, about six months pregnant with Levi.  We were in the Lego store on the avenue outside of Disneyland.  Ross and Evan were in heaven with all the options, so I had lots of time to go back and forwards, agonizing about this one little dragon.  I can't think of another purchase that I have spent so much time and emotional energy, deciding to buy it. 

 The dragon was always what Frankie loved.  It represented a gift, not for this new baby I was carrying but the one that I was missing so terribly.  The dilemma was that I wanted Levi to have a 'clean shot'.  I wanted him to be allowed to pick what he loved and what he wanted to play with.  I didn't want him to only have dragons and knight stuff because his mother wanted him to replace his brother.  I never wanted Levi to feel like the 'spare'.  I never want him to feel like he needs to live his life for his brother.  I never want to push him there either.  So that was what was going through my mind in the Lego store all those so many years ago!  I am glad that I bought it.  I am glad that Levi has now made it his own!  Mostly, I am glad that Levi is actually sleeping better with a fierce protector watching over him!

Today I found a turtle.  Actually more correctly, I found an Eastern Long-necked Turtle.  He was climbing up the road.  He was walking right up the middle of the road and every time I tried to move him to the side, he would get back onto the road.  Eventually I decided to just catch him and put him in the creek.  I did think to take a few photos of him first!  He had some sharp claws!