Posted 7:51 PM by JS

after a long period of internet incompetence on my part, I'm hoping that the site at http://www.yapeenpub.com.au is finally up and running again. there be pictures. (and just to maintain the tradition, the new email address: yapeenpubATgmail.com - is not featured on the main site yet. the hotmail a/c still works for the moment.)

Posted 2:52 AM by JS

the great thistle farm of 2005 is now gone; now all I have to do is keep it gone. sadly, my fruit trees and many of the eucalypts have been ringbarked by the #$#@ rabbits; I'm awaiting a quote on a rabbitproof fence before even thinking about replanting. the bottlebrushes, however, are kicking on, and the blackberries are very healthy. that's a joke, son, a joke; the neighbour whose land they're coming off has promised to spray them in March, and much as I dislike chemical weapons, they're too good for blackberries, which are the scourge of the earth, or at least of Australia.

last visit, just after New Year, a cow got out of some nearby land and was on the block next door, which is unfenced. I tracked down the owner of the land, who promised to tell the owner of the cow, but didn't see if he ever turned up. moral: watch out on those country roads. hitting a roo would be bad enough, but a cow would really hurt.

I've added a couple of local history books to the "library" - there's really not much around on Yapeen itself, but lots on the wider district. There's also a short history of the local Aboriginal people, various described as Jaara Jaara, Dja Dja Wurung and homophones of same. Failed to find the old visitor's book at the Castlemaine museum, but have leads on further inquiries to make.