#New South Wales Tree Crop

[optisurface]

The New South Wales Tree Crop Surface Drainage for Mounded Tree Rows focuses on optimizing drainage systems for elevated tree rows. This strategy aims to enhance water management and soil health in tree crops, ensuring optimal conditions for growth and productivity in New South Wales.

[brasideios]

WIP Wordsearch Game

I was tagged by @sleeplessincarcosa, thank you my dear!

My words are: help, eye, sit, hair and touch.

This was pretty fun - like a tour of my own WIPs :)

Help

From A Story Set in Sparta [I really must choose a better title for this project!]

It was dark as Adimantos passed out of the village, having slipped through the sleeping streets, the cold wind of early spring sharp on his skin – but he was used to that, used to ignoring it, bearing it stoically, like everything else. His thin cloak, something between a winter and summer garment not sufficient to either season, did little to help. The mountains, his destination, were at a distance as he slipped over fences and through long, empty avenues of olive trees, passing the small houses on individual lots, the kleroi, where the helots who worked the fields eked out an existence. All was quiet, no lights shone; they knew better than to draw attention at night with the ever-present threat of the krypteia – and with something of a start, it occurred to him once again that that was him right now. They feared his passing; it was his footsteps in the night that made the women hold their children a little closer.

Eye

This snippet is from a kind of breakaway piece of Arity - I have no idea where it fits, if at all, though I suspect it will end on the cutting room floor.

I found myself at five in the morning, or thereabouts, in the back seat of Brett’s four-wheel drive. Naturally, Jake has pushed himself in next to me; another guy Rowan, sits on the other side of him; and Brett and Luke are sitting in the front. They’re talking, at length, about breaks in New South Wales. I’ve tuned out, and am looking out at the ocean as the sky starts to lighten, and the water turns a very dark, rich green. I’m distracted when Jake’s hand slips casually along my calf, as he reaches (allegedly) to pick up his water bottle from by our feet. I look into his eyes, and he grins, a mocking kind of smile that says, you are so mine. I feel a shiver across the nape of my neck – it may well be a draft, it’s very cold again this morning – but I take it as an omen. I move my leg away from his hand, and give him a look that says, No matter how hot you may be, no matter how much you might strut around, there's no way I'm giving in to you. But I let myself smile too, because I don’t mean ever.

Sit

From the last scene that I added to Arity before I fell in a hole with it:

The coffee shop he chose was on the foreshore of Langarrin, the bottom floor of a high rise with woven cane chairs and dark wood everywhere. Elaborate ceiling fans whirred slowly, doing less than one would wish to cool the room. We sat in a booth on one side beneath one of them, for all the good it did us. It was busy that morning, with many people coming and going. Jimmy would nod or raise a hand now and then, but no one interrupted us. He ate like he hadn’t seen a meal in three days, and was finished long before I’d picked my way through the pancakes I’d ordered. He took the opportunity, sitting back with his cup of coffee in his hand, to say, ‘You wanted to know about my family.’ I nodded. ‘Only if you’re comfortable talking about it, though.’ He waved that off. ‘I told you my parents were older?’ ‘You did; and that you never knew your grandparents.’ He nodded, looking into his cup. After a long moment, he said quietly, ‘It’s hard to know where to start, actually.’ ‘Wherever feels right,’ I said encouragingly. ‘I’m listening.’

Hair

Another from A Story Set in Sparta:

The grasses shivered as the wind passed through them, the mountain above glimmering in the heat, the horses cropping the grass and flicking at insects with their tails and an occasional shake of the head.  He ran a hand along the flank of the bay colt, still young, still clumsy and all legs, who flinched at his touch but watched him boldly, with one eye.  He closed his own eyes, feeling the breeze blow his long hair away from his face, and stirring his beard.  The colt suddenly nickered and dashed away across the field, and Brasidas opened his eyes in time to see the colt reach his mother, calmly grazing at the crest of the hill.

Touch

From Newcastle 1929:

Fred went out to open up. There was always a bit of a rush from the regulars, the women whose homes lined the streets around them – small workers cottages, from the end of the last century; but that morning, a man came into the store in this first rush of women. They looked up at him sideways – he was head taller than any of them, and had wild blonde hair touched with red. He was obviously down at heel. Fred felt his heart sink even before he spoke. He saw him visibly square his shoulders and swallow his pride, before asking in a broad Scots accent, ‘Can y’ spare my family anything, lad? We’ve gone two days with nought to eat.’ He gestured at the doorway, in which two small girls stood, their eyes wide. ‘I’m sorry,’ Fred said, sighing deeply, and meaning it. ‘We may have something at the end of the day. Come back then.’ The man studied his face a moment, then nodded once. ‘Thank y’. I will.’ When he’d gone back outside, John stuck his head in from the kitchen. ‘You shouldn’t encourage them. You know there won’t be enough for even half who come.’ Fred only shrugged at his father, unrepentant.

~~~

Tagging (and apologies if you've already been tagged!) @ainulindaelynn @aeide @findusinaweek @myriath @woodsman2b @erzsebetrosztoczy @theinkandthesea @merelyafigment

Your words if you choose to accept them (lol) are: Spare, situation, certain, real and question.

[ultramaga]

“Why should it be stealing”? Because the people tending the crop won’t benefit from it. Why aren’t Leftists doing it on their own property? Because farming is hard work.

They want someone else to do their work, then they reap the rewards.

Leftists want to be slave owners.

https://www.treehugger.com/tips-for-growing-fruit-trees-at-home-4859209 Just bear in mind, if you aren’t a Leftist and actually don’t want to steal off other people, that fruit trees require pollination, and that can be difficult when governments are killing off the bee colonies, including native bees. Ladybugs can be a less effective alternative for some crops, but I don’t know if they work for fruit trees.  https://ladybugplanet.com/are-ladybugs-pollinators-how-why-and-what-they-pollinate/ Just be aware that the government could declare war on ladybugs, claiming they cause Covid, or climate change, or just make Greta Thunberg feel icky. I was watching on the news the other night a farmer who was desperate to pollinate his fruit trees. The government told him that if he used native bees to do it, they might take action. Native bees are far more expensive than European bees, and it is dangerous for a farmer to invest in them when the government can just drop a ton of insecticide on them to get rid of any crops.  https://beeaware.org.au/pollination/native-bees/native-bees-as-alternative-pollinators/ More than six million bees exterminated in NSW “ More beekeepers are preparing to have their hives destroyed after new detections of varroa mite were found at multiple sites across New South Wales, as authorities also consider a plan to poison feral bee populations. “ “ it's for the greater good“, claimed the government, laughing and twirling a comically long moustache. “Bwahahahahahaaaaa!”  https://archive.is/LvpM0 When it was suggested that we try not killing off the pollinators of our food supply. the government screamed 

[finemarket]

Macadamia Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast to 2022-2028

Over the forecast period, 2022-2027, the macadamia market is expected to grow at a 6.8% CAGR.

The COVID-19 pandemic's influence on the Macadamia Market has been negligible. During the worldwide lockdown, macadamia output, demand, and supply chain have remained stable. Thankfully, the global COVID-19 epidemic had little or no influence on South Africa's macadamia industry, as export markets remained open and prices remained high, albeit shipment to China was seriously impacted. Most South African nut producers and processors had implemented severe health and safety procedures to protect their employees and families from becoming infected with the virus.

The market is growing at a faster rate due to the growing importance of healthy eating, which has been boosted further by the pandemic, and consumers are increasingly choosing nuts as a healthy snack option and incorporating them into their daily diets, resulting in long-term healthy growth of the market.

Australia, Hawaii in the United States, Kenya, and South Africa are the world's largest producers of macadamia nuts. According to the Australian Macadamia Association, favourable meteorological conditions with good precipitation in the majority of districts resulted in good production in 2020. In South Africa, however, poor conditions during flowering and early nut development, mature orchards, trimming, and insects and illnesses resulted in a decreased macadamia crop in 2020.

On the consumer front, Global Macadamia Market is gaining traction, with increased demand coming mostly from European countries. The widespread use of processed macadamia in many industrial categories, such as food and beverage and cosmetics and personal care, is also contributing to the global market expansion of these nuts.

Segments of the Macadamia Industry

Macadamia is a genus comprising four tree species native to Australia that belong to the plant family Proteaceae. Macadamia nuts are native to northeastern New South Wales, central and southeastern Queensland, and the Northern Territory.

The Geographical Segmentation of the Macadamia Market (United States, Canada, Guatemala, Germany, Netherlands, China, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, South Africa, and Kenya). Production Analysis (Volume), Consumption Analysis (Value and Volume), Export Analysis (Value and Volume), Import Analysis (Value and Volume), and Price Trend Analysis are all included in the report. The study estimates and forecasts the market in terms of value (USD thousand) and volume (metric ton).

Rising commodity demand and a lack of supply in the global market produce disparities in the commodity's demand-supply situation, necessitating investments in the industry and contributions from government organisations, which may act as a growth stimulus for the market's development. The Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association, for example, has conducted research on nutrition management and leaf sampling, integrated pest management, orchard floor, canopy management, micronutrient management, and many other areas. One such effort was on macadamia fertilisation, which included all of the crucial aspects impacting fertilisation, important soils in macadamia nuts, identifying nutritional status, soil analysis, tissue concentration for bearing macadamia nuts, and other factors.

In addition, the Southern African Macadamia Farmers' Association, a South African organisation, worked on projects including Phytophthora control, pruning, other pest control and management, cultivar breeding, and so on in 2019. Additionally, Global Tea's attempt to increase macadamia nut planting in Malawi is supported by a $4 million joint investment announced in 2018 by the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and the Global Agricultural and Food Security Program (GAFSP). IFC is also collaborating with macadamia cooperatives throughout the country to develop their management capabilities, allowing them to better serve and support growers. As a result of all of these activities, production has increased while the quality of the nuts has improved.

The Australian macadamia crop has expanded steadily over the years, owing largely to persistent investment in productivity improvements and more than doubling tree nut exports. Macadamia is an Australian native that is primarily farmed in northern New South Wales and Bundaberg. However, these nuts are also grown in the Northern Rivers. In 2018, increase was noted throughout all growing zones, including relatively newer locations such as Emerald north of Bundaberg and Yamba south of Ballina, which has driven the country's macadamia nut production.

Australian macadamia is the most sought after in the world, with 75 percent of the country's production exported. The Australian Macadamia Society predicted the farm gate value of macadamia output in 2020 to be USD 293 million, based on a five-year average production of around 46 thousand metric tonnes. The market for macadamia nuts is projected to be driven by shifting consumer attitudes towards healthier diets, as well as the growing relevance of macadamia nuts in international markets.

[fatehbaz]

A close encounter with a flying fox induces the strong awareness of being in the company of an odd little kinsman. With their small furry bodies and dog/human-like faces; with their chattery camps full of individuals who are grooming each other and carrying on their daily life -- [...] raising babies, guarding teenagers, remaining attentive to sources of food in the region; with their fantastic wing-spread and their spectacular nightly flyouts, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could fail to be completely entranced. [...]

[I]n the northwest corner of the Northern Territory [...] in the communities of Yarralin and Lingar [...] [p]rior to the wet season (in December or so), the black flying foxes, warrpa in local languages, congregated along the riverbanks, hanging from the riverside trees. Occasionally one might lose its grip and become a tasty treat for crocodiles. [...] One of my teachers was Daly Pulkara, a man with a good fund of flying fox stories. [...] 

Flying fox persons (animal/human) are also part of the story of seasons. [...] The story of rain starts in the dry season, during the cold time of year when the flying foxes are in the higher country away from the rivers. As the sun dries the country, they move toward the river, and when they get there they hang in the trees over the river [...]. Flying foxes feed by preference on the flowers of trees and shrubs of the Myrtaceae family. Yarralin people point especially to the inland bloodwood (Eucalyptus terminalis, jartpuru in local languages) and the magnificent tree known in vernacular English as the half bark (E. Confertiflora, ngurlgugu). Both of these species produce large, showy clusters of cream-coloured, heavily scented flowers, so they are obvious candidates for both flying fox and human attention. In the Victoria River region eucalypts and melaleucas flower in succession from higher ground to lower ground, which is also to say from the drier country on the hillsides down to the river banks and channels. River red gum (E. Camaldulensis), known as timalan in local Indigenous languages, and paperbarks (pakali, Melaleuca argenta and M. leucadendra) are the two big riverside Myrtaceous trees. The banks of the rivers of this region are lined with paperbarks and river red gums. They are the last in the succession to burst into flower. The flying foxes follow their preferred food, and it brings them to the riverside at the end of the driest time of year; they forage there in the thousands.

Flying foxes have been relating to native trees for much longer than they have been relating to humans. [...] [T]here is good evidence to support a hypothesis of co-evolution and co-dependence between megachiropterans and flowing [sic] plants. In fact, flying foxes and the smaller tube-nosed fruit bats may be the only seed dispersal agents for many rainforest trees [...]. Flying foxes have a keen sense of smell and their eyes are adjusted to night vision and to recognising light colours. Myrtaceous trees and shrubs produce clumps of flowers that are strongly scented and usually light in colour. They produce their pollen in the night, when the flying foxes are foraging; flying foxes are able to carry large loads of pollen because of their (relatively) large size; and because the plants flower sequentially, ‘myrtaceous forests and woodlands provide a constant food supply throughout the year for these animals’ (Hall and Richards 82). [...]

Understandably, perhaps, when they decide to camp in suburban back yards, coming in by the thousands and showing no inclination to move on as long as there is food in the region, humans do lose patience. I can’t help but think that something about them reminds us of us -- of how we are when we are at our most crowded, noisy and irritating. [...]

In addition to the distaste some people experience toward the bat shape and the bat reputation, and to the smell and the noise, orchardists have a grievance against flying foxes who eat the fruit. Although the evidence is clear that flying foxes prefer the myrtaceae flowers and forest fruits with which they are co-evolved, the clearing of native vegetation and its replacement with commercial fruit crops has left them little choice. Biologist Francis Ratcliffe came out to Australia in 1929 sponsored by the state governments of New South Wales and Queensland to investigate the orchardists’ problem. [...] Orchardists, along with many other people, held what we might call a zero-tolerance vision. Basically, they wanted flying foxes gone forever. This is an ‘us’ and ‘them’ boundary organised along an either-or axis: it offers no place for co-existence or mutuality. [...]

Direct killing has been a major factor in the loss of flying fox lives. Ratcliffe reported that in the 1920s the ‘Brisbane and East Moreton Pests Destruction board’ counted 300,000 flying fox deaths achieved under a bounty system (Martin and McIlwee 104). More recently, there were estimates of 100,000 or more grey-headed flying foxes being shot annually in the 1990s (Tidemann et al.). [...] In 2008 the state of Queensland stopped issuing permits to kill flying foxes on the grounds that it was inhumane. At the time of writing, the state of New South Wales still issues permits to kill (Booth et al. 6). Shooting was and remains one of the primary technologies in the battle against flying foxes. [...] Ratcliffe used the language of warfare to express his mission. [...] [T]he modern world did not do away with concepts of useless and useful, but rather set out to eliminate the ‘useless’. Mass murder was imagined as ‘creative destruction, conceived as a healing surgical operation’. [...]

-----

Photo, caption, and text published by: Deborah Bird Rose. “Flying Fox: Kin, Keystone, Kontaminant.” Australian Humanities Review. May 2011.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Tadorna

Ruddy Shelduck by Michael Gäbler, CC BY 3.0 

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Name: Tadorna 

Status: Extant

First Described: 1822

Described By: Boie

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Galloanserae, Anseriformes, Anseres, Anatoidea, Anatidae, Tadorninae

Referred Species: T. cristata (Crested Shelduck, extinct?) T. tadorna (Common Shelduck, extant), T. cana (South African Shelduck, extant), T. ferruginea (Ruddy Shelduck, extant), T. tadornoides (Australian Shelduck, extant), T. variegata Paradise Shelduck, extant) 

Paradise Shelduck by Dick Daniels, CC BY-SA 3.0

We go back to Shelducks today with Tadorna, the ultimate shelduck, containing six species - five living, one possibly extinct. These are semi-terrestrial birds, kind of in between ducks and geese in terms of size and body shape, though they are considered ducks in general and are their own separate evolutionary lineage. These birds primarily live in the Eastern Hemisphere and have distinctive green, black, and white wing feathers. They eat primarily small shore animals like crabs, as well as some grasses. There might be some fossil evidence of this genus from the Early Pliocene, indicating this genus first appeared between 5.33 and 3.6 million years ago, in the Zanclean age. 

Crested Shelduck by Joseph Smit, in the Public Domain

The Crested Shelduck is potentially the earliest derived species in the genus, and if it is not extinct then it is critically endangered and almost unknown in the wild. Originally from Japan, if it is still alive it is mainly known in China, in relatively hidden and limited locations. It has not been decidedly sighted since 1964, though there have been occasional possible sightings. These birds were (are?) sexually dimorphic, with greenish-black crowns and primaries on the males, and the females having large white eye rings and black crests. They are slightly larger than mallards in terms of size, and they live primarily in wetland and deep water habitats, especially near the coast. They are probably migratory, going from Siberia in the breeding season to Korea, Russia, and Japan in the winter, feeding primarily on aquatic vegetation and mollusks and crustaceans. It has never been a very common duck, but due to habitat loss, hunting, and overcollecting, fewer than 50 species might be left in the wild - and those present might lose their habitat due to the Tumangan Development Project. Truly, a soberingly depressing tale. 

Common Shelduck by Dick Daniels, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Common Shelduck actually might also be one of the earliest derived members of the species, living around Afroeurasia and luckily not considered threatened with extinction. The bird looks sort of like a small, short-necked goose, with extremely striking plumage and even little bill flaps on the males. The sexes look mainly similar, with the females smaller and duller, especially during the breeding season. They breed in central Asia and Scandinavia, and winter in the Middle East, China, Indian Subcontinent, and southern Iberian Peninsula / northern Africa. They can, however, be found year-round in Western Europe and the British Isles. They live mainly along coastlines, associated with estuaries, tidal mudflats, and lakes and rivers near the sea. They breed in burrows, treeholes, and haystacks, and in order to evade predators the young dive underwater while the adults fly away as decoys. 

South African Shelduck by Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 4.0 

The South African Shelduck is also not really threatened with extinction, and as indicated by its name its primarily known from southern Africa such as Namibia and.... South Africa. Many of the birds go north-east for a moulting ground in the winter, which leads to large concentrations of the bird. They live in lakes and rivers in the countryside, and they use mammal burrows for their nests. Other than the breeding season, they’re usually quite nomadic, living in mated pairs wandering about the area. They are mostly brown, with varied coloring on the wings and tail. 

Ruddy Shelduck by Sayanti Sikder, CC BY-SA 4.0 

The Ruddy Shelduck, or as I like to call it, the Halloween Duck (when it is not flying its colors are almost entirely orange and black), is a migratory bird not considered threatened with extinction from India, Central Asia, Europe, and North Africa, and they can be very large birds, growing up to 70 centimeters in length. They have iridescent feathers on their wings that break up the orange-black plumage patterns, but those are only visible during flight. They make very loud honks as calls, which is useful for them as they usually live only in small flocks or in pairs. They mainly breed in southeastern Europe across Central Asia, and they spend the winter season in India. They breed in high altitude areas and in swamps, and can most frequently be found in inland water such as lakes and rivers. 

Ruddy Shelduck by Mprasannak, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Interestingly enough, the Ruddy Shelduck is primarily nocturnal, a fairly unique ecology for waterfowl in general. It lives on grasses, water plants, and invertebrates, and it can dabble and up-end to gather food in water. They have strong pair bonding, with the mates pairing up for life and being very aggressive to other pairs in the breeding season. They lay their nests in trees, crevices, and burrows, lining the nest with feathers and grasses. THey lay about eight eggs, with the females incubating the eggs and the males standing guard. The eggs hatch in about a month, and fledge in close to two months, and the families stay together for a long time after fledging. 

Australian Shelduck by J. J. Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0 

The Australian Shelduck is a Shelduck known from - you guessed it - Australia, primarily in New South Wales and Tasmania. They aren’t considered threatened with extinction, and the males and females look primarily the same - brown and orange, with some green and black feathers on the wings and head - though the males have white patches on the snout, eyes, and wings. They breed in Southern Australia and Tasmania, and they move farther north during the winter, and are known for being very wary and shy. 

Paradise Shelduck by Dave Young, CC BY 2.0 

The Paradise Shelduck is our last species in the genus, also luckily not threatened with extinction. They also don’t live in large flocks, primarily living in lifelong pair bonds and small families after the eggs hatch. They are known from New Zealand and nowhere else, so honestly in my opinion its a small miracle they aren’t threatened with extinction. They graze on grass and weeds, even crops, and they tend to be similar in coloration to other Shelducks, though the females are the ones with white patches in their plumage. 

Buy the author a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/kulindadromeus

Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_shelduck 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_shelduck

[lovingtheroyals]

Outfit Details of the Bride and Bridal Party

The Wedding Dress: Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy

Ms. Meghan Markle’s wedding dress has been designed by the acclaimed British designer, Clare Waight Keller. Ms. Waight Keller last year became the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy.

After meeting Ms. Waight Keller in early 2018, Ms. Markle chose to work with her for her timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour. Ms. Markle also wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy.

Ms. Markle and Ms. Waight Keller worked closely together on the design. The dress epitomises a timeless minimal elegance referencing the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy and showcasing the expert craftsmanship of its world-renowned Parisian couture atelier founded in 1952.

The Design

True to the heritage of the house, the pure lines of the dress are achieved using six meticulously placed seams. The focus of the dress is the graphic open bateau neckline that gracefully frames the shoulders and emphasises the slender sculpted waist. The lines of the dress extend towards the back where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. The slim three-quarter sleeves add a note of refined modernity.

The Fabric

Following extensive research by Ms. Waight Keller in fabric mills throughout Europe, an exclusive double bonded silk cady was developed. Perfect for the round sculptural look required, the silk cady has a soft matt lustre whilst the bonding process and pure white colour chosen by Ms. Markle and Ms. Waight Keller bring a fresh modernity to the dress.

The Veil

Ms. Markle expressed the wish of having all 53 countries of the Commonwealth with her on her journey through the ceremony. Ms. Waight Keller designed a veil representing the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in one spectacular floral composition.

The Commonwealth family of nations – of which Her Majesty The Queen is Head –will be a central part of Prince Harry’s and Ms. Markle’s official work following   His Royal Highness’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. Ms. Markle wanted to express her gratitude for the opportunity to support the work of the Commonwealth by incorporating references to its members into the design of her wedding dress.

Significant time was spent researching the flora of each Commonwealth country and much care was taken by Ms. Waight Keller to ensure that every flower is unique.

The veil is five meters long and made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza.

Each flower was worked flat, in three dimensions to create a unique and delicate design. The workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine.

In addition to the flora of the Commonwealth, Ms. Markle also selected two personal favourites:

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) the State flower from Ms. Markle’s place of birth, California.

Symmetrically placed at the very front of the veil, crops of wheat are delicately embroidered and blend into the flora, to symbolise love and charity.

A selection of flora distinctive from every member state of the Commonwealth is listed below:

AFRICA:

Botswana - Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)

Cameroon - Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana)

Gambia - White Variety Orchid

Ghana - Caladium (Caladium)

Kenya - The Tropical Orchid

Lesotho - Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

Malawi - Lotus (Nymphea lotus)

Mauritius - Trochetia Boutoniana

Mozambique - Maroon Bell Bean (Markhamia zanzibarica)

Namibia - Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis)

Nigeria - Yellow Trumpet (Costus spectabilis)

Rwanda - Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria)

Seychelles - Tropicbird orchid (Angraecum eburnum)

Sierra Leone - Scadoxus (Scadoxus cinnabarinus)

South Africa - Protea (Protea cynaroides)

Swaziland - Fire Heath (Erica cerinthoides)

Uganda - Desert rose (Adenium obesum)

United Republic of Tanzania - African violet (Saintpaulia)

Zambia - Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea)

ASIA:

Bangladesh - White Water Lily ( Sada shapla)

Brunei Darussalam - Simpor (Dillenia suffruticosa)

India - Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifers gaertn)

Malaysia - Bunga Raya Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa sinensis)

Pakistan - Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

Singapore - Vanda miss Joaquim Orchid (Miss Joaquim)

Sri Lanka - Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali)

CARIBBEAN & AMERICAS:

Antigua and Barbuda - Agave (Agave karatto)

Bahamas - Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)

Barbados - The pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

Belize - The Black Orchid (Encyclia cochleata)

Canada - Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Dominica - Carib Wood (Sabinea carinalis)

Grenada - Bougainvillea (Nyctaginaceae)

Guyana - Victoria Regia Water Lily (Victoria amazonica)

Jamaica - Lignum Vitae (Guiacum officinale)

Saint Lucia - The rose and the marguerite

St Kitts and Nevis - Poinciana (Delonix regia )

St Vincent & the Grenadines - Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais)

Trinidad & Tobago - Chaconia (Warszewiczia coccinea)

EUROPE:

Cyprus - Cyclamen Cyprium (Cyclamen cyprium)

Malta - Maltese centaury (Cheirolophus crassifolius

UNITED KINGDOM:

England - Rose

Wales - Daffodil (Narcissus)

Northern Ireland - Flax flower

Scotland - Thistle

PACIFIC:

Australia - Golden wattles (Acacia pycnantha)

Fiji - Tagimaucia (Medinilla waterhousei)

Kiribati - Bidens Kiribatiensis

Nauru - Calophyllum

New Zealand - Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)

Papua - Sepik Blue Orchid (Dendrobium lasianthera)

Samoa - Teuila (Alpinia purpurata)

Solomon Islands - Hibiscus (Hibiscus)

Tonga - Heilala (Garcinia sessilis)

Tuvalu - Plumeria (Plumeria frangipans)

Vanuatu - Anthurium (Anthurium)

Jewellery

The veil is held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Ms. Markle by The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the centre brooch dating from 1893.

The bandeau, which is made of diamonds and platinum, is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds.  The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds.

The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given as a present to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York.  The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to The Queen in 1953.

The Bride is wearing earrings and bracelet made by Cartier.

Wedding Shoes

The wedding shoes are based on a Givenchy refined pointed couture design made of a silk duchess satin.

The Bride’s Bouquet

Prince Harry handpicked several flowers yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock.

The spring blooms include Forget-Me-Nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales’ favourite flower. The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle’s bouquet to honour the memory of the late Princess on this special day.

The Bride's bouquet is a petite design, pulled together in a gentle, ethereal, relaxed style with delicate blooms also including scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle, all bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon.

The myrtle sprigs are from stems planted at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany.  In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today.

The myrtle was first carried by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858.

Bridal Hair and Make-Up

Ms. Markle's hair was styled by Serge Normant, with make-up by long-time friend and make-up artist Daniel Martin.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses

Clare Waight Keller designed the six young Bridesmaids’ dresses in the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier in Paris.

The dresses were designed to have the same timeless purity as Ms. Markle's dress.

Each dress is sculpted in Ivory silk Radzimir, and is high-waisted with short puff sleeves and hand finished with a double silk ribbon detail tied at the back in a bow. The Bridesmaids’ dresses include pockets and pleated skirts to create a relaxed and luxurious silhouette.

The Bridesmaids are wearing white leather Aquazurra shoes; each pair is monogrammed with the Bridesmaids initials, and the wedding date. The shoes are a gift from Ms. Markle to the young ladies as a keepsake of the special day.

Bridesmaids’ Flowers

The bridesmaids each have flower crowns selected by Prince Harry and Ms. Markle, which have been designed by florist Philippa Craddock.

The Bridesmaids' flowers replicate the flowers used in the bridal bouquet.

Page Boys' Uniforms

The four Pages are wearing a miniature version of the Blues and Royals frockcoat. The uniform draws its insignia from the Blues and Royals, which is an old Regiment of The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Both are also wearing Blues and Royals frockcoats for the Wedding Day.

The frockcoats are made from blue doeskin, single-breasted in style with a stand-up collar and completed with figured braiding of Regimental pattern. The figured braiding has been scaled down for the Pages, as otherwise it would have gone above their shoulders.

As a special memento, each Page has their initials embroidered in gold on their shoulder straps. The Pages are not wearing hats or white waist belts for practical reasons.

Their leg garments are made from blue/black wool barathea with three-quarter scarlet stripes fastened with a leather strap.

The uniforms were cut and made by the tailors Dege & Skinner in Savile Row.

Mother of the Bride's Dress

Ms. Ragland wears a custom dress and day coat designed by creative directors of Oscar de la Renta, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim.

Ms. Ragland's shoes are designed by Edgardo Osorio of Aquazurra, and her custom hat was designed exclusively for her by British milliner Stephen Jones, O.B.E., whom Ms. Markle has worked closely with since moving to the UK.

Stephen Jones was also commissioned by Ms. Markle to create custom hats for several of her closest friends.

LINK

[polhsub]

Root out australia

"Since he got hit he stood up, he could have had a nightwatchman. "Joe is a leader and a strong leader in this group," Lewis said. Stokes temporarily took over England captaincy as Root had a hospital scan after being hit in the abdomen during Sunday's warm-up and he limped off the field following his dismissal to complete a depressing day for his team.Įngland fast bowling coach Jon Lewis praised Root’s character and resilience. Starc was treated for a back injury incurred while batting but showed no ill-effects. It took 12 balls for an English wicket to fall with Richardson removing Haseeb Hameed caught behind for a duck. West Indies hold the record for the highest successful fourth innings chase of 418 achieved against Australia in 2003.Įngland’s most successful Ashes chase came at Leeds two years ago when they reached their 359-run target thanks to Stokes’s superb century. Head expects spinner Nathan Lyon to play a big part on Monday.Įarlier, Marnus Labuschagne followed his first innings century with a fifty and Travis Head made 51 as Australia declared on 230-9 half an hour before the tea break.Įngland claimed three wickets in the first session but Labuschagne and Head settled any nerves in the Australia camp before stand-in captain Smith declared. "Starc on that line is never pretty and unfortunately with the day he (Root) has had it wasn't a great time to get hit." We got told to give him some space (on the pitch). "Root is a huge wicket, he is in fantastic form," Australia vice-captain Travis Head said. Starc floored Root with a painful blow to his abdomen before dismissing the England captain to cap another satisfying day for Australia. The touring side were 82-4 at stumps, losing Root in the final over and staring at a second successive heavy defeat in the five-match series.īen Stokes, whose batting heroics secured England’s most successful Ashes run chase at Leeds two years ago, was on three with his team still 386 short of their target.Īustralia showed their intent by removing opener Haseeb Hameed for a duck before tea and sent back Dawid Malan, who made 20, after the break.Įngland settled briefly as Rory Burns, who had managed 17 runs in his three previous innings on this tour, held firm before departing for 34, caught by Steve Smith in the slips off a Jhye Richardson lifter. The development of a jujube industry will be beneficial in fighting salinity and water shortages which are challenges facing sustainable agriculture in Australia.ADELAIDE- Mitchell Starc removed England captain Joe Root with the last ball of day four to put Australia firmly on course for victory in the second Ashes test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.Īustralia declared their second innings on 230-9 before the tea break, setting England an improbable victory target of 468. The jujube industry in Australia has the potential to be a new profitable agricultural business to meet the requirements of domestic and overseas markets. Western Australia's proximity to South-East Asia and its counter season production to the northern hemisphere provides a future opportunity to market Australian grown fresh Chinese jujube for the increasing off-season demand in these countries. Plantings of jujube trees have increased in Western Australia in the last three years as awareness of the crop increases.Ĭhinese jujubes have also been successfully grown in the eastern states of Australia in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.ĭemand for the fruits continues to outweigh supply on the local market. In Western Australia, there are approximately 40 jujube growers in the Perth Hills, the Northern Rangelands and the South West region. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Leder Games is a board game micro-publisher making exciting, asymmetric narrative games including Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Root: A Woodland Game of Might and Right that are exciting to play as well as artistic and socially conscious. The jujube's drought and salinity tolerance, easy management and multiple uses indicates considerable potential for many areas of the state. Western Australia is currently Australia's leading jujube producing state with an estimated 12500 trees planted on approximately 20 ha. The tree is well adapted to Australia's climate and soil types, growing in a range of areas. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1116: XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): III International Jujube Symposium Chinese jujube industry takes root in Western AustraliaĬhinese jujube ( Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), Australia, history, distribution, production, barriersĬhinese jujube ( Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) trees have grown successfully in Australia for 20 years and the industry is developing steadily. In spring 1997, mean maximum root depth was 107 cm for a native perennial grass. Chinese jujube industry takes root in Western Australia Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 2006, 46, 337345.

[theconceptualcookbook]

Indigenous names: Boyne Boyne, Bunya Bunya

English name: Bunya pine

Latin botanical name: Aracauria bidwillii

Family: Araucariaceae

Threatened habitat: Bunya Mountains

Ecology:

The Bunya tree is native to Boyne Biar (Bunya Mountains) in South East Queensland and found to a lesser extent in Northern New South Wales and Atherton tablelands of North Queensland. Trees grow 45 - 50m high and can live 500 - 600 years old. Since 2019, old growth Bunya Bunya and their close relative the Hoop pine have been found dying in Boyne Biar, with an exotic soil-borne fungal-like organism called phytophthora being responsible. The pathogen is not a fungus, but a type of water mould from a group of organisms called oomycetes, which behaves just like fungus in soil. It is thought that feral pigs disrupt the soil ecosystem around tree roots and alongside more frequent droughts this weakens the trees immune system, leaving them susceptible to pathogen infection causing a slow death.

Food:

Between 50 - 100 highly nutritious nuts/kernel are found in the football size pine cones can weigh up to 18 kg. Kernels are a very high source of starch and fats, and can be boiled or roasted to split the tough husk to extract the soft cooked flesh tasting similar to a chestnut Roasted kernels take on a floury consistency, a good baking product for cakes and breads when ground to powdery meal, while boiled kernels are starchy like boiled potato. Newly germinated seeds produce a pronounced long tuber, this allows the immature plant to go dormant and wait for favourable growing conditions. Historically, Aboriginal women stored these tubers under the silt of running streams in a process of anaerobic fermentation, preserving the tubers as a future food source.

During the last bumper crop in 2019 I harvested fallen bunya cones from a park in Mullumbimby, to ferment and pickle the cooked kernels. At the same time, I cultivated several kernels, which are now infant trees exhibited in Plant Treaty, a temporary garden installation at the QUAD at Lismore Regional Gallery.

Medicine:

A tea made from fresh seed husks is consumed as a soothing herbal medicine. Both the Bunya seed and wood of the Bunya tree are thought to have antibacterial and antifungal qualities. I am yet to learn of any Aboriginal medicinal uses for Bunya Bunya. 

Cultural significance:

Since it was first created in 2009 The Bunya Peoples’ Aboriginal Corporation (BPAC) rangers work across the Boyne Biar landscape, to manage the health of country, with weed management and cultural burning to protect cultural sites and rehabilitate degraded and threatened ecosystems.

Custodial groups associated with BPAC identify as Wakka Wakka, Western Wakka Wakka (known as Jarowair ‘the givers’ by visiting groups), Barrungam, and Wulli Wulli-Djakunde/Auburn Hawkwood peoples.

Boyne Biar is the traditional heart of the Wakka Wakka nation, located near an important song-line junction. Prior to colonial government displacement of local aboriginal peoples, followed by the influx of colonial settlers and widespread deforestation, custodial groups hosted the culturally important Bunya Festival every three years to coincide with the Bunya trees triennial bumper crop of pine cones. Surrounding communities were invited to gather from as far south as the Clarence River in Northern New South Wales, as far north as the Maranoa River in Wide Bay. Over 3 months the groups feasted on seeds and conducted important business, including trade, marriage, law and culture exchange. The last great Bunya Gathering is thought to be 1902, however, local Aboriginal people maintain close cultural ties with the mountains and in recent years the Bunya Festivals are again becoming a popular cultural event.

[fumpkins]

Australian aphrodisiac honey from Phoenix palm creates buzz in Middle East

A store mix of honey produced in northern New South Wales has actually ended up being searched for in the Middle East where it is taken in as an aphrodisiac.

Key points:

Phoenix palm pollen is thought about a natural aphrodisiac

Honey from a Phoenix palm plantation is searched for in the Middle East

Apiarist Gabrielle Morley has actually developed a bee sanctuary amongst her Phoenix palms in northern NSW

Apiarist Gabrielle Morley, 80, initially planted numerous Phoenix date palms (Phoenix canariensis) on her residential or commercial property near Byron Bay to offer as landscaping plants.

However, a journey to the United Arab Emirates exposed the palms were thought about more than decorative.

“We were in the markets and the traders there started offering us Viagra, and I was a bit taken aback because at our age we don’t need it,” Ms Morley stated.

“But it turned out what they were offering us were the male flowers of these trees, and I was a bit astounded.

“I had no concept that I had a paddock loaded with Viagra.”

Phoenix palms planted at Gabrielle Morley’s bee sanctuary.(Supplied: Gabrielle Morley)

More than an aphrodisiac

Ms Morley went back to Australia and discovered several studies that backed the Phoenix palm pollen as a natural aphrodisiac and fertility enhancer.

“It was a bit various to Viagra, which offers individuals a disposition,” Ms Morley said.

“This really provided the ammo too, so for me this spelt hormonal agent treatment equates to anti-ageing equals I require this.”

UAE-based honey importer Riath Hamed said the properties of the Phoenix palm were well known in the Middle East, but Ms Morley’s honey was not marketed as an aphrodisiac alone.

“The method we market is simply the credibility of how Gabrielle appreciates the environment, the credibility of how she is as a beekeeper, and the biodiversity of her environment,” Mr Hamed said.

“And the flavour profile of her honey is distinct.”

Nutrient-thick plant types are grown for bees at Gabrielle Morley’s residential or commercial property.(ABC Landline: Leah White)

A bee sanctuary

Ms Morley became an apiarist four years ago at age 76 when she realised she would need the help of bees to reach the palm pollen.

“It’s a bit dangerous to be up the tree, they’re irritable,” she stated.

“Most beekeepers are quite old individuals anyhow, so I believed how tough could it be?”

While looking into beekeeping, Ms Morley found her bees would require more than the Phoenix palms to have a correctly well balanced diet plan.

Gabrielle Morley’s residential or commercial property is planted with types that flower throughout the year.(ABC Landline: Samantha Turnbull)

She converted her property into a bee sanctuary, filled with specially chosen nutrient-dense plants and medicinal herbs such as lemon balm, lavender, alyssum, anise hyssop, and jelly bush (manuka).

“Bees all over the world are essentially in a lot of difficulty from monoculture and the practices that are utilized,” Ms Morley said.

“If they put you in an orchard loaded with something for a couple of months and you’ve got an out of balance diet plan you’re not going to be healthy.

“Bees are really important for agriculture, so if people can learn to put in other species besides the monoculture crops, I’m sure it will help the bees to be a lot healthier.”

Ms Morley’s approaches suggest there are constantly flowers in blossom onsite, so her hives never ever need to be moved, her bees are not fed sugar supplements, and there is no requirement for chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilisers.

“It’s really pleasing actually,” Ms Morley said.

“I hope that a lot of the small boutique honey producers can benefit from the trials that I’ve done in producing really high-quality honey.”

New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2022/01/02/australian-aphrodisiac-honey-from-phoenix-palm-creates-buzz-in-middle-east/

[glamm-pop]

Everything You Need To Know About Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is derived from Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree native to Australia’s New South Wales and Queensland. Although it is called a “tea tree,” it has nothing to do with tea. This oil has made a name for itself in the world of cosmetics. It has shown remarkable results in the treatment of acne and excessive sebum production. Almost every beauty brand now includes a tea tree product in some form or another for a variety of reasons. It’s important to remember that the pure essence of the oil should never be used on the face. When applying it to large areas of the skin, always combine it with a carrier oil such as almond, coconut, or argan oil. Let’s take a look at this ingredient and see how it can help our skin.

Acts As An Antiseptic

It is loaded with healing properties. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help to speed the healing of wounds and damaged skin. When applied to broken skin or acne, this oil can help to heal the wound and speed up the healing process. Tea tree oil has Insect repellent properties. According to one study, cows treated with tea tree oil had 61% fewer flies 24 hours later than cows not treated with tea tree oil. It is used in agriculture to keep ants away from crops. It’s also an effective mosquito repellent.

Reduces Acne

Bacteria produced by dirt or clogged pores are the main causes of acne. This oil’s antibacterial properties kill the bacteria, and it vanishes. When applied directly to the pimple as a spot treatment, it can significantly reduce the pimple in just a day or two. For clearer skin, acne-prone skin can benefit greatly from a face wash infused with tea tree extracts. Acne gels containing tea tree oil can be found in natural grocery stores or online. You can also make your own acne treatment by mixing one part of the oil with nine parts of water and using a cotton swab to apply the mixture to affected areas once or twice a day, as needed.

Heals Inflammation

This oil was used by native Australians to treat colds because of its calming properties. When applied topically, it has the ability to calm the mind and the skin. Tea tree oil-infused skincare can quickly soothe irritated skin. Whether you’re suffering from redness, acne, itchiness, or flakiness, this oil can help.

Also, check – 5 Benefits of Neem Oil for Hair that you surely did not know before

[fatehbaz]

Open plain country and forested bushland alike are invaded by ornamental plants that have escaped from gardens. [...] Weeds are not a new concept. The first record of a weed in the colony of New South Wales was in 1796. David Collins (1798) recognised the ‘drake’ (... Lolium temelentum) among the wheat crop. These plants were the famous ‘tares’ [...], that could not be separated from the wheat without uprooting the wheat itself. Tares were familiar in England since the Early Modern period. Weeds transferred quickly from the Old World to the New, 40 European weeds being report by John Josselyn in New England as early as 1666 [...]. The European settler project depended for its success on its fellow travellers [...].

Cattle and sheep were sometimes called the ‘foot soldiers of empire’ [...]. Some introductions were ‘sentimental’, rather than economic. John Dwyer’s study on weeds in early colonial Victoria revealed that the Scottish settlers planted ‘Scotch Thistle’ for patriotic reasons: for example Georgiana McCrae had planted them at Mayfield ‘as a memento of her Gordon connections’ [...]. The creation of an ‘English’ landscape in Melbourne was a point of pride: William Howitt commented on this in 1852. When Howitt visited Tasmania in 1854, he remarked on Hobart’s well-established hedges: ‘It is England all over’ (in Dwyer 2006: 11). Creating a ‘new England’ in the landscape was an aim, before the more famous acclimitization movement had begun to introduce things more systematically. Hawthorn (Craetaegus monogyna) and Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) were both recommended by William Cobbett in his 1829 The English Gardener and therefore imported to Victoria [...]. Just 21 years after the founding of Port Philip colony, Victoria had its first weed legislation, and it was the sentimental Scottish plants that, along with Bathurst Burr (Xanthium spinosum, a native of South America), had the honour of being the subjects of the Thistle Prevention Act, assented to on 19th March 1856 [...].

In the Federation years the focus was often on public gardens where civic pride was fostered by formal tree-planting ceremonies. This is true not just in Australia but throughout the western world. The original Arbor Day was invented in [relatively] treeless [and prairie-dominated] Nebraska in 1872 in this spirit [...]. Arbor Day and Wattle Day served a ‘civic’ purpose. The moral virtue of a home garden was also encouraged. ‘Youngsters’ were encouraged to ‘tickle Mother Earth’ from the first volume The Garden and Homemaker of Australia: ‘You will find the recreation pleasant, interesting and satisfying, and you will benefit mentally, physically and morally’ (1 August 1952: 2). [...] Colour not design, and ‘flowers’ rather than ‘plants’, dominated the pages of garden magazines. [...] Gardens were a key focus of nation building: ‘home-life is the very foundation of a nation’s well-being and strength - the hearthstone of its highest ideals’ [...] (Stevens 1928:5).

-----

All text above by: Libby Robin, Joslin Moore, Sharon Willoughby, and Sara Maroske. “Aliens from the garden.” Proceedings of the State of Australian Cities Conference. 2011. [Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[thesewomenarebadass]

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart was born on the 24th of July 1897. She was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was also active in the creation of the Ninety-Nines, an organisation for female pilots.

Amelia was the daughter of Samuel Stanton Earhart and his wife, Amelia (‘Amy’). She was born in Atchison, Kansas, in the home of her grandfather, who was an important member of their town. She had a younger sister named Grace, and they were nicknamed ‘Meeley’ and ‘Pidge’. Their mother didn’t believe in raising her daughters to be “nice little girls”, so they had a slightly unconventional upbringing. However, their grandmother disliked that they didn’t wear trousers.

As children, the girls spent a lot of time playing together. They climbed trees, hunted rats, collected animals and explored their neighbourhood. With the help of her uncle, Earhart made a ramp and attached it to the roof of their shed. Her first go of the ramp left her tattered and bruised, but it exhillerated her, and she exclaimed “Oh, Pidge, it’s just like flying!”

Her father’s job as a claims officer for the Rock Island Railroad meant that the family had to move to Des Moines, Iowa, where she saw her first aircraft the following year at the state fair. Samuel tried to get his daughters interested in flying, but Amelia took one look at the unsteady “flivver” was enough to put her off the idea.

When their parents moved into a smaller home in Des Moines, the girls moved in with their grandparents. During this time they were educated by a governess and their mother. Amelia greatly enjoyed reading and often spent time in the family library, and when the family reunited in 1909 the sisters were sent to public school.

Even though the family’s situation greatly improved, it quickly became evident that Samuel was an alcoholic, and he was forced to retire from his job five years later. He never got his job back despite rehabilitating himself. Amelia’s grandmother also died around this time, leaving a considerable estate that placed Mrs Earhart’s share of the inheritance in a trust, as she feared Samuel drinking the money away. The Otis family home was auctioned off, along with everything in it. Amelia was heartbroken and later described it as the end of her childhood.

In 1915, her father found a job at the Great Northern Railway in St. Paul, Minnesota, and it was there that Amelia started Central High School as a junior. He then applied for a transfer to Springfield, Missouri, but the claims officer re-evaluated his retirement and took his job away. Amy took her children to Chicago, where they lived with friends. Amelia looked through nearby high schools to find the one with the finest science programme. She eventually decided to attend Hyde Park High School, but she was unhappy the entire year. Amelia graduated in 1916. She continued to aim for a future career; she kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women in largely male-orientated careers, including film direction and production and mechanical engineering. She began junior college at Orgontz School in Rydal, Pennsylvania, but did not finish her course.

During Christmas break 1917, Amelia visited Grace in Toronto. WWI had been going on for 3 years, and Earhart saw the injured soldiers coming home. She trained as a nurse’s aide with the Red Cross and began work in the Voluntary Aid Detachment at Spadina Military Hospital.

When the Spanish flu pandemic reached Toronto, Earhart engaged in arduous nursing duties that included night shifts at the hospital. She was eventually admitted herself, as she began to suffer from pneumonia and maxillary sinusitis. She was discharged about two months after the illness started. As she was in hospital before the tie of antibiotics, she had several small but painful operations to wash out the affected maxillary sinus, but they were unsuccessful and subsequently she suffered from strong headaches. Her recuperation took almost a year, which she passed at her sister’s house learning to play the banjo, reading poetry and studying mechanics. Chronic sinusitis hugely affected her flying and other activities later in her life, sometimes she had to wear a bandage on her cheek to cover a small drainage tube.

Around this time she attended the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, in which one of the mail events was a spectacular air show. A WWI flying ace who was participating saw Earhart and the friend she had come with standing away from the crowd, so he dived at them, hoping to give them a fright. Amelia stood firm, and later said, “I did not understand it at the time, but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by.”

In 1919, Earhart enrolled in Columbia University, in a medical studies course, but she quit a year later to be with her parents, who had reunited in California. In December 1920, Amelia and her father visited an airfield where Frank Hawks gave her a ride that would forever change her life. Within minutes of the flight she knew that it was what she wanted to do, and she decided that she had to learn. She took an assortment of jobs and managed to save up $1000 for her lessons. She had her first lesson on the 3rd of January 1921, at Kinner Airfield. Her teacher was Anita Snook, a pioneer female pilot. To get to the airfield, she had to take a bus to the end of the line, and then walk four miles.

Earhart’s commitment to flying meant having to endure the challenging work and basic living conditions that came with the training. She updated her look to fit in with the other pilots - she cropped her hair and bought a leather jacket (which she slept in for a few days to make it look used). Eventually she bought a yellow Kinner Airster biplane, which she nicknamed “the Canary”, and flew it to 14,000 feet, which was a record for female aviators. In 1923, Amelia became the 16th woman in the US to receive a pilot’s license.

In the 20s, Amelia’s inheritance from her grandmother steadily lessened until it was completely gone. This caused her to sell the “Canary” and the second plane she had bought, and purchase a yellow Kissel “Speedster” two passenger automobile. Her sinus infection also came back, and she was readmitted to hospital for another unsuccessful operation.

Her parents got divorced in 1924, so Amy and Amelia took a transcontinental trip from California, eventually ending up in Boston. Earhart underwent another operation, but this one was more successful. When she recovered she went back to Columbia University for a few months, but had to leave because they could no longer afford her tuition. She began working as a teacher shortly after this, then a social worker in a settlement house.

During this time she remained interested in flying, even becoming a member of the American Aeronautical Society, and eventually becoming the vice president. She also became a sales representative for Kinnear Aircrafts and wrote for local papers to promote flying. She became increasingly famous in her local area, so she began her plans for an all-female flying organisation.

Earhart’s first transatlantic flight was sponsored by Amy Guest, as the trip was determined to be too dangerous for her to make herself. She took off from Trepassey Harbour, Newfoundland on the 17th of June 1928, and 20 hours and 40 minutes later she landed in Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales. Amelia had no experience with the equipment used for the flight, which meant she could not pilot it herself, but it did spark her interest in making the trip solo.

When Earhart and the crew arrived in the USA they were greeted with a parade along the Canyon of Heroes, followed by a reception with President Coolidge. Shortly after this she set off on her first ever long distance solo flight, across North America and back, and was the first ever woman to do so.

Earhart became known as the “Queen of the Air”. After her return to the United States, she went on a two-year-long lecture tour. She began to undertake mass market endorsements to promote her flying career. The money she made with some of her endorsements was saved for a forthcoming expedition to the South Pole.

The marketing campaign was successful in catching the public’s attention and put Amelia in the spotlight. Rather than simply endorsing the products, Earhart actively became involved in the promotions, especially in women’s fashion. Promoting products helped Amelia pay for her flying, she even accepted a position as Cosmopolitan’s associate editor , which she used as an opportunity to promote greater public acceptance of flying and to campaign for more women to enter the field. 

In 1929, Amelia was one of the first pilots to promote commercial air travel through the development of the Transcontinental Air Transport, and she invested in starting the first shuttle service between New York and Washington D.C. She was also a Vice President of several airlines, including what was then called National Airways. During the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women’s Air Derby that year, Amelia made her air racing debut, coming third in the ‘heavy planes’ category.

Earhart became an official of the National Aeronautical Association in 1930, and advocated for the separation of women’s records. The following year she set a world record for altitude, at 18,415 feet. She also became the president of the  Ninety-Nines around this time. The organisation was created to provide support and advance the cause of female pilots, and Amelia herself was a spirited advocate for women in aviation. When the Bendix Trophy Race banned women from entering in 1934 she publicly refused to fly Mary Pickford to open the race. 

Amelia spent a considerable amount of time with publisher George P. Putnam around 1928, and once he was divorced in 1929 he proposed to her - he asked six times before she said yes - and after some hesitation on her part, the couple were married in 1931. However, Earhart was adamant that this would not be a traditional marriage in which the woman was inferior to her husband, and wrote him a letter on the day of the wedding telling him just that. Her ideas on marriage were unconventional at the time, as she believed in the equal sharing of responsibilities and kept her own surname, refusing to be called “Mrs Putnam”. The pair had to forgo their honeymoon because Amelia was taking part in a cross-country tour promoting autogyros. They also never had any children of their own, but George had two boys from his previous marriage, whom Amelia is said to have been quite fond of.

She set out on her first solo transatlantic flight on the 20th of May 1932 from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, and intended to fly to Paris. After 14 nearly fifteen hours and enduring icy conditions, strong winds and mechanical problems, she landed in Culmore, near Derry in Northern Ireland. For her trip she received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society and the Cross of Knight of the Legion Honor. She went on to make many pioneering solo flights and broke many flying records.

As she became increasingly famous, Earhart developed friendships with people like Eleanor Roosevelt. The two shared many interests, most notably women’s rights, and the two kept in contact throughout their lives.

A fire broke out in Amelia and George’s house in 1934 that destroyed much of their belongings, so the couple decided to move to California. They bought a small house in Toluca Lake and remodelled it to suit them. A year later Earhart and her friend Paul Mantz set up the Earhart-Mantz Flying School at the Burbank Airport, but it was short-lived. 

Amelia began to plan her round-the-world flight in 1936. Her trip was financed by Purdue University, where she had begun working, and a Lockheed Electra 10E was built to her requirements for the trip. Fred Noonan and Harry Manning were selected to be the navigator for the flight, and the plan was that Noonan would navigate from Hawaii to Howland Island, which was a difficult section of the journey, then Manning would navigate to Australia where she would carry on by herself. Due to mechanical difficulties, the first attempt to make the journey was unsuccessful, and the plane had to be shipped home from Hawaii.

The second attempt was a success, with Earhart and Noonan departing from Miami on the first of June 1937 (the direction change was to do with seasonal weather) and, after several stops in various countries, they arrived in Lae, New Guinea on the 29th. They only had 7,000 more miles to go. On the second of July they took of and intended to land on Howland Island. Their last recorded position was 800 miles into the journey, at the Nukumanu Islands. 

There have been many theories as to what caused Earhart and Noonan’s failure to navigate their way to the island, but to this day nobody knows exactly what it was. Search efforts started approximately an hour after the pair failed to show up, but they were never found. There have also been many theories on how they disappeared, but again, nobody knows exactly what happened to them.