#i cant stop thinking how gorg these two must be

[kof1128]

the gremlin gfs™ a.k.a. alexia and rhiannon very patiently waiting for their gremlins to come home after hunting.

characters belong to @sylverstorms / @sylverstormz !

[mare-sanguis]

So I had this weird dream where I was trapped inside a mirror world. After I woke up my brain went like "thats it- write a fucking Scary Stories fix it fanfic/ one shot"

So in this OS/ff I'm gonna focus on Chuck (and the Auggie x Chuck ship)(because he baby) and how hes stuck in some kind of other world (influenced by the celtic "anderswelt/ other world"). Its just a snipped- theres going to follow more. There will be some hidden meanings and symbols.(will fix grammar mistakes later)

Maybe the one person who will read it catches the first hidden meaning

At first Chuck was mad at Stella.

That she let the monster take Auggie away. Let him getting dragged away.

They showed him the place- the place he went lost. In his own goddamn bedroom.

He saw the dragging marks on the floor. And seeing this made him angry.

There were still things he wanted to do with his friends, and seeing them going missing wasnt one of this.

And this all started because she picked up this stupid book.

And now? Now he was going to disappear to. Surrounded by pale women- she forcing him into a hug, finally swolling him whole.

Now he wasnt going to miss Auggie any more.

Sounded really sad but it was the reality now- for him.

And maybe he would stop feeling like this towards his friend.

Maybe he would stop feeling anything.

But on the other habd- maybe he would be trapped in a void, still being the same person, still feeling the same things he did when he was alive. The things he would get judged for in his hometown. The things he would get judged for if he would ever tell anyone.

Now, the moment the pale woman was about to swallow him whole he started to panic.

It was like in his dreams all over again.

And he never felt felt like his friends took him serious. Took the dreams serious.

The moment they went to look for the records of Sarah, walking down the hallway towards the R.E.D room he also was about to lose his mind.

Neither Stella nor Ramón listened to him, his worries. Stella just told him to wait there.

Wow what an idea- leaving him there alone while the hospital hallways were filled with nurses and doctors. What a great idea it was. But her head was fully stuck into swooning over their new found friend Ramón.

Totally ignoring his concern. But what ever- this moment he not just felt like a third wheel. No. He was one- literally.

He should have come with them now that he was thinking of it. Shouldnt he?

Either was- this shit sucked.

And now he was trapped here. His friends probably busy with something from much more importance than him.

Searching for a clue, a solution how to stop this madness.

But he wasnt going to witness it anyway - them failing or winning.

Instead he was about to disappear and who knows what would await him on the other side.

His last thoughts drifted away to his sister and how they were able to safe her. She would probably enjoy a life without him- who knows.

And then he was gone.

Swallowed up, whole by the monster from his nightmare. By his own nightmare.

The moment he opened his eyes he was trapped in complete darkness.

No light- just darkness. And emptiness

As he looked down he saw black goo covering the ground. He was sitting in it. Could see a bit of his own reflection.

Well at least he was still this handsome young man like when he was alive.

He sighed and got up- black goo still sticking on him. Hands, clothes, face.

Looking around he saw nothint. No one else was there. It looked completely lost. If he really would be stuck here forever he'd go crazy.

Not his favorite idea ot a place to go. Not the best place to go to when dead.

Come to think of- was he even dead? It didnt felt like... dying?

But who was he to know how dying would feel like?

Its his first time dying (?)

Its just that he rather felt alive than dead the moment he got swallowed.

Confusing.

He looked around again. A second time.

Nothing changed.

"Just standing around there wont do anything. Lets go."

He told himself, no clue for what he was even looking for.

But everything was better than just sitting around there doing nothing. He wondered how much time already had passed.

Didnt felt like much- but maybe the time was working differently wherever he was trapped right now.

He really wanted to find out where he was but where to start when theres nothing- just darkness, emptiness.

He sighed again, looking at the black goo on his hands.

What a way to end a life.

Everytime Chuck took a step he got suck a bit into the black shit on the ground. With ever step his breathing got heavier.

Wherever he was- it must be the worst place of it all. He walked and walked, it seemed endless. It all seemed the same.

It felt like hours. Him walking around there. Seemed so sensless all of the sudden. But he didnt give up. He didnt want to- he couldnt. Maybe there was a way out and he just had to search for it.

Did he ever wanted to come back? To his reality? Guess not- not without Auggie.

And just in the right moment he saw something- a door. White. Looked just the same like the ones in the hospital. Two lanterns were placed next to the door. It didnt look very inviting. But what else could happen?

"What else could happen if I take this door? Maybe getting sucked deeper into this shit? Maybe if I take this door I will never come back? I dont even know how deep down it goes down here."

He grabbed the doorhandle anyway and pushed it down, pulling the door open. He was greeting with white lights, it was almost blinding him- such a strong contrast to the darkness behind him.

And he could saw the hospital hallway right in front of him.

All corridors looked the same so it was a suprise for him that he figured out that it was the one where he got swallowed.

And the moment he stepped into the scene it all repeated itself. It felt like a nightmare, he could see himself- running scared, away from the woman. Lost. It was terrifying to watch.

"But at least its just showing me what happened- not that I have to endure it again by myself." He took a deep breath and walked up on of the hallways- trying to ignore what was happening right befor his eyes.

"Its nothing- its just a bad d[...]"

He stopped. His words. His movements.

Because the lights had turned red.

"Ah shit man- are you kidding me? Not again! I already died I cant die again!" He shouted out- watching in horror how his nightmare was walking right towards him.

Wait.

He was already gone.

She couldnt hurt him again.

"I'm dead you cant hurt me!" He shouted towards her.

"Gonna catch me if you can!" And then he started to run. He didnt know where he was running but he was running- and this time he was winning. At least it felt like winning to him. Even if it meant that he would get lost even more.

Well- if he finds a nice place maybe he could stay here. Maybe its better than the cold real life.

The hallway was getting darker again, this time there was fog everywhere - it made breathing heavier and he coughed a few times, rubbing his eyes.

Maybe ge should just stay here. What was the point of even trying to get out.

Chuck stumbled.

Banged his head on a door.

On a door that appeared out of nowhere.

He was sure there wasnt one few moments ago- he was loosing his mind already.

"Its happening already damn." He rubbed his forehead.

The door looked different from the one before.

It was white too- but there were small details caved in the wood of it. It had a doorknob with a symbol on it. He couldnt made out what this symbol was since the fog was blocking his few.

"I just want to take a look if its shitty there I wont pass it."

He looked back- knowing that he still was followed by the pale woman. He could see her.

"Or maybe I will take the risk of what ever is waiting for me on the other side."

He turned the knob around and took a last look at the dark hallway, the nightmare which was almost right behind him.

"Good riddance."

Then he went through the door- and the moment he passed it, it disappeared. So did his unsafe feeling.

But it still was dark. Luckily not as dark as before.

As he looked up he could see the dark sky- it looked just like the one he used to see in his hometown. It looked to normal.

But there werent any people nor animals. Just him and...

And a swaying bridge. Apprearing right before his eyes.

Connecting two cliffs- leading across a deep dark gorge.

And the bridge was a rainbow.

A fucking rainbow. Out of everything he hated the most he got a bridge covered in rainbow colors.

"I hate my not-so-alive life. Rainbow. Fine."

[hitchell-mope]

(After “how far we’ve come”)

Uma: just to make sure you don’t get any funny ideas

(Iron chains wrap around Mal’s wrist and burn white hot against her skin. Mal cries in pain. Swiftly followed by her friends screams of dissent)

Uma: I do so love an audience

(In the pipeline jay and Ben are frantically attacking the grated door)

Jay: c’mon c’mon c’mon CMON!

Carlos: hey hey hey. If this is what she wants shouldn’t we let

Evie: Uma can’t win. Not like this. It’s gotta be fair

Gil: magic.

Ben: what’s that buddy

Jay (getting an idea): magic!

(He extends his right hand and summon the sceptre to him)

Jay: god I hope this works. (He waves the sceptre above his head. Ben shields Gil. Evie shields Doug and Dizzy. Elsa shields Carlos). BOMBARDA!!!!

(The grate opens in an explosion of rubble. Jay stalks out, his skin hair and eyes turning bright gold)

Jay: LEAVE HER ALONE

Uma: oh look. The noble hero on the white horse come to save his friend the dragon. I never would’ve guessed

Jay: I’m not a hero. And I’ll tell you why. A hero gives a choice. I’m delivering a threat.

Uma (scoffing): ha! I highly doubt any of you are in a position to threaten me

Jay: wanna bet shrimpy?

Uma: eeeeh...I’ll call your bluff

Jay: if you kill Mal. Your life won’t be worth living.

Uma: it already isn’t.

Jay: then I’ll make it worse. If you kill my best friend. You’ll stay here with your mother and that (he points st Harry) on the island. Forever. Gil and the rest of your crew will get to go if they want. But the barrier is permanently closed off to you. If you kill MY BEST FRIEND. You die here. Alone. Knowing you failed. Just like you always have when you try and best us. We’re all better then you are. And you know it. Your weak. Just like the jellyfish your mother gorges on

Uma: you wouldn’t.

Jay: try me. Because I assure you I will

Mal: Jay...please. Just go. Go home

Jay: not without you

Uma: why

Jay: why what?

Uma: why are you defending her after what she did

Jay: A. I don’t like you. B. You’d probably do the same for that

(He points at Harry)

Uma: she deserves this

Mal: she’s right I do.

Uma: ha! You heard it here folks. She admits it!

Jay: you don’t though. You’ve suffered enough in the past 72 hours than anyone should

Mal: and it’s my fault. I killed those people. I poured shrimp on Uma. I deserve this

Uma: ooh hoo hoo. Those words are beautiful. I’m really going to enjoy this

(She starts to squeeze the aorta. Mal screams in pain. Evie poofs in beside jay and punches Uma in the face)

Evie: it’s my fault

Doug (in the pipeline): oh god

Carlos: oh dear

Dizzy: fucking hell

Uma (wiping a fleck of blood off her chin): what?

Evie: it’s my fault it was me I’m the reason Mal dumped shrimp on you.

Carlos: Evie you don’t have to do this. And Ben let go of Doug!

Ben (holding a struggling and kicking Doug): ‘fraid I cant do that C.

Doug: LET ME GO LET ME GO

Evie: Doug honey I’m fine. Please. Trust that I know what I’m doing

(He stops struggling)

Doug: ok.

Evie (turning back to Uma): my mother made me rip Mal’s heart out and give Carlos’s location when we were eight. It was the worst thing I’ve ever done. She was pissed off and looking for someone to hurt like she was

Uma: and she found me

Evie: if there’s anyone to blame it’s me

Uma: ok

(She drops Mal’s heart and pulls out Evie’s. Doug screams and is flattened by Ben. The chains stay in Mal’s wrists)

Uma: don’t think you’re off easy. You’re the one who did it. But one things still puzzling me. Why. Why would you defend her. She must hate you.

Evie: she does. And she’s annoying. She’s a bitch and half. She never cleans her side of the room. And she tried to kill me yesterday because I brought Ben here when jay Carlos and I knew that’s the last thing she wanted. And she’s my family. She’s the closest thing I have to a sister. And everyone loves her back home. And if you kill her. (Chuckles sinisterly). I will help jay make good on his threat to you

Ben: you guys stay here. Look after Doug. Cripes I hope this works.

(He sputters away in a wisp of royal blue smoke)

Merida: god it’s like reverse sardines in here. And did the 17 year old king just say “cripes”?

Carlos: yes. And yes.

Doug: was it really necessary to freeze my feet to the floor?

Elsa: yes

Ben: Uma. Please. There’s gotta be a better way. Come with us. I’ll give you your chance. You’ll have your say. Please just don’t kill my friends. Please

Uma: silly king. You’ll give me my chance. Oh well. Not a chance

(She cackles and squeezes Evie’s aorta)

Doug: NOOOO!!!!

Gil: put me over there

Elsa: what?

Gil: please. I can help. Please

Merida: something’s telling me only I’m going back.

(Elsa poofs Gil over to the ship. He promptly tackles Uma and sideswipes Harry in the stomach knocking the both of them to the ground and pinning them there)

Gil: go! Now!

(Jay puts the girls aortas back in the respective chest cavities and poofs him them and Ben to the pipeline)

(At the limo)

Mal: get Gil!

Evie: what!

Mal: just do it

(Evie poofs Gil over to them)

Carlos: are you sure this limos big enough for all of us.

Jay: don’t sweat it hon us two are in front

Carlos: nice

Jay: Ben might have to sit on Mal’s lap

Bal: I’m ok with that

Evie: I can sit on Doug’s lap if that helps.

Jay: whatever

Gil: ooh what’s that

Ben: Mal it’s your book (he summons it to him) here you go

Mal: wow. That’s very impressive seeing as you’ve only had magic for

Ben: I think three days.

Mal: I actually quite like magic on you. I just wish you hadn’t got it the way you did

Jay and Ben: we can’t change that now

(Mal’s tackled by a screaming Uma who grabs her by the throat and starts choking her)

Uma: YOU DON’T GET TO WIN EVERY TIME

Evie: WELL SHE DOES TODAY!!!!

(She kicks Uma in the face knocking her off Mal. Evie grabs her sister and pulls her into the limo)

Mal: that was

Evie: exhausting

Carlos: exhilarating

Merida: weird

Dizzy: the most fun I’ve had in years. Look. My scissors have blood on them. Innit cool?

Carlos (to devie): awwww your new daughters a homicidal psychopath. You must be so proud

Devie (completely seriously): yes. We are

(Jay chortles)

Ben: hey. E. Can I have a look at that list you made?

Evie: ummmm. Ok

(She hands him the paper. Mal, who’s resting her head on Ben’s shoulder, takes a look at the title)

Mal: “kids to get to safety in case my bitch of a sister goes feral again and tries to sink the island into the sea”. Long. But appropriate given the circumstances as to why you made it

Evie: I can change it. The title

Bal: oh you will

Jay: dizzy Gil. You two ready for your first look at Auradon?

(In the alleys)

Uma: that ice bitch had to get here somehow. Here we go

(Huma stalks over to Elsa’s carriage)

Harry: good day sir Uma and I are camandering this vessel

Uma: He means commandeering. Harry do your thing

(The first mate punches out the steward)

Harry: I can kill him if you want

Uma: nah. Keep him. Well need him to get through

(In the limo)

Merida: you know. I’ve got the weirdest feeling we’ve forgotten something

[themaraudingmisfits-blog]

Advice you probably shouldn’t take

DISCLAIMER: The following decrees are spewed by the mind of a highly unqualified twenty something who has zero knowledge about philosophy and even lesser tact or wisdom to dish out sappy quotes and is totally against self help books and thinks rainy days in her jammies with hot cocoa is what it feels like to be “zen”.

Since I don’t have a fairy Godmother who turns pumpkins into carriages, life sorta continued sucking till I learned these things the hard way and I though hey, why not bug you guys with it and maybe some unhappy soul  who is ambling around in this big bad world might actually find it useful but then again since it’s me, it’s advice you probably shouldn’t take...

#1.My first decree to all you humans and non -alike-THOU SHALT BE AWESOME!!

Don’t ever be any less!!

Don’t go down gently!!

Be relentless!!!

Raise hell!!

To all the haters who tell you to be less weird or less loud or to live by the rules or to be part of the flock…tell all of them to fuck off!!

We struggle with the whole of our being to get through each day, with bad coffee and late passes and F’s on pop quizzes and broken hearts , why make it harder than it already is by trying to fit in? Why be a different you? Why must you listen to the dont’s and the cant’s and the shouldnt’s  and all those other frownie words?

Take your life by the reins and charge into the world with your oh so special souls coz you have one freaking life and you have to make it count as the sparkly person you are!! Be proud and awesome!

Be confused, be gay, be a lesbian, be emo, be a blob, be anything and want everything because you deserve nothing less and you are enough for yourself!!

#2.QUIT

Whaaat?? What is this crazy chick saying? The whole world tell me to keep going, to keep trying ,quitters never win and all that bull and one fine day she comes along and tells me to quit?

Yes, I just told you to quit.

Quit doing what you don’t like LOVE !!

Don’t do it coz your best friend does it, or it’s been in the family or that’s what your sister majored in. Stop taking those guitar lessons you hate, you don’t have to watch GOT or listen to profane songs or put on make-up. Stop doing all those things unless you absolutely sure as hell love doing it. Coz you’ll have been whiling away your time, missing out on things you love. Do you really want that for yourself?

If you dont’ stop now then soon you’ll be stuck at a desk job typing in numbers and missing out on doing some volunteer work or taking snake charming lessons or gorging on barbeque flavoured bagels in Northern California so quit now and run off , getting the hell away from what was holding you back,

 #3.It’s okay to say NO!!

I’m one of those people who cannot CANNOT say a decent NO to anyone even if it means doing something that makes me miserable or if it means having to walk an extra kilometre to go get that person’s favourite kind of popsicle even if she’s been a total bitch to me my whole life,I multi task, I take on stuff, a gazillion things with the complete knowledge that I know I won’t be able to go through with it but I’m going to use my yet to be discovered powers and what happens at the end? I mess up, I’m unhappy and grumpy and I compIain about what was originally my fault because I was a wimp who couldn’t muster up the single syllabic no.

But you know what? You are not super human, most of us are struggling to be barely human, we cannot do everything, that whole “anything is possible if you believe “ is total BULLSHIT!! It’s not, you can’t complete your assignments and study for that test and still have the pulsating energy for that party next door. So don’t go for it unless your brain says HELL YEAH!!LET’S DO IT!!

#4.PEOPLE  HAVE  EXPIRY DATES!!

Yea you heard me right...I said people not the can of soup that has been growing some sort of suspicious looking green stuff(which by the way you should stop hoarding!!).

Not worth it to-be stuck in a unkind, possessive , abusive, snarly ,jealous ,selfish…basically pick any word from Webster’s which associates itself with a generally unhappy state of mind relationship…those people should be dead to you by now.

IT’S TIME FOLKS!!IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON!!

Move on from friends who treat you like crap, from boyfriends who treat you like crap,from girlfriends who treat you like crap…you are not crap!!

No more abusive words, no more long sleeved sweaters to hide your black and blue skin, no more should you feel unloved, unwanted or undesired, no more lying and tears. Let’s not make our lives into a second production of sad soaps coz grass is definitely greener on this side of life where there’s only love, trust and respect and smiles from the very few who count.

So get off that curvalacious ass of yours, leave all that rotting people baggage behind for good with no guilt stricken conscience and start walking away while humming HAKUNA MATATA!!

#5.Dont strain those emotional brain muscles!!

Overanalysing?

Thinking so hard that you have that constipated vegetable look on your face? Sleepless nights? Heated discussions where you take advise from a gazillion other people who think they know what’s good for you?

Should I say yes to that guy?

Should I order that scrumplicious looking doughnut or go for that equally yummy cupcake?

Pink or blue?

STOP!!

As my dog-loving-only-chicken-eating(coz chickens don’t have brains)friend(after this maybe ex-friend) would say..go with  your instincts!!

You’ll screw up! Probably the very next decision you take after this will turn out to be a hot mess and you’ll want to kill me but atleast you’ll know never to do it that way..I now know that I shouldn’t ever wear pink after a horribly etched in my memory photoshoot, prawns make me nauseous after the embarrassing barfing incident at an upscale Chinese restaurant ,I shouldn’t ever have anything to do with technology(I go in like god-freaking-zilla and I step on it or break it or submerge it…)

I’m never a 100% certain about my decisions but they’re mine and I take sole responsibility ,no blame games for me.I stopped overthinking, I go with the flow now, I’m impulsive and rash,I don’t agonize over things anymore and it’s made life SOOOOOO much easier, more time to add the I should never do this list.

I’d be lying if I said that I don’t think and take crappy advice AT ALL ,but I’m better, instead of spending a week now I take like two days.Hey, maybe I’ll get better one day...

#6.Love the hot boiling mess that you turn your life into!

YOU SCREWED UP??? What the hell is wrong with you? How could you mess this up? Weren’t you thinking straight??

Dudes and dudettes, I’d ask those same questions to the ones who don’t screw up and pack them off to the nearest loony bin.

It’s okay to screw up…it’s normal.

Everyone around you telling you to be a proactive fixer upper?

Being asked to take responsibility ?

To stop moping around and take action?

BACK OFF!!Those people are the emotionless Umbridges of life.

You messed up? Big fucking whoop!! You don’t have to pick yourself up, take all the blame, find a solution and make things right and still have the energy to carry on. If that was the case then I’d be able to do impossible things like solve the mystery behind the Bermuda triangle and lift Thor’s hammer, but there’s a reason why I don’t do these things, because they’re impossible!!

You let things go down to shit? Be upset, cry, bawl your eyes out, don’t talk to people, eat that monstrous bucket of chicken, do what you have to, feel better. You feel better now?

Pat yourself on the back and slowly pick yourself up from that slough of despair , surround yourself with friends who back you up no matter what and try to sort things out and if not then have the heart to let go and  most importantly, even if you don’t fix things, FORGIVE YOURSELF.

REPEAT THE PROCESS AS AND WHEN NEEDED!!

#7.You feel it? Then show it!

Don’t ever hold back on what you’re feeling, let it all out.

SHOUT OUT AND CELEBRATE!!SQUEAL AND JUMP AROUND AND SMILE LIKE CRAZY AND CRY...

Embrace those happy moments!! Be excited, unreasonably so. Feel ungraciously happy, weak in your knees happy, fist pumping, bursting out of your seams happy. It’s okay to be happy.

CRY. Wring out those tear ducts, let those waves of sadness keep coming, heart breaking sobs, it’s okay to cry.

BE ANGRY.BE FURIOUS.SCREAM if you have to, throw things around, don’t hold back on what you have to say or do.(DO NOT DECAPITATE ANYONE)

Be ANYTHING you want to be, because the right ones who care will understand and they WILL stay.

Cut yourself some slack guys!!You’re worth every bit of love and all the cuddly puppies in the world. Forgive yourself. Hug yourself. Take time off. Stop chasing people and their dreams, start chasing your glittery dream, even if it’s to finally go get some milk from the grocery store or do some late spring cleaning or to land that long dreamt of position as chief editor and love love love and forgive forgive forgive, yourself and everything.

All this might not really unveil answers to the unsolved mysteries of the universe..where do all my pens keep disappearing or who ate the last cookie in the jar..but it helped me through a lot of shit, made me deal with life a lot better than before and made me fall in love with myself all over again, and maybe just maybe you might take up some of this or even smile and THAT my dears, even just a tiny smile will make ALL the difference.

[huonperrenials]

ULURU

Hi There!

Well we were on our way to Uluru, previously known as Ayres Rock.  What would we see?  What would we feel?  How would we react when we saw the rock?  Is this the ultimate destination in Australia?  Lots of questions, I know, but relevant I would think.  The boys were excited, the other half was excited.  Me?  Not sure.  I wonder what people over the world would think of when prompted about Australia?  When questioned would they say yes, we know of the Great Barrier Reef,  the Sydney Opera House and yes Kangaroo’s.  Malcolm Turnbull?  Bob Hawke?  Paul Hogan?  Sorry! I digress.  Would they say, Ayres Rock(Uluru)?  I somehow think that yes Uluru would be near or at the top of the list.  I think for most of us Australians its a pilgrimage of sorts.  Not sure if that’s true or not but most people have either been or want to go and I’m sure there’s some that just couldn’t be bothered.  I must admit that as we drew closer to seeing the “Rock” the excitement level was rising. You don’t see much from the road as you approach Yulara(town/resort next to Uluru), but it’s still a “WOW” moment when you catch that first glimpse.  Here’s this great monolith of a rock that just protrudes from the surrounding landscape in what is practically the centre of Australia.  Yes I know it’s not the geographical centre of Australia, that’s only about 300km away as the crow flies.  We did notice four-wheel drive vehicles up on top of the sand dunes getting clear views of the Rock, but we were pressing on to the Yulara and the Ayres Rock Resort-Ayres rock Campground.

That’s an oxymoron if ever there was one!  Resort, ha!  Not this campground.  Else where maybe if you were paying big bucks at one of the fine and dandy accommodation resorts.  You see, we hadn’t booked a campsite.  Mind you we had rung about 4 days out but it was fully booked out, great I thought!  “Don’t worry” they said, ‘just turn up and you can find a spot in the overflow section and its only $10 dollars a night”.  Click, click, mental arithmetic happening, 3 nights, 10 dollars a night, got it, $30 bucks, gee that’s cheap, end of mental arithmetic.  They also said get there early in the day to get the best spots(aka-closest spots to the amenities block in the actual campground).  We have noticed in the Northern Territory that at the big campgrounds there are queuing up lanes to get in and they are usually full towards the end of the day or even after lunch!  So we got there in the early afternoon and a bonus we didn’t have to wait too long and we were in looking for the overflow section.  I guarantee you that the overflow section was in the vicinity of 10-20 times bigger than the actual campground and the front section(aka-closest to the amenities block) was virtually full.  If you ever want to see what caravans and camper trailers are in use around Australia this would be the place to go!  We found a spot amongst some small scrubby plants including Grevillea and set up camp, got the binoculars out to look for the amenities block and discovered them about 600 metres away!  Time to set up a shuttle bus to get to the toilet!!

Not a great picture but this is the Shanty Town-Overflow section or most of it!.  Below is the section closest to the amenities on the right which you cant see and we are located in the left of this picture.  The Khaki setup on the left at the front.  The funny thing is that this overflow virtually empties and fills every day, which is not surprising when you see the amount of travellers on the road!  There was also some campers here in this section that obviously were spending a week or two here and they had worked their way to the front of the overflow section therefore being only 40-50 metres away from the amenities.  They were also from the Territory and obviously knew about the cheap overflow section.

The sun was now starting to sink and the park had a sunset viewing area of the rock.  So off we trundled with the crowds to have a look.  The area was slightly busy, so we worked our way along the dunes until we had our own mostly private viewing area.  This is what we saw!  At last, Uluru in all its glory.

Again with different colours.

A bit later.

And now no sun.  Beautiful!

How is it that Uluru changes colour so much?  Well, the answer is quite simple.  The colour changes as a result from the effects of the earths atmosphere on the suns incoming rays.  Dust, ash and water vapour in the atmosphere act as a filter which can remove the bluer light from the suns rays, allowing redder light through at different times of the day.  When the sun is directly overhead, the suns rays only have to pass through a thin atmosphere therefore minimising the filtering effect.  Whereas in the mornings or evenings when the sun is low on either horizon, the suns rays have to travel through a thicker layer of atmosphere to reach a certain point on the earths surface.  The light reaching Uluru at sunset or sunrise is mainly from the red end of the spectrum and its reflection from the rock and clouds in the sky cause the spectacular colours.  The surrounding landscape further enhances these effects.

A peculiar plant caught my eye on these dunes know as Green Bird flower,  Crotalaria cunninghamii.  This shrub growing between 1 and 3 metres is found in inland areas on red sand dunes.  Can be erect or sprawling with velvety stems. Large yellow-green flowers striped with fine black or purple pin strips are present on terminal racemes to 22cm in length during winter and spring.

Time to head back to camp and cook tea.  Check out the amazing colour of the dirt(sand really!).

Today was a holiday in the Northern Territory, Territory Day!  This is the only day of the year you can buy fireworks and let them off in the Northern Territory!!  We had been warned and sure enough well into the night and even early next morning fireworks were going off everywhere at Yulara.  What a racket!  Could only imagine what it would be like in Alice Springs or even Darwin!  The next morning greeted us with drizzly rain and puddles.  What a day to visit Uluru, yuck, it wasn’t looking good.

We made our way to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park getting glimpses of a wet rock on the way.  It still looked amazing and impressive in the landscape.

Here are some Honey Grevillea’s, Grevillea eriostachya, these were everywhere around Uluru, flashes of brilliant yellow amongst a red and green background.  Grows to about 3 metres and flowers for a long time in winter and spring.  We made our way to the Cultural centre to escape the rain and learn more of Uluru and the Anangu Land which is run by the traditional landowners who are the Yankunyjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people.  From the guide-book, “This land was created by the creation ancestors.  In their travels they left marks in the land and made laws for us to keep and live by.  We hope that during your visit you will learn about some of our ancestors and culture.  Please respect this knowledge and open your minds and hearts so you can really appreciate our enduring culture”  There were lots of things to see and do in the Cultural Centre.  I overheard a tourist asking a Park employee what was worth looking at Uluru during the rain.  The response was “do the Mala walk, it has brilliant waterfalls during wet weather”.  So off we trundled into the rain to do the Mala Walk.  Its only 2km return and flat, so very easy.  Our plan had been to cycle around Uluru but the hire company doesn’t operate in the wet.  As we had two bikes with us, we needed another 4.  That wasn’t going to work, was it!  Back to the Mala walk, Mala is Aboriginal for Rufous hare-wallaby.  Click HERE to see what it looks like.  Could be an overgrown rat crossed with a Hare!!  In this section there were sheer vertical cliffs which were impressive.

It was simply stunning to see Uluru in the rain.  It had stopped mostly but the waterfalls were still running albeit slower and smaller.  I have since seen photos after and during major deluges on Uluru which show water cascading down everywhere in huge quantities.

Everywhere you turned to look at Uluru you would see different colours in the rock and this changes as the sun rises and sets on it as well.

Cave right at the base of Uluru

Notice above how the rain has changed the colour of the rockWhat is Uluru composed of?  “Uluru is composed of arkose, a coarse-grained sandstone rich in the mineral feldspar. The sandy sediment, which hardened to form this arkose, was eroded from high mountains composed largely of granite” , this is quoted from the online Department of the Environment and Energy.  Click HERE if you want to know more of the Geology of Uluru.  An interesting piece of information is that Uluru is a visible tip of a huge rock slab that extends possibly 6 kilometres underground!  The exposed bit is supposed to be the biggest exposed rock going around, imagine if it was all exposed!!

Waterfalls everywhere!

Crystal clear water.

Beautiful scenery where ever you turned.  Below is Kantju Gorge a wonderful location with a lovely waterfall.

Not much to say really, simply enchanting.  We then drove around to the sunset/sunrise viewing area which is on the opposite side to the Mala walk and here you get a completely different aspect of Uluru.

Another view from the sunset/sunrise viewing area.

The Wattle above is Acacia ligulata, also known as Umbrella Bush, this grows to about 4 metres.

When you look closely at the surface of Uluru, it looks like its flaking and it is.  This is caused by a chemical decay of minerals.  The rusty colour of the exposed surface of these flakes is caused by the oxidation (rusting) of the iron in the Arkose.  Fresh Arkose is grey in colour.  Some more examples below.

Below is Ptilotus obovatus, a lovely little shrub to about 1 metre high and across has pink flowers frequently after rain.  Often seen on shallow stony ground.  The leaves are covered with star-shaped hairs giving the plant a silvery appearance.  I saw this one on the Kuniya Walk, which is an easy walk to the Mutijulu Waterhole home of Wanampi, an ancestral water snake.

Closeup of Ptilotus flowersHere is the Mutitjula Waterhole, another special place at Uluru.

The photo below in some way summed up Uluru for us.  The comment was made something along the lines of “look its breathing” or something of that effect.  Well! It did sort of feel alive, maybe it was just the flow of Arkose Sandstone and how it was shaped or how the rain ran off it, maybe its cultural significance, even its history over time or maybe all of the previous combined.  It just felt significant.  I can now understand why the traditional owners revere it.  This is a special place.

Here’s a few more plants I noticed on our travels around Uluru.

This is Upside down plant, Leptosema chambersii.  Obviously you can see how it got its common name.  It’s a bit topsy turvy with the flowers at the bottom.  A small shrub with leaves reduced to scales.  Lives on sand plains and dunes normally with Triodia sp.  Closeup below.

Another interesting plant was Bush Plum, Santalum lanceolatum, it grows to about 7 metres as a shrub or small tree on a wide variety of habitats and flowers throughout the year.  Fruit is usually eaten straight from the tree, older branches are also harvested for sandlewood.

This one below is one of the Triodia species, usually quite a sharp and prickly clumping grass

The large trees around Uluru were Desert Bloodwood, also known as Corymbia terminalis .

There were also a large Grevillea called Beefwood.  Grevillea striata.

Well the day was coming to an end and we hadn’t done everything we wanted to due to the weather and consideration for children.  We were damp, tired and pretty chuffed that we had finally made it to this legend of our great southern land, Uluru, a monolithic breathing living monstrous rock.

Finally, a last parting glance for this day at this magical place known as Uluru.

Cheers!

A trip to the Northern Territory. Part 11 ULURU Hi There! Well we were on our way to Uluru, previously known as Ayres Rock.  What would we see? 

[huonperrenials]

  Kings Canyon

Hi There,

Now I never thought that I would do a nine part and counting series on our three-week holiday  to the Northern Territory, but here we are!  No need to panic just yet, I can assure you that it wont be long and we’ll be on the home stretch.  Meanwhile the stretch of road we were facing now was the Meerenie Loop.  A 154km stretch of dirt road which is a short cut to get to Kings Canyon, you can go the long way its only about 500km!  For the Meerenie loop you need a permit as it goes through some Aboriginal Land Trust area, also a 4 wheel drive vehicle of some description would be beneficial although not mandatory.  I’ve taken the next bit from The Outback Travellers Track Guide Book for Alice Springs to Yulara.  “The Meerenie Loop is very undulating with many crests, dips and creek floodways.  This area is mainly gravel with some rocky sections but is often plagued with corrugations and dusty conditions”.

To say it was corrugated and dusty would be a slight understatement to say the least!  The first section was an absolute quagmire of corrugations and at a slow speed you felt like you were on some sort of manic rollercoaster, every bump was a shudder of immense proportions.  This was going to be great for another 140 kilometres.  It did improve though.  We decided to see what would happen at a faster speed!  Well it was an improvement at a speed of 75-85kmh, mind you it was now a constant smaller shuddering.  I can only describe it as a cat the size of an elephant purring beneath your car with the reverberations oozing up into the vehicle and oneself.  Everything was just a constant shudder!

You can see above the dips and creek floodways, these were the worst.  As you approached you would slow down to get across them and occasionally some were quite deep with pot holes in them which the front tyres would slam into with a tremendous thump.  It all sounds bad but it was an enjoyable experience and the scenery was quite beautiful.  Look at the rolling seam of rock in the left side of the photo above.

There was a couple of classic road signs we saw, both on 44 gallon drums, one before a corner “LIFT UM FOOT” and the other around the corner “PUTTUN BACK DOWN”.  I  was too slow in getting any shots but click HERE to check them out!  What a classic!.  Having stopped for lunch and then continued on our way we soon came to Ginty’s Lookout.

In the distance you can see George Gills Range and Kings Canyon is at the right hand end of this range in these photos.

I think the boys enjoyed a chance to stretch and let off some steam, also gave me a chance to quickly check the vehicle and camper trailer were all in one piece.  There was a slight problem with the bike rack attachment on the camper trailer, parts of it had come loose and needed replacement, luckily I had spares!

Of course there were plants to admire, check out this pretty Erimophila!

Cant remember how long it took to complete our journey along the Meerenie loop but we had finally arrive at Kings Canyon.  Just in time to set up camp and then watch the suns rays set on the entrance to the canyon.

The next morning dawned fresh and bright and away we went to get amongst the Canyon.  Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park and sits at the west end of the George Gills Range.  The walls in the canyon are over 100 metres high and make for some great panoramic views.  Here we go on the rim walk which is highly recommended, give yourself at least 4 hours to truly appreciate this place and watch out for the opening climb, it will test you!  Make sure you stop on the way up this straight up climb to admire the views, just don’t let on that you’re puffed!

Here’s one of my scenic views(puff,puff,puff) lucky there was some plants to look at!

Above is Tall Mulla Mula also known as Pussytails or scientifically as Ptilotus exaltatus.  Below is a Blue Bush. Maireana sp, I’m not sure which one, there are 57 specie endemic to Australia. Now that I’ve got my breath back, lets continue up the steep climb!

In the above photo in the middle on the right you can see the car park receding in the distance.  Below you can see the canyon walls starting to come into view.  The river of green at the bottom is Kings Creek, providing the life blood for those plants.

Once you get to the top the rest of the Rim walk is quite easy and breathtaking at the same time!  Firstly you are walking through scrubland and rocky formations before you really get anywhere near the rim.  Mind you, you don’t want to get too close to the edge!

Picture below is of Sandstone mounds which are quite prolific up on the top of the George Gills Range.  They are known as Mereenie Sandstone which has been cross bedded.  Basically over time(lots of time) wind has deposited sand in different directions(see description in next photo).  The domes you see have been eroded along joint-bounded blocks with rain and wind eroding the corners and sides of the blocks giving us these domed shaped sandstone mounds. Looking closely below you will see Rhinoceros Rock.  Well that’s what I called it!These two photos you can see those Sandstone domes I mentioned earlier. Now we come to parts where you need to hold your breath as you edge closer to the edge.

It is a shear drop off the edge there!

Kings Canyon sits in what is known as the Amadeus Basin which is a intracratonic depression covering approximately 170,000 square Kilometres in Central Australia.  Interpret that as an inland sea I would think! Now I will quote the Geology of Kings Canyon National Park by L. Bages, report 4 for the Northern Territory Geological Survey.  “The oldest exposed rocks in the park are those of the shallow-marine to continental Cambrian Pertaoorrta Group.  This group is conformably overlain by the marine Cambro-Ordovician Larapinta Group which is conformably overlain by the shallow-marine Mereenie Sandstone.  The sequence was gently folded, faulted and partly joined during the Alice Springs Orogeny between 400-300 million years ago.  Since the Carboniferous, the area has undergone a long period of erosion.  During the Tertiary, the climate was tropical; fluvial sediments were deposited in places and silcrete and ferricrete were formed.  During a period which lasted from the late Tertiary to the Quaternary, acolian sand dunes and sheets, which now cover large areas in Central Australia, were deposited under arid conditions.” Did you get all that??  Basically means what a fantastic landscape we are looking at now!! Here we have the ocean floor with ripples in it, incredible!Above we are looking out towards the car park and yes, the views are quite beautiful. Yes you are correct, those are people  on the opposite side of the canyon looking over the edge!  No fences here!  Scary!Not a great photo below but just showing a chasm(Joint) and the cross bedding(layers) in the sandstone. Lets have a look at a few of the plants up here.  The Desert Heath Myrtle, Thryptomene maisonneuve were in full flower.  These Thryptomenes are widespread throughout arid Australia and can grow to 1.5m high. 

The ones on top of Kings Canyon in the open were quite close to the ground to get out of the wind!Below is Macrozamia macdonnellii, The Macdonnell Ranges Cycad, interesting to see cycads out in arid country! This one below looks like some kind of Hibbertia sp.  Also know as Guinea Flowers, pretty nether the less. Not sure of this one, obviously situated in the Daisy family, could be a Calotis or a Minuria or some form of Brachycome or I could be totally off the money.  Nice flowers though!This is Pandorea doratoxylon which we saw at Serpentine Gorge . This is the stunning Holly Leaf Grevillea, Grevillea wickhamii. A shrub or small tree 1-4m or even 8m tall in places, seen in Western Australia and inland Northern Territory.

We’ll leave the plants alone for a little while and head back into the scenic elements of Kings Canyon.

Below we are looking into the Garden of Eden, an oasis in the middle of Kings Canyon fed via Kings Creek which creates a sublime environment in the heart of this arid country.Look at the reflection in the water, beautiful! Here is a stand of the Macdonnell Ranges Cycads.

Check out these reflections!  Not Bad!

The one below is actually taken looking directly into the water!Staircase leading out of the Garden of Eden and on towards the rest of the Rim Walk.Here we are around the other side of the rim.  That edge to the right of those people is a straight drop of about 100m or more and then maybe double that to Kings creek  at the bottom, scary stuff!

On this Sandstone cliff you can see the horizontal layers that have been laid down over time.Wow!

A bit more information above and no we didn’t smash any rocks to check the insides! The colours were truly amazing!

The photos below show to good effect the Sandstone domes and layers

I like this one above, it shows a couple of fault lines running in different directions.  We are now on our way back towards ground level and the finish of the Rim Walk, a few more plants have caught my eye!  I think this one is either a Goodenia,  Lechenaultia or Velleia sp.  Pretty little shrub on the sandstone hills on top of the canyon.

This one below is quite possibly Goodenia cycloptera.

Plants have an amazing knack of growing anywhere, have a look at this fig below.

This one below looks like a bit of an oddity and haven’t been able to work it out yet!

A few more pics of Ptilotus exaltatus.

Here’s a good photo of one we’ve seen before, Solanum quadriloculatum.

This is Kestrel Falls, apparently where lots of Kestrel’s roost and also some good waterfalls here during the wet season.

A few more plant photos showing the tough environment here.

Well I must admit that’s about it.  It was a big day and everyone enjoyed it even though we were tired!

It was good to sit down again!

Cheers!

A trip to the Northern Territory. Part 9. Kings Canyon Hi There, Now I never thought that I would do a nine part and counting series on our three-week holiday  to the Northern Territory, but here we are!