From Darkness into the Light…
Yesterday was the shortest day of the year here in Australia. So today is a little bit longer. Although you […]
2020 Onwards and Upwards
Yesterday was the shortest day of the year here in Australia. So today is a little bit longer. Although you […]
I thought I would share another mineral found the other day from the Prince Regent mines area, less than a […]
Gracie has been learning about the interesting (and painful-looking) results you can get with the iPhone camera Pano option! In […]
Just when we thought we were getting on top of the renovations, strong winds caused another part of our pergola […]
Spent a pleasant half day today collecting minerals with good friend, Toby Billing. And the best part, it was less […]
After a struggle with FedEx, I finally received my new super macro lens today. It will take a little while […]
Saw this specimen in Warrnambool the other day. If this was the average “going rate”, the west coast of Tasmania […]
(I’m a poet and I know it) We had a day out in Warrnambool today. A nice but cool day, […]
When you pay a premium for a service, even under the current circumstances, you expect to get some value for […]
Late afternoon/early evening just outside Ballarat. A meeting with the driver of a Road Train from South Australia. What could […]
Went for a short drive today from Ballarat down to Meredith (☕ stop!), then west towards Mount Mercer before heading […]
Yep. Took three coats! You’d think that both being dark colours, that they would both have the same issues. But […]
Painted a feature wall for No. 1 Granddaughter today while the girls were having a sleepover. Looks really good. No. […]
The mineral collecting world has lost another nice guy, Keith Hayes. So this week, in his memory, any mineral that […]
Went out collecting today with good friend Toby Billing. We went up to Mount Cole just outside Raglan, about 66km […]
Three Zoom sessions in a 24 hour period. I went to bed earlier than usual and got up around 12.30am […]
Ballarista, my local coffee shop for the last 18 months or so, closed back in March due to the impacts […]
We went for a bit of a drive today, stopping off in the Central Victorian goldfield towns of Maryborough, Dunolly, […]
Today is generally considered the first day of Winter here in the southern hemisphere (although there is some conjecture as […]
It wasn’t possible to celebrate with a cake on my birthday, but this was only a few days later 😁 […]
This week’s Mineral of the Week is fluorite… Subscribe to Dad Dad Diary.
As some of you will know, I have been attending the weekly Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) Zoom sessions. […]
A great AIGS talk tonight by Dr Claudio Milisenda on tourmalines. And next week – Peter Lyckberg on pegmatites! Looking […]
I was right. My photo was used in the “Luminescence of Gems“, presented by Dr. Emmanuel Fritsch. To recap, as […]
I got to go out collecting today. A nice birthday present 😁 It was a lovely late Autumn day with […]
I found out today that Joan Lamond passed away in March, almost reaching 100. Joan was a keen mineral collector, […]
I attended a Zoom presentation tonight by Angus Miller of Geowalks. Angus has arranged a number of Lockdown Lecture sessions […]
Given the focus on pyrite over the last few days (The Micromount Club Zoom meeting) and the interest generated, pyrite […]
Last night, I joined a Zoom session organised by the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS), Thailand. These sessions have […]
It exists! Really! A package from Canada arrived today. Posted March 3rd! And yes, rocks. 😁 Subscribe to Dad Dad […]
We had new carpet laid about two months ago. And for the most part were happy with it. However there […]
I have created mineralcollective24x7.workplace.com as a new spot for mineral-related Facebook-like posts, forums, groups, etc. Looks like Facebook have created […]
The Penguin Parade on Phillip Island is a world-renowned tourist attraction. Unfortunately, like many other things at the moment, it […]
From the Ballarat Courier Newspaper – “Fossickers, prospectors welcomed back into forests”… Under the new eased COVID-19 restrictions here in […]
David Jason would be proud. Second day in a row where the temperature has been just below zero degrees C. […]
Today, we went for a bit of a hike in accordance with the easing of restrictions in Victoria. One of […]
Today was the first day here in Victoria where some restrictions have been eased. I dropped my car off to […]