It was the first time I’d been to Colleges since the flood. I’m glad it was after they’d started to clean up. It was strangely disorienting to be searching for landmarks that are no longer there. As I walked through the desolation, I thought of Fee’s words on how we are tied to places.
Birthday celebrations, homeschool park days, days just to explore the river.. the place is choked with memories for me. But what came closest to tearing me up was the ducks. Yes, the ducks! Those previously well fed and inclined to be haughty birds, who have led toddlers too close to the water, frightened my bird phobic friend, and eaten many a bluestocking crust, were hungry.
Ravenously hungry.
If ever a duck begged for food, these few sent a mute appeal that was undeniable, and I had nothing to feed them. How bad did I feel?! There is nothing like having something look to you for deliverance, and having to walk away. To make sure I left with my heart adequately wrenched, they proceeded to follow us up the hill as we walked back. It’s hard to say if the worse thing was to have them follow us, or when they finally gave up and turned back. Poor duckies!
Mr BB, not because he cares so much for ducks, but because I do, promised we could return next day with some bread. Oh, happy ducks!
Fingers were nibbled, at times, by ducks whose manners were set aside by hunger. 
A loaf of bread vanished as fast as you can say “Who’s a hungry duck, then?”, and it was all over. We tipped the crumbs from the packet on to the road, and walked back to the car.
Friends, if you live near colleges, and wander down to the river, you will be met by desperate ducks. Don’t leave home without bread! 
Mar 01, 2011 @ 00:21:54
Ohhh, poor wee ducks. Glad you managed to go back the next day to give them some bread (and just as an aside … is that Blossom I see there looking all BIG and grown up??!!).
Goodness, the flooding really did make a mess there didn’t it? So glad you and your family (and house) are all OK. Mother Nature is certainly not playing very nice at the moment!
Love Fee x
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:08:08
Fee, that pink and white child looking every inch a big girl, is my baby. She will hotly deny it, and insists that she is now “big”. Sigh!
A mess, yes, is almost understating it. Good thing these photos are not the scratch and sniff variety: the smell is something else.
Mar 03, 2011 @ 00:10:41
Yes, funny how children have a habit of growing up on us! I often look at mine and think “How did you get to be so big all of a sudden”. The boys have had larger feet than me for ages … but I think this is the year that at least one of them will become taller than me. Eeeek! Fee
Mar 01, 2011 @ 04:36:45
nice that you fed them
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:09:57
NIce for us, too, Vimal. Feeding ducks is a joy to little girls (and.. o.k., to Mamas as well..) so it was not entirely altruistic.
Mar 01, 2011 @ 08:04:27
Oh, I can’t believe that is colleges.
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:14:47
Amy, you wouldn’t recognise it. Truly. The lone seat in the top pic overlooks what used to be the play ground. The covered seating and bbq’s are all gone. At the peak of the flood, the giant fig tree that stands at the very top of the car park when you go left and drive up the hill to the bird hide (which is also gone) was under water. The volume of water is almost inconceivable.
Mar 01, 2011 @ 08:29:02
Completely off topic but… you changed your template again!!!! I like it. There’s only one little thing I could possibly want – a search bar. Don’t suppose you add it, even to the bottom of your sidebar, for me… please?
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:18:24
Glad you like the new theme, our Susan. I will happily apply a search bar widget for you, though my experience with them (while trying to search my site for a recipe!) is that you must remember the name of the post, as it doesn’t seem to match content within a post, just the title.
Mar 01, 2011 @ 20:55:26
Dear Mrs BB,
I can’t believe that I am looking at former parkland! Its going to be a while before the devastation is wiped away, and places begin to resemble their old selves again. But oh… the poor ducks! I never would have thought about feeding the ducks! Glad you did though. I guess that they are, for all intents and purposes, domesticated, and really don’t forage well for themselves. Maybe next time, take some grain down to them, like corn, oats, or barley (do ducks eat grain?). Why do I suddenly feel the need to hum “all things bright and beautiful….” ?
Unlike Susan, I am politely ignoring your change in template! Well not so politely now I suppose. I’m still wistfully longing for the template showing the white country cottage with rolling green pastures surrounding it. I will say it again, I’m not fond of change…but, am fond of the Beyond Bluestockings, so I will abide by your willy nilly choice in templates.
Bye for now,
Heidi
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:25:10
Hello Heidi!
It seems shocking to admit it, but I don’t actually know if ducks eat grain. I know some kinds (the whistling ones) eat lucern, but only because the farmers grumble about it. (Only know it because the farmers grumble about it, the ducks probably eat it because they are hungry. It’s too late to fix the syntax!
)
If you think it helps any (the ducks, not the syntax) the bread was wholemeal, and preservative free?
My willy nilly choice of templates
A change is as good as a holiday. Just giving you a little visual holiday…
Thanks for coming by!
Mar 01, 2011 @ 21:36:27
I must admit, it is easier to discuss your template changes that it is to reflect on the changes to the land after flooding. (I like the legal pad look, and especially like the gravatar). I’m not sure why, but I am always stunned at the power and devastation in floods. I first learned of it from Bible stories, but it still catches me off guard. Yet life, little girls and ducks go on. Enjoyed visiting.
Mar 01, 2011 @ 22:33:31
It’s interesting, Yousei, that as we were walking through the stinky mess that used to be a beautiful parkland, Miss 9 (pictured above) observed that it’s hardly realistic – all those story book pictures showing Noah and the animals alighting from the ark to a beautiful, green world of fresh vegetation. I’d never thought of it before, but certainly everything here that was covered with water is brown and smelly and mud coated, with lots of dead things. Perhaps they stayed on the ark long enough for some of the land to recover. If not, Mrs Noah would have struggled to be cheerful, I’m sure!
Thanks for your visit
Mar 02, 2011 @ 20:29:36
Dear Mrs BB,
My goodness, what an astute observation made by your daughter! I had never thought of it like that, and will share it with my children when the opportunity presents itself.
Bye for now,
Heidi
Mar 03, 2011 @ 21:14:29
Hello Heidi,
I was a bit taken aback with surprise, too. I have thought how important it must have been for Mrs Noah to get on with her daughters in law (imagine how they felt – might have been where mother-in-law jokes originated, perhaps?). But, no, I had never thought of the mess/smell/destruction.
Actually, Heidi, being a kefir girl, you may appreciate the conversation we were having a little while ago. I have been meaning to blog about my recent acquisition of water kefir, but have been a bit time poor. It was a combined conversation about where kefir originated from, plus the alcohol content of water kefir, plus – what was Noah doing drunk when they’d not long come off the ark? (I know that last bit may seem a big conversational jump, but we decided Mrs Noah must have taken kefir on the ark
)
So… my conclusion was that Mr Noah had had a drop too much water kefir. Now, I wonder was it because he had just endured a really, really long time locked in the ark with Mrs Noah and his three daughters-in-law? And now that they were on firm ground, among all the stinky remains of the dead, he felt the need to .. shall we say.. drown his sorrows? I will have to check a commentary though I doubt, somehow, that Calvin will have thought of the water kefir explanation..
Mar 05, 2011 @ 09:47:59
Mrs BB, those are lucky ducks! They look so forlorn, don’t they? Didn’t you just want to take them home, though? Goodnes, my dc would’ve smuggled them home if they’d had the chance – they’ve done it before, not smuggled but ‘rescued’ from wandering alone on the banks of our river, exposed to dangers of foxes and the like. Being domestic ones, they were rather nice to have around until, you guessed it, they forgot to lock them up one night and, well, they were not any more lucky at our place then at the river
.
I can’t believe the road is still covered in water, almost two months later! At first I got a little fright thinking those posts might be house stumps! I wonder what it will all look like when things start to grow again. I suppose there will be some public places that will just not be restored for a long time to come.
I think that the Noah clan must have stayed onboard until vegetation appeared since the dove brought back some olive leaves? It must have been mighty stinky out there, though, and probably better to stay indoors? What would be worse – animal smells or flood smells, lol.
Are you still time poor, Mrs BB? Will we hear about the ball soon?
Mar 05, 2011 @ 20:28:53
Hello Elle
The girls did make wistful mention of taking the ducks home, but we had doubts that we could hold them once the hunger wore off. Our house yard is not quite in the league to compete with parklands!
The flooded road, yes, hmmm, it’s hard to speak nicely about that issue. There is a lot more to the south-east Queensland floods than just the rainfall.
There is the (mis) management of Wivenhoe and our water resources across the state. At present the dam gates are open in hopes of reducing the water levels before the next bout of heavy rains, and this is the cause of the flooding you see in the photo.
Wivenhoe was built partly to meet the water needs of a growing populace, and equally to serve as flood mitigation. Unfortunately, after such a harsh drought as we experienced in the area, when the wet season (remembering we are sub-tropical here) was predicted to be uncharacteristically heavy, the powers that be chose not to “waste” the water that was held in the dam, despite the prediction of continued rain, despite the dam holding enough water for years, and with no relief from the heavy rainfall in sight.
So.. major flooding resulted. Now they are releasing water despite the small amount of flooding this causes, in favour of possibly sparing us more of the dramatic flooding we saw in January. I confess I grind my teeth each time I read Miss Bligh praised for her handling of the flood crisis. She reported on the weather, she wept a little, and post flood she threw money about indiscriminately (in true labor fashion!). How that equates to an appropriate response to a state of disaster is more than I can fathom. But I’ll jump off the soap box before I get carried away. There is too much to be said about the matter that I as yet cannot be gracious or respectful about!
I agree with your vegetation comment, though what I didn’t realise was that the vegetation that survives is grossly dirty. Just as houses come out brown and covered in mud, so all our trees that went under are brown and ugly. As you drive around the city, you can see the “tide mark” left on natural and man made landmarks.
What would be worse – animal smells or flood smells
Ugh. Poor Mrs Noah!!
Are you still time poor, Mrs BB? Will we hear about the ball soon?
You can’t imagine how much I have been wanting to share, and I do have a half finished post in drafts, but apart from reading the fruits of our recent book fairing, I have had my computer (which had all the photos) away being fixed.
But I’ll get to it soon!
Thanks for coming by xx
Mar 05, 2011 @ 22:33:59
Dear Mrs BB,
Hmm.. must stop reading you blog. You put ducks on my mind. So, guess what I happened across? A duck and a drake being given away on the internet… right near where I live. So, guess who’s picking up ducks tomorrow?
I had a chuckle about Mr Noah and the water kefir. I think you may be onto something. Although the Ark was rather large, he could’ve been off feeding the animals most of the day when he really needed some space!
Does water kefir taste different? I’m quite interested, because at the moment I’m unable to drink my lovely milk kefir… right after finally getting the taste for it!
You went to a ball? I would love to see this year’s installment.
One slightly positive thing about the flood…I bet Mr BB hasn’t spoken about the railways for a while!
Bye for now,
H
Mar 07, 2011 @ 14:53:03
Heidi, how are those new ducks settling in?
Send me an email with your address; I’ll post some water kefir
It’s fun, Heidi. Kind of fizzy, ginger-ale-ish, and you can flavour it with different fruits. One day old is pleasant and refreshing, two days is…. you can’t, absolutely cannot (unless your innards are already pickled from stronger stuff.. ) possibly drink it if you leave it more than a day. It will knock your socks off and make your eyes roll under the table. You’ll have a lot of fun with it!
Mar 17, 2011 @ 22:47:19
After Hurricane Ike, the same thing happened in the park by my house. Even the giant rat-like nutrias were hungry. Since we had no power and no air conditioning, it became a daily thing to pop out to the park and feed the creatures. God gives us this planet and we are His wardens. Good job, BBs.
I shall avoid discussions of Noah’s flood…hard for me, though.
Mar 19, 2011 @ 21:48:36
Thanks for sharing with me, Burstmode.
“I shall avoid discussions of Noah’s flood…hard for me, though.”
Tease!
Mar 24, 2011 @ 23:03:59
An interesting description of the flood can be found in the book, NOAH’S FLOOD by William Ryan and Walter Pitman.
Mar 27, 2011 @ 09:29:48
Burstmode, I’m glad you overcame your reticence.
I’ve read about the Black Sea Deluge theory, and to be fair, I should state before commenting that nothing a scientist could uncover will shake my faith in the Biblical account. Scientists are merely men working to uncover the mysteries of God’s handiwork.
Each scientist is an individual with a world view. The creationist who is also a scientist will view his craft as a means of understanding God’s world and His created order. The atheist will view his craft as a means of convincing the world that there is no God. The agnostic will tow the party line because he does not have a compelling reason to face ridicule.
Science has been elevated to a form of religion. A study comes out to say that coffee is good for you, and everyone runs off to Gloria Jean’s. The next week there’s one published saying it’s bad for you, and anyone with the fortitude to face the morning without coffee, abstains. Such is science – fickle as the public who venerates her.
I believe in the Biblical account because I truly can’t help observing that the marvels of creation are fearfully and wonderfully made.
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse“.
But on to the Black Sea deluge theory.. (I suspect you thought I’d forgotten it?
) a localised flood theory is not new . But apart from contradicting the Biblical account, it also doesn’t answer for there being a worldwide flood legend amongst almost every people group on earth. So.. the Ryan and Pitman theory will remain just that: a theory. Just like the theory of evolution. 
Mar 27, 2011 @ 10:04:00
I have not overcome my reticence. It is not my manner to confront one’s strongly held religious beliefs. I think everyone has the right to come unmolested to whatever form of God that gives them peace.
As to Ryan & Pitman, their theory meshes well with my knowledge of ancient history (BA in Ancient Egyptian History). While most ancient cultures have a flood account, they vary wildly the further one gets from the so-called cradle of civilization. The biblical account is from the cradle and is similar to other accounts from that region. The biblical account is older than the bible and is almost certainly directly transmitted to the Hebrews whilst in their Babylonian captivity.
Mar 27, 2011 @ 20:26:11
It is not my manner to confront one’s strongly held religious beliefs. I think everyone has the right to come unmolested to whatever form of God that gives them peace.
Burstmode, I appreciate your courtesy. On this issue it is not solely a manners deficit that causes me to speak (though I admit there is sometimes an appalling lack of delicacy to my speech), but, I am compelled to contend for the faith. It stems both from direct command to preach the Word in season and out of season, and from a desire to see the Lamb of God receive the reward of His suffering.
I am prefacing my next thoughts with this statement: I have a great love of both science and history, and acknowledge that men well studied in those fields have bought much of worth to the table of culture and learning.
However historians, as I mentioned with scientists, are each interpreting historical records and events from a personal bias. Think of primary history sources – many of these have some elements of bias and limitation of the original writers, then the added bias and interpretation of the historian, before they are reconstituted into text books and articles for masses.
So, as with the sciences, as much as I respect and acknowledge your field of expertise, I cannot accept that it is likely to furnish thoughts and ideas unbiased. We are none of us able to lay aside our filters through which we interpret all new information, any more than we are able to lay aside the very essence of who we are.
Thanks for sharing with me.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 04:08:35
I so love ducks Blue! We all must care for each other after a disaster! Blessings!
Mar 19, 2011 @ 21:51:49
lifewithoutinstructions, there is certainly something lovable about ducks. Thanks for visiting!
Mar 29, 2011 @ 14:23:10
New post! New post! We all want a new post from the BB blog!
Mar 29, 2011 @ 15:11:37
Laughing!
There are two in drafts, but I’ve been computer-less off and on for a while. Meantime, Our Susan, I have to ask – have you played Words With Friends?
Oh, dear!
Seriously addictive. Badly, seriously, addictive. I only *just* missed my computer.
But there are some seriously girly posts coming up
♥
Mar 31, 2011 @ 07:42:27
Oh I new post about the ball… must be quick so I can rush off to read it. But no, I have not played that game but you’re the second person who has asked me in the last 3 days so I might look it up.
Apr 05, 2011 @ 02:56:45
That sure must have been quite the sad sight, but I’m glad you managed to pop back with some food for them the following day… Hopefully things are returning to some form of normality now…
Apr 05, 2011 @ 14:20:35
Thank you, Mr FS photography. I think “normality” is still a long way off, but “manageable” is in view.