Quote:
Originally Posted by manny
yep that time of year again when our cane farmers decide to burn their cane and the result is a lot of black soot floating around looking for a place to land usually on your primary mirror and plus all the smoke that goes with the burning makes a great night out. anybody else in sugar towns experiencing the same.
best wishes
Manny
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Yep, always had to get the washing in before the canefires started each evening. And we used to have so much fun as kids - running around with tennis rackets swatting the biggest pieces as they fell. They come down as burnt pieces of sugar cane leaf. On still nights, it is amazing how big the pieces are or how far they have travelled in the air - kilometres! Or later searching for the biggest "black snowflakes" and trying to pick them up without them breaking! Obviously I wasn't into astronomy then! I bet Alloway keep their dome closed until later in the evening? I remember when we extended the kitchen/dining room and had to open up the roof space. There was something like a 3" layer of black to be removed!
They burn a lot less now - crush a lot of cane "green". But there are still enough fires to be an amazing sight from the "Hummock".
But I love crushing season. I grew up to the sweet smell of raw sugar in the air and the sound of cane trains rattling along their narrow tracks all night. I remember flying back in during the 90s after some time away. Arriving on a hot Oct/Nov evening and the smell when the plane door opened! Heaven! I was home.
Eric (Bundaberg 1955-1973)
