Category: House, Garden and Dogs

Thunderstorms and frantic dogs

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
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My cup (water tank) runeth over.

I paid my $5 to the ladies group for the Biggest Morning Tea this coming Saturday. I have not received an Agenda yet and if there is not a lot of business it may well be that things could be laid over until the August Meeting. If that’s the case I win because I have already paid my fee  :o)  On the other hand, I would like to be able to go out to Hackham West and  visit Alan. He sounds well enough on the telephone so it will be interesting to see how he actually is. The problem is that I need to know fairly quickly in order to book the hotel. I mean I have already had a few unkind words from the management because I forgot to cancel the booking for the last meeting – the one that I didn’t attend.  It used to be that we set the meetings at the AGM in February and  you could be certain that they would go ahead, now this is no longer the case and  that last performance was an example of the problem associated with  booking ahead in this current climate.

In the early hours of this morning we had a thunderstorm. This was not predicted so Chienna was not given any medication. As a result she went slightly gaga. Somehow or other she managed to get behind the ironing board and just about brought that down on top of the little man. That’s when I  got there – just in time to arrest its fall. Normally the little man doesn’t bother, but Chienna was so stressed that it started to worry him. I decided that the only course of action was to bring them both into my room. I put him on the bed (it’s too high for him to jump up) and Chienna decided that being under the bed was a good place to hide, so that’s where she finally went.

At times it seemed as if the thunder was directly overhead – it was loud and the house shook a bit and we seem to have lost the servers. You will read this, but as I write it I do so on MS Word because we have no WiFi and no servers. It’s a real shocker of a day.    We had two more thunderstorms and decided not to wash the dog beds after all. I took the covers off them and decided that they really were grotty with no chance of cleaning the inside stuffing, so we decided to keep the outside covers – which we can possibly use – and buy new beds. During a break in the  rain we went down to the store and bought three new beds. I have put the small bed (which The Man  has claimed already) in the laundry and when this rain stops I’ll get out and tidy up and put the new beds into their houses. – The covers of the old beds will fit so I’ll keep them and dump the stuffing. Thus far – according to the local news – we have had 36mm of rain. That was on Tuesday – on Wednesday we had a further 20mm of rain. This is getting beyond a joke. We are not used to this weather – cold yes, rain, yes ( in small doses) but not this. My water tanks are full so you can turn it off now!!!   My gravel has weeds I never knew we had. Meanwhile certain (Unnamed ) parts of the world swelter in 43c.

Winter Coats and Morning Tea

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
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Me and my daddy.

I said the other day that the man was “crying” and that I lifted him up and sat with him for a little while. He  seemed quite content to stay cuddled up. Herself  took the photograph. She was born in Scotland but I have a faint suspicion  that there is Revolutionary French genes in there somewhere because she keeps cutting people’s heads off.  Anyway, she got the little man and that’s the important thing. He was quite happy to stay where he was – still, he is about 13+ The reason he is wearing his overcoat is he was at the groom the other day and we had his coat cut a bit shorter than normal, but it is winter so hence the coat.  I’m not silly, I stay where it’s warm!!!

I am always amazed by the things people can do with their dogs. I spent a fortune on toys and balls only to have them sniffed at and rejected out of hand ( or should that be paw?). Other people have felt the need to buy a toy for one of my dogs and  were a bit miffed when it got the same treatment. I have no idea why it should be so, but they have never been play dogs – or at least, dogs that play with toys. They will play and I will chase them and fight them and get down on the floor with them. Outside I chase them and if I turn away  one, usually Chienna, will  jump on the back of my legs, I turn around and the chase begins again. So in that respect they are play dogs – just not with toys.  It’s like the cartoon where the person throws a ball and the dog looks as if is saying “Well, you threw it – You go get it”

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The Biggest Cup of Tea

Every year the ladies put on their version of  “Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea” The cost  is a mere $5 per person and you get coffee, tea, cakes sandwiches and scones. Those who read here know that I am very partial to scones. This is the event I will be missing next Saturday  and I am not going to forget it in a hurry – herself will see to that  :o) What is it, well it’s a national fundraising event for Cancer Research. All across the country,  from May to July, clubs, pubs, hotels, community groups and schools put on their own particular version of the event and all the money goes to The Cancer Research Council of Australia. So far, we manage  about $800 for our event each year – and yes, I will be paying my $5 before I leave.  You didn’t think I would get out of that did you???

House phones and Teddy Bears

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

It’s been an interesting few days  without the house phone. The calls were supposed to be transferred to my mobile (cell) but I only got some and I know that I did miss several – a couple that I shouldn’t have missed. Oh well  things happen.  Anyway, the landline was repaired today so we’re back in business.

Samsung the noo 036
Me and my Teddy Bear

I don’t know what’s wrong with the little man at the moment. There appears to be nothing amiss, yet he just stand there and “cries” and I have no Idea why. I lifted him and sat with him on my lap for a little while and he seems to be ok. Perhaps he was just having a “Moment”   He was ok when I took them out for a walk a little while ago and I didn’t even have to carry him, so he seems to be fine. I will have this weekend at home and the following weekend back in Adelaide.  There are a few things that I should mark down and make sure that I get this trip. I also want to  go out to the far end of the city and visit Alan in his new place. I haven’t told him I’m coming so it will be a surprise for him. Certainly it’s a long way but I will be staying in town overnight so it’s not too bad. I can still get back to the city in time to get the things I want and then settle down in my hotel. With any reasonable luck the conference on Saturday morning should be over by lunch and I can get back home before it gets too dark.

Politics dominates the news and has done for some time. We have a very unpopular government, which, if the current polls hold up, is heading for a historic defeat at the General Elections in September. I understand the Prime Minister was offered a Job with the White Star Line. They wanted to know how good she was in moving deck chairs.  The best description I heard of our government is that it’s like being on the last hours of the Titanic : the Third Class Passengers realise they’re locked in and there’s no escape while upstairs the first class passengers are running around trying to decide what dress to wear.

The downside of spending the next weekend in Adelaide is that I will miss two RFDS events. I will also miss an event organised  by the ladies group – one which I have enjoyed every year for quite some time. Herself is not letting me forget THAT too easily. However, I cannot not go to Adelaide. I put in an apology for the last meeting I cannot afford to miss two meetings – at least not one after the other.

Rain, Drought and Cattle Drives

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I arrived home on Late Wednesday afternoon. It started raining on Wednesday evening and has hardly let up since, Adelaide has suffered flooding in some areas and little  creeks have become torrents. There are no reports of any injuries, just flooding and damage to  houses – roofs have caved in. The emergency service has been busy answering calls for assistance – in Adelaide.  Here it has been heavy at times with only minor flooding of roads, not houses as in Adelaide. My son walked to the gym from his place, then as another rain storm hit, called me and asked if I would come and pick him up and drop him home. Well, isn’t that what dad’s are for??

Droving
The modern cattleman with his horse and his mobile (cell )phone

The dogs have not been for walks for a week now and even as I write it is raining again. Hate to go on about this weather but it really is quite wild – the wildest it has been in ten years. And it’s strange to think that despite all the rain and flooding in Queensland last year – it’s in drought because of the failure of the monsoon. I think they are getting our dry cold weather and we’re getting their wet, cold weather. Not impressed – they can have it back anytime they wish. Anyway, because of the drought conditions in Queensland the graziers (cattlemen) have started doing something that has not been done for  nearly a century – they have started droving.  Droving is a particularly Australian word  which simply  means  “A Cattle Drive” with horses, chuck wagons and camping out at night. In other parts of Queensland there is plenty of feed and water but the law states that they must move the cattle 10 miles per day. The are not allowed to stay in one area – other than an overnight stay. All very cool – shades of Rowdy Yates and “Rawhide”. It’s cheaper to pay  and feed a dozen men  for two or three weeks than it is to transport the cattle by road. The cattle are not the best because of the drought, but the water and feed on the drive will get them in good condition by the time they reach the stockyards.    Yes, like America, Australia has the “Tourist” cattle drive, but this is the real thing. There is talk of opening up parts of the national parks, which has the conservationists  in a tizzy. I think they would rather see the cattle die rather than let them touch a blade of grass of take a drop of water from their parks. Yes, yes, I will no doubt get told that it is a lot more complicated than that, but it’s an emergency – not a permanent arrangement and things are only complicated because we make them so.

Adelaide and back part 2

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
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Too much sun when I went further back, but that’s them both together.

It seems there was some sort of vintage car rally on in Adelaide, hence the reason for the cars at Port Wakefield Service Station. They were  well kept and looked lovingly cared for – everything gleamed. It was fortunate that there were two such cars – so a double treat.

On Tuesday evening I  found a Pasta place and had a chicken with penne pasta  garlic, cheese, tomatoes and a pesto sauce. I also bought a bottle of Shiraz and had a couple (two – only two) glasses of wine. Since I had my computer with me (have laptop – will travel!) I wrote up my notes and brought my diary up to date.  I was thinking of transferring things into another diary but decided against it since I would have to re-write everything up to the point of transfer and that just seems like an incredible  waste of time.  Tried to call home, but  could not. I made a number of calls without success and it was not untilI came home that we discovered there is a fault on the line and the area was having problems. This morning (Thursday) Telstra will send out a technician to find the fault and fix the lines. Meanwhile, all our calls are being diverted to my mobile (Cell) phone.

Everything ended fairly quickly and I was on my way home on Wednesday. However, I did have a couple of calls to make along the way. One was to go to Bunnings (Hardware and Garden) and get myself a pair of boots for working outside. Well, two pair of shoes will never be the same again  :o)

I had also been asked by a friend here at home if I would go to the other end of the city and collect some things for her. I said I would and from there I started back home.  As with the drive down, the drive home was good. I won’t say enjoyable because driving for five hours is not fun, but it is tolerable. And the weather was dry – dull, overcast, but dry.  Herself asked me how the conference was and I think the word I used was tedious.  I made a couple of stops along the way so it was a little bit longer than I had intended. I did think about dropping into the Arid Lands Botanic Garden, but decided not to at this stage.

My babies were happy to see me and I sat with them for a bit. I understood mummy had been starving the poor things. They normally get a treat in the morning but since mummy rises late  and daddy was not at home, they never got their treat in the morning. I’m thinking of reporting her  to animal welfare  :o)

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Still in progress. Will fix the trellis tomorrow.

Today I watered all the plants and tidied up. Discovered that the solar light I put in the pergola will not work.  I thought there would be enough light to activate them at night – I was wrong.

I don’t like the trellis so I will fix that up. Too big a job to remove it, so I will tidy it up sometimes tomorrow ( Friday)

Adelaide and back again – part 1

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I didn’t know what to call this so I sort of borrowed  something from Tolkein  “There and back again” otherwise known as “The Hobbit”  I don’t think I have violated any copyright..

Not quite fully packed – but close. I will set off at 7am tomorrow and should, allowing for breaks, be in Adelaide by noon. The first session will start tomorrow night around 6:30. Sounds odd, I know, but that allows everyone to get there, get settled and for the general business of roll call and agenda to be gotten out of the way, a get together for light refreshments  and that concludes the Ist Session. From the 2nd Session onwards it will be full on for the next two days.  The Dinner is on the Tuesday night, but I will not be attending that. I will, instead, stay in my hotel working on things that I need to get brought up to days – like my  diary. I’ll probably go out and bring something in and have  food here in my hotel room.

Monday am

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Ah yes, they were built to last in these days. This was at the service station when I pulled in.

Our visitor dog (Yogi) is still with us and he should be going back home today. It is only 6:20 and I don’t leave until about 7am. I do not like travelling on the road out of here in the dark so I generally wait until the sun is up. In summer time this means leaving about 6am. As far as I am aware, Jim is doing fine after his operation and should be home tomorrow, however, I think his wife is coming to collect Yogi sometime this afternoon after she has been at the hospital.  He’s been no bother and my two are still ignoring him, although I have to say that they let him use their bed yesterday  :o)  Regrettably, my two, whilst loveable , are not really very sociable when it comes to other dogs. But then, they have always been with me, Chienna six weeks after she was born and  Mannie  since he was adopted ten years ago. They are very much family dogs and they like people – just not other dogs.

The drive down here to Adelaide was very quiet until just about ten miles out of town. There was a smash on the inbound highway and two of the lanes were closed off and traffic was backed up for miles. Took me longer to travel these miles than it took me to travel down from Port Wakefield – 100 kilometres away.   In the early stages of the drive I was thankful for my  instance of not travelling at night because there was quite a few Kangaroos dead at the side of the road, plus a couple of foxes. Ok for a big truck not not in my  Ford.

Tuesday

After the introduction last night the first real session starts today. Good sleep, but it’s cold down here. I think it’s colder here than it is at home. Glad I brought a really heavy pullover with me :o) Although I have to say that the conference centre was well heated, so that was not a problem. Calling home during a break I found out that Yogi went home on Monday afternoon. And on the subject of going home, we believe that the business of the conference  will be concluded by noon on Wednesday and since the emergency meeting has been cancelled, I may get home on Wednesday afternoon. Depends what I have to do here.

continued.

Pergola, Aloe and noxious weeds.

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
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This is part of the covered in pergola that I am working on

I have already started packing the things I want to take with me to Adelaide – remembering that I will be away for a week. I had intended to come back on the Thursday afternoon but I have decided to stay on and go visit Alan who has been moved to a facility in Hackham West. Once everything is finished I’ll go over and see him for a while. North Adelaide is at one end of the city and Hackham West is at the extreme end of the other side of the city. It takes nearly two hours to get there so it’s not just a quick jaunt.  By distance it’s not great  (29 klms) but it is through some to the busiest areas of the city and  with all the reconstruction and delays, the South Road is not my favourite place.  My hotel account is paid until Thursday but I’ll pay  Thursday/Friday and come home sometime on Friday afternoon. So this time they have not changed the dates – I have.

I have been working on my little area at the pergola and there is still a lot to do, but in order to continue, I needs an electrician to move  an electrical point. No, it’s not just a question of moving the point from one place to another, there is a lot involved and part of this  means shutting of the mains box, cutting cable and installing a new point where I want it and then put the mains back on again.  I will attend to that when I get back from Adelaide. It’s not a five minute job. And no ! Me and electricity are not the best of friends.

I have, for the moment, three (3) dogs. The husband of one of our friends is going into hospital and they asked us of we would take their dog for a few days. Naturally I said yes, rather than the Kennels, The oddest thing is that my two, rather than being slightly put out, merely ignore the stranger and I think they pretend he’s not there. The little man is curled up on the chair in my room,  Chienna is with herself and I have the third dog under my desk. I think it might be a their version of     ” if we pretend he’s not there perhaps he will go away.” Or it could just be that since he has been here before,  (Yogi) he’s lost the novelty value he had the first time.Aloe_descoingsii

Handle with care

We found out what the “things ” I have growing out front and they are Aloe descoingsii. So, I dug one of the smaller ones up and replanted  it it in a nice pot with potting mixture and fertiliser. We’ll see what happens to it. Still not sure about it and these spikes bother me  just a tad, but I will try with it and see how we get on. The good thing is that it it does not survive – there are lots more of them outside. Turns out they are quite an interesting plant – and I just thought they were some kind of noxious weed  :o)  This, I suppose, gives you some idea of my plant knowledge – not to mention my gardening skills.

Rain, Farmers and discredited theories

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

The rain it falleth on the just and on the unjust fella

But more upon the just, because the unjust stole the just’s umbrella

A touchy subject, I know, but it has been raining for the last few days here. I mention this, not because I wish irritate people, but because this is most unusual for us to have so much rain in such a short space of time. Yes, in the bottom area of the State – Adelaide and the South East, where the farming and the vineyards are located, it rains a fair bit. The soil down there is green,  lush and fertile. Up here it’s reddish, dry (not today though) and not all that productive.  The further north you go the less productive the land becomes and the topsoil is presently somewhere out at the bottom of the Great Australian Bight  ( dust storms) as a result of  a discredited theory that was common in the 19th Century – “Rain Follows the Plough”. By the early years of the 20th Century what had been the Golden North, became a dustbowl – just like States in the USA where the same theory was applied. The area, stripped of all native vegetation, never recovered. It is a vast area dotted by ruins and  broken dreams. In one area we are still living with the effects of that period when one Goat farmer(?) could no longer keep his goats nor could he sell them, so he simply broke down the 2011-10-25-08-48-45.jpgfences and let them go. Can you imagine what damage they have done to the soil of the ranges and the native wildlife since?

The babies have been cuddled up inside all of today. It’s been cold and wet outside and only an idiot – like daddy – would be working in the garden in this weather , even if he is under cover. I have just watched the news and some of the small communities further north have had more rain in the last three days than they have had in the last 25 years – interesting. Perhaps there is hope for us yet..

I was working in the   rock garden area under the porch and decided that I would freshen it all up by digging part of the centre out and put in a large(ish) ceramic pot, fill it with blood and bone, soil improver and  potting soil. It’s a smallish area and it could do with something to brighten it up. Particularly now that I am about to order the  alsynite for the pergola roofing. In that area I am going to plant a rose bush. The surrounding area I will cover in  blonde coloured pine with the inner section in red coloured pine chips. It might work and it might not – wont know until I do it I suppose.

Walking, Food and a Million Paws

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
The Maltese Terrorist
The Maltese Terrorist

Saturday, 6;30 am and took the dogs walking. Heck it was cold. Glad I put on a jacket because had I not done so I would have had to come back inside for one. I was also wearing gloves. Last night I took the dogs out and had a heavy jacket, but it looked nice this morning and I didn’t realise how cold it was. I think winter is on its way. Time to get the fires out of the garage and dust them off, I think. – Actually winter (officially) is only ten days away.

Well, we’ve had no more visitors – which is good. I have also been  conscious of the debate regarding soft dog food. I realise there is a vast difference between being responsible for two dogs and being responsible for 12 ( or even (sigh) 13) dogs and I can’t for the life of me begin to imagine what the feeding bill amounts to. However, our “soft” dog food ( the dog food I use)  is in the form of a  roll – the name of the product being Prota Dog,  Dog food. I cut sections of this and then cut it up – the size of the final cut depending whether it’s for Chienna or Mannie. The point is I can very clearly see what I am cutting and  I’m fairly happy and the dogs are well and healthy – and my vet is happy with them.  This is not what you would call premium dog food – we do have “Premium” food which is very expensive, but as I said, my dogs are happy and healthy. I am not sure what “Kibble” is. I suppose I could Google it but I  think it’s simply what we call “Dog Biscuits”  – dry food.  I put a measured cup of the  biscuits into a bowl and leave it beside their water dish. They eat  this at their leisure – if they feel the need for a nibble, they will eat some biscuits. I also ensure they they have plenty of water.  Sometimes  the man is a “bit tired” so I will be a woose , sit down and hand feed him – put bits of the food in my hand and et him eat from there. Feeding my dogs  ( and I repeat they are fit, well and healthy) costs me about $45 a month, which I know some people spend every couple of days. That’s for the soft food roll and the dog biscuits. The rolls are 3 kilo  each.

This week is  the “Million Paws Walk” an annual fundraising event organised by the RSPCA.  A lot of dog clubs organise local A Foxy Ladyevents under the banner of the RSPCA and raise funds that then go to the overall  Australian total. It’s not a “Fee Entry” but rather a personal donation – you give what you feel you can afford and that might only be a dollar or two – with some children giving their pocket money.  I would like to take my two but it’s on a Sunday and I am pretty much tied up on a Sunday.  However, I made a donation.  And I have just been notified that my friends club in Adelaide raised $564.

Old dogs care about you…

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
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I sat down on a box and she just came and sat next to me.

This Elderly Lady appeared in my driveway and I talked to her. She looked  fairly well cared for and she had a collar, but no tag. I didn’t like the idea of this lady wandering around the streets so I invited her in for a meal and refreshments, She was gracious enough to accept.  I called the SADR and their advice – since she was a lost dog not a dumped or surrendered dog –  I had to call the RSPCA – which I did. All in the lady was with me for quite a few hours until  the RSPCA came.  You know how some dogs “touch” you – well this one did for some odd reason and I advised the RSPCA that if the owners did not come for her I would like to be notified with a view to adopting her. Then I put my arms around her and gave her a cuddle and she let me.  Good  for her (but  sort of sad for me!) the RSPCA called back later on that afternoon to let me know that the  dog and owner had been reunited. I do not know what kind of dog she is but I  really liked her – and – oddly enough – my Terrorist didn’t go for the stranger. Sniffed about then wandered off  back to his house.

Even herself was taken with her and she is not a dog person. She had been out all morning and when she came home and was dropped off, the dog went to her then sat down next to her. Certainly she went home (the dog that is) but I am happy with the  thought that if she gets out and wanders away again, she may well wander here and that’s good because it  will be a safe haven for her.

It’s now been two days since Adelaide changed its plans so that’s a positive step. Perhaps I will get home on Thursday after all. It’s not too bad in that the first session on Monday will not happen until the late afternoon, which gives me time to get down and do any shopping I need to, or want to.  I miss out this year because the district conference has been postponed to the 15th of June and the  “President’s Workshop” a two day course at  RFDS Central Operations takes place on the 17th & 18th June. I will miss out because  it’s too close after the State Conference, the District Conference, fuel costs, travelling expenses and hotel bills and I don’t think I could really justify another four days of hotel bills and fuel costs. At the current rate of exchange it’s about $US6.10 per US Gallon. Not to mention the 560 mile round trip each time.  It’s just much too much.