Benji and Yogi – Edgar's Page

And they call the wind — Annoying.

09/08/2018 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Thursday and the heavy winds came and with the winds came a health warning that the heavy winds – gusting at around 60kph, – coupled with the dry conditions, are likely to create dust storms. The Health Dept. issued a warning that people with asthma or breathing difficulties are strongly advised to stay inside until the wind storms have passed. The Chief Medical Officer

Dust Storm on the Eyre Peninsula – 250 klms long.
*photograph: Tim Phillips*

was featured on the news explaining the problems of dust storms for people with any breathing concerns. The high winds continued throughout the day and in some parts of the State, gusting at 100+kph. The wind continued into the night and was followed by heavy rain. The dust storms were pretty heavy and covered an area of 250 klms. We did get some but nowhere near as much as the lower peninsula. It is now am Friday and I have been awake for much of the night. The rain stopped at 4:15 then started again at 04:50. I am not certain but I think this just might have broken the drought at least in South Australia. The worst of the drought was inter-state in New South Wales, so I hope that the rain bands are moving in that direction. As far as I am aware, more rain is on the way. The seriousness of the drought has caused a backlash against the government – particularly the Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop. Our farmers are struggling, there is no feed for stock, sheep and cattle are dying in the thousands and Julie Bishop announces – with a smile – that the Federal Government have donated $68 Million to assist farmers in Vietnam and another $20 million to Indonesian farmers but it

seems there is not enough in the Federal Purse to assist drought stricken Australian farmers. It’s a worry…

It is now 05:55 and the rain has stopped. I hope that’s it for the morning and I can get out with Benji. We didn’t get out last night – not

even for a short walk. Well, we did get out for our walk at 07:20. The rain had gone and the heavy wind had gone. Still a bit of a breeze – and cold with it – but the major wind had died away. A temporary respite before it started again.

Finally staggered into bed at 23:30 and went out like a light. I didn’t set the alarm so it was 06:45 before I said good morning to the world. I pottered about much of the morning trying to tidy up before the forecast wind started again. I took Benji for a walk around the Wetlands. It was quiet and I was fortunate to have a chat with the manager of the new Kiosk. She said that it’s progressing but slower than she would like, but she should, all being well, open in September. Just a mere three weeks away. The wind has started up again so I’ve given up trying to clear up leaves that just keep being blown about. Ah, only 24 days until Spring.

Yogi came this afternoon (Saturday) and will be here at least until next Friday. If not Annabell will have one night of looking after both as I head off to the quarterly conference. Fortunately this one is in North Adelaide, so I will only be gone overnight, plus driving down and back. I have been asked to go out to the RFDS Main base at Adelaide Airport to collect some merchandise that needs to come up here. I was going to Adelaide, so I’ll end up out there. Oh well, didn’t want to go shopping anyway. Despite what we thought the rain was not nearly enough to break the drought, and there is talk that the Goyder Line could be moving more to the south, which will have the effect of a good chunk of the state being dropped back to the “Marginal Lands”designation, which is a worry. Adelaide is being rained on and subject to strong winds. There is even talk about flooding. So very different from up here. I think that is part of the problem. It rains a fair bit in Adelaide so they really have no idea what’s like to have no rain up in the farming areas. Many Adelaide people have no idea what happens in the 85% of South Australia beyond Adelaide, which in usually the norm for country sv. city. With us it’s a bit more extreme since we have a state bigger than Texas and only really one city.

Visitor, Hospital and Cold, Wet Days.

22/07/2018 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Well I survived the week and all the questions and on Monday I had the stitches removed. Next week we should have the report back from Pathology and I will be a lot happier once that’s in. Overall, however, it has been a fairly busy week – apart from being cold, miserable and wet. One of our friends has suspected cancer in his liver and he and his wife are currently down in Adelaide for a biopsy. Annabell and I are looking after Yogi, their dog. They left on Monday and should be back tomorrow (Wednesday) Generally I am happy to take Yogi and this time has been no exception, however I have not had a lot of sleep since Yogi is getting older, misses his people more and cries most of the night. He’s alright during the day, nights are not so good. He and Benji get on well except when Yogi forgets his place in the scheme of things and tries to take over the spot in the bed (next to me) that Benji occupies. Usually I have to intervene only once. Anyway, this is the husband of the lady who picks up Annabell for the coffee evenings and morning. She, herself, has been unwell so I have been filling in for her and doing the taxi thing. Annabell herself is well, so that’s always good.

We still have Yogi – I think he is going home today (Friday) sometime, so instead of two days ( Monday night & Tuesday night) we have had him for five. The reason for the extra days was simply that the results at Adelaide were not so good and it has taken them a few days to come to terms with what has to happen now. Jim has Cancer of the Liver, which is not so great. I suggested to Annabell that we offer to keep Yogi over the weekend but, it would probably better for Jim if he has his dog with him. I know I would. But, Yogi has actually settled down these last couple of nights and slept through the night. Jim is now just waiting on the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Surgeon being free and then he will be down to Adelaide again. We will most probably look after Yogi while they are down in Adelaide and I expect for a little while once they come back – as Jim recovers. That’s not a problem – well not for us humans but it is a little bit of a problem for Yogi. He was a rescue dog and as far as we know he was shunted about the place, so he has a thing about getting put in a car. I discovered this when I took them both to the Wetlands last time he was here and he whimpered the whole time he was in the car.

It has been a year today since Sooah and her husband came back and collected Kongsoon (The WaWa) She has been back once for a brief visit and the WaWa was looking well. Yes she she was a handful at times, but overall she was a lovable little character. I think of her often and I miss her – don’t think Benji does though.

We had some high winds and rain over the State – well, Adelaide and the lower Peninsula. The storms passed beneath us and although it was a tad breezy and did rain a fair bit, it was nothing like the storm damage in Adelaide and surrounding areas. Mostly the storms and the like miss us. They come across the Great Australian Bight and cross the Eyre Peninsula beneath us. So really it’s not too bad. Yes it’s cold but we don’t get the storms that Adelaide gets. The other side of that is that it gets a whole lot hotter here in summer than it does in Adelaide.

Poems and Promises

17/01/2017 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

I was doing something for Annabell the other day and I came across this short poem by the great Author “Unknown” Most, I suspect, will pass it over but it speaks to me:

I explained it to St. Peter,
I’d rather stay here
Outside the pearly gate.
I won’t be a nuisance,
I won’t even bark, I’ll be very patient and wait,
I’ll be here, chewing on a celestial bone,
No matter how long you may be.
I’d miss you so much, if I went in alone.
It wouldn’t be heaven for me.

I think when it is time and I make the journey I will arrive in a field with many dogs and somehow, I don’t know how, but somehow, I will recognise the barks and voices of my dogs and they will all come to greet me. I will sit myself down on the celestial field and be overwhelmed by the love and affection between me and my dogs – long parted friends back together again. I will walk with the dogs towards a great gate at the far end of the field and as I approach it, it will open. I will ask the Gatekeeper, “am I really allowed in here?”and he will answer, “Yes, of course – your dogs have vouched for you”.

Me to me – “Do you think this means something?”

Me back to me “Yes – it means you’re cracking up!”

I think it must be something to do with the excitement of Yogi going home today. I am not unhappy about that but at the same time, not greatly overjoyed. This last month we have hardly

noticed he has been there – if you forget for a moment his bouncing on me at 4am and the chaos trying to feed all three dogs at the same time – he has been no bother. I have to say though, he is petrified of the WaWa and he only leaves my room when we go out, or he goes out and at dinner time. I think he will be glad to go home and be on his own again with his own peeps. And now that he has gone home, it will be quiet for a little while – well at least until the WaWa starts up again at some shadow.

Benji and I went for a walk around the Wetlands then went out for a drive. Like most dogs, they really don’t care where we drive to as long as they are in the car with mama or dad they are quite happy. Well we drove west, about 10 miles out of town and I took a few photographs just to show

Another view - west. — Another view – west.

what our surrounding landscape is like and why we have to drive forever to get so someplace that isn’t flat. Victoria has the Grampians – which I have driven through several times when I visited Drysdale and I suppose I have been through the Blue Mountains – albeit by train. The family were here this evening. I think I did mention that Andrew’s partner was pregnant. Anyway, she had the 20 week scan and the child is a boy. I was overjoyed at this but I would have been just as overjoyed had the child been a girl. Anyway, it’s summer. How can you tell if it’s really summer? When you have a shower in the morning and it doesn’t matter what tap

(sorry -faucet) you turn on, they are both hot!

On Sunday afternoon, I decided to do what I had promised after Yogi went home, take the boy down to the beach, have a walk then sit under an umbrella with ice cream. Well it never really happened – although we were at the beach. During our walk along the sand, a white Pit bull came out of nowhere and attacked us. I was able to get Benji up on my shoulder, but the thing was after him. Fortunately we were close to the roadway and two teenagers came running out of their car to assist. They used a perfect medium to chase the dog away – they threw sand in its face. They didn’t hit the dog or harm the dog in any way, but it definitely didn’t like handfulls of sand being thrown at it so it took off – no collar, harness – nothing. The boys wanted to make sure that Benji was ok and he was but they stood out on the road until I reached my car and got him and me inside. There was no real harm done but it was a bit scary – and here’s the thing – there are big notices all along the entire foreshore area that all dogs must be kept under control at all times. There is a fine of $2000.. I don’t know – perhaps some people seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.

Blizzards and Binders

29/12/2016 by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

The storm went on for the night and into the early hours of the morning. The WaWa slept as did Benji – Yogi not so good, so I ended up staying awake looking after the dogs – well at least my two – until I finally fell asleep myself. This morning I was up and dressed and took Benji and Yogi out for a walk. It was quite strange – everything was as calm and there wasn’t a sound to be heard. Normally I hear birds and in the distance a cock crowing, but not this morning for some odd reason. What I did hear – much to my annoyance – was flies buzzing around my head and face. One thing the tourist guides never tell you about outback Australia when they wax lyrical about the rugged beauty of the ancient landscape, is the three things common to outback Australia – heat, dust and flies – lots of flies. I took Benji out at 5:30 am because it was quite, peaceful and dark with dark meaning no flies. Now as we move further and further into summer it is getting lighter and so at 5:40 I have a baseball cap that is more of a fly swat than a hat. I may have to go back to the fly -protection hat netting that I sometimes use when I took Benji down to the Wetlands. I hardly ever go there (the Wetlands) now as it continues to be upgraded and become more and more popular with walkers, joggers, mothers with prams and dog walkers – which is good for the wetlands and its acceptance as a recreation area. I was happy to see that there was no structural damage caused by the storm – at least not in this area – not even a tree down. There was also very little water around – some on the roadway and some in gardens, but not nearly as much as I expected. However, we do have very good stormwater drains here that can clear any flooding water quickly. However, at the very far end of the area is the runoff area where the storm drains empty out – that’s not so good and it is fairly close to overflowing. I think they must have constructed part of the runoff area, run out of money and then forgot about it. Another night last night and we could have problems

The colour is called French Blue and is the blue of the French Flag

A couple of posts ago I talked about my use of Ringed Planners – Filofax and recently Van der Speck (VDS). I also mentioned that I had bought a new VDS but I don’t think I put any pictures with that post. It is Bleu de France and it the very first coloured binder/planner I have ever bought. Now that the year is almost over I have activated my new Planner/Binder with 2017 inserts and it is already in use, although I will be glad when the year ends in a few days and I can stop carrying two planners/binders around with me as I have been for the last week. I was told that the French Blue was the same colour as the French Flag however, I thought the French Flag was a bit darker, but I could be wrong.

A year or so ago I featured an article over two issues of the Magazine and the article was a serious study by researchers at both Washington University in St. Louis and Notre Dame University, led by Professor J.M. Zacks of Washington University, which found that doors are sort of an event horizon called “The Doorway Effect” – and that walking through doors can make you forget. Your mind collects all the extra information you need to function and do what you have to do in a room, but when you walk out of that room into another room, passing through a door, your brain dumps (purges) much of the stuff because you will need the space for the new information that will come to you in the new room. In essence ( works for me!!) we’re not cracking up and it’s all perfectly normal.

I went out for a drive this morning and it was hot and sticky – humid. There were a lot clouds around not dark and heavy but white and heavy looking – if that kind of makes sense. Like most people I was surprised that despite the ferocity of the storm, there was very little tree or structural damage. I think we got off very lightly. However, I don’t think Adelaide did so well. Anyway, it’s just after 6pm, the sky has started to darken and there is a lot of thunder around and some rain. By the looks of things I think we might he heading for a second round.

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