PossumCorner

There must be a few around Rascal - Frodo had a near-death reaction - convulsions etc - to a P. tick bite in Belgrave, that was a bit over 10 years ago. Vet who was onto it was at the Ferntree Gully clinic, and said then that they'd definitely been found down in Gippsland on possums but very few dogs had presented with them at that stage. We had plenty of bush ticks around Sherbrooke Forest, but Frodo's was the only case of Paralysis Tick I knew of in the area. They'd have to be spreading wider and increasing since that time though, given that possums foxes and feral cats host them.

We lost big-time on two of our rentals due to bad tenants. Started off lovely then everything turned to dross, alcohol wrecks lives - tenants and landlords, jeeze I hate it and everything about it. Disgressing: dogs were involved in both houses, not the prime cause of things going bad, but the agents were lucky (or I was) that the tenants were able to be evicted, I never did get back the overdue rent amounts, let alone redress for the damage the dogs caused. Not the young untrained large dog's fault for wrecking the ducted heating system: not the white fluffies' faults for climbing the walls and curtains with (I assume) separation anxiety at best, dog knows what at worst. Have to say it put me off allowing dogs in a rental, but we sold both properties and didn't do the landlord thing again. It's sad all round, doesn't seem to be an answer to the problem for either party. In my ideal world there would be full employment, no drugs of dependence or destruction, and everyone who wished to own their home could do so.

DD, do you mean the old pts brigade? I don't see them here as much now, not sure whether they have all gone or mellowed a bit (or both).

Not so much flooring as not spilling water - bit heavy to lift but can be worked around, empty into bucket and wipe with cloth or paper towel between lift-and-clean times: cast iron saucepans/pots from Aldis - spill proof because too heavy to nudge around, enamel coated so very easy to clean. Mine are on slate floor, no spills - maybe just a few drips as they walk away.

Another little hand on the right! Did I not get the memo about a challenge?

Whose birthday? Good to see them back.

I don't think anyone missed it, but what can one say? Beyond heart breaking, little girl lost, how does a family ever recover, poor dog dragged off in fear to its death, family pet in the kitchen and something went terribly wrong, little country town community devastated.

Total moon eclipse, quality one in a hundred years or more, only chance to see it (photograph it), all that. But it happens at 4.30 in the morning, so a lot of us will miss it. I'll make a brave attempt, no promises. Edit to add. Quite disappointing, too much cloud, so only had a few glimpses as it progressed. Mars was quite clear now and then, but a bit miffed the eclipse didn't happen for us.

Second that last line Sars.

Roova that is so Australia, and wonderful blues. Had to be a Nikon? I did say I didn't buy anything at the Sheep Show. That was a white lie (see ot thread re people who fib) because these two actually followed me home. 29/52 Their back-story is unreal, they are now six weeks old. As newborn/one-day old they came off a drought property in central NSW, travelled all the way to Victorian saleyards in the dog-boxes under a semi trailer. Only because the driver knew someone who just might try to save them: and taking at that age with sheep to the yards not legal etc. So a pretty fabulous person met the truck out from Melbourne, and took (not saying how many) lambs to bottle-raise. Harley and Rose are two of them, so they've had a pretty adventurous little life so far. I maybe chose them because they'd been named for a song I used to like, about love drifted apart, love re-found (… This time they said it was for real …. Like static on the dial, a look comes back in style Harley and Rose, they just lost it for a while) - Black Sorrows, good stuff.

Bird - tick. Cat - tick. Dust storm - thud! Never seen it like this here in winter, often windy/dusty but sheesh that is horrendous. Will you get some of the rain out of this lot, we have only had the odd spit for weeks now, and a dump of hail - but the hailstorm smashed the rain-gauge apart so no stats. I still have baby lambs in the house because the wind is like frozen knives even in the sheds.

Bowie is lovely - and I like in the other thread he is looking just slightly in awe of Bella looking so elegant - not demoralised, just aware. This is not cute - consternation in the early morning as a small eagle/large hawk settled on the high corner post of the orchard. Looking out for goose or duck eggs, or a rabbit by the dam, or a chicken out and about when it shouldn't be. What I didn't notice til I looked at the shot on computer was how a Noisy Miner had chosen a little fruit tree with yellow stems for camouflage to lie low til the hawk had gone. Cleverness. Brief return to cuteness as Arnold sees the commotion and hurries up in case there's food. While three boy-geese set up a line to watch the intruder til it flies off.

We're in the same situation with young Rheneas - he has lost much sight and hearing, and has just had a dreadful vestibular episode "all good now, and still taking the tablets". But the difference - when we took Rheneas on from the RSPCA as a youngster he was a total stress-head, and this took a long long time to sort and improve but he did normalise, I think mainly from observing Piper and Frodo being normal dogs. Now as the only dog, and in fairly old age, he has regressed to his young nervous self, jumps at noise, runs and hides from anything that stresses him, no trust or confidence and has put funny little barriers up. Vet said without any guarantees that there have been improvements in some oldies like this with slightly high blood pressure readings when put on blood pressure tabs (Fortec). He's on a half-tab a day and I can say there is a positive improvement in the stressing out after four days on tabs, truly different dog. One swallow does not a summer make, so I am not saying that blood pressure tabs are a benefit to stressy behaviours, but as an anecdotal observation ….

The first workshop filled up. Applications opened today for the next one in October, OH has signed up, I'll be looking over his shoulder.

Scottsmum, Persephone, Roova - what a page of sweet little faces (although George is trying to hide his just a little).