Spring Step

Yesterday Hervor, the Little's and I went bushwalking. It was a beautiful day and the feeling that spring had finally sprung was evident in the native flowers that at times tried to act invisible. The Australian bush has the knack of looking quite drab but on closer inspection throws up some extremely colourful little flowers. Unlike rainforests where flowers can be large and garish, our flowers are understated, but no less beautiful.


Caladenia Flava (Cowslip Orchid)


Chorizema Retrorsum


...and some (as yet) unidentified little creature.

Although the walk was beautiful, it informed me of just how unfit I have become. Lucky the warm weather is coming because if there was too much more of winter I'm certain that walking to the mailbox and back would result in muscle failure, lung failure and a cardiac arrest.

Praise the sunshine!

Pedigree People?

It's a common thing to find myself asking, "What is the matter with people?" Recently, after seeing the documentary by Jemima Harrison, Pedigree Dogs Exposed the rate at which I ask the question has increased significantly.


Sidenote: For anyone interested but unable to watch the pain and suffering of these animals, they can view the written précis here. I would also like to make it clear that "show-dog breeder" is a generalisation and that there are individual breeders that care very much for the health of their animals and the direction the breed is heading.


It seems that "show-dog" breeders (note the qualification as there is a great difference between those who breed for purported aesthetic purpose and those that breed working dogs) have grown blind to the disfigurement they breed into their dogs, deaf to their cries of pain, and whether they originally had any compassion or empathy with/for the animals is always up for debate.

Some of the breed differences that can be seen from the mid 1800's to their contemporary counterparts. The first is a comparison of a Bull Terrier.




Seeing all the health problems, pain, physical disfigurement, neurological deficits, and who knows what psychological issues (just as well dogs don't possess the ability to express themselves with the spoken word) caused by the depletion of the gene pool due to inbreeding, the only conclusion I can reach is that the human gene pool has reached the critical levels of the 'pedigree' dog. As a result, they have lost the ability to process simple problems, foresee consequences of actions, and employ reasoning and logic, and have strengthened the ability to disregard the pain of another being (one they claim to care deeply for).

I admire people and organisations like Jemima Harrision (and the BBC who have stood by her by refusing to air the Crufts Show), Margaret Carter, Caroline Fowler, Pedigree Petfoods (who withdrew their sponsorship from Crufts) and others like them who have spoken out- on occasion to their detriment- in order to improve the quality of life for these animals.

The Kennel Club, Crufts and all their supporters should be condemned; including and perhaps most of all the president of the British Veterinary Association Nick Blayney who agreed with the Kennel Club about the state of the 'pedigree' - one would think that Mr. Blayney has the training to know better.

Dressed for the Occasion

I went to a psychic night which included a door prize for the most creative hat. My hat was bright, colourful, an interesting shape and above all, gauche. It won, but mainly because the only two other people who'd actually bothered to make a hat were too scared to wear them because they feared looking silly.

I think it pertinent to add here that this event was held in the darkened back street of a country town on a wet and windy night. I'm kinda interested exactly who they thought was going to see them and what it was they feared people might think of them; that they were crazy (remember- psychic night), silly (psychic night), out of touch with reality (psychic night), or any myriad of whacked out things?

So in celebration, I have just this minute decided to start a category/competition for those Dressed for the Occasion. I will enter this guy as the very first- now he knows how to dress appropriately (he was clearly on his way to a sauna night).

Obviously, this guy has set the starting bar extremely high so pretenders need not apply.

I will say though, that Henri Regnault (1843-1871) is a magnificent painter and how he managed to capture all this before the horse had completed it's rear...well what can I say other than, I take my winning psychic hat off to him.

To be Taken Aurally.

What happens when you cross Robert Plant with Chris Cornell? Moments of aural beauty.

I admit for the first 1:10 when I first heard Chris singing Robert's song Thank You I was indifferent to say the least. The moment Chris said rain I realised he had it in the bag and knew exactly where he was going with it.

Chris & Robert, for blessing me this day, I wanna Thank You, Thank You.