First Word -

Oh Vonny that picture is fantastic, the splitting image of Foundy, especially the legs and hair. Reminds me of Dolly.

Sunhine's jokes are classics, thank you for giving me a laugh first thing in the morning.

Nice day coming up Fioundy, may go for a stroll on the Brighton Jetty and study the 'bird life' you so neatly presented.

All have a blessed day.

Foundy said 7000 km Dog Fence to protect sheep, I didn't even know that. Well the distance is somewhat shorter now than the original 8000km but still a formable structure!
Dingo Fence near Coober Pedy.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence. It stretches 5,614 kilometres (3,488 mi)[1] from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight (131° 40' E),[4] near Nundroo. It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states. Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s through which dingo offspring have passed and by increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.

The 2,500 km (1,553 mi) section of the fence in Queensland is also known as the Great Barrier Fence or Wild Dog Barrier Fence 11. It is administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Water. The Wild Dog Barrier Fence staff consists of 23 employees, including two-person teams which patrol a 300 km (186 mi) section of the fence once every week. There are depots at Quilpie and Roma.

This joins the Queensland Border Fence, which stretches for 394 km (245 mi) westwards along the border with New South Wales, into the Strzelecki Desert. The fence passes the point where the three states of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet (Cameron Corner). At this point, it connects with the South Australian Border Fence, which runs for 257 km (160 mi) southwards along the border with New South Wales. It then joins a section known as the Dog Fence in South Australia, which is 2,225 km (1,383 mi) long.[1]

The fence varies in construction. Mostly it is made of 180 cm (5.9 ft) high wire mesh but some sections in South Australia comprise multi-strand electric fence. The fence line on both sides is cleared to a 5 m (5.5 yd) width. Sheep and cattle stations in Australia protected by the fence are astoundingly large. While varying in size, some stations can be larger than some small European countries. One station alone in South Australia lost over 11,000 sheep in a year due to dingo attacks before the completion of the fence. As recently as 1991, one station lost 3000 sheep in a year. Sheep farmers fought back by using poisoning, shooting, and eventually constructing the longest fence in the world. Aerial poison bait drops are still used today.

Parts of the Dingo Fence are lit at night by 86 mm (3.4 in) cold cathode fluorescent lamps which are alternately red and white. They are powered by long life batteries which are charged by photovoltaic cells during the day. A series of gates allow vehicles to pass through the fence.

The earliest pest exclusion fences in Australia were created to protect small plots of cropland from the predation by marsupials. In the 1860s and 1870s, introduced rabbit populations began to spread rapidly across southern Australia. By 1884, a rabbit-proof fence was built. Having been unsuccessful at keeping rabbits out, and more successful at keeping out pigs, kangaroos, emus and brumbies, and as more sheep farms were established, the interest for a dingo-proof barriers increased enough that government funds were being used to heighten and expand the fence. In 1930, an estimated 32,000 km of dog netting in Queensland alone was being used on top of rabbit fences. Prior to 1948, the idea of a Dingo Barrier Fence Scheme had not come into fruition as a statewide project for which annual maintenance and repair were kept. Since this time, there have been pushes to move away from a method of barrier-exclusion to complete extinction of the dingo and wild-dog cross-breeds. Poisoning the species with compound 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) baits has been seen as a much cheaper alternative than fence maintenance. A compromise in the form of the continued use of poison and the shortening of the fence from its previous length of over 8000 km has been made.

It seems that there are fewer kangaroos and emus on the northwestern side of the fence where the dingoes are, suggesting that the dingoes' presence has an impact on the populations of those animals.[10] It has also been suggested that the larger kangaroo populations inside the fence have been caused by the lack of dingo predation, and competition for food leads to lower sheep stocking rates than would be possible without the fence.

Believed to have arrived in Australia between 4,600 and 18,300 years ago, the dingo's status as a native or introduced species in Australia has been a controversy. According to Dr. Mike Letnic, of the University of Sydney, the dingo, as Australia's top predator, has an important role in maintaining the balance of nature and that reintroduced or existing dingo populations could increase biodiversity across more than 2 million square kilometres of Australia (Avolia 2009). Where dingoes had been exterminated, Dr. Letnic found increased abundances of introduced red foxes and herbivores, while small native mammals and grasses were lost. In 2011 the Liberal MP for Stuart, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, called for a $200 bounty on dingos.[12]

Although the fence has helped reduce the loss of sheep to predators, the exclusion of dingoes has allowed for increased pasture competition from rabbits, kangaroos and emus.

Today, the rate at which feral camel are smashing down sections of the fence is fast increasing in Southern Australia. Plans for restructuring the Dog fence to be taller and electric are under process

SURE

Look as if the Dingo's can't get through that!! Great info even for me Dutchy, History is a wonderful think, thank you.

GO

Stroll along and bird watch Is it not going to be 32? Feels like friggen 18 at the moment... What to wear, what to wear !!!

Have an awesome day / night!!!! all.

Headings for the photos in my previous post.
1. Dutchy at the Dog (Dingo) fence in outback South Australia, about 1000 miles inland, very, very harsh desert country, grows nothing.

2. Part of the beautiful "Breakaways" near the Opal Town of Coober Pedy, the Aboriginal people used to live here and one can find all sorts of stony artefacts here. I've found stone axes, spears, knives you name it.

3. My friend's underground house in Coober Pedy. Most people live underground here because of the extreme temperatures (between 40 and 50 degrees) in summer, remarkably the temperature inside the houses stay at 24 degrees all year round.

4. Living room in underground house, note holes in wall, used to store wine bottles.

5. Dutchy working underground and digging for Opal. There are literally hundreds of thousands of mine shafts around Coober Pedy. They are drilled to a depth of about 100 feet and are about 3 feet wide. One gets lowered by a cable attached to the back of a utility, an exercise not for the faint hearted. I love the outback, very harsh yet very beautiful country, have made many camping trips to that area in winter time.

OMG real photos what's with the hat? You look fantastic Dutchy and a worker using his hands Love them, thank you .

I must say I love the table the idea of 1800's dinner down there would be wicked, though I think I would be claustrophobic and have to run up to the real earth

BUT.

To store wine bottles? OMG I'm in haha. You know I love my chardonnay



Oh what about also our wineries ?







If I was to pick my favourite place in Adelaide, it would be the stretch of wineries and cafe's with old style 1800 buildings... Yessum.

Must remember the photos of the lily and the new geraniums planted

Gawd I sound like I'm getting old, na, passion.. Never stop having passion no matter what it is for

KNOWLEDGE


 

All that information about dingo fences and emus threw me into one of those endless thirsts for knowledge. I mentioned croc vs. gator to the hubby, he said barramundi vs. snook. After reading about your fish and my fish I went back to croc vs. gator. There is a difference. 
There's the obvious differences. The shape of the head and teeth.
 Alligators tend to have wide, U-shaped, rounded snouts, while crocodiles tend to have longer, more pointed, V-shaped snouts.
You can see more teeth on a crocodile when it's jaw is closed.
... Then there's habitat.
All crocodiles have special glands in their tongues that can get rid of excess salt, so they tend to live in saltwater habitats such as mangrove swamps and estuaries. Alligators do not have these glands, so they prefer to live in freshwater habitats.
Twenty three different species of these giant lizards, though, these general rules don't always apply—there are exceptions! For examples, mugger crocodiles Crocodilis palustris have a broad snout like an alligator, while some subspecies of caiman have a narrow V-shaped snout.


 

Dutchy, those pictures are too cool! The underground living arrangements are brilliant! Such innovation and history on all accounts. 
Are those solar panels?
I'd love to see pictures of some opal you found. Particularly spear points.  
I'm a sucker for shiny rocks and artifacts. If/when I get out there to y'alls lovely land, will you take me out there? Rock-hounding is the best. I'll have to dig out some spear point pictures.
Your incredible story too! Reminds me of when I got lost in Arkansas, crystal mining. 
... I'm gonna look for some Aussie wine today at the store. What was that kind you mentioned before Dutchy? I think I wrote it down... >.<

I didn't see any bear last night. I did some some happy, frolicking, doe deer. 
They were so pretty and fun to watch. That's another thing about the hunting that gets me ... Probably why there are tears to shed when one goes down. We watch them for a long time. With our eyes, with lots of cameras, track their movements, their lives ... All year. We even name them ... Eh, circle of life.

Oh. Foundy - wisteria is a vine. A very, very, aggressive vine. The wild wisteria we have around here has to stay in the woods. You don't want one in your garden. They can literally crush a house... I guess there is Chinese wisteria, a little less aggressive but still needs to be watched. Lol. Craziness. Pretty but, mean.
Witchy woman, are you going to document your geraniums growth via picture taking? (: 
I gotta run. So much to say, so little time. Vonny, red/orange flower picture please ... Or you as a hippy with flowers in your hair. (;

Care for yourself, mind your intuition. Take care.
-ss

Post.Script.
Foundy, do you want another picture for your blonde collection?

 

Sunshine said, "I love rock hunting, will you take me there"? This is what you can find in the outback, a Stone Axe used by the Aboriginal people the original occupants of Australia for thousands of years.

Wow, Dutchy, incredible photos. Great to have memories of such super places. Underground houses - not sure if I could live like that, but in those temperatures it makes sense! You look good in the photos - very 'Australian' - especially with the big hat!

Sunshine - here's the Landaff Bishop - but you must have seen it when you visited the garden site - Foundy, you 'saw' it too, but more telepathy there, I think.



Just a flying visit - busy busy busy again today - but here for long enough to say Hi to absent friends - Sturgis, Glitterbag, Bill - and sweet Spades. I wish healing for your leg, Sturgis - and for your migraine Glitterbag - and for your bashfulness, Bill. Spades, I wish you a safe passage to wherever you go!

Hugs x

Hi vonny I stuffed up again with my photos. I was posting another 3 photos just before you posted yours, all typed up and when I pressed the butten one lone photo appeared with no story. I don't know where I'm going wrong or is A2K to blame??????

Anyway that lone photo was meant for Sunshine as she collects roc k samples etc. I'm holding a Stone Axe located at the "Breakaways" in outback South Australia. The original inhabitants of Australia, the Aboriginals lived here for thousands of years and left lots of stone tools behind. Today these artefacts are protected and are not to be removed from the area.

Dutchy being lowered into an Opal miner shaft. Just hanging by a cable and going down a very narrow and dark shaft is quite an experience believe you me.
The second photo refers to a typical outback character, Karl Bratz, a poor Dutch Opal miner with a German name, this is a true story! In 1992 Karl was dying of cancer, so he decided to throw one last big party for the whole of the town of Coober Pedy. He had no money, so went to the Bank and obtained a credit card. The party was a huge success and fully paid for by credit card, many thousands of dollars! By the time the Bank wanted its money Karl had passed away and they got zilch and had to bite their lip.
The locals being grateful for Karl's generosity buried him in the local cemetery with a Beer Keg as his headstone on which they wrote the epitah "Have a beer on me" Karl Bratz 1940 - 1992.

Yes, but I can grow them in pots, We have them here or like this



Maybe it's a different form ? But here, it's just one long, thin trunk and the beautiful flowers and leaves, just hanging down...



Von good morning !



This would be more like me



Fascinating really. Animals, you learn something new everyday. Great history lesson, actually sat here with my coffee and concentrated on that info and that of the mines, wish I had more time to look things up, but the Croc... Scary little buggers .



Yep I can see the difference.



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Opals are so beautiful.

Dutchy what an interesting life you have had - a real Aussie And seems you and Daisy have some things in common re Mother Earth.

Actually we all do as then there is gardening

Yep, it will take forever for those flowers to grow but I'll take a photo of the little tackers as the colours are awesome.. Promise I'll stop also breaking off pieces on my walks NOT Witchy woman.. I don't mind that at all



One has to be careful in Coober Pedy

I found some red pots for your garden Von






I found Bill and Sturgis too horsing around

AND all this glitter!!!









My two favourite wild animals.



Your breakfast Dutchy?

Speaking of which, this fascinates me, so many people don't eat breakfast and then the decision of what to eat, cereal, toast, eggs.

What's your usual breakfast? If you eat one..

How you doing Sturgis? Bill?

I'd worked out what it was from previous posts! Great photo! Look forward to seeing more.

Fascinating to find such artifacts - not surprised they are protected nowadays - a great part of Australia's history.

Foundy, dear friend, you've been a busy girl! Wow, some great photos - and so many! Hey, you've been in my kitchen - looks suspiciously like my saute pan!



Red pots for the garden - mmmmm - not so sure, I let nature do the colour - I just provide dull earth colours in stone and earthenware. But thanks for the thought - might use them to line the driveway - that is rather dull and boring - could do with a touch of red!!!

Bye for now - late here and must reply to some e-mails - see you soon!

BEHOLD

Uh oh, sorry to shock everybody but I made it through the round of antibiotics! I'm back (at least in some vague mirage like way).

Things are looking good...although I see Vonny has purchased my cookware! Yes, my skillets and sauce pans are red. Oh go on now, who is really surprised that I'd have red cookware? It goes well with the 2 red chairs I have just outside the kitchen (it's New York City, most kitchens can't hold much more than the basics, definitely not seating and tables).

Someone asked a time back if I'd been to Sturgis. Yes and no. I have never been to the motorcycle one in South Dakota, however I have been to the one in Michigan.
www.sturgismi.gov
The lovely and stylish City Hall





Okay. So I saw yes they do have brooms there and for Dutchy they have Dolly's music played on the radio.

That's all for now.

DUCTHY WROTE OMG that's theft

Well way to go Karl.. Banks make enough money off of people so I say WAY TO GO... Love the spirit.

EVENING.

Von Love your red saucepans.

Wait, be back I need a Chardy and a Cig. You can wait ? I will be back.

OKAY I was like gone for 2 minutes.

Dutchy thank YOU actually all of you for sharing stories and funnies.

History is awesome. Daisy / Glitter / Bill where are you? Spades we miss you.

Sturgis!!! Ah behold in-deed

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad it worked somewhat. What the is going on with red, you do know both of you, Von, it's a power colour

The City Hall is actually my dream house and you never know. Today, I was "lucky" ? Received 3 land sales and 5 appraisals, all referred which means OH DEAR.. 12 houses/land to sell, plus rentals, plus make over shop, plus accounting, plus, marketing, plus data entry, plus, never mind.. My dream is coming true all be it all the work.....Oh and the new website.

ANYWAY.

I'm having that house one day, but over in Aussie Land

DREAM.

Maybe.

GOALS.

Go for it. All of you, GO FOR IT.

Thank you for the welcome OFF COURSE WE LOVE STRUGIS But be careful, now Dutchy WILL try harder with the girls Just kidding Dutchy you know I love you heaps and others too x

SPECIAL.

Off course they have brooms there Sturgis PFTTTTTTTT

MIRACLE.

So... Ruby hasn't been doing well. Not taking his tablets, hiding them in fact, upper lip... Not doing number 2 that I can tell, lumps are huge not going down... AND so we made the decision...

BOOKED.

Tomorrow at 10-30am.

BLESS

David, he arranged it with his fav Vet. And, I am working, so I couldn't be there he rang his step dad to help... as Rubes has to go into the gardens, has to. His Mother also arranged to come over.

MIRACLE.

Rubes hasn't eaten full, it hurts. Mopes.

MIRACLE.

Came home tonight (2 days after we tried medication that he wouldn't take) and this morning I got it all down his throat and last night if it was the last thing I was going to do.. And.

HE greeted me at the door, went to play with a toy, ran out and did his wee, came in and grabbed a toy, started playing with his face as he used to so funny to see that, wagged his tail.. When Rawaii was out with Kia, he was at the door barking at him, something he hasn't been able to do.

PHONE CALL

Cancel the Vet.

I gave him his tablets in wrapped ham, whalla took them all.. No worries. I gave him can food added pasta, lamb, chicken, and an egg. Whalla he ate it all and then a second helping.

AND

Then I took him outside, and he did an number two not the best but he did one and before that I noted he actually has been doing them, not good but more than I thought, I thought none.

CANCEL

So, it's about quality of life. He was playing, eating, doing his thing... And so... he gets another life, a different one as he's dying... He has 1,2,3,4 weeks but he gets another life because where I thought he was showing that it's time mum... He changed his mind and said, I wanna stay mum.

Whilst the lumps haven't gone down he can eat, do number 2 better. So they are going down what would I know. No snoring whilst awake and can jump onto the bed. He gets a second life.

Now let us hope that he dies in his sleep wonderful thought yes?

MIRACLE.

I am in shock ..................but happy .

NOW

It's friggen late I am starving, it's 737 pm long day another tomorrow, usually day off but not with these new listings and appointments.

Keep smiling, .................................................

aSTURGIS

Love the Sturgis City Hall! I bet the kitchens there were pretty spacious before it became a municipal property. How I miss old houses - born and brought up in Georgian and Victorian houses, I find my present home - a 1950's three bedroom semi - very 'snug' in comparison. Ah well, one day ............. But on second thoughts, with the price of fuel in England these days - perhaps small makes more sense? I wouldn't like to be heating a six or eight bedroomed house in the current financial climate - yikes!

Looked for a town called Von - found a couple of small places in Texas and Tennessee, but no imposing City Halls or mugs - there may be broomsticks though, and I'm sure they'll be playing Dolly's music somewhere there!

Red - oh yes - I forgot - you are another red aficionado! No red chairs in or near the kitchen - just black and chrome - but plenty of red touches, like red and white drying cloths, a red kitchen timer, red chopping boards, red cooking utensils, red mixer and mixing bowl - great fun! I'm no domestic goddess, but I do like my surroundings to look good!



or perhaps (my favourite) a Clive Christian kitchen - you could always add a few red touches?



Hi Foundy, some Chardonnay for you - enjoy!



and a flower arrangement to brighten your day!

WOW

I was looking at kitchens and daydreaming about which one to choose - sigh - if I could afford it - red or ................ by which time you'd posted! Great news about Ruby - more days - any days - so wonderful that he's recovered enough to get a reprieve! HOPE for lots of days - little miracles DO happen!

OMG I am torn between those kitchens, I love red. My investment property, the kitchen and lounge have red, and one bedroom but, but, we also have chandeliers torn, I tell you.

And, the old, verses the new? I think I still like the old.

Mr Ruby seems to still be the boss. He gets to decide. And he did Shocked the shirt out of me, like WT? Playing? Everything is on hold... If he can eat seconds, and play he can play another day, or two, three, four, hopefully more .

Thanks my friend.

And, all that PM'd me as well

Still also waiting for everyone's fav breakfast

PLEASE

Will do mine tomorrow to late, It's dinner time not breakfast

BREAKFAST

1st Day - Fresh glass of Orange Juice., then fried eggs and tomato on toast well peppered no salt, followed by a mug of coffee.

2nd Day. Fresh glass of Orange juice, hot porridge, followed by mug of coffee.

3rd Day. Fresh glass of Orange juice. 3 weet-bix and thinned milk, followed by mug of coffee.

4th Day. Fresh glass of Urange juice, 4 white slices of bread with small goods like, liver wurst, togue wurst, salami etc, followed by mug of coffee.

5th Day. Fresh glass of Orange juice, hard boiled egg, 4 slices of toast with cheese and tomato, followed by mug of coffee.

6th Day. Fresh glass of Orang juice, 4 slices of white bread with various Dutch spreads, like hazelnut chocolate, hail and honey, followed by mug of coffee.

7th Day. Glass of Orange juice, 2 slices of toast with fried German or Dutch sausages, followed by a mug of coffee.

All simple meals, different each day and nourishing.