Saturday, May 31, 2014

SATURDAY'S WILD CATS

The BENGAL TIGER is a mammal and carnivore with an average life span in the wild of 8 to 10 years.  Its size, head and body, can range from 5 to 6 feet (1.5-1.8m); tail 2 to 3 feet (0.6-0.9m).  It can weigh from 240 to 500 lbs (109-227 kg).  This is the range of the Bengal tiger.  It is an endangered species.


Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.  There were eight subspecies at one time, but three became extinct during the 20th century.  Over the past 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger populations from hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 2,500.  Tigers are hunted as trophies, and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine.  All five remaining tiger species are endangered. and many protection programmes are in place.


Bengal tigers live in India and are sometimes called Indian tigers.  They are the most common tiger and number about half of all wild tigers.  Over many centuries they have become an important part of Indian tradition and lore.  Tigers live along and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away.  They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals.  Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes).  They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce.  A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in one night, though they usually eat less.


Despite their fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans; however, a few do become dangerous maneaters.  These animals are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or live in an area where their traditional prey has vanished.


Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male.  Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory.



The above information was found on the National Geographic website.  The photographs were free.


Friday, May 30, 2014

FRIDAY FROLICS

This is the final lot of animal pics.  It's strange how animals can always make you smile even if at times humans can't. What would we do without them?   Did we see those two goats before perhaps?








Take the smiles with you into the weekend and have an enjoyable one.





Thursday, May 29, 2014

THURSDAY THOUGHTS

Lots of thinking been going on of late about so many things but at last everything seems to be falling into place.  Looking back on the past week has come up with many good things so smiles all round right now.

1.  Phil had a tooth break a couple of months back and went to the dental clinic earlier this month for a checkup.  He now has an appointment on 5 June so that is "right" for him.  We are so fortunate in not having to pay for dental care as it is subsidised by our state government and the balance is paid by HBF (our private health insurer).

2.  I recently had a tooth come off my top plate and fortunately was able to see a dentist at the clinic same day as Phil.  I now have appointment for 10 June when hopefully they can fix that missing tooth or reline my bottom plate for me or something.  I have strong hair, bones and nails but my teeth were chalky and just didn't last the distance by many, many years.  It will be a 'right' it they can do something to make my mouth more comfortable in future.  Teeth seem to cause trouble for some people from when they begin to 'come through' as a baby and even still do after they've gone.

3.  Phil had a liver scan following his chest x-ray but all is well so whatever the 'spot' was is nothing to worry about so another 'right' for us there.

4.  We are still getting lots of rain and that is a big 'right' for all of us over here but boy are the weeds loving it.  Showing their appreciation all over the garden and our 'man' didn't turn up last week with his whipper snipper so the garden is well and truly green but not the green we really want although the lawn is growing again so I guess we can't complain. Heard on the news last night that Perth has had more than its average autumn rainfall so far which is great.  It will be officially winter here next Sunday, 1st June, with slightly higher than normal temperatures forecast, both minimum and maximum, which will be interesting.  I prefer colder weather but others don't so at least that news should make them happy.

5.  Darling daughter tells me she has lost even more weight which is a big 'right' for her and for us as we always love to see her doing well.

6.  A visit to Jenny (physio) this week really helped my left shoulder and ribs on that side so a lot of the ache has gone from that area which is a relief.  It hurt like crazy (tears in eyes this time) but as they say 'no pain, no gain' and in this case that was very true.  Lots more work to be done on other areas but gently does it and I definitely will try to move more, hurt or not hurt.  I must do it.  I really must.

7.  As I told you yesterday, I really enjoyed our afternoon out and that 'right' had me feeling great for the rest of the day and has followed me into today so still smiling.  Simple pleasures are always good.

8.  The clock is still gently ticking this morning so now I have to try and get the key to turn so I can wind it up when it stops.  It has even given a little 'chime' occasionally but that probably also needs winding up.  When I first tried the hands wouldn't move but they are turning now after some gentle persuasion.  Seems a tiny thing but, in my life, something like that is quite momentous and very 'right'.  More smiles there too.

9.  .....and at last.   The new carpet will be laid on 4th June!!!  That is the 'right' we've been waiting for and now it is actually going to happen.  Phil managed to get some boxes so now we have to pack up our books and other items and on 3rd June move out the small furniture to be ready for the men who I am told will be here between 10am and noon which is a good time for us.

As you can see it has been a much better week all round and I am determined not to get 'down' again like I did recently.    I hope your week has treated you well

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WEDNESDAY WANDERINGS

Not a significant 'wandering' compared with many in past years, but today Phil and I travelled down to Rockingham (about a 40 minute drive) to meet my late friend Judy's son Richard for lunch.  This may not sound like very much but, apart from about 3 or 4 visits to family this year, this was my first outing of the year.  "Gee", I thought to myself "that is truly pathetic!", and I guess it is but when all your close friends are gone or live too far away to pop in for a cuppa and it's not all that much fun 'going for a drive' these days, you have trouble in thinking where to go.


Anyway we met at the old Rockingham pub and all three of us enjoyed a delicious meal.  Phil had grilled baramundi, chips and salad with a red wine, Richard had a dish of Thai Prawns (with chilli) and a light beer and I had good old BANGERS AND MASH!!!   Three non greasy sausages, creamy mashed potato with an onion sauce and a vegetables.   A really filling meal and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  (Just soup and toast for tea tonight).  I also had a gin squash which is a drink I'd not had for years but it didn't quite taste as I remembered so perhaps something else next time.

We sat and chatted about this and that for about an hour after we'd finished eaten (I had taken with me some genealogical work to do with Richard's family which we also discussed) and then decided we'd walk down to the 'front' and have a coffee.

We were amazed at how many shops were closed (perhaps they close in the winter months) but found a coffee shop and sat at one of the outside tables as the sun was brightly shining then and was quite warm.    This is of course 'old' Rockingham right on the ocean, and not the huge Rockingham Shopping Centre several kilometres south of there.

Half an hour later a light shower came over so we had to get under cover and walk back to the cars.  It was probably not more than a 5 minute walk for an able bodied person but, even using my walker it was far enough for me.  I really should try to walk more and now the weather has cooled down I intend to do so even if it is only for 5 minutes.  They say if you don't use it then you lose it and I'm hoping I've not completely lost it already.

Before leaving for the drive home Richard showed us through the camper van he recently bought. It is a large converted Post Office van and is beautifully fitted out and he is currently using it as his home which he says saves him about $300/week in rent.  As a single man it makes a lot of sense.

When we got home I noticed Phil had left the RP7 on the front table so I fetched the old mantel clock and asked him to spray the workings for me.  I took the clock inside and for about half an hour I kept the pendulum swinging back and forth, restarting it when it stopped, until eventually it is working on its own.  I've had this clock that belonged to mum since 1985 and it has never gone but now it's actually ticking.  I am not sure how long it will go for, but I feel it is such an achievement and maybe I will be able to find a clockmaker who can fix it up completely.  It's been a dream to have this clock restored so perhaps now I will be able to do just that.  More about that at a later date but the outing the clock have made my day for me.

I have a feeling we may be off to Rockingham quite a few more times during the winter/spring weather before it get too hot again.   I just feel so refreshed after being out for the afternoon, quite revitalised in fact.


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

TELLING IT ON TUESDAY (Part 20) 1963-1965)

When I concluded part 19a I admitted things at home weren't not all that cheery on the home front, with me feeling a real lack of confidence and my daughter decidedly unhappy with the treatment she was receiving from her father.  Today it is more or less about life in general but I guess that's the way life goes most of the time so perhaps just a tad boring.   Sorry if it is but here goes:

It was February, 1963 when Steven began his primary schooling at North Perth Primary School where his sister was now in Grade 3.  The children were still being driven to school in the taxi my mother hired each morning to go to her CAB office and with Steven being so terribly shy, poor mum had at times to gently pry his hands from the rail in the back of the cab as he feared getting out and confronting other children. He was doing quite well at school and from what is known he was never bullied at all.  I think it was just the thought of that walk through the gate of the school and not perhaps knowing just who would be there.  Once he was with his friends he seemed to be quite OK.

Karen on the other hand, so my mum told me, would walk up the school path quite regally acknowledging her friends as she passed.  Karen always looked so nice and, even though she perhaps wasn't the extrovert she appeared to be, she carried herself very well which gave the impression of her being in complete control of herself and her surroundings.  This is a photo of Karen with her Grade 3 fellow students at North Perth Primary School.  Karen is second from the left in the front row and is wearing that dress of which she was so fond.  My thanks to Karen for emailing me this photo when requested.  I would prefer to have shown it larger but it would then take up too much space but you can enlarge it by clicking on it if you wish to do so.  It is well worth doing so as it is a really lovely photo of the children taken way back in 1963 and incidentally the lady on the far right at the back is the junior school Headmistress, Miss Thackerah, who was also the Grade 3 teacher.


I was quite surprised when I received the copy of the photo at just how many of the girls I remembered as being Karen's friends.   A number of the children were from migrant families whose parents had not been in Australia very many years.  Phil commented, when looking at the photo, that there seemed to be far more girls than boys in the photo.  I must ask Karen about that when I see her as I can only count 7 boys in the group.

When Steven was in Grade 1 he was of course minus a few front teeth as is often the case with kiddies of that age.  In the back garden at Walcott Street in June, 1963 when he was 6 years 9 months:


Murders terrify the city of Perth.  From 1959 through to 1963 there were a series of violent crimes, eight of which resulted in deaths.  At this time people seldom locked their back doors nor did they bother locking their cars and would actually leave the keys in them.   All these crimes were committed by one man....Eric Cooke who was eventually hanged at Fremantle Prison on 26th October, 1964.  It is known he would 'borrow' a person's car and return it without the owner being aware that it had gone, unless there was actual damage to said car.  Cooke was sometimes involved in hit-and-runs driving someone else' car but would still return the car despite the damage. 

At this time people would also often sleep on their front verandahs in hot weather and I remember one afternoon hearing on the radio that people should discontinue this practice because of the danger of a man going to houses randomly and shooting the person who came to their front door. When I heard this I sent Karen around the corner where a family who lived in Venn Street had six children some of whom did sleep on their front verandah.  I hated the thought of something happening to any one of them.   These events made everyone very nervous and it was with relief that we learned that Eric Cooke had been taken into custody.  He confessed to several crimes, including eight murders and fourteen attempted murders.  He also confessed to more than 250 burglaries and had a phenomenal memory of the items he had stolen including the number and denominations of the coins he had stolen.  This was a very black time in Perth's history and one that not only shocked but, in many ways, also stole our innocence, if that is the right way to put it. I think we certainly changed our ways after that episode.  Previously, Perth had been rather a peaceful place where we had all felt safe.

Karen and Steven continued to do well at school and I became involved in making items for the school fete.  The head mistress of the lower school, Miss Thackerah, did not believe in a Parent's and Citizen's committee C but preferred to call a few mums together once a year and plan events for the school fete each year.  I remember sewing quite a few items and also knitting and quite enjoyed being involved in doing so.

The Rosemount Theatre where I used to go to the Saturday night pictures with mum and dad when I was 15 - 16 closed and became a 10 pin bowling alley, one of the first in Perth.  It was owned by a Mr Guerin who was often at the bowl when we played there.  It only had 8 lanes because of the limited width of the building; it was run by a young woman called Vera and the mechanical side was managed by Fred.    I enquired about playing and was told they were beginning a ladies league on Tuesday mornings with five ladies to at team, a total of 40 players in the league.   I met a mother and daughter (both their names were Norma) who wanted to join a team, so we needed two other people to make up the number.  I asked Aub's Auntie Min (who played lawn bowls in the summer months) if she would like to play and she agreed and brought with her a bowling friend whose name I regret to say I've forgotten.  None of us had played 10 pin bowls before but we hit it off personally and were never critical of each other's games.    I have several 10 pin bowling trophies but it's the only 'sport' I ever excelled at although, through the years, I did play tennis and badminton and of course lots of yachting when a teenager.  Those trophies are now in a box somewhere in a cupboard but I was very proud of them at the time and I guess I still am.


As a family we had several holidays on Rottnest Island.  Twice we shared a house with Aub's Uncle Bert and Auntie Min, and on one occasion when we were holidaying there at Easter and extending our holiday by a couple of weeks, Karen and Steven attended the little school on the island.  I think they began at about 8  a.m. and finished at about 2 p.m. so the children could still enjoy their holiday with their family.  It was on one holiday that Karen learned to ride a bike (you could hire them on the island or take your own on the ferry when you crossed from the mainland).   This is Auntie Min and me on Rottnest Island in 1962 and yes, I just may be holding a cigarette in my right hand:


On another Rottnest holiday I had to fly back to Perth as it was the 10 pin bowling final on the Tuesday.  I flew to Perth on a MacRobertson Miller DC3 the pilot of which happened to be a personal friend of Aub's family and during the short flight the hostess asked me to go up to the cockpit.  I felt quite important, as you can imagine, and it was quite an adventure seeing what our coast looked like 'from the front seat'.


Arrived at the airport, caught a taxi to the Rosemount Bowl, joined my teammates and we all played so well that we won the final and were very thrilled with ourselves and were later presented with our trophies.   I had arranged for my youngest niece, Wendy, to fly back with me to Rottnest Island so that night she stayed with me and we flew to the island the following morning.

I have been madly searching for photos of:  1.  Karen riding that bike on Rottnest and 2. of Wendy and me walking from the plane when we arrived on the island.  I suddenly realised that Aub had not long before bought himself a movie camera so most photos from then on are on Super 8 film which I do not have. I will go through the photos I have and may be do a part b to show them at a later date.

From here on life gets a little complicated so after I've sorted it out into some kind or chronological order I will begin Part 21.  No more of the glamour of my teenage years but just life as it happens.





Monday, May 26, 2014

MONDAY MARVELS

I've been murmuring about too many things late so instead of bringing my thoughts to you (which by the way are quite confused at times with everything that has been going on) I found a few items which I found quite amazing so thought "why not share them instead?"  Hope your week has begun well and will continue that way.







I don't know about you, but the story about the baby elephant brought tears to my eyes.  I do hope he survived to have a good life.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

SUNDRIES on SUNDAY

I haven't as yet decided if there is a theme I can run with in place of the A-Z of dogs so will for the moment pick different things whether they me animal, plant or mineral.  This is one I am certainly glad we don't have in Western Australia although I am sure there are some such other nasties out there somewhere.

CLASS: Insecta;  ORDER: Hymenoptera;  FAMILY: Formicidae;  GENUS: Myrmecia;
SPECIES gulosa

The RED BULL ANT (also known as the Giant Bull Ant) is one of the largest species of ants in the world.  They have a venomous sting that is capable of causing severe pain for a day or two.  Red bull ants have yellowish mandibles, a reddish-brown head, thorax and front part of the abdomen.  The rear half of the gaster (the bulbous part at the rear of the abdomen) is black.  The head is slightly broader than it is long and the mandibles are long and fairly straight with twelve teeth (the third, fifth, seventh and ninth teeth are longer and sharper than the others).  The queen is similar to the workers but larger and more robust.


The sizes of this ant are - Worker 14mm-26mm; queen 27mm-29mm.

The red bull ant is carnivorous and feeds on invertebrates including other species of ant, and prey larger than themselves such as bees.

Red bull ants build underground nests with extensive networks of tunnels and the nest entrance concealed by dirt and plant debris.  The entrance is often guarded by two or three ants.


These ants are found in south-east Queensland and eastern New South Wales.


Oh, perhaps not a good choice for a Sunday but I guess every creature has its place and this chap decided to pop in today.  Hope your weekend has been going well for you.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

SATURDAY's WILD CATS

The AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT (Profelis aurata) is a shy, solidly built cat inhabiting the forests of equatorial Africa.  They are so shy that no dens with kittens have been studied in the wild and very few have been raised in captivity making them difficult to research.  This cat frequently occupies the same territories as the Leopard, hence their common name "The Leopard's Brothers".  They are arboreal and have been seen in field studies resting on lower branches of trees during the day.  This striking animal is usually found in the rainforests, but they also inhabit drier woodlands as long as they are near water.  They are known to inhabit high mountainous areas up to 3,600 metres living in alpine moorlands, sub-alpine and bamboo forests.


These cats are typically found in two different colours - red or gray which were once thought to be two different species.  Their cheeks, chin, and under parts are whitish in colour with their belly and inner sides of limbs marked with a variable amount of dark spotting.  Body colouring ranges from chestnut through fawn to silver, with varying marking: spotted all over, spots on the back and neck, no patterns except on flanks. and no pattern except for their belly.  The African Golden Cat's head is realtively small sporting a large muzzle, with beautiful eye colouration with irises from green to golden brown; their ears are rounded with black backsides.  Melanistic individuals have been known to occur.  They grow to approximately 31 inches in length with a 12 inch tail.  They generally weigh between 12 and 35 lbs.  The males are typically larger than the females.


Their prey consists of rodents, monkey, duiker, hyrax, other small ungulates and a variety of birds usually taken by stalking and rushing at ground level.    They are known to scavenge other predator's kills.  They are also the prey of leopards.  Fortunately, these cats adapt well to logged areas which provide a dense secondary undergrowth which they favour.  This type of man-made 'edge environments' contain a high density of rodents.  However, primary forests without human disturbance is their optimal habitat.  They rank high in the local religious beliefs of the Cameroon pygmy tribesmen who carry their tail as a talisman to protect them when hunting elephants.  It is said that their fur is so valued for tribal robes, it is not usually traded by the indigenous people.  In fact, these cats are so prized by the locals, these same tribesmen will not reveal their location to researchers.


In Uganda's Bwindi National Park eradiction of the Leopard has left the African Golden Cat the dominant carnivorous predator in that area.  Hunting is prohibited in only 12 of this cat's 26 range countries at present.

Conservation Status:  Present Status and Population unknown.  African golden cats are currently protected under Apppendix II of CITES, Endangered Species Act.  Their main predators are man and larger carnivores occupying the same territory.


The majority of this information was obtained from www.tigerhomes.org while photos came from various sources.











Friday, May 23, 2014

FLOWERY FRIDAY

I do hope you have enjoyed the flowers over the past few weeks.  I thought them beautiful enough to share and I hope they did bring smiles to your faces as you admired them and their lovely colours.  Maybe next week we will find some more funnies for you. I'll do my best anyway.

We had some daisies like this in our garden several years ago but they have now reverted to just ordinary daisy petals although the colours are still very pretty.


Did you recognise any, or perhaps all, of these flowers?  Hope your weekend goes well for you.  We are very happy here in Perth as we had RAIN, yes real rain.  About 2 inches (50mm) at our place which had smiles on our faces (and no thunderstorms which was even better for yours truly).

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

WHERE AM I?

I am here but getting nowhere fast.  Do you know that feeling perhaps?  Lots to do and not getting it done.  We should be having the carpet laid next week and it is the one of our choice too.  Not sure how the carpet firm managed it, but manage it they did.  So glad too as the one the insurance company chose was dreadful and one I doubt anyone would want unless it was for perhaps a verandah that was going to have constant traffic on it.  Really hard.   Now we have to pack up all the books and other items in the three bookcases but do you think we can find boxes.  Asked at several store but no luck.  Phil is off again to ask again.  Also have to move small furniture but that's not a problem.

Pest control here next Tuesday to do their annual inspection so had to work that in before new carpet as they do make a bit of a mess 'cos of the insulation bits that come down with them after they inspect the part between the ceilings and the roof.  We are fortunate that all the timber is jarrah which white ants aren't all that keen on and also the stumps under the house are capped.  $190 this year for the inspection and we are going to make sure they do everything on their list as sometimes I think they are a little careless and don't check everything, i.e. door frames, skirting boards etc.

I'm afraid my head is spinning and I have to try and sit still and gather my thoughts and get a hold of myself, and get on with everything.

I will be back with Telling it on Tuesday, hopefully next week, but need to find photographs and put them in some kind of order and that too will take time as the albums are among the things that also need to be moved out of the living room.  I may bring them out here where at least I can get to them.

Do I sound muddled up?  I guess it's because I feel that way.  Once when I was able to move around without a problem none of this would have got to me but these days five minutes and I have to sit down to ease my back and everything has to be done ever so slowly.  An hour's job can take me half a day which makes me feel ever so useless at times.  Thank goodness for Phil; he is ever so patient with me when I get in a tizz.

I am still popping in to check my favourite blogs even if not leaving comments each time but you can rest assured I am still round the place..somewhere.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

SATURDAY CATS

ASIATIC CHEETAH:  Scientific name: Acinonyx fubalus venaticus.

The Asiatic cheetah is a Critically Endangered big cat.  Also known as the Iranian cheetah, it is estimated that there are less than 100 cats currently living in the wild.  It once lived in India, Afghanistan, Arabia and Pakistan.  Now there are only small groups in various Iranian reserves, with occasionally sightings in Pakistan.  It is one of only three wild cats that can be found in Iran.


The Asiatic cheetah is generally believed to have separated from African cheetahs somewhere between 32,000 and 67,000 years ago.  More recent research places the separation at 5,000 years ago.  Young cats were often captured in the wild, tamed and trained to hunt by Indian nobility.


This cat can grow (from head to body) up to 4.5 feet long with a tail almost 3.5 feet in length.  Their heads are smaller than African cheetahs.  The cat's fur is tan with black spots and they also have a stripe that runs from the corner of the eyes to the nose and mouth area.


They prefer open habitats, such as plains and deserts. although some Iranian cheetahs can be found in more rugged, mountain-like terrain.  Most of the remaining cats can be found in five sanctuaries:  Touran National Park; Daranjir Wildlife Reserve; Naybandan Wildlife Reserve; Kavir National Park and Bafq Protected Area.


Cheetahs will establish a territory.  Females will frequently travel, sometimes for very long distances.  They primarily prey on gazelle, but will also eat wild goats, sheep and hare.


Cheetah males will seek out females for mating at approximately one year of age and females begin to mate at two years of age.  The males have a low sperm count, resulting in a low number of cheetah births.  The gestation period is 90 to 100 days and female cheetahs can have up to 9 cubs, but most will end up dying due to predators.


The mother cheetah will take care of her cubs and travel with them until they reach 1 to 1.5 years of age. After the  mother leaves, the young females will go off on their own but the males will stay together or, in the case of only one or two males, join another group of males.

The Asiatic cheetah's near extinction is the result of hunting, loss of prey, human conflict and loss of habitat.

Information from bigcatwildcats.com;  pictures from Google.


Friday, May 16, 2014

MORE FRIDAY FUN

I needed something to smile about this morning and then I found these cats and hope they bring a smile to your face as well.  Once again, no descriptions required.


Once again, carry your smile into the weekend and have a happy one.