Kevin's Watch

Wombats are so cute, but to my mind they're also on the exotic side, and it's difficult to imagine them as basically the Australian equivalent of skunks or raccoons.

Well we do have wombats that are up to 84 pounds or 38 kg .. well at least one and at 29 years of age, Patrick is the world's oldest and largest known living common Wombat ... so yeah about half the size of a tiger

But there are no tigers down under .. well apart from the Tassie tiger

They are lovable pests .. but weigh far more on the lovable side so long as they havent dug up your foundations to YOUR habitat

They do flatten my flower beds .. and have dug under a garden shed but Id never kill them or remove them. We try and live around them .. afterall they were definitely here first

Fortunately they dont spray or make a racket like raccoons and possums. We have possums here but they are really cute little guys that are possessed by a native demonic source .. its true .. just listen to them at night ...... shudders

Stuck on a plane on the tarmac. Been here 32 minutes past scheduled departure.
People are getting off it as they are going to miss their connecting flights.
The guy behind me keeps hitting my seat out of frustration.
Life is too short to get so pissed off. I call ahead and tell my first meeting that I need to reschedule in my best calm voice.
Others start to calm down. We are funny fellows.

Kizza wrote: The guy behind me keeps hitting my seat out of frustration.

That would annoy me far more than being stuck on the plane in the first place.

Sorus wrote:

Kizza wrote: The guy behind me keeps hitting my seat out of frustration.

That would annoy me far more than being stuck on the plane in the first place.

He calmed down after he heard me speak on the phone.....
Before I made the phone call I did turn around and gave him a confused look though.

Skyweir wrote:..so yeah about half the size of a tiger

Well, maybe a bit less than half, since male tigers can get up to 300kg...

--A

Yeah ok mr specifics nazi

And life is too short to get pissed off about a first world problem like a delayed departure .. as frustrating as that may indeed be

I mean how would they react in a real world crisis?

I reckon save your big gun reactions for something worth a hissy fit ..

Yeah Sorus that would be annoy me more than being stuck on a plane too. I mean worse case scenario you have to do as Kizza did .. "reschedule" or miss an arranged meeting.

Kizza wrote:

Sorus wrote:

Kizza wrote: The guy behind me keeps hitting my seat out of frustration.

That would annoy me far more than being stuck on the plane in the first place.

He calmed down after he heard me speak on the phone.....
Before I made the phone call I did turn around and gave him a confused look though.

Like, "Oh, sorry - I thought you were a five-year-old"?

Fortunately I have my tongue on a pretty tight leash, and I generally just think things very loudly in their general direction. Some folks...

Sky, I haven't had any wombats round our parts. We do have a fox and hare/rabbits battle going on in our neighbourhood/neck of the woods, but I havent noticed a massive problem with rabbit holes to this point.
What I have noticed is what the neighbourhood koalas have done to the trees, primarily gum trees, and specifically the Ghost Gum trees. Climbing up and down them they tear the trees to shreds, and as they were most active in our summer the change of season is causing all the marks to stand out so much more.
Before writing this i felt compelled to tell a terrible tale where I convinced a New Zealander new to Australia years ago about "drop bears". It was wrong of me and I have never done it again since. Poor lady was running to and from her car in the belief that the dreaded Aussie drop bear was waiting to prey on her. Proud to say we are friends today.

According to Terry Pratchett, the key to dealing with drop bears is to wear a pointy hat.

Well as bad as you do feel .. its pretty funny

We have foxes and they do cause havoc .. which is a great pity really, cos they are rather cute little fellas .. but that appeal soon tarnishes when they go for your livestock.


Kudos for maintaining the friendship to the present .. and no doubt into the future

That's what happens if you're going to store food for them y'know.

Thinking: Maybe koalas are the solution to our Blue Gum problem here...they got imported (who knows how long ago) and are currently classified as an invasive species.

--A

Skyweir wrote:

Well as bad as you do feel .. its pretty funny

We have foxes and they do cause havoc .. which is a great pity really, cos they are rather cute little fellas .. but that appeal soon tarnishes when they go for your livestock.


Kudos for maintaining the friendship to the present .. and no doubt into the future

and it sucks when the same foxes kill your chooks.
We have lost chickens and ducks over the years, and what makes it worse is the buggers bite the heads off the birds and then just leave the bodies behind. I am assured that this is a sign of parents training their young, but it doesnt make it any better. Especially when you have named the bloody birds. I still miss Paris Hilton!

How did foxes get to Oz? (Is that how you spell it? {Oz, not foxes}). Got to be an introduced species. On their proclivities in the chicken direction - yes, they're 'bad muthas' indeed ........ but just doing their fox thing; it's the way of the fox - no more, no less. Shame though........

"Nature, red in tooth and claw..."

--A

Kizza wrote:

Skyweir wrote:

Well as bad as you do feel .. its pretty funny

We have foxes and they do cause havoc .. which is a great pity really, cos they are rather cute little fellas .. but that appeal soon tarnishes when they go for your livestock.


Kudos for maintaining the friendship to the present .. and no doubt into the future

and it sucks when the same foxes kill your chooks.
We have lost chickens and ducks over the years, and what makes it worse is the buggers bite the heads off the birds and then just leave the bodies behind. I am assured that this is a sign of parents training their young, but it doesnt make it any better. Especially when you have named the bloody birds. I still miss Paris Hilton!

"Paris Hilton" kinda fitting though dont ya think .. its her usual end in slasher films

Nah sorry Kizza .. yeah they do chew the heads off .. their MO is to take one .. and kill the rest .. lol .. prolly so they cant "squeal" on them the bastards

Truly .. they are the worst.

Pete they were introduced by the Brits .. in their great wisdom .. just like rabbits and they too are a pest .. and they compete with native animals for food and water.

I was once tuberculin testing cattle on a farm in the west-coutry when, as we walked from one pasture to another down a lane the farmer suddenly swiped down his walking staff with a terrific thwack. I looked down to see the baby rabbit he had killed, no bigger than the palm of your hand, and back up to the laughing response in his eyes to my shock. Nah - sorry Sky, we have to differ on this one; to me no animal is ever a pest - it's just following its way.

Yeah, pretty much agree with Peter there. If they're pests, it's just because they inconvenience us. It's not their fault, it's ours.

--A

Where's the fox hat? (said in my best Irish accent)

Busy busy busy. The Rabbitohs are in the finals!!

Thats absolutely correct .. they are just following their programming .. its what we all do... and yes definitely it IS about their inconvenience to us.

Kinda like the wombat who crushes my flowers and digs tunnels under my out buildings .. lol

I truly wish we could all live in a paradisiacal existence .. where we would just let all live and let live ..

But if I see a brown snake .. I will prefer its death to mine or my pets or my livestock.

And I raise bunnies .. and I could never kill a baby bunny and .. definitely not laugh after.

Today I went to buy a peacock for my peahen .. and back to the place I stayed and cared for a new born kid goat .. I got to see her and since Id been there the other females bar one .. had their kids and there were 7 kids in total and they were sooooooo adorable .. and I got to play with them and cuddle them .. took Revan with us and he got to see and pat them too. It was really lovely .. the weather was attrocious and cold .. for the first day of spring .. cheers climate