Ted

Today is the 4th anniversary of Ted's passing.    We still think about him, but on the other hand, he was - at times -  "high maintenance" (for a cat).

Yarra Valley and the Alpacas

View from the deck (winery is next door)

A group of us had a very pleasant BBQ in the Yarra Valley.     K and A run alpacas there.   We also get our free-range eggs from their hens!

Alpacas

We get chook eggs - but isn't that a couple of ducks?

One for the pheasants

I suspect that I ought not admit that I sometimes read mX.    Be that as it may, I did happen to be glancing at a copy and there was a note about the Duke of Edinburgh being upset because he's had to give up shooting pheasants.

It seems that there's a risk that the shotgun recoil will dislodge the stent inserted in his artery after his recent heart scare. 

The article is here as well:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4065300/Prince-Philip-quits-shooting-over-heart-operation-danger.html

Haven't seen the anti-whaling activists taking the credit for this, but perhaps it's only a matter of time.

Is this a pheasant?  Google says it is, but I can't speak from personal knowledge!

Foxes and rabbits

I was aware of the story that a fox had hitched a ride across Bass Strait on the ferry some years ago.   Whether or not this is true, there's now a brochure in Tasmania which we saw several times at tourist information offices about the issue.  The brochure sets out a number of reported sightings and other information suggesting the presence of foxes, albeit at present in very small numbers.  It asks that any further sightings be promptly reported.  The Tasmanians are worried that if foxes become established in Tasmania, they will have a devastating effect on the wildlife.  Thus, they appear to be taking this issue very seriously, for example see the website - http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/ThemeNodes/LBUN-5K438G?open.    However, although we saw lots of "roadkill" in Tasmania, we're pretty sure that we didn't see any foxes.

No doubt it's unrelated to the (near) absence of foxes, but we were surprised by the number of rabbits in Tasmania, at least in the coastal areas.   In the beachfront reserves at both Hawley Beach and Devonport, they were readily visible in the middle of the day.  And at dusk, driving along the road next to the foreshore at Hawley Beach, we lost count of the number we saw.   We were told that little or nothing is done to control their numbers in these areas.   The complacency in this respect seems to be quite a contrast to the concern that exists about foxes.  Perhaps the view is that there's enough grass to go around?

Getting Bigger

Tilly came around to see us recently.  She had fun with a couple of new toys that had come from the fete.  She's now 15.7 kg and still growing.    

Lunch at Fairfield Boathouse

Sue had a birthday recently, so we headed off with another couple to the Fairfield Boathouse.   This really is a great setting, just 5 kms from the city, but you could be far away in the country (well, apart from the freeway noise, but even that is fairly subdued!).    We sat on the deck and enjoyed the casual but quite satisfactory food!

Dog owners vs cat owners

Tilly [EDIT] is getting bigger.    Nearly 4 months old, and weighs over 11 kg (on her way to about 25 kg, we're told).

We accompanied her on a trip to the park.  The fraternity of dog-owners is very interesting.   They come up to you and introduce themselves and their dogs without a second thought, and everyone readily exchanges information about their respective dogs.    We have, of course, been life long cat owners.  Like cats, when we go the park we watch others from a respectful distance!
EDIT - since posting the above, a comment has been made that I might be interested in getting a dog.  Let me be clear - Tilly is fine, and she can come for visits BUT when it's time for her to go home, that's what she has to do.   I couldn't handle another cat full time and definitely not a dog!

Tilly

Ang and Kev have recently introduced us to Tilly.  She's a labrador, and growing up fast. This is a recent pic!
EDIT - name has been corrected.  Any resemblance to "silly" is presumably coincidental.