PossumCorner

3/52 Two Dentists are better than one. Unbroken Welsh Mountain Pony gets a dental check, 2 extractions and a "cut'n'polish". The trotters have had their turn, and now just point and laugh as everyone else has to line up for it.

So sad Jules, we share your grief. Rest in peace Renae.

Magic work everyone - inspiring. Star shot, alpacas, mouse, dog, horse, cats, baby, flower (in no particular order, love them all). But I can't play just now, I don't have a camera. (End of civilisation)! The Nikon battery chargers are in storage: I can't find them or the lens boxes. Have bodies and some lenses, the charger is the holdup. Now the two Sony mirror-less have both just died of shutter failure, need to get down to Melb to Shutterbox to have them fixed. I will join those of us who are needing a break to re-group, and will probably post three a week (in a month or three) to catch up. OH is thinking about a new carry-around camera (which I would snaffle til I get the Nikon sorted). Looking at specs of shortlisted point/shoots and the Pana Lumix FZ300 seems the most useful of the compromise choices. It does have the small sensor, but upgrades it (?) for 4K work somehow. Has a (35 eqiiv) 600 2.8 optical zoom for birds, and an easy way of isolating a reasonable quality still from a movie clip. The point/shoots with the larger sensors don't have some of the good feature this Lumix has. Including dust-proofing, dust being the cause of the shutter fail in our Sony x2. If anyone has any experience of the FZ300 I'd love any feedback.

Just for a change of pace, and breed, and seriousness:

Loved this pair of friends, this one lure-coursing at Rosebud would be 2005 or 2006. Fun though for all shapes and sizes to have a safe place to run - puts a smile on all their faces.

Is there an aspect of it you think is not quite right? The distance is tiny - 20 metres, just across a normal small house-block front yard (even an unfit doggie would not be over-worked). Daxies can move - they are fast and clever at lure-coursing. Good to have an activity that might inspire owners to do some fitness walks to prepare.

Beautiful work all over - and it's only week 3. Gapvic how did you source the amazing mouse, did you visualise how evocative it can make an already well crafted shot? Cat's baby wren, gorgeous, and Trifecta I so envy you the turbines - I love images of them. We almost had them close by, but so much local uproar that they've been cancelled. Very disappointed in people. Sweep's portrait is lovely DC, more fingers crossed for you.

2/56 Go on, give us a kiss. You know you want to. And with that the shutter on my lovely little mirrorless SonyMinolta died. Now the agonising decision of get it fixed, or just use the Nikon which is a bit heavy to carry around, or actually try to use the camera phone for a decent result. Edit to add: Gapvic, this is one of the two blokes I ended up with when I thought your fellow was just too big for me. It backfired somewhat as I took them on through a Standardbred Rehome (Hero - not rescue) sight-unseen said to be no more than 14.2 - and of course they are no more than 15.2 and not much less either. Oh well, I'll just have to develop muscles to get the gear up there.

1/52 Taken late evening in near dark just with phone so 'messed with' to get a visual. Double rainbow across the old derelict Victorian Railways wheat silo next door. Rain is falling, they had about 20mil 2 km up the road, we did not get a drop on our place. Was stunningly pretty to watch.

Said 7.5km on the clip, seemed longer, went on forever. Demoralised a few skiers - I'd have been one of them.

This year I was a too-soon dropout, but would like to start over and try to stay the distance (or a longer part of it) this time. No particular theme, around home or within 50 k or so. What new camera did you get dididog? Mine are all getting a bit old-ish and I should update. My fun gift under the Christmas Tree was one of the mini-instant type cameras, a little "Instax" nobody laugh. It spits out tiny and mostly over-exposed Fuji"polaroid" prints. But we were surprised at the sharpness, and found they scan with fair quality so can be photoshopped too. I know, it sounds why bother, but a bit of fun. Trifecta yes please, tks for organising.

Even if it/they had auto sensors, I'd never trust the technology not to break down or to not work perfectly the one time it is needed. Vigilance to keep heads out of harm's way is probably more trustworthy. Easy for me to say, my old Magna has those old-fashioned hand-winders at the windows: the other two vehicles here are push-button - but not as flash as auto-sensor. Accidents will always happen, with or without technology. We can only learn from everyones' to keep ahead of them. My worst was back in about 1965, the bad old days when choke-chain collars were the normal for training. So, ready to leave home, I had a Basenji in the car not secured (don't think doggy safety harness had been thought of, people seat-belts had only come into legislation against much argument). But with a chain collar looped around her neck. Of course she jumped out while I went back into the house for her lead. When I got back she had clipped one ring onto the coat hook as she jumped, so was hanging, unconscious. Full recovery, no problems, extraordinarily lucky. Dogs and stationary cars, nothing has changed in 50 years, all still down to our duty of care and awareness. Glad Stuss is okay and still wanting to sniff the wind.

Bunnies in this drought are not carrying much meat, just stringy survival weight. Our grass cover is about like yours Perseph. Yes Trifecta one of our local shop workers shoots them, cleans and dresses them and gives to pensioners in the town which is kind of a nice thing to do, there's some good people around. I'm guilty of putting a bird-bath at ground level for the rosellas, always need a drink when they've knocked themselves out stripping the fruit trees - and for the magpies who follow the free range ducks around and grab the eggs before I do if they can. So - the bunnies pop in for a drink in desperation - there's nothing else for them - some farmers are putting out a bale or so of lucerne and carting water to a tub for kangaroos.

And our apologists for the industry will probably remain in denial, and carefully not come to this thread.

Thanks, I'll look out for it - a PM would be also great if you can be bothered in case I miss the bump.

Missed this post, too late too late. Looks/sounds really interesting DR: can you give us your thoughts on the content, a report, or is there any follow-up to it we can access?

I don't think it comes cheaper than Bunnings, you could try a plumbing supplier like Reece or an irrigation/hydroponics place. There are no cheaper-same-size because it has to meet building standards so manufacturers have the market sewn up. Lasts forever though.

I'm gobsmacked at so many dolers (not just this thread) being brainwashed by the media or Coke ads or whatever that they should stop living and take up crochet, origami and bonsai. I'm well into my seventies, love my Shetland ponies well enough, but have just taken on two ex-trotters (harness racing horses - not broken in to ride yet). Fed up with being stereotyped as having reached the age of invisibility and expected to fade into the background and not be part of the foreground. People can sure be their own worst enemies when they support the propaganda. Why throw away ten or twenty potentially good years just for the sake of not bothering (as the fellow in the OP vid) to think outside the square and find a different way to get the same outcome. Not wanting the "what if something happens to me, then what happens to the dog" argument. It probably won't happen, plus dogs can re-home well, it's usually the ego of the owner that can't cope with change. I really resent it when anyone says to me however well-meaningly "Wow you do that well for your age". Stuff 'em. I either do it well or I do it badly, full-stop. Love the vets Rally idea, vets athletics is fantastic, just like little athletics - commonsense handicapping isn't ageist or patronising.

LFF if you are a tiny bit suspicious he is losing his hearing you are probably right. Frodo's first indication was the same - just not as instantly responsive to out-of-sight movement. It was a very quick escalation to obvious signs. His eyesight is now very faded so neither voice nor hand-signal training are of any use. For teaching an old dog new tricks he is amazing, and has sussed what is wanted (or advised) by touch for walk ahead, turn, stop etc. He went through a very dependent and clingey stage but now has adjusted and copes fairly happily, just barks if he gets lost between rooms or needs to go outside. (He is about 14).

Will try to catch up Better Late - will you be an official or with a particular stud - I only have two pet/guard alpacas, not showing, just learning more. (Also short with glasses, probably a camera, I'll be the older one of the two of us - or fifty of us - fitting the description).

Missed this sorry - and didn't get to the handmade. Til this month I've been at the Showgrounds every week with the cards (indoor pavilion stand): will not go back til the chooks start laying again and do fresh eggs as well as the cards (registered egg producer, not a backyard cowboy). Castlemaine Farmers with LETS and Produce Exchange, same at Maldon and also sometimes help there with the poultry stand. Sometimes Dunolly Street Market with either cards or eggs or both. Maryborough Station and/or Racetrack alternate monthly markets. Daylesford just very occasionally. Small ones: Bendigo Uniting Church market is usually good (near Aldis), Anglican Fair in the road behind them is a bit smaller/quieter but reliable. (They know I'm an atheist but still always invite me, good people at both). So it's hard to commit ahead, depends what I have and where the rain is forecast, a bit of a hit and miss diary. Just has to be organised more in the egg season, Spring-Summer-Autumn. Winter is more for cards whether hand-made or Phoenix, and a week off now and then. Booked a spot for the Ag Show in Oct but that's around $200 for a stand, need to do well to break even, might opt out. Just going to the Showgrounds for a look this coming weekend as the big Alpaca event is on for three days, fleeces and animals. And our Poultry Club auction on Sat 19 Sept.

Totally agree: another common forum complaint is people's general ignorance of breeds and ownership etc, and deriding "Joe Public" for not being born knowing all about dogs. If dog owners can't be bothered to help the public who are interested enough to ask, who should? Pet shops and puppy farmers?

I'm a market stall holder most weekends, either farmers' market or browse-buy kind, do both. Love seeing dogs at markets. Yes it can be annoying if they do a leg lift on the marquee corner, or a buying-customer's English-leather boot. I'm not beyond saying loudly to the dog handler "short leads please, now" - they are so shocked they shorten up and control their dog. (That's another lost customer of course). But for the most dogs and market crowds are good, it's part of the mix. Could be a whole photo-essay on its own. And stall-holders' dogs are very savvy about staying quiet and minding their own biscuits, while being sociable with their admirers.

But it's not that simple, these deer (Dandenong Ranges) are in outer-outer-suburban habitat. Shooting is illegal. Even a licenced shooter needs to go through the formalities of neighbour's permission all round - let alone shooting in or near our Sherbrooke etc. Forests being illegal. Probably the same where you are Kirislin: for me anything less than 100 acres cannot be shot over, none of our neighbours are too keen, too many gun hobbyists around. I've gone a thousand percent further off them after this last lion shoot on the news, first our great cricketer now an overpaid dentist among others. I'd only buy the "we do it to help the farmers" line if the same people did some volunteer work at a hospital or free gardening for the disabled: "we do it because we like doing it" sounds more honest.

Of course the subject matter needs to be worthy of a big print - and this one is five-star. (For me, hard copy prints of any size outshine computer screens. Wouldn't go back to the old days old ways, too much work and time and all that. But the results shine on).