PossumCorner

Glenfern Bushlands on Glenfern Road (Upwey to Ferntree Gully) was excellent. But now it is on-lead because the hoon dog owners spoilt it for everyone by letting their dogs hunt wildlife. Some echidnas and wallabies suffered. So we all suffer. It was a great area for responsible off-lead bush tracks. I'm worried about Wrights going the same way. Technically it is only on-lead. But the tracks from Cockatoo down to Avonsleigh are great for an off-lead run if dogs have an acceptable re-call and controlled if other dogs being walked. If the irresponsible owners keep allowing their dogs to chase the kangaroos and small animals and monster other dogs we'll have that closed to us also.

Here is website of Melbourne Camera Club in South Melbourne. There is also one in Flemington if that is closer to you. Where is inner west? http://www.melbournephoto.org.au/ The Camera Clubs (Photographic Societies) probably offer the best value-for-money courses for beginner members, generally either free or a token payment. And it doessn't cost anything to go to a couple of meetings first to meet people and see what you think of it before joining. Membership is around $50 a year, it varies a bit from club to club.

On size of poo, can anyone tell me what is bad about dogs dropping large ones? I thought it was better to allow the gut to be active, with something to work on being more comfortable. And that it was better to be on the large side than alternatively too small or on the edge of constipation. A vet told me that large healthy poos indicate better gut health than little ones (and that people who opt for their dog having little poos are more narrowly concerned with their own convenience in picking it up than they are with their dog's welfare). I've gone away from Advance and ScienceD and now feed Bonnie Complete, with plenty of bones, frames and raw salmon. The salmon offcuts are only a little dearer than chicken frames and better I think than sardines - well at least they are raw.

Yes I was panicked becos my fabric mail-order hadn't arrived (it turned up yesterday). So - very relieved at your extension. Will get them to you as soon before the new due-date as poss. Could you please PM the address to me, or do I need to PM you to ask for it, can't find that post.

Love your "wood-wool" - cleverpants Persephone! We're fidgetting with background textures using bark and ferns desaturated and soft-blended to death, not really liking any of them enough. Can't get the fine balance between it being just a texture, or too obviously a photograph. (Looking to use them as background on cards under hand-coloured stamps or die-cuts). It is still in early stages, but the card-making mixing photography and other media is coming along. So I'll take inspiration from "wood-wool" - I think the that's the correct technical term for stealing an idea - and see what I can do with a cashmere goat before they shed. Separately, we have a great little collection of stamps and die-cuts of pigs, I always think of April and will for sure show you how they turn out when some cards are made up. Need some good piggy captions.

Beautiful shots, the whales are superb, is a calendar planned? And love the kangaroo, eyes closed, you can't see me. Yesterday I had to (don't ask) spend some time at the Melbourne Aquarium. With all my phobias about zoo photography, it is not a fun experience even to watch. There is a lovely new "exhibit", a magnificent Giant Pacific Octopus. On display in a too-small tank with hundreds of people passing every hour, pressed against the glass, tapping, and shooting with flash because its use isn't policed. And even the red focus-beams would light up the tank. They are sensitive and shy and intelligent and it was obviously hating every moment. Have to admit they are getting a good conservation message across to the school groups, and yes it is special to see sharks and rays swim overhead across the cave tank. But comparing the experience to seeing them free and wild is plain sad.

Stealing or rorting the system is nothing to be proud of. It is a legitimate expense though - when our house was being built the tradesmen's utes and vans had to be out of sight of the building site. The carpenter had a good watch-Kelpie who let them know when anyone approached the vehicles. She would have saved them all quite a bit in small pilfered items and larger theft. And just by "being there". There was no need for a larger or more traditionally guard-dog breed type. Just a presence and a voice that was only used when there was something fishy to call out about, not yapping at passing pedestrians or making innocent pedestrians feel threatened or uncomfortable. And a reasonable tax claim because it was genuine, not just the family pet having a day out. Our Tax-person said years ago that our home business should claim the expenses for one dog. We don't, but if a home business puts in a tax return and has value items to protect, it has always been possible to claim costs for a guard dog at home premises.

Well any step forward is a good step. Good on them! Some words of support might get more people to sign, instead of being all purse-mouthed about it? Good to see that they are having some success with the campaign for pig raising too: hope the other states will follow Tasmania's lead.

Which Camera House did you go to? We use Croydon: for our monitor calibrations they do a marginally better job for us than Digital Works. Have you tried their 'platinum' finish? It's a bit softer than metallic, good with slight sepia colour. The membership discount is worth-while, (plus extra discounts for Knox Camera Club people, another small reason to join the camera club if reasonably local).

Steve, there is a rumour your inbox is full.

Some great shots here, enjoying. Haven't found time to do anything macro for yonks. Will take camera up to ponies this morning, saw some of those red and white spotted toadstools/fungi under the pines. Just have to steel myself to carry tripod and heavy lens for half a kilometre, up-hill, plus two buckets of feed. CM especially like that fly - sweet!

I think they have to be in the mail by 7th July.

On Monday I should get some fat quarters I ordered from USA - dog themes. So I'll be nail-biting close to the deadline for doing squares. I also ordered a full set of rubber stamps of purebred dogs (about 40, and just so I could get the Basenji one). They are for our card-making, but if they arrive in time, and if I can afford a good set of fabric paint that will last for years, and a fabric-ink stamp pad, I'd like to experiment with hand-coloured squares. Or see if it works out better to use them with the 'ordinary' colour blenders on card, then photograph them for fabric transfer. Dunno. Fun, whichever way.

Moselle I pretty much agree with the restrictions, the "jumping through hoops" because if these roadblocks weren't there, too many people would take it as an easy option and not bother trying some basic training, barking collar, behaviourist advice. Which in most cases can work. And the system does work to stop multi dog owners from "bulk de-barking". I know some breeders used to bulk debark their breeding stock so their permits were not at risk. There is no perfect answer. I am certainly not anti de-barking, but I don't think it should be allowed without some controls, or some form of application to be considered. Otherwise it becomes a lazy way out, and that's not fair. It is a bit like trial without jury, or declaring guilty without a trial. The requirements give borderline dogs a better chance of owners first looking for another way, even if it takes a bit of training time or inconvenience or even expense heaven forbid.

Haven't read the whole thread. Steve's post said it all and said it best I think. When young Rheneas was de-barked about 5 years ago, it was too late to improve situation with some neighbours, too much had been said to re-build any bridges. So we still don't socialise: very cool and polite. Council were great, supportive: just had to get simple proof that his barking had a dog behaviourist stumped, and prove neighbours' complaints, and list other methods tried (like anti-barking collars and RSPCA suggestions of screening from road movements etc. - all good but ineffective). Brilliant vet. Happy dog. He still joyously barks all day or all night or both, and is spared being told 'quiet' 24/7, He loves the reaction to his neurotic warnings "Did a leaf fall off a tree, wow you tell that leaf Rheneas". Much more fun to live with a dog that's allowed to be himself and not have to constantly control and criticise a behaviour he cannot help.

There is no way to do it without compromise in one direction or another. You could look at good camper-trailers, the downside is they have to be quickly set up for sleep every night, and packed down come morning, but better visibility to tow than a van, and lighter. Then compromise between a fuel-guzzling 4WD and a 4cyl, and tow with something like a 6cyl Mitsu. Magna station wagon (a good 2nd hand one: they are out of production). Fuel efficient, reliable, enough power. Take the money you've just saved and splash out on a night in a motel occasionally to have a bath and breakfast made for you. Great revitaliser when everyone is getting edgey. We found 3-4 adults in a VW campervan a bit close living at times. Had small tents we could put up in less than two minutes. (And two dogs). Our two years was working holiday so for longer stopovers like Port Hedland when working, we'd hire a caravan on a caravan park. I don't suppose you can be expected to rough-it with young children to the same extent though. I don't think towing a small vehicle would be much fun after a while, for little benefit and probable damage. If you are travelling round Australia you won't be in cities that much to need a runabout. Maybe bikes (even a tandem) on a rooftop carrier would be a better compromise. Or park the motorhome at the airport and hire a car for a day or two for the city-tourist-shopping thing: that could be cheaper than fuel for towing thousands of miles and not even taking it off the tow-bar. Nice decisions to have to make, I envy you the trip. .

Don't wait S&S, waiting is a bit of a swan-song. There are people in Knox using point-and-shoot, there are people who only shoot film and process their own, and professionals. There is no pressure to enter competitions. Come this Wednesday, 23rd, no expectation that people join til they have been to a couple of meetings to decide.

What is it Helen, what did you get - how wide?? I'm loving our one.

I like it Kirislin. It might not be the traditional streetscape of "street photography" genre but it fits my idea of 'street'. Just because it is zero'd in on the stall doesn't disqualify it. (I'm not confusing streetscape and 'street'. But I am so over 'street' being over-represented by over-sharpened portraits of the less fortunate. Presented as 'gritty' and for me only one step removed from stalking. I used to like the concept of street photography, but have so gone off it, because what is published as street seems to only give a one dimensional look at the worst side of it, and ignores the best. (Reserve right to totally change mind next year: that's just the way it affects me at the moment).) Anyway I like this shot as a streetscape, one competition judge might say it is too close, but another judge could disagree. I'd put it up to get the comment, and you could always take a more wide-angle shot from over the road, and see which one they like. Good you've joined a camera club, I've found it more than worth while. Do you go to Coldstream - guess Knox would be a bit too far?

There's a Sydney walk now - at The Rocks, (for sunset).

Is anyone going? It is a good day. Point and shoot cameras welcome, it's social not heavy. But there is a competition if anyone wants to enter, not compulsory. To find one near you the website www.worldwidephotowalk.com has the info. Button for "first visit" explains it. And links to the nearest walk to you, with details of how many places left, where it goes, coffee afterwards, all that. Only one walk listed in Melbourne so far, one in Geelong, one I think in Hobart. No charge, just order a t-shirt for charity if you like. You need to register on-line for a place. Quite a few Red Bubble people are joining in.

We've had an Aldis tablet for a year or more, quite happy with it, doesn't get much use but is always there when it's needed. We also have two Aldis Medion PCs. I am wrapt in them, totally reliable, and my Mac is in cold storage and can stay there. The specs on these are much better than double the price will buy at the Harvey Norman/Dick Smith type places. And just today we bought a third Aldis PC, it is the media unit, to be pretty much dedicated to our card making, has a 1TB hard drive for the memory-hungry work. (I'm not convinced yet about any advantages of touch-screen as I haven't used it so don't see the need, but it's very smart).

Thanks Ash for letting us know. Big congratulations to you, and to Serena, and to Nat. Beautiful results. Look forward to seeing the prints when we go in.

Some pony clubs are a bit (very) protective/precious about photography of children at pony club. It's best to introduce yourself to the secretary or someone on the committee first. It is difficult for them, they want good photos of the ponies/children, but are caught up in the regulations like any junior sports club these days. The 400 might be over-kill, you have the 70-200 don't you? And an 18-50 or thereabouts for some group shots, you need wider capacity for the line-ups of the littlies. They'd probably like something for their Newsletter. We expects a few of your shots here next week.

We'll go in on the Saturday afternoon. Looking forward to seeing the new stuff sort of hands-on, and making a wish-list for the next year or so. It is good to see it all, wouldn't miss being there again for anything.