Governments

I don't have much time for politics but when it came to my back door I sat up and took notice. The State Government has decided (against our council) to secure 300 hectares of land in our shire for low cost housing. As the Redlands has one of the largest (although dying out) koala populations you have to ask why. There is not much land available for the koalas to actually call home anymore so again I ask why?

The infrastructure in the area they wish to do this is also not great, the transport, schools and facilities available are not the best. Does the Government want to create the slums of the future if so why here?

I know people need housing but surely the Government could knock down Anna Blighs home and the surrounding area and build there. Instead of signing the death warrant for hundreds of koalas and other animals that live in the area.

Bionic Beagle

Two blogs in one day I am doing well.

Steve and I own an 11 year old beagle. Two years ago she was chasing a cat around the shed and tore her back left ligament resulting in her having a pin put in. Guess what she did her right ligament two weeks ago, so she has had a pin put in her right leg now. We now fondly call her the bionic beagle. She nearly costs as much as the bionic man now as well.

She hates us at the moment except when she needs to go to the toilet as we have 15 steps she needs to be carried up and down stairs, by the way she ways 17kgs so this is not much fun at the moment for her or us. Steve and I are going to end up with biceps on our biceps or bad backs (I think it will be the bad backs).

Our girl Xena

She has eight stitches

Steve is a softy

I haven't had much time lately to do any blog entries because of tafe but I am nearly finished and so far have passed all my assignments only about 5 to go thank God.

The reason for my title is because several weeks ago we released our long term inmate Lucky the brush tail possum and Steve is always saying don't get to friendly to them as they have to be feral to be released but Lucky was with us for so long that even Steve had a big soft spot for him because of all his issues. So I couldn't resist posting this photo of Steve's farewell to our beautiful boy.

Not long to go

There is not long to go and tafe will be finished and I have to go back to working in my old job. I am going to miss all the people I have encountered in the last couple of months. I don't think I will miss the assignments which I still have about 7 to do and five weeks to do them but I am determined to get them done.

A week at tafe at the moment consists of Monday we had chalk and talk in the morning an a mapping exam all afternoon. Tuesday start 11am chalk and talk and then planting trees all afternoon besides a creek in the Redlands. Wednesday off and Thursday an all day first aid course. Friday a new module was introduced in the morning and we then spent the afternoon setting quadrants out in the field counting plants. One of the nicest things about Friday was sitting under a tree outside the classroom having lunch with a koala just above us. Koalas are becoming an extinct animal in the Redlands so it was nice to see one for a change.

The latest research shows that in ten to fifteen years there will be no koalas left in the Redlands one of its main habitats.

Work Experience Week Two

Day one lush green weeds.

Day two looking a bit barer.

Day three almost cleared our small patch.Day four not much left.

We finally reached the river that runs beside the property. Yahoo.

What a week. The place that we did work experience needs to be napalmed. It was full of weeds, there were hardly any natives if any, it was dreadful. Our first day most of us wished that we could breath, the pollen, spores and dust were awful. It was like working in a jungle, the heat and humidity were intense. We all left on the Friday feeling very disheartened, the Trust that owns the land are not going revegetate as the land is cleared, consequently the weeds we just removed will be back in 6 months time.

Needless to say I have not had a very educational or moving experience in the field I thought was for me.

I have decided that working with animals and their habitats is where I want to be. I will finish my course and hopefully pass then I will move on.

Work Experience

This week I had the experience of working in the environmental industry. Oh what a shock I spent the week mulching a park full of hundred of year old fig trees. It was back breaking work. We had 19 trees to mulch around the park, the first day was pretty easy as we had the assistance from a posy cat (it was like a small bobcat) then it broke down, after that we had to do every thing by hand. In the photos it shows the park and just one of the mounds of mulch (we had seven like that). We had to pitch fork the mulch into wheelbarrows and spread and rake it around the trees and the surrounding area (most days we had 6 people). It was hot and sweaty work but I did enjoy it, I just don't know whether I am capable of doing that sort of work on a full time basis. I am still trying to grasp what I actually learnt from this experience though, I already have learnt through age and time hard work, humility, working as a team etc. and I already know about mulching, I have done that for years so maybe I have learnt that the council gets lots of free labour from volunteers and work experience idiots like me.

Pain

Last night I decided to silly me, weigh our new ringtail possums even though we have had them for several weeks, now I understand why we have not tried this before. I walked away with a bleeding finger to the point I have not been able to move it for most of today and bruises and scratches all up my arm.(Oh and it peed all over me). Next time I try this I will wear full body armour. Although there won't be a next time real soon unless Steve does it and I don' think that will happen.

On a sadder note we have a few local possums that visit our yard and tonight we had one come onto our patio (not a usual thing)it had an eye that was red and inflamed, it needed attention but it moved on before we could look at it properly. I am quite worried about the implications of this as we have several baby possums in care, if it has a disease it could spread to them.

On a brighter note I have spent the week in the field weeding and revegetating and I have had so much fun. Today though was animal day so we went out to some migratory bird watching shelters and observed the birds, some of which will leave our shores in the next couple of weeks and move onto Alaska via Japan to breed then back here. What a journey to just have some kids (we as humans don't realise how easy our lives are). Imagine flying thousands of kilometres to give birth leave your babies and fly back and then a couple of weeks later the babies fly all the way to find you. The mind boggles.