Hello everyone, how many of you have heard of the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko, I have not heard of it and the look of it isn’t pleasing to my eye but you may think different.

With its demonic red eyes, angular horns and wicked smile, its easy to guess how it got its name.

It is native to the rainforests of Madagascar, it also has an alarming red mouth that it uses to scare off predators. If you don’t scare easily then consider its other defence mechanisms such as camouflage.

It is

easy to mistake it for a leaf instead of the tail of this tiny gecko if you tried to pick it up it is likely to drop its tail and scamper off.

It doesn’t just look like a leaf but it acts like one too, spending most of the day hanging motionless from a tree branch or curled among leafs on the ground.

It is only about 100-110mm (11cm) in length or about 4 inches so pretty small.

Here we are at another Monday so it is the day for another post about a famous Aussie in history and this week it is good old Ned Kelly.

Edward Kelly was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout with the police.

He was born sometime in December 1854 in the state of Victoria and died on the 11 November 1880 when he was hung at Old Melbourne Gaol, in Victoria. He was one of 9 children and had many cousins and extended family.

As stated Ned Kelly was a ‘bushranger’ a person who robbed others and spent his life escaping from the police. He also killed three policemen. There have been many films, songs and books about Ned Kelly. There is even an Australian saying: ‘to be as game [brave] as Ned Kelly’.

Some believe his last words were “such is life”, but what Ned actually said as his last words is uncertain. Some newspapers at the time certainly reported the words ‘Such is life’, while a reporter standing on the gaol floor wrote that Ned’s last words were, ‘Ah well! It’s come to this at last.

Contrary to popular belief and legend, Ned Kelly was not the Australian equivalent to Robin Hood, for he did not rob from the rich and give to the poor. In fact, he actually stole from poor Australians—as well as the rich—even getting violent with them if they did not concede to his demands.

Even though his criminal career was pretty short his crimes were seen as acts of resistance against Australia’s British colonial rulers. He was a man of the people, speaking out loudly against a colonial government that discriminated against the poor.

During his final shoot-out with police, Kelly wore a crudely made set of steel armour. The police didn’t know if they were shooting a man or a monster. A shot in his exposed leg brought Kelly down. He was captured, tried by law and sentenced to death for murder.

For some people he was a hero, this is believed to be because the people of Victoria were longing for a hero during those hard times. Widespread support for Kelly can be assumed from the 32000 signatures on a petition calling for his sentence to be changed from death to life in prison in 1880.

He is also known for his famous Jerilderie leeter,prior to arriving in Jerilderie, Kelly composed a lengthy letter with the aim of tracing his path to outlawry, justifying his actions, and outlining the alleged injustices he and his family suffered at the hands of the police. He also decried the treatment of poor selector families by Victoria’s Squattocracy and, in “an escalating promise of revenge and retribution”, invoked “a mythical tradition of Irish rebellion” against what he called “the tyrannism of the English yoke”. Dictated to Byrne, the Jerilderie Letter, a handwritten document of fifty-six pages and 7,391 words, was described by Kelly as “a bit of my life”. He tasked Edwin Living, a local bank accountant, with delivering it to the editor of the Jerilderie and Urana Gazette or publication.Due to political suppression, only excerpts were published in the press, based on a copy transcribed by John Hanlon, owner of the Eight Mile Hotel in Deniliquin. The entire letter was rediscovered and published in 1930.

Well I will leave it here, i could tell you more but don’t feel like it, this is just an introduction to the man Ned Kelly…..

Sunday and another day has started, a cold morning but should be a nice day.

Tasha went and bough Tim 2 new pairs of track pants both the same as that was all they had. He then decided he didn’t want two pairs just one but he talked to me about getting two pairs. He wants Tasha to return a pair but I say no, as next winter he may want both pairs.

The start of another school week, I had a rough night from 12.30am tossing and turning, I was glad when I looked at the clock and it was 4.55am and I felt I could get up. A cold morning and I have had a headache since around 2am and the cold is making it worse. So I turned the heater on for 20 minutes to warm the room up which helped.

Sam showed me the dress he tried on and showed to papa, I said I liked it but I am not use to seeing biological males in a dress, but if he is happy then I am happy.

Tasha and I nearly forgot to give Sam the Webster pack for the school but thankfully Tasha remembered and came rushing up as fast as she could.

The internet is being a bitch this morning and driving mad and giving me a right headache. I am trying to not let it get to me.

Tasha came down looking for chocolate.

The computer has been good since 11am. However, I have lost my motivation to do stuff.

Tim has an appointment this afternoon and I asked him to go to the post for stamps but then forgot to give him the letters to post. Oh well will see if Tasha could post them when she goes for her walk tomorrow.

I slept for about 10hrs, I was so tired last night I was asleep pretty damn fast and slept right through.

Tasha came down for chocolate and left in a mood rightfully so as Sam was bad mouthing Blain and do not do that in front of his mother.

I tried to say something to Sam’s mum (Jess) but she blew me off.

The cleaners came and cleaned a bit because that’s what they do.

Tim off to another appointment.

At around 10am Sandra and Sue arrived for a visit, since they arrived at the same time I asked what’s wrong, who’s dead…..lol

They stay about an hour or so and it was great seeing them.

Sandy was telling me about the drama with Michelle (Dawson’s mum) she is all over the place and says she can’t bond with her son Hayden and has asked Sandy is she wants him. Sandy said NO but has taken him over night a few times.

Doc’s rang David the other night to discuss Michelle, he said he has nothing to do with her. Doc’s rang him at 1am and he gave them Sandy number but they didn’t ring her.

However, Sandy just happen to be at Michelle’s when Doc’s arrived to talk to her about the twins and Michelle was off her head all over the place waving her arms around and not talking sense. They asked Sandy what was the relationship between her and Michelle, Sandy said nothing then explained that that Michelle is our nephew’s mother. They asked if Sandy was Dave’s sister she said she is, so they asked why was she willing to take on of the twins overnight, answer just to help Michelle a little bit.

Michelle at one point went on about how she didn’t want to rely on Mavis and that family. Sandra had to point out that Mavis (our mum) has passed away. Then explain how mum pretty much raised Dawson from 4 days old.

Michelle’s whole life has been one long train-wreck.

An overcast morning but no rain which is good as Tasha has gone for a walk down to have more work done on her tattoo.

Tim is having another bad morning with terrible diarrhoea he had the same problem yesterday. In fact he has had a bad day, I hope he is doing better tomorrow as we are going out for a Father’s Day lunch the day before Father’s Day as it is cheaper.

I am having a bad day with back pain and not being able to sit without pain. It has been so bad I have had moments of crying a little.

Tim has been up to the toilet a couple of times already. I hope he is ok to go out for lunch.

Lunch was good just Tim and I along with our girls and youngest granddaughter Summer. Kathy & family gave Tim a bird feeder which he likes.

Although the food seemed to go right through him.

Well here we are at Jo-Anne’s Thoughts and this week I have been thinking about sibling rivalry but not between sibling but cousins, as in my eldest grandchildren.

Blain and Sam, these two have had this rivalry for years, each bad mouthing the other over any bloody little thing.

This is something I find hard to understand as I never experienced it with my siblings, we all get along and for the most always have.

I did have to deal with it between my eldest (Kathy)and my youngest (Jess)who spent years/decades at each others throats. Thankfully they get along now.

Do you have any rivalry with your siblings?

How do your own children get along?