Tag: travel

Week 52 of 2024

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I had a good night, up dressed and looking forward to the day. It is a nice 20 degrees and my BGL was 6.1

I haven’t felt like doing much today and do not feel like dealing with people.

Tim cooked a nice meal for our lunch.

Steps: 5,138

JONATHON’S BIRTHDAY

I had a good night, although when I got up at 5am I was having trouble keeping my eyes open so went back to bed for only 25 minutes after which I felt fine.

It is a nice morning at 18 degrees we are expecting a top of 29 degrees, my BGL was 5.0 so that’s good.

The temp got up to 30 degrees, Tim had training this morning and said when he got home that he is now off till Friday.

Steps: 4,278

I had a good night, slept straight through the night, woke to a much cooler morning, in fact it is supposed to be a much cooler day.

The temp is 14 degrees and my BGL is 5.1

Received my grocery shopping and a lot was missing so rang straight away and the woman I spoke to rang the store who rang the driver who came back with the extra 3 bags of stuff.

This afternoon while he was using his grinder it slipped and cut his thumb, he said maybe he should go to hospital and have it stitched but he couldn’t be bothered, so he cleaned it and applied band aids.

CHRISTMAS DAY

I had a good night, woke only once, it is currently 15 degrees, my BGL was 5.0. it is supposed to be a stinking hot day

Sue came and picked me up to go see mum & dad, I left a Christmas card for them on their headstone.

Tim is cooking a baked lunch for us as well as Tasha, Blain and his girlfriend. Although they took their sweet time coming down, but it was good when they arrived.

I was starting to feel unwell so had to turn the air con in the bedrooms on to try and reduce the heat in the house which helped how I was feeling.

I have been feeling sad this afternoon but not sure why.

So, at 4.50pm I was walking to the toilet and fell over my left elbow hit the linen press door putting a small hole in the door. I managed to get myself off the floor and it gave me a headache.

My left elbow and knee are very sore but not even bruised.

Steps are low today didn’t do much only 2,105

BOXING DAY

I had a good night, woke only once, it is currently 15 degrees, my BGL was 5.0. it is supposed to be a stinking hot day. At the moment it is 16 degrees and my BGL was 5.0.

While watching telly we heard a strange sound like the dishwasher running, Tim went to find out what the issue was, it was a blocked toilet. He has rang and reported it and someone should be out within 2hrs.

After that we went to Kathy’s for lunch Michael made his awesome burgers which I really like. It was 34 degrees outside Kathy’s house inside it was ok as she had the air con going.

We arrived home at 2.20pm and here it is 28 degrees thankfully Tim turned the air con on before we left to go out.

I had a good night, didn’t wake at all till the alarm went off at 5am. I feel good and happy this morning.

For a while this morning it didn’t look like it was going to warm up much but by 1pm I had turn the air con on.

Sam came over and is in her room this is the second time this week after no coming over for a few months.

The plumber arrived at 5.30pm, checked the drains and toilet and said it looks like the blockage cleared itself, both Tim and I knew that but stilled wanted it checked out.

Seps: 5,088

Week 51 of 2024

~ joannerambling ~ 2 Comments

I had a good night slept straight through again, it isn’t hot yet, but it is somewhat sticky.

It is 21 degrees at 6am and my BGL is 4.4

Did a small load of washing and Tim hung it outside to dry.

Tim has taken Jess and Sam up to the square to do some shopping, Jess didn’t want to deal with the parking issue.

It got up to 30 degrees today, I have done all the Christmas cards will post the last of them tomorrow.

5,421

I had a good night slept straight through again, and yet again it is a somewhat sticky morning.

It is 23 degrees my BGL was 5.5, it got to a bloody hot 33 degrees here, I even had to turn the bedroom air con on to help cool the house down.

I managed to walk down and post the last of the Christmas cards, now watch me receive cards from people I didn’t send one to.

Steps:6,107

I had a good night slept straight through yet again, it is a pleasant 20 degrees but we ae in for a scorcher supposed to get to 36 degrees, my BGL was 6.5, why so high I do not know

I just went to pick up my glass for a drink and knocked it over, all cleaned up know.

The temp did get to 36 around 2pm I turned the air con in the bedroom on as well.

Tim home early, his bus broke down and screwed up his day.

I told Sue that she wants on Christmas Day she can come and have lunch with me and Tim, she said she will see how she feels on the day.

I am having trouble sleeping so I got up at 10.30pm and will now go back to bed it is now midnight.

Steps: 8,105

After I went back to bed, I slept well till 5am. It is a much cooler morning then yesterday, only supposed to get a top of 22 degrees today. It is currently 20 degrees, with a cool breeze blowing through the house.

My BGL is 5.1

Today is the last day of school for the year, it is raining so I have to wear my rain poncho.

I can’t decide what I want for lunch but since it is Wednesday, I will wait and see if Tim asks me to order pizza. He did so good thing I waited.

Steps: 5,149            

I had a good night, up dressed and looking forward to the day. It is a nice 18 degrees and my BGL was 4.9.

Sue took me to the plaza so I could get a few things. On the way home we stopped at Sandy’s to pick up a couple of empty containers of Sue’s. Sue asked if she had heard about the test results and since Sandy didn’t want me to know about the tests, she got pissy and cracked the shits.

Sue let me know Sandy said sorry for getting the shits and all is ok between them. 

Tim is off today but he is going to the works Christmas drinks, Gary next door drove him.

Tim has set up the new TV, with help from Sam.

I have been in a lot of pain all day.

Sandy came over to see me this evening she walked here with Josh as her bodyguard, Josh is Temika’s boyfriend. She explained about the tests she had done last week.

Steps 5,820

I had a good night, up dressed and looking forward to the day. It is a nice 16 degrees and my BGL was 4.9.

Sue called and I gave her money from Tim she was really touched that he gave her money, he did this as she is always driving me around for appointments and shopping.

Tim is working tonight, he will leave around 4pm and should be home around 10pm

It has been a nice day, I received a couple of packages, that should be all.

Sue rang me this afternoon telling me that lunch at Dave’s is tomorrow not Sunday both me and Sue said he told us the 22nd he said he thought Saturday was the 22nd

This has upset me as Tim is working tomorrow and will not be able to attend.

I did an online order from Liquorland, Sue will pick it up for me as the only store that had all I wanted in stock is the one just down from her place.

Tim home early, he walked in a t 8pm 2hrs earlier than expected.

Steps:4,980

I had a good night, up dressed and looking forward to the day. It is a nice 14 degrees and my BGL was 4.9.

Sue drove me over to Dave’s for lunch, it was a nice outing lunch was nice and Dave and Leigh gave me a $50 gift card and Sue gave me a new top, a diary a small calendar and an ice towel to have around my neck on hot days. I really like the ice towel it does feel nice around my neck.

It has been a really hot day with a temp of 34 degrees Celsius or 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Steps:1,555

Week 49 of 2024

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Another good night, when I woke at 5am and had a shower, I am zoning out a bit this morning, don’t know why my BGL is ok at 5.30 it was 5.1 and it was 22 degrees, it is supposed to be another hot day.

Tim and I went over to Lake Fair so Tim could get new work pants and shorts. I also went to the Reject shop and got a few things. After that we went and picked up the new air con.

It got hot a top temp of 32 degrees.

Sue made a chocolate cake and divided it between herself, Sandy and me, Tim tried it and really liked it, and Tim doesn’t as a rule eat cake. However, he does eat lamingtons which is cake.

Steps: 8,523

Another pretty good night, we are in for another stinking hot day with a temp of around 32 degrees. At the moment it is 19 degrees, I forgot to test my blood before eating so don’t know what that was.

I am feeling with it this morning and I am getting things done, little things around the house like vacuuming and hanging a few more Christmas decorations, cleaning the kitchen bench off and going online and modifying my grocery order for tomorrow. All in all, I am feeling good this morning.

I started to feel drained and worn out by lunch time, maybe I should have tried to have nap, but I didn’t.

When I went to meet Sam at 2pm it was 33 degrees.

I turned the air con off at 5.30pm but left the fans going as it wasn’t as hot.

Steps:10,122

Had a so-so night, took me a while to settle but once I did, I slept well, till the alarm went off. At the moment it is nice with the temp of 22 degrees my BGL was 5.1

By lunch time it was 31 degrees.

When I went to meet Sam, I saw Denni & Landon walking home from the high school, it was their orientation day. It was great seeing them.

While I was waiting it wasn’t that hot, it was very warm but not hot.

I was able to turn the air con off at 5.30 and open the doors and turn the ceiling fan on instead.

Steps: 4,696

Had a good night slept straight through, however, I woke with a headache which isn’t good.

It is a pleasant 22 degrees this morning my BGL was 5.5.

When I went up to the top of the driveway with Sam it was really windy, and the wind was on the cold side.

I turned the air con on at 12.30 only needed it on till 3pm.

It is 10.40pm and I woke up after about an hour or so sleep very restless, so I am using the powerfit before returning to bed.

Steps:7,782

After using the powerfit and returning to bed I slept well.

When I tried to ring Sam there was no answer, so I ended up ringing Jess who said that Sam wasn’t going to school as there was either the swimming carnival or sports carnival. I then sent Joel a text to make sure he knew Sam wasn’t going to school.

Sue drove me to the doctors and went to the post office for me and I went and got fresh bread.

Seems Sue told Tasha about a lady at Baker’s Delight that she felt had an issue with serving me, Sue said she gave me a dirty look and seemed annoyed that it took me so long to find the money for my purchase. I might add I didn’t notice anything, but I was focused on what I was doing and not falling over.

So, Tasha rang Baker’s Delight and lodged a complaint about the woman, as way of saying sorry I get a free loaf of bread and a Danish on my next visit. I don’t know how I feel about it all. 

Steps:6,045

After another good night, I woke only when the alarm went off, Tim gets to sleep in as he doesn’t have to be up till 7am.

It is a lovely 21 degrees and my BGL is 4.8

I went with Sue so she could adopt a kitten, an 8-week-old male called Arti, she adopted it from a shelter in Maitland it was a 45-minute drive. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out, in fact she had to write her name, address, phone number and email address 8 times.

It has been a stinking hot with a top temp of 33 degrees.

Steps:2,000 (steps are low due to unstable knee and the heat)

I was unsettled last night till around midnight, so when the alarm went off, I got up and took my tablets and went back to bed. I hoped to stay there till around 6am, as Tim said he would drive me down to have blood taken at 7am and as it is a fasting test I can’t have anything to eat till after it is done.

Went and had blood taken there was 7 people in front of me, but it didn’t take to long.

Another sticky, muggy day, need the air con on early to suck the moisture out of the air.

Tim took Jess’s car for rego check which it passed, so she is happy about that.

Steps: 3,604

Week 47 of 2024

~ joannerambling ~ 7 Comments

It is 12.50am, I went to bed at 9pm but fully fall asleep I dosed on and off till midnight when I got up to pee. I decided to use the powerfit and now I am starting today’s diary enter as even though I am tired I don’t know if I will fall asleep, so I am staying up for a bit.

I went back to bed at 2am slept ok and when the alarm went off at 5am I got up. The temp is 19 degrees and my BGL is 5.1

At around 8am I went back to bed for an hour; after getting up Tim and I went to the shops.

I have done bugga all today, Tim did cut my hair though.

LEIGH’S BIRTHDAY

I had a good night slept well and woke to a cold wet morning so different from yesterday.

It is 19 degrees and my BGL is 5.0

I walked up with Sam in the rain, thankfully I have my rain poncho, so I didn’t get wet.

Jess came down and said she would take me to Kmart tomorrow to look at dresses.

It stopped raining and warmed up.

I decided I would do a load of washing and hang it up before I go to bed.

Steps:6,950

I had a good night slept well, however, while taking my morning meds I had problems swallowing and this resulted in tablets melting in my mouth, not nice.

It is 18 degrees and fine, my BGL was 4.8. like

Jess and I went to Kmart she bought me a couple of dresses and a nightie she also paid for my face cream.

Blain was supposed to be coming home today but he overslept and missed his flight. Tasha said she has no idea when he will be able to come home since neither her nor Jono have money to pay for his flight.

Tried on the dresses one is perfect and one is a bit big, I am going to see if I can find someone to go and exchange it for me.

Steps: 9,170

I had another good night the temp this morning was 16 degrees and my BGL was 5.2.

I am feeling energic this morning wonder how long that will last.

Sam brought down her mother’s heavy fluoro work jacket and asked me if it could go in the washing machine, we checked the label, and it said do not machine wash. So, I told her to leave it with me, I washed it in the washing machine, but I know how to change the settings so was done on a quick delicate wash.

I sent both Sydney-May and Summer a message this morning, asking how the holiday is going, both replied which was nice. I had a long voice message from Summer, Syd sent a written message it was good hearing from them.

Steps: 9,111

I had another good night the temp this morning was 16 degrees and my BGL was 4.9

It turned out to be a nice day I have done very little as just not a lot of motivation today

Steps:6,884

I had another good night the temp this morning was 16 degrees and my BGL was 4.9

I felt great this morning and managed to not only vacuum and clean the bathroom and my computer desk. I also cleaned the sliding glass doors.

Tim suggested we got to the Eastern Tiger for lunch tomorrow and suggested we ask Sue if she would like to come, she does so I made a booking for 11.30am tomorrow.

Realise when I was folding up the new blue dress to go in a bag that it is size 18 not a 16, we went by what was on the hanger and didn’t look at the dress.

Got the Christmas decorations out and will put the up over the weekend.

I went to bed at 9pm but at 10.20pm I got up and used the powerfit as I was restless.

Steps: 9,894

I am having a shocking night, it is 1.15am and I have little to no sleep, if I did does off at any point, I am unaware of it. At 1am I got fed up with the tossing and turning and decided t get up for a while. Thankfully today is Saturday so if I need to go back to bed after I take my 5am meds I can.

Yeah, I did go back to bed for an extra hour, after taking my meds. I felt ok when I got up.

Tim, Sue and I went to the Eastern Tiger for lunch that was great. After lunch I went and exchanged the dress that was a size to big.

The first thing I did after getting home was turn the air con on, it was 30 degrees in the house. It is now around 25 degrees inside the house.

I am feeling worn out and drained and a little sad, nothing that I can put my finger on.

My steps are low today as with the heat and feeling worn out and tired I just didn’t do much.

Steps: 4,289

Week 46 of 2024

~ joannerambling ~ 7 Comments

I slept right through the night and woke up tired, what is with that, it’s so damn annoying when that happens.

It is 16 degrees this morn my BGL was 5.0

It did get pretty warm but with front and back doors opened it was nice inside. Although by 5pm it started to get pretty cool in fact I started to get cold and asked Tim to turn the fan   off which annoyed him. I had to go and put some longer pants on.

Steps:9,558

I had a so so night was a bit restless around 11pm so got up for an hour or so, on returning to bed I slept well till the alarm went off.

It is 18 degrees and my BGL was 4.2

It is a coolish start to the day warmed up to about 22 degrees. I found myself real tired around midday so had lunch and folded clothes and put them away tried to do something online, it wasn’t working so gave up and exercised instead then I went to meet Sam now trying to decide what I want to do next.

The plumber came to fix Jessica’s toilet, it turned out that the problem was tree roots, he said he was putting a report into housing as the problem will return, he did say what has to be done but I don’t remember what he said.

Steps: 8,542

I had another so so night was a bit restless around 11pm so got up for an hour or so, on returning to bed I slept well till the alarm went off.

The temp is 19 degrees and my BGL was 4.5

I am starting to feel real tired and it’s only 6.15am, I am dosing off while trying to do stuff here at the computer.

Sam walked in at 7am she spent some time here before going home to get ready for school and returned at 7.40am. I walked up with Sam as it looked like it might rain again.

No rain till after Sam got home from school, so a nice day with a top temp of 22 degrees.

I had a good night, slept straight through till the alarm went off. A wet morning, it was raining when Tim left for work. 

It is 18 degrees, my BGL is 5.0

By 9am it had warmed up and by midday it was 25 degrees.

At 4.30pm it came over real dark and there was some thunder and lightning followed by a downpour, it didn’t last long about 15-20 minutes.

It is 11.550pm and I am restless will use the powerfit then go back to bed.

Steps: 6,2450.

I had a rough night, when I went back to bed at 1.15am, I found it difficult to settle tossing and turning for an hour or so.

When I got up, I found Tim already up.

The temp is 17 degrees and my BGL was 4.9

Sue and I went over to Lake Fair and did some shopping, I bought a pair of denim shorts, some light weight pj bottoms which I will wear as house pants and a pair of black slip of dress shoes all fit although the shoes  are tight across the toes but I will wear them around the house for a few minutes at a time to stretch them a bit.

It warmed up enough to wear shorts when I got home from shopping.

Steps: 11,044

I had a good night went to bed at 9.20 slept through the night till 5am.

Looking outside the ground is wet so I hope it doesn’t rain. The temp is degrees and my BGL was 5.6.

Sam’s phone went straight to voicemail, so I had to ring Jess to make sure Sam was up.

I walked down and posted my mail this afternoon.

It was a cool overcast day.

Jess is in for a long night she is doing OT and won’t be home till around 5am tomorrow.

Steps:9,983

MY BIRTHDAY I AM 62 TODAY

I had a good night went to bed at 9pm slept through the night till 5am. It is raining this morning, so I don’t want to go out. It was 19 degrees when I got up.

By 7am I had a headache

Tim left for work at 10.15am he will be home late.

I received many birthday wishes from my siblings and blog friends and pen friends via the phone and Facebook.

Kathy and the girls came over to see me and sung happy birthday to me, not long after they left Jess and Sam came over and did the same.

Steps:8,117

Newcastle Attacked 1942

~ joannerambling ~ 5 Comments

This week we are looking again as Newcastle during the second world war, back then many incidents of the war remained unknown to most Aussies until authorities thought it was safe to discuss them.

Those running the country thought there would be fear and panic and damage to morale, so it was better the general public knew pretty much nothing.

                        A MINI SUBMARINE

However, when the Japanese attacked the east coast, it was impossible to hide that it happened.  On the 31 May and 1 June 1942 mini submarine attacked Sydney harbour. This caused havoc in the harbour and cost 21 lives before they were destroyed, a few days later another attack happen of the Central Coast this time a merchant ship the Iron Chieftain was sunk killing 12 crew.

On the 8 June 1942 shells were fired at Sydney Harbour with just one exploding this caused defence authorities to fear a wider attack, so a message was sent to Newcastle to be prepared for an attack.

                        FORT SCRATCHLEY
Novocastrians heard the sirens and emergency personnel were put on alert, the all clear was sounded many hours later but the threat had not passed. Newcastle had shells fired at them from a position in Stockton Bight at around 2.15am.

Japanese records show that 34 shells from a position about nine kilometres north-east of Fort Scratchley. Eight-star shells burst one by one in the sky to illuminate potential same goes for two others that landed in the east end tram terminus.

As it turns out only two of the shell fired at Newcastle exploded on land one shattering against the sea wall just north of Newcastle Baths and one in Parnell Place which is at the top end of Newcastle. This hurled a shower of metal splinters towards near by homes and peppering walls with metal shards, damaging rainwater downpipes and blowing out house windows. The attack lasted around 20 minutes until just after the guns at Fort Scratchley returned fire.

             FORT SCRATCHLEY GUN YES IT STILL WORKS
The guns at Fort Scratchley were built more than half a century earlier when an invasion was feared by Russia.

After the attack the ports of Newcastle and Sydney were temporarily closed.

In February 1943 the east coast of Australia was attacked again which caused the death of 36 merchant mariners many of whom were from Newcastle.  

Ethiopia

~ joannerambling ~ 8 Comments

Hi all, how is everyone doing, I hope all is good with and those you care about, this week we are still in Africia and the country is Ethiopia a county that many will have heard of in different commercials for UNICEF.

Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley. With archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years, it’s a place of ancient culture. Among its important sites are Lalibela with its rock-cut Christian churches from the 12th–13th centuries. Aksum is the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, castles and Our Lady Mary of Zion church.

In 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie formally requested that the international community use the name Ethiopia instead of the exonym Abyssinia, and the issuing Bank of Abyssinia also became the Bank of Ethiopia.

The capital is Addis Ababa, which is in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley, is the country’s commercial and cultural hub.

Located in the capital is a National Museum which exhibits Ethiopian art, traditional crafts and prehistoric fossils, including replicas of the famous early hominid, “Lucy.”

It has a population of around 126 million, this may be due to a very high fertility of 4.4 children per woman. The combination of a high birth rate and relatively low life expectancy means that Ethiopia is a young country. 41.5 percent of the population is below 15 years and only 3.3 percent is above 65.

The currency is the birr it is subdivided into 100 santims.

The national animal is the lion, and its national flower is the calla lily. The national bird is the Stresemann’s bush crow, also known as the Abyssinian pie, bush crow.

The Flag of Ethiopia consists of a green, yellow, and red tricolour with the national emblem, a golden pentagram on a blue disc, superimposed at the centre.

The star represents the unity of all Ethiopian nationalities, its rays the bright prospects for their future. Blue is for peace, yellow for hope, justice, and equality. Red represents sacrifice for freedom and equality, while green is equated with labour, development, and fertility.

Religion in Ethiopia consists of a number of faiths. Among these mainly Abrahamic religions, the most numerous is Christianity totalling at 67.3%, followed by Islam at 31.3%. There is also a longstanding but small Ethiopian Jewish community.

Christianity in Ethiopia dates back to the ancient Kingdom of Aksum, when the King Ezana first adopted the faith in the 4th century AD. This makes Ethiopia one of the first regions in the world to officially adopt Christianity. Various Christian denominations are now followed in the country.

This is not a country you want to go visiting in face a search online will tell you to avoid non-essential travel to Ethiopia due to civil unrest, violence, armed conflict and crime. The security situation can deteriorate without warning. This advisory excludes Addis Ababa where you should exercise a high degree of caution.

The government of Ethiopia is the federal government of Ethiopia. It is structured in a framework of a federal parliamentary republic, whereby the prime minister is the head of government and the commander-in-chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces. The prime minister is the most powerful political figure in Ethiopian politics. The official residence of the prime minister is the Menelik Palace in Addis Ababa.

This week’s wild dog the Dhole

~ joannerambling ~ 3 Comments

This week we are looking at the dhole, it is a canid native to South, East and Southeast Asia. It is anatomically distinguished from members of the genus Canis in several aspects: its skull is convex rather than concave in profile, it lacks a third lower molar, and the upper molars possess only a single cusp as opposed to between two and four.

It is a highly social animal, living in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females.

This highly elusive and skilled jumper is classified with wolves, coyotes, jackals, and foxes in the taxonomic family Canidae. Dholes are unusual dogs for a few reasons. They don’t fit neatly into any of the dog subfamilies (wolf and fox, for instance).

They are very social animals that live in packs of 5–12 members, but packs can be as large as 25 members. They can also be cooperative with a few splitting off from the pack to hunt together. They are apex predators that are highly skilled hunters, they are agile, strong, and can leap up to seven feet vertically and are also excellent swimmers and have high endurance. 

It is believed that they are one of the most talkative canid species, using a variety of vocalizations to communicate, including whistles, clucks, screams, growls, yaps, and squeaks. 

Since their territory is often shared with larger predators like tigers and leopards, the pack must be alert at all times.

They are a medium-sized wild dogs about the size of a border collie. They have a rusty red coat; they are born with a brownish colour which turns more reddish when around three months old. They can also have dark, almost black bushy tails.

They are not generally dangerous to humans and are usually docile and skittish and will typically retreat when they see a person. However, dholes can attack livestock, and humans may retaliate by poisoning the carcasses. This can lead to the deaths of entire packs of dholes, as well as other carnivores and scavengers. 

Newcastle War Years

~ joannerambling ~ 8 Comments

 Today we are going to have a look at Newcastle, New South Wales in 1939 when World War 11 started.

It was considered by some that the part Newcastle was to play in the national war effort was inevitably this was due to the city’s heavy industries represented the vital heart of the country’s ability to fight fire with fire.

It wasn’t long before BHP, its subsidiaries and a surprising wide array of smaller industrial plants were flat out making shells, gun barrels, bombs and parts for everything from tanks to aircraft.

As the war progressed the NSW government pressed Newcastle back into shipbuilding and repair business.

BHP chief Essington Lewis had anticipated Japan’s entry into the war and the cities industries were ready to accelerate production after the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941.

War activity reached hectic levels in 1942 when Japanese submarines prowled of the east coast sinking ships and attacking Newcastle and Sydney.

It was during this time that the RAAF established a base at Williamstown in order to defend the oh so important industries in Newcastle. A seaplane base was also established at Rathmines which is part of Lake Macquarie and the US-built Catalina aircraft did long-range patrols and anti-submarine work.

During the war years military and civil defence infrastructure appeared all over the Hunter, also air raid shelters popped up in streets and tank traps were established on beaches and slit trenches were dung in schools and parks.

Blackouts were enforced and many households dug their own shelters.

Of course, many men signed up to serve their country, going overseas to fight, while U S troops arrived in the city.

Women also went off to war with many joining the Land Army as well as other military forces, operating searchlights and working in radar and communications installations. While others filled the caps left by the men gone off to fight, this was radical change that continued well into the postwar years.

Dingo

~ joannerambling ~ 5 Comments

Well, here we are at another Monday and time to look at another wild dog, this week it is the Australian Dingo.

Dingoes have a lifespan from as few as 3yrs to usually around 16yrs but some have been known to live for 20yrs.

The dingo is an ancient lineage of dog found in Australia, however, compared with the skull of the dog, the dingo possesses a longer muzzle, longer carnassial teeth, longer and more slender canine teeth, larger auditory bullae, a flatter cranium with a larger sagittal crest, and larger nuchal lines.

The dingo’s three main coat colourations are light ginger or tan, black and tan, or creamy white. The skull is wedge-shaped and appears large in proportion to the body.

The dingo is closely related to the New Guinea singing dog. The oldest remains of dingoes in Australia are around 3,500 years old.

A dingo pack usually consists of a mated pair, their offspring from the current year, and sometimes offspring from the previous year.

Dingoes do not bark like a dog but howl, chortle, yelp, whine, growl, chatter, snort, cough and purr.

Dingoes are largely terrestrial carnivores they have a broad diet including fresh meat, fish, eggs and carrion they occasionally eat plants and fruits. They’re opportunistic hunters but will also scavenge food. The bulk of their diet is made up of meat: they eat kangaroos, wallabies, feral pigs, wombats, small mammals (rabbits, rodents), birds and lizards.

Their strong jaw and large canines permit the dingo to procure and machinate rather tough prey, allowing them to tear meat from carcasses and crush bones to obtain calcium and fat.

Dingoes have a strict social hierarchy and regularly mate for life. Female dingoes have one annual breeding cycle, March to June. The dingo pack helps with the rearing of pups which are weaned at about 2 months, at which time the pups may be abandoned or can stay with the parents for up to a year. Dingo pups are fully grown by 7 months.

They are primarily killed by humans, crocodiles, and sometimes by other canid species, such as jackals and domestic dogs. They are also killed by Dingoes from other packs. Pups may be taken by large birds of prey.

They are highly intelligent and intuitive animals that have a high capacity to solve problems and plan.

With this high intelligence and foresight comes a strong sense of self-awareness and independence.