Bedraggled....

Ma, what is this stuff that sticks all my feathers together?

Galah chick on left

Crest feathers will turn white later on

Cockatoos and Corellas

enjoying some much-needed rain

Fox on the run...

I've just found these shots on my camera, taken back in July.

A fox coming so close to the house at 9am in the morning;

it must have been hungry

and knew there'd be left-over doggy bones on the grass.

In great condition

but, on closer inspection,

it had a badly damaged and bleeding front paw.

Seconds later it was gone.

Spillway gates open after 15 years.....

Image: Allan, LakeEildon.com

Yesterday the spillway gates at Lake Eildon opened for the first time in 15 years.  The gates operating system has been upgraded since they were last used in 1996 and were being tested with the lake capacity at 99.21%.  

Image: Allan, LakeEildon.com

A Goulburn-Murray Water spokesman said that 150 megalitres were released, or about the equivalent of 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Image: Allan, LakeEildon.com
  

They opened each one of the gates separately to about 600 millimetres and then closed them.  It takes about two minutes to open a gate and two minutes to close again.

Top of Spillway, Pondages in distance

Image: Alaine

The water will stay in the holding pondages and will not affect the Goulburn River below Eildon or the communities downstream, which is comforting to know as we live 2 kilometres downstream in the valley!

Pondages - Image: Alaine

View from Mt. Pininger - Image: Alaine

The lake has not been this high for 15 years; shortly after 1996 we went into drought for 13 years and at one time the lake level dropped to 8%, uncovering a lot of the old farms and delivering up treasures lost when the valley was flooded in the 1950s to create the weir for irrigation and recreational activities.  Even at 8%, there was enough water for the houseboats, boating, skiing and fishing.  

From Mt. Pininger - Image: Alaine, this afternoon

The lake being at this capacity augurs well for the coming summer months; a boost to tourism and a welcome change for many businesses that have found it tough during the dry times. True to the old adage; "Just add water"!

This horrified me!

This month's edition of RoyalAuto (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria's magazine) referred back to this piece in their 'The Radiator' magazine of 1936.

"There has been some controversy whether owners of large dogs are humane when they subject them to risks by carrying them on running boards.  If the dogs are tethered, they may be thrown off by a sudden swerve and strangled.  If they are untethered, they may be dashed on to the roadway, thus suffering injury or constituting a danger to other drivers.

"The illustration herewith from Popular Mechanics (Chicago) shows a simple device. A sack made of canvas is clamped to the running board.  A hole is made large enough for the dog's head to protrude. The hooks should be covered with a rubber to prevent damage to the enamel."

"Bird-dog's Palace" - Ha!

This fella thinks the step-plate is a doggy seat!

At the end of the journey

some exercise on the treadmill!

Or a quiet game of chess!