Photo Friday- 28th October 2011: "Christmas in October?"

 It's Christmas Time!

Yes you did read it right: Every year the college I live at while studying at Uni has a huge celebration for Christmas.
This year I was pleased to be able to help the student Exec putting on this event. I was able to secure eight big LED spotlights to light the room and the pillars, and a big smoke machine to provide the occasional fog (or blizzard). This topped off with Christmas Carols and the staple viewing material of The Grinch (quoted as being a treasured College heirloom).
Our catering team and chefs provided a wonderful meal with Christmas Ham, Turkey and Beef, with all the trimmings, cold meats and of course over 10kg's of Prawns! Dessert was a sumptuous affair with our Dessert Chef preparing beautiful rich Chocolate tarts and the Aussie favorite: Pavlova.

Photo Friday- 21st October 2011: "Where Are You?"

Where Are You?

Not just a somewhat humorous (but ultimately not well conceived) slogan for a former Australian Tourism Marketing Campaign, but also a great way to find out just where you are.

On a recent trip home I took the oportunity to fly home rather than the usual train ride home. This gave me the oportunity to get some wonderful shots of the lands from above. One particular shot that I managed to catch is the mighty Burdekin River from above, so for any North Queenslanders Where Are You?

An Interesting Watch.....

For those that may have missed it last nights episode of Q&A on the ABC touched on the live export debate (albeit somewhat briefly- though thirty minutes in not nearly enough to debate the trade.).
The link to the question is in the right hand side margin "chapters" section. Click the section labelled "Live Cattle Trade" (29:19).

Here's the link: ABC Q&A- Adventures in Democracy

Farming 201......

So you've passed class 101, lets move onto some more advanced techniques......

1. Roundup when used appropriately is always a great substitute for weeding the garden.
2. Do not use point one for killing off bindi's in the grass or around the prized rose bushes. Will lead to a very unimpressed mother.
3. A fresh round-bale is nothing but a great play toy for foals, What do you mean I'm meant to eat it?
4. The higher the value the more likely it is to become the favourite chew toy for the Dachshund pup. - If it's RM Williams it gets moved to favourite by default.
5.  A blue cattle dog can work hard all day make decent threats and be rather imposing, however - get so much as a whiff of a thunder storm and she is trying to get in the house.
6. You can don't need the horse they are up at the fence trying to steal a pat (or your lunch), however when you need them its a different story - they generally pick the corner furthest away to sit in.
7. Crop duster pilots have right of way - they will buzz you while you're checking cotton for bugs, scares the crap out of you.
8. Beware the auto-irrigator, watch where its going and avoid it all costs.
9. Its always the nice, new & expensive toy that gets broken first leaving you to go back to the old one.
10. A Steiger Tractor can out pull a Cat D-5/6 Any day....
11. Never underestimate a horses uncanny ability to tell that it's rocks in the bucket you are jingling to get them to come to the fence.
12. When preg/testing AI'ing always make sure you have at least more than one glove left, punching through the fingers on the second cow in not the most pleasant experience.
13. It's always the sweet and innocent looking calf that you have to watch out for.
14. Always assume no matter how quiet, sweet and/or innocent the calf looks that it will give a well trained SWAT team a run for their money - Learnt that on Dairy Prac
15. Be mindful that the calves in the calving paddock will try and but you as you have one leg over either side of the barbed wire/hot wire. - Again Lesson Learnt
16. Calves will headbutt you if they want to suck on your fingers and you won't let them, where is totally their prerogative.
17. Always make sure the hot wire you have just pulled back is not earthing on the bolt that holds the gate onto the post.
18. The most awkwardly/precariously placed fishing line will always yield the biggest fish - its just retrieving it that's the challenge.
19. Holding welding glass over your eyes when welding in not a substitute for a welding helmet - It's not safe but it does make people look hilarious!
20. If it doesn't fit you're probably not hitting/kicking it hard enough.
21. Hitting, it bashing it and swearing at it don't actually constitute doing something about the problem, it makes you feel better and the repair bill bigger.
22. Be careful when using the whipper-snipper with the brush cutting blade around trees, it prunes really well.
23. You reading the paper or doing that bookwork does not take precedence over the cat.
24. That cat will use your laptop as a bed during winter as the heat vents in the keyboard provide great warmth.
25.  Coky's gates made from brand new barbed wire are nothing short of painful to use for the first six months.

If all else fails here's some humor from GraphJam.com A great and enlightening source of practical yet humorous data analysis, enjoy: