|
Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2010 5:54:11 GMT
I was reading up on ferrets just yesterday and learned that they were domesticated before the cat.
I saw an article on hunting with ferrets, and it is really tricky business. You have to feed them a little to get them active, but not too much or they want to go to sleep. They go into rabbit burrows to flush out the rabbits, who consider them to be a mortal enemy. Ferrets being carnivores, I presume they eat the baby bunnies.
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Sept 4, 2010 17:05:24 GMT
I too missed this thread before. I love the architecture and have always been fascinated by the unique and unusual collection of animals and vegetation native to the land down under, like the platypus and those funny looking plants in the burned out landscape. Some of the pictures of the town remind me of old American wild west towns. And the lack of people in town is very similar to the lack of people in rural villages in France. Just read one of my bike trip reports if you want proof. Good stuff you put up here.
|
|
|
Post by ilbonito on Sept 12, 2010 5:05:50 GMT
The town's annual parade was this morning. I got woken up by the goddamned bagpipes. The big city in cynic in me was smirking at the hokiness of it, but at the same time I found it quite heartwarming to know its there. Every year the town chooses a "Daffodil King" and "Daffodil Queen" - usually a retired couple - to lead the parade (which is daffodil-themed, this being the town's chosen emblem). This year they were riding in a stage coach. A childrens petting zoo was set up outside the Mechanics Institute. (Mechanics Institutes were a kind of library/cultural and leisure facility set up in the nineteenth century to help "elevate" the working classes". Every town had one.) There were some turkeys - not that common in Australia since we don't have Thanksgiving and rarely eat them at Christmas. Random hippies The goddamned bagpipes By far the highlight of the parade was the lion dancing and drumming, and the small imperial dragon brought down from Bendigo. Interestingly, the lion dancers were all Caucasian! Old cars - this bit went on forever Finally, the tractors and carts parade.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2010 5:16:55 GMT
I didn't see a single real daffodil. Too early in the season? Does this parade commemorate anything specific like the founding of the town, or is it just to herald the imminence of spring?
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 12, 2010 5:24:09 GMT
Lucky me ~~ I just came back to this thread and am thrilled to see all the good stuff I missed before.
The beer commercial is laugh-out-loud funny. It actually makes you want a beer, too.
"sweet smelling". Uh, how is it you know how ferrets smell?
That Bank of New South Wales building is something else!
Yeah, what is the deal with the lion dancers? I can't help but think there might have been irate Chinese people running behind them saying, "You all put that back right now!"
This was fun ~~ thanks!
|
|
|
Post by ilbonito on Sept 12, 2010 5:38:52 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2010 6:00:07 GMT
Ah, thanks for showing the daffofils, ilbonito. We won't be seeing any here until the end of February at the earliest.
|
|