(No, I'm not thinking of Johannes Heesters)

http://media.theage.com.au/news/environment-news/chook-the-machinemimicking-lyrebird-dies-2863980.html

I think it's only a matter of time that the tradition of 'Boxing Day' will spill over into Austria/Germany. On this day the economy makes at least as much money as in the time before Christmas.


http://ten.com.au/ten-news-adelaide.htm?movideo_p=44241&movideo_m=151091


Here the origin of 'Boxing Day':

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_Boxing_Day

Boxing Day, also known as St. Stephen's Day, is celebrated on December 26 - the day after Christmas. It was a way for people to make contributions of cash or goods to those less fortunate. Some say it began with the opening of alms boxes in churches during Christmas season and the contributions were distributed the day after Christmas to the needy.

Boxing Day is celebrated in Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Today many families and businesses donate time, money or services to those individuals or charities who are in need.

It was also the day when the master/mistress would distribute the Christmas Box (a gift or money) to the servants. Once upon a time people like the postman (mailman), refuse collector and milkman would call at the houses they serviced for a Christmas "Box" and woe betide the person who didn't give one. Nowadays we just "tip" the people when we see them.

Boxing Day originated during the Victorian era. Family households would celebrate Christmas on Christmas Day but this meant that their servants had to continue with their normal work and so, in effect, missed out on the celebration. To compensate for this, families would set aside December 26 as the time for their servants' Christmas. Work duties would be dropped to a minimum, with family members assuming some of the responsibilities of the servants, such as keeping the fireplace stocked with coal, greeting visitors themselves and supplying the servants with a good Christmas dinner. The term "Boxing Day" refers to the gift that the family gave to each servant - wrapped in box. Despite the good-will shown to their servants there was no mixed lunch or partying the night away together. Decent families still kept a reasonable distance from their servants.

'Epilogue with the lamb' by Leonie Swann

Cold.
And bright.
It punctured the eyes. Eyes? Eyes! The eyes were at the top. In the head. The head was also able to breathe and smell, thousand things, sweet and spicy and warm and cold and blue. All mixed up. And hear: a soughing outside and a pulsing inside. Erstwhile there was no outside. Now it was. Being cold could be all over, even further down where no head was any more.
The lamb was shivering. It wanted to go away. Away meant in the first place away from there further down, the coldest place. The lamb strechted things - legs? -, and really: the cold bottom disappeared. Then something went wrong and yet the bottom was there again, cold and pretty tough. Once again! The back at first. The back was where there was no head. Back was easier. Then the front. Everything was staggering but the bottom remained where it belonged: below.
The bright converged into circles. Into circles and colours. Next to it was standing something, darker than the above, but not so dark and was smelling good. And it mumbled deep calming sounds which chased away the shiver. Closer! Closer to the Good Thing, head first!
Then suddenly something smelled different then before. Hot and pungent.
The shiver was back.
The sounds of the Good Thing became shrilly and were not calming any longer. The smell changed as well. This was standing for something. Something got to be done. The lamb snabbed it's eyes open and tried to see more. There! Something Red was flickering through the grey. Before there was only grey, light and dark, blueish and rosy. Lots of greys.
The Red was new. The Red was different. Faster. Surreptitious. Dangerous.
The lamb had a whinge. The whinge frightened the lamb. It tried to get closer to the Good Thing.
The Good Thing moved.
The Red flickered.
Circled.
Whipped forward and flowed back into the grey.
The Good Thing baaed.
Then all of a sudden the Red was in front of it, with yellow eyes and white in its mouth. The lamb screamed. And then the Red was flying through the air, away from it. The Good Thing following with kicks and hits and fury.
Before the lamb was even able to start shivering the Good Thing was back again and it wasn't a thing, but warm, warm, warm and moving, with a black face and horns and the best smell and the most beautiful voice.
And a promise.
Suddenly the lamb had a mouth and the mouth had something in mind. Along the warm fur, to a secret hollow, deep into. And sucking sucking sucking.
And life was sweet. And warm.
And it tasted good.
Zora was satisfied with her winter-lamb.



[My first dog "Radjai", an Afghane, helped "Lisa" deliver her lamb "Puenktchen"]

I love the books from Leonie Swann. They are not really grandiose literature but very entertaining. Her first novel about Miss Maple, Mopple the Whale, Sir Ritchfield, and all the other sheep was called:



In her second publication the author wrote about the ongoing adventures in France and the mystery around a werewolf, the 'Garou':



It always reminds me of my own sheep: 'Lisa' and her son 'Puenktchen' who was born 28.06.1985 (1 day old on this picture!):



The last two pages in this book describes the birth of Zora's winter-lamb and I will try to translate this tale in my next post.

'La Nina'

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/glossary/lanina.shtml

still in progress:



TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for DAMAGING WIND, FLASH FLOODING and LARGE HAILSTONES
For people in the Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Flinders, Mid North, Riverland, North East Pastoral and parts of the West Coast, Yorke Peninsula and North West Pastoral districts.

Issued at 1:17 pm Saturday, 17 December 2011.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds with gusts in excess of 90 km/h, very heavy rainfall, possible flash flooding and possible large hailstones in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Port Augusta, Leigh Creek, Whyalla, Cleve, Renmark, Port Pirie, Maitland, Hawker and Jamestown.

This week was busy and started with a catastrophe on Monday. I was asked to do a night shift and at around 2 o'clock in the morning it suddenly came into my mind that I forgot to put a weigh onto the provisional enclosure of my chicks. What shall I say - the worst case scenario came true and when I came home in the morning all three chicks were gone, taken by a fox!
So I spent Tuesday buying a fence and fixing it to secure the Bantam Leghorn hen who decided to breed in an free breeze goat stable (with two eggs). Fort Knox for a tiny hen!
Wednesday I went to Adelaide and signed the contract for the transportable home. A huge package of paperwork and every page needed a signature or initials.
Yesterday I drove into the opposite direction to meet the electrician at the property. He will give me a quote next week and then I'm able to decide where the house will get to. I also visited a company who is doing sheds - essential component for the proposed farm.
Clare had to stay at home in the backyard. But in the evening we did our 10 km workout and yesterday we went to the beach.

... Melbourne Cup ahead. 24 horses are running in a circuit and everyone is excited. 6 Million Dollar for the winner!

http://www.puntersparadise.com.au/melbourne-cup/melbourne-cup-horses/

In Victoria there is a holiday today. South Australia doesn't splash out celebrating its own race: Adelaide Cup in March, and of course a holiday too. Crazy Australian.

Today Andras has been euthanized due to a gastric volvulus.

Here his story:

In 2004 I was asked by Animal Life to look after a poor dog. He was rescued in Hungary where he was fixed by a chain without any food. The owners had left the premises leaving this desperate creature behind.



Animal Life saved him at the last minute, being only skin and bones (28 kg, his normal weight was 45 kg). He had high fever and a severe anaemia. It took a lot of effort and medication to revive him.
A couple of months later we found a family for him and he moved to the 'Waldviertel'. Half a year later I was asked to castrate him because he was roaming around. But the desexing had no influence on this bad habit. The people were pretty unhappy so in 2005 we decided to take him back. In the beginning he developed an untamable drive to escape. Our property is enclosed by a 2 m high fence and he was the only dog ever who managed to climb the fence like a monkey and run away. One time we had to pick him up at the local animal rescue shelter. But besides his drive to escape he had a lovely nature. He never showed any kind of aggression - neither to humans nor to other animals.
We didn't know how old he was but in 2004 his age was estimated to 4 years.

And again:

"Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
South Australia Regional Office

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
for DAMAGING WIND and LARGE HAILSTONES
For people in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Mid North,
Riverland, Murraylands and Upper South East districts.

Issued at 4:49 pm Wednesday, 28 September 2011.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging winds with gusts to 100 km/h in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected
include Adelaide, Renmark, Port Pirie, Clare, Maitland and Murray Bridge.

Large hail is possible with thunderstorms over parts of the warning area on and east of the ranges."

Yesterday more than 32*C - today apocalypse.