Rowan's blog

Mucky pup

A post from Quilla:

"Mum takes me to the park every day for my walk. Today was extra fun cos I managed to catch her off guard and run into the duck pond. Afterwards I found a big smelly pile of goose poo to roll in. I smelt fantastic!! I don't know why, but mum didn't seem very happy. When we got home she wouldn't let me near the sofa. She locked me in the back room and took this pic."

"Then she went in the bathroom and ran a big bath. I went in cos I like to drink the warm water. Next thing I knew she'd thrown me in there!! I tried to escape but she fed me treats for standing still so it was worthwhile. It was even worth sitting my bum and tail into the water for a bit of liver, but there was nooo way I was going to lie down!

"She rubbed this dodgy smelling stuff all over me, I don't mind a massage, but poo, it stunk like the flowers in the front garden. After a while the water didn't look so appetising, it was dark brown, but it smelt far better than me. I shook it all over the bathroom making pretty patterns down the walls.

"Mum finally let me out and I ran around shaking like a wild thing. Then she asked me to sit. She seemed happy again so I tried to do a pretty pose."

"Then mum said 'ok' (which means I can go wild again), so I ran as fast as I could and jumped on the sofa. Mum got me off it and put a towel down, which I was happy about cos I like to roll on the towel (when I'm not eating it). I jumped around a bit and did some special poses for mum. This one's my fave."

"Well, I hope you had as much fun as me today. Now I've just got to work out how to get back to that goose poo..."

Quilla is 6 months old!

And what a satisfying and exhausting six months they've been :)

Giant badgers terrorise Iraqi port city

I really have heard it all now. Read the Daily Telegraph story.

New house and puppy

Ben & I signed the contract and bought a semi-detached house a couple of weeks ago. I'm feeling very grown up! We'll move in at the end of May.

Today I chose a little girl golden retriever pup to live in our house with us. She's 3 weeks old today. We'll take her home (to our new house) when she's 9 weeks (and we've puppy-proofed the fence). Ben chose her name; 'Quilla'.

Quilla is a girls name of Middle English origin, meaning "feather". It's also the name of an Inca moon goddess.  In the Incan tongue, the name means "Mother Moon" or "Golden Mother."

I'm totally smitten as you can see. Expect to hear A LOT MORE about Quilla!

See all the pics including Quilla's mum.

Going green

I saw Al Gore's "The Inconvenient Truth" last night. Simply terrifying.

The most basic point is that human emissions have caused the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere to go off the radar (far beyond the natural variation seen between ice ages). This causes global warming.

We are just starting to see the impacts; droughts, floods, tornadoes, an array of natural disasters. At the rate that we're producing emissions, they will get much worse (terrifyingly so) unless we make immediate changes.

Today I've been online, researching how to make myself greener. I recycle, I don't own a car, I don't use much water, but it's time to do more. If you feel the same way, here are some suggestions:

1. The basics.

From ClimateCrisis.net:

"You do have the power to make a difference. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big changes in helping to stop global warming."

• Reduce your impact AT HOME
• Reduce your impact WHILE ON THE MOVE
• Help bring about change LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY (US, but still relevant)
• Download these 10 SIMPLE TIPS to take with you!

You can apply before 30 Sept to get a free residential 'Climate Change Action Kit' (available if you live in NSW or ACT.) Get it here.

2. Switch to Green Power.

From: Green Power:

"When you buy Green Power your electricity company purchases energy from renewable sources and feeds it into the National Grid Network. This increases the amount of renewable electricity in the grid, reducing the need for electricity derived from the burning of fossil fuels."

You don't need to change your energy provider to buy Green Power.

More info, plus the full list of Green Power providers is available here (just select your state).

If you're with Energy Australia you can switch to "PureEnergy", no 2 on this page, by calling 13 15 35. PureEnergy is a Green Power accredited product. It is a bit more expensive but it won't cost the earth (te he).

3. Buy Carbon Credits to become Carbon Neutral.

It's very important to follow steps 1 (the basics) and 2 (buy Green Power) above. Buying Carbon Credits allows you to offset the emissions you can't help causing.

Buying Carbon Credits does not fully resolve the problems you're causing by producing emissions. A study conducted by Duke Uni in Dec 05 concluded that storing carbon to combat global warming may cause other environmental problems (but it's much better than doing nothing).

From: CarbonPlanet

"Carbon credits certify the removal of carbon dioxide from the air. Each carbon credit is associated with the removal of a single tonne of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere."

There seem to be four companies / organisations in Australia that currently sell Carbon Credits: CarbonPlanet, Greenfleet, Climate Friendly and Easy Being Green.

An example of CarbonPlanet packages:

• Carbon Credit Subscriptions — Offset your emissions on an ongoing basis. Set and forget!
• Carbon Credit Packages — Offset specific events or activities on a one-off basis. Offset your car for a year, or specific flights. It's up to you. If you are unsure of what to buy, you can buy a starter pack which provides two carbon credits and more information.
• Offset Your Lifetime Emissions — You can offset your whole life in one purchase! Choose between the whole of your life so far, or your entire life.

Find out more, go to the faq index page, read the philospohy faq and buy Carbon Credits from CarbonPlanet. And why not bookmark the CarbonPlanet blog to keep abreast future developments.

For more info, check out the Sydney Morning Herald article, Wikipedia entries for Carbon Credits or Emissions Trading.

An interesting point from Emissions Trading:

"Critics argue that emissions trading does little to solve pollution problems overall, as groups that do not pollute sell their conservation to the highest bidder. Overall reductions would need to come from a reduction of permits available in the system. Likely this would occur over time through central regulation, though some environmental groups acted more immediately by buying credits and refusing to use or sell them. Nevertheless, the transfer of wealth from polluters to non-polluters provides incentives for polluting firms to change, especially if the market price for pollution credits is very high."

So buying carbon credits also reduces the amount of credits in the market, making it more expensive for companies that pollute. This will help force them to comply.

Here's a link to the 50 top climate change sites.

If you have any other ideas or suggestions on what to do, please add them as comments below. Thanks!

The Greenie

Christmas in July

A few weekends ago Mish, Pete, Suz, Dipen, Fran, Grant, Will, Ben & I went down to Red Dog Retreat (two very cute country cottages) mid-way between Berry and Kangaroo Valley.

We put up Christmas decorations and got the log fires crackling, walked Maya (the dog) in the crisp country air, I fell in love with a young horse in a field along the ridgeway and Suz & Dipen made friends with a donkey that made us all laugh.

We cooked a full roast Christmas dinner with parsnips (my fave), drank mulled wine and played board games & cards while making room for some of Mishy's delicious desserts.

Saturday night ended with a game of Thieving Secret Santa (also known as 'White Elephant Game') - and lots of present stealing. Will winded up with a police hat, small blow up cow and other dubious items. Dipen got a Homer Simpson style beer guzzler hat (which Ben modelled for the camera). Ben managed to steal Buster the dog back from others, ironic since he's always going on about how much better cats are than dogs (I like dogs) - and how I'll never be allowed one (ok, so a toy dog is a good start). I got a water pistol (watch out this summer).

All the Christmas in July pics are here.

I had a lovely time. Thanks to everyone who came!

Big wild cats

"A Victorian hunter believes he may finally have solved the state's big cat mystery.

Kurt Engel shot dead what is believed to be a leopard or a puma in Gippsland.

Mr Engel photographed the dead cat and cut off its tail after shooting it while hunting deer in rugged terrain near Sale...

The breakthrough follows decades of sightings of mysterious wild big cats throughout Australia - but no physical proof of their existence."

Read the full Herald Sun article.

It can't be related to the Exmoor Beast. That'll never be caught...

Armed Dolphins Released Into Gulf of Mexico

I just saw this on Mick's blog. Too weird. I had to blog it.

From Slashdot:

An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian is reporting on what may be the weirdest Hurricane Katrina story yet. Military trained dolphins may have been released into the wild by the Hurricane's devastation." From the article: "Experts who have studied the U.S. navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The U.S. navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing. Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War."

Ever seen baby porcupines?

Jason recons they look like Ferrero Raffaello chocolates. :s

Muffin

Ben H and Lucy got a kitten last week. She's called Muffin. She's being spoilt rotten and is turning into a bit of a princess. I discovered she's pretty serious about perfecting her wave to the paparazzi.

Cute huh!