Wednesday, September 25, 2019


All’s well. I’ve reached row 34 of the Spring Shawl borders, and the knitting continues straightforward if not exactly easy.

Politics continue preposterous. If you’ve watched any of it on television today, you’ve probably seen the Attorney General shouting at Parliament that they’re a disgrace, unworthy to be sitting there. There was a nice picture in the paper this morning of the Attorney General and his cat, one of them entering the house as the other was leaving.

(Science has discovered – this was yesterday’s news – that cats are often fond of the people they live with, although you might not suspect it because they don’t bark and wag their tails. Isn’t science wonderful?)

My problem these days is to stay awake long enough to go to bed in time for for the news at 10. I mustn't lie down earlier than 9:50 or I'll sleep right through. It ought to be particularly interesting tonight because it will include Mr Johnson's statement to Parliament.

Andrew and Andrea were good yesterday. The interviewee has the professional name of Olgajazzy. Her real name is unpronounceable. Her strength is in shape and (especially) texture, and she was much influenced by her years of living in Japan.

But the high point of the episode was an Australian sheep farm. Two brothers told us about it, in alternate sentences, as Arne and Carlos did when I heard them speak at the Museum of Scotland once. I was interested in their dogs. They look nothing like the sheepdogs I am used to, but are clearly every bit as good at their work, and enjoy being a Very Great Help just as much. The brothers said, I think, that European dogs have been bred with dingoes to provide the ability to work all day in 40-degree heat. (That’s centigrade.)

Andrew and Andrea are now off to Shetland for the Wool Week, and will therefore be away for another three weeks. Still, there should be some treats in store for us when they get back.

3 comments:

  1. I am sorry to disappoint you but there is no genomic evidence for our kelpies or sheep dogs having any dingo ancestry. They first got their name from a pup called "Kelpie" - so named by a Scot of course. There are two distinct classes - those used for work and those used for show purposes. The working dogs are usually highly intelligent - but they can't herd cats!

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  2. Border Collies are also popular working dogs. I had a kelpie/BC cross when I lived on the farm, I fear she was smarter than me and could manage a mob of 2000 ewes on her own. She could run all day and we clocked her at 45km/h cruising alongside the Ute.

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  3. I love to see working dogs work! I contrast that with the poor dogs I see who live downtown and feel sorry for them. The last barn I was at had a border collie who would occasionally try to herd the horses, with little success.

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