I wandered lonely as a duck

BY JOHN ANSELL

I wandered lonely as a duck

Left legless by a rubbish truck,

Or right legless? — it’s been a while,

But I cannot forget a smile,

And I would swear to judge or nun

That that duck wasn’t wearing one.

But neither did the duck complain, … Continue Reading

Kuranui  College  Students excel at basic electronic national exam

While  the  exam is  set  by  the New  Zealand  Association of  Radio  Transmitters,  Inc  (NZART)  the sitting of the exam  is  supervised  by  approved  local licensed operators.  Several  months  ago the  first student from Kuranui College, Rhys Kill, gained   a  pass  and  now  anotherstudent Sam  Clouston  (pictured)   has  gained  a  pass.  It is exceptional to have this occur within  a  year.

Several  senior  members  of  the  South  Wairarapa  Branch of NZART –  known  as  Branch  82 –  have  been running tuition classes  in Basic  Electronics which  hopefully will  give the  students a helping  hand  into future  job  opportunities and lifestyle.

Did you know

THE CHESS CLUB meets every Tuesday night  at St. Andrew’s Church Hall from 5pm. No charge just come along and join in. Snacks provided. 

LIFE FLIGHT helicopter and planes have made over 750 operations so far this year. These include 78 to road accidents, 39 medical emergencies, 181 vital baby incubator transfers, 20 search and rescues and 411 intensive care transfers,

WITH 390 COURSES New Zealand has the second highest number of golf courses per head of population in the world. Only Scotland has more. Third is Australia followed by Ireland, Canada, Wales, USA, Sweden and England.

NZ’S GROSS emissions have risen 19.6% since 1990. During that time road transport emissions have risen 81% and agriculture 49%. Sheep emissions have steadily fallen right through the period while cattle steadily rose to plateau in 2013 and now fallen slightly. 

‘WOMEN who seek equality with men lack ambition’ Timothy Leary

ROBOTS at the fully automated Seiko watch factory produce 25,000 quartz watches a day. Meanwhile in the adjacent building twenty four watchmakers each hand produce two or three Grand Seiko watches a day.

NEW ZEALAND has one of the oldest car fleets in the world. Only Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary have older cars. Plus, eight if  NZ’s current ten top selling cars are higher emitting utes. The only smaller motor cars in the top ten are Toyota Corolla (5) and Suzuki Swift (10) 

LARGE company’s CEO’s salary is not a market award for achievement. It is frequently more in the nature of a warm gesture to themselves’ J K Galbraith  

SINCE THEIR INTRODUCTION in 1966 over 44 million Toyota Corollas have been produced. They are now sold in 150 countries  and there are currently 155,000 Corollas of various models in New Zealand. 

SWDC HAS six staff for every 1,000 residents. The Wellington City Council has twenty two for every 1,000 residents.

TELLING LIES  is a bit like tiling a bathroom – if you don’t know how to do it properly it’s best not to try

STUDY BY GLOBAL research company Ipsos found the 80% in China and India thought that globalisation is good. Whereas less than 50% in USA , Germany or Japan thought so.

THE DAVOS World Economic Forum reported that the world’s 42 wealthiest individuals  owned as much as the bottom 3.5 million people. 

Grass Seeds

Spring is in the air and it is grass seed season again! Those nasty little devils can cause a lot of discomfort to your pet. They have a very pointed barbed end which allows it to easily become embedded in your pet’s skin. They can become lodged in paws, under the tail, armpit or groin region.  Their ears are also very susceptible to collecting grass seeds, likewise the eyes, as dogs enjoy rubbing their face in the grass.

All dogs can be affected by grass seeds, but they cause more of a problem in breeds with long hair and fluffy toes that enjoy bounding through long grass, such as springer spaniels, beardies and many more. 

It is a good idea for owners to check the danger areas of their dogs with long hair, in particular the feet and ears; especially if you have walked through areas with long grass. One way to help protect your long haired friend is to have them groomed/trimmed in the summer months. 

I f your dog has been affected by a grass seed it may show signs of discomfort such as limping or shaking of the head. You may notice a swelling under the skin and your dog may be irritated and licking at a certain area. If you notice a grass seed stuck in the coat best thing to do is to pull it out immediately.  Grass seeds have one way barbs so can only travel forwards not backwards, migrating to different areas of the body causing damage.  

Occasionally the vet may not be able to find the seed (it may have popped out the other side of the foot, or migrated too far to be followed) but without exploring, they won’t know whether the seed is still there and is the cause of the swelling/infection, or if the infection/swelling is present because the seed WAS there!  The lengthy procedure can be very frustrating for the owner AND the vet…never mind the dog.

If the seed lodges in the ear you may notice constant head shaking, the ear will be painful to touch and there may be discharge; if the grass seed is deep in the ear canal, your dog may need to be sedated to remove it, as having one stuck can be incredibly painful for your dog and may result in the ear drum rupturing.

So while you’re at the beauty salon removing your winter growth drop your dog off at the groomers to get rid of theirs!

South Wairarapa Vets