Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Animated Knots by Grog

I am so impressed by this site, Animated Knots by Grog, I've put a permanent link to it on the sidebar.

Be sure to read 'The Grog Story' here.

Update: Found another great site for fishing, rigging and equestrian knots in 'Andy's World of Knots' at Marinews ... down the page a bit.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Horse Quotes


  • To err is human, to blame the horse is even more human.
  • A Horseman should know neither fear, nor anger.
  • The most wonderful thing about riding, is getting off and knowing you've both enjoyed it.
  • A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you.
  • Care, and not fine stables, makes a good horse.
  • Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly!
  • The horse stopped with a jerk, and the jerk fell off.
  • When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.
  • I have seen things so beautiful, they have brought tears to my eyes. Yet, none of them can match the gracefulness and beauty of a horse running free.
  • The horse you get off is not the same as the horse you got on; it is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible the change is for the better.
  • All horses deserve - at least once in their lives - to be loved by a little girl.
  • If you take the time it takes, it will take less time.
  • Horse's need a strong leader, not a rough and tough leader
  • A poor craftsman blames his tools; A poor horseman blames his horse.
  • In tug-of-war, the dumber animal always wins.
  • Ask not what your horse can do for you - Ask what you can do for your horse.
  • A young trooper should have an old horse.
  • No one can teach riding so well as a horse.
More from Think Like A Horse .

Friday, June 26, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

The Bear, The Lion & The Pig

A bear, a lion and a pig meet.

Bear says: "If I roar in the forest, the entire forest is shivering with fear."

Lion says: "If I roar in the jungle, the entire jungle is afraid of me."

Pig says: "Big deal.... I only have to cough, and the entire planet shits itself."

Country Calender


When the TV crew rang Dick to ask if they could come on the cattle muster and film it for Country Calender, they asked if they needed to pay for accommodation and food. Dick answered, "No. You bring the beer and we'll bring the tucker!"

And that's what they did!

It was a great muster, enlivened by heaps of raucous hilarity in the huts at night.

It's a real shame they had to edit 8 1/2 hours of video down to 22 minutes for the program.

On the next episode, screening June 20 at 7pm on TV ONE:

While most eight-year-olds pester their parents for a new toy, a trip to the movies or a digital device, Mount White Station's Mark Smith had a different birthday present in mind.

Mark was desperate to take his pony on the Canterbury high country station's annual cattle muster - and when he got his wish, a Country Calendar crew went with him.

According to his dad, station manager Richard Smith, the youngster had been pleading for over a year to join him and the other stockmen on the four-day muster.

Read more and check out the links at the bottom of the page.

See it here.

Spot the WebWrat.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Socialism - Religion Of Peace And Harmony

A wonderful example of how 'Leftards' will attack your opinion and try to shut you down on Kiwiblog.

  1. WebWrat (253) Vote: Add rating 12 Subtract rating 3 Says:

    How many thousands of words have been posted about this bloody smacking thing? All about the pros and cons of smacking/disciplining kids.

    You are all pissing into the wind and as long as your arse points down you will never convince the ‘other side’ of your point of view.

    The ’smacking bill’ has got nothing at all to do with the welfare of the nations children. It’s all about OWNERSHIP …. the government wants to OWN all of you people. Both sides of the fence. And the lefty lickspittles with their frontal lobotomies want to help them.

    A bill introduced by an MP that was not voted in, working for a socialist people engineering party that got into power with the barest minimum of votes is controlling how a whole nation can raise their OWN children, it is an absolute disgrace.

    I just can’t believe how anyone can support this as an acceptable situation.

    If John Key wants to treat us as ballot numbers, as the previous disgusting government did, he’s lost my vote.

    Be a good poll for you to do DPF …. “How does John’s attutude affect your view of National?” “Good, Bad or Ugly?”

  2. Rebel Heart (247) Vote: Add rating 3 Subtract rating 9 Says:

    WebWrat: If John Key wants to treat us as ballot numbers, as the previous disgusting government did, he’s lost my vote.

    He had your vote? You must be as stupid as the person who wrote the letter in David’s OP and didn’t know the difference between voting for Labour and ACT. It’s pathetic how all of a sudden people like you get on your moral high horses and think your vote is something that has any value or worth that you can brag about. Key made the compromise with Clark BEFORE the election, yet you still went ahead and voted for him. Therefore it’s your own fault for being such an idiot in the first place dumbass.

  3. WebWrat (253) Vote: Add rating 6 Subtract rating 1 Says:

    Rebel Heart.

    Do me a favour an point out where I said I voted for National.

    There’s a good boy.

    Now you can wipe the shit off your chin.

  4. Rebel Heart (247) Vote: Add rating 0 Subtract rating 11 Says:

    WebWrat: Rebel Heart. Do me a favour an point out where I said I voted for National. There’s a good boy. Now you can wipe the shit off your chin.

    You said he lost your vote, implying that he had it in the first place, dumb fuck. Eat your own shit that you failed to wipe off your own ass fool.

  5. WebWrat (253) Vote: Add rating 3 Subtract rating 0 Says:

    Actually I didn’t vote at all.

Bullshit Baffles Brains

Graph from NRO .

I hear people are quietly peeling their Obama bumper stickers off while guiltily looking around with a "Who me!" expression on their face.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Winter 2006

A couple days ago I was over at No Minister and read Fairfacts Media's post on Gorbal Warming.

Seeing the sat shot reminded me of the big dump of Global Warming we had in 2006. In fact I think the sat photo I lifted from Fairfacts is of said dump.


From NIWA:
Two severe winter snowstorms accompanied by bitterly cold conditions, and later heavy frost contributed to a particularly cold June. The national average temperature of 7.3 °C was 1.2 °C below the 1971-2000 normal. This was the coldest June since 1972 which recorded 6.7 °C. The regions with the largest anomalies, more than 2.0 °C below average, were Waikato, King Country, inland Marlborough, South Canterbury, and North Otago. Parts of South Canterbury and North Otago recorded their lowest June mean temperatures in more than 50 years of record. One snowstorm hit Canterbury over 11-12 June, producing snow depths of 15 – 90 cm. The other affected the central North Island over 20-22 June. These were accompanied by bitterly cold conditions, and later heavy frost. There were more days than average in June with air frost over much of New Zealand, especially in the central North Island and the southeast of the South Island. Precipitation was about 200 percent (twice) of normal in South Canterbury. In contrast, June rainfall totals were 50 percent (half) or less of normal in much of Bay of Plenty. June was much sunnier than normal in all western and southern regions, with record high June totals in Northland, Auckland, and Waikato, and coastal Otago. Anticyclones ('highs') were much more frequent than average for June in the Australian Bight with ridges of high pressure extending into the south Tasman Sea. This pattern resulted in frequent cold southerly winds over New Zealand.
It was bad enough here where we had no power, water or phone for about two weeks, but it was far worse down in South Canterbury where the severe frosts prevented the snow from melting for 8 or 9 weeks. For all that time there were dozens of farms without power because of the exceptional number of power poles that were brought down by the snow.

I think Mitre 10 and Bunnings had a boom in selling portable generators!

We were lucky in that we didn't have the severe frosts here and our snow melted in about a week. The down-side was that the hillsides were so wet I had to use the wee dozer and trailer to feed the deer for three weeks.


HELP! How do you change the publish date on a post that has been saved in 'Draft's for a few days?

Posted this on the 20th.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Gem Surveys Her Realm

Goofy



Phil-In Goof poses for a photo after the 'Honey Pot' sting he orchestrated, in collusion with a couple of fraudsters, to remove a National MP and smear the PRIME MINISTER of New Zealand.

Happily Murphy stepped in and Mr Goof's corrupt and dishonest intent was exposed by Mr Whaleoil (among others but with absolutely no help [well they wouldn't would they?] from the Lame Steam Media) as being a pathetic and dishonest attempt to use gutter politics to further Labours own agenda.

Wouldn't it be nice if they were actually concerned for the citizens of this country?

Happily (I don't want to over-use this word, but it seems appropriate), Mr Goof was sprung and he was shot down with a ball of his own shit.

Wonderful.

Of course the Lame Stream Media still think the sun shines out of Mr Goofs arse, but they would, wouldn't they?

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Maze

A wonderful Flash Player game to test your skills.

From the site:

"The Maze Game is an amazing game of skill and patience. Do not touch the walls or you will have to start the game all over. Sound effects will help find your way to the end. Try and finish all 4 levels.

Do you have the hands of a brain surgeon or do you write with crayons? Try not to cheat and use both hands. If you can finish this game, I want you to do my next operation if I need one!"


www.winterrowd.com

Thursday, June 4, 2009

De Havilland Mosquito

Some great old footage of the Mosquito in action.





My father flew Wellington bombers from Sept '39 Jan '42 with No 75 (NZ) Squadron, then in Aug '42 he was posted back to New Zealand to do a tour of flying transport around the Pacific in Lodestars and DC-3 (C-47).

In Nov '43 he was sent back to England where he was offered the job of CO for 75 Squadron, which he turned down because he "Didn't want to miss all the fun!" He transfered to 487 (NZ) Squadron to have a go in the Mosquito.

No 487 (NZ) Squadron R. A. F. Hunsdon Mosquito Squadron ... Popeye 3rd from right.

Some photos I scanned out of our old family albums.

"Intruder" raid on railway work shop, Charleroi, Belgium. 12th April 1944.
11 second delay bomb hitting workshop.
Popeye's 20mm cannon fire has hit building on other side of light coloured paddock.
Tail wheel of Mosquito at top.

Flak burst.

Bomb going off.
With one engine shot out in the flack burst, Popeye climbed to 10,000 feet and cruised the 200 miles home at 180 knots on the other one.


UPDATE:
Here is pure coincidence for you. When I posted this, I hadn't even thought of the significance of the 6th of June. If I'd had my head screwed on I would have saved it a couple of days to post it!

It took KG on Crusader Rabbit to remind me.

Below is a scan of my father's log book showing what he was doing in his Mosquito on 'D' Day.

Click to enlarge.
The red writing signifies night flying and the numbers in brackets are his ops tally.

R. I. P. Pop and all your mates.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009