Written by Beverley Streater on 18 June 2010
MY DOG LOVES KIDS One of the most fascinating things about Baxter is that his bad behaviour with grown ups disappears around kids. The smaller the child, the more gentle he is. There are lots of kids living in our street, and the little ones get pretty ner 
vous when this big ball of black and white starts bouncing towards them. But as he approaches, he tips his head over and ends up in a half-roll at their feet, end of tail wiggling excitedly. So cute and so gentle!
DOGGIE DISCIPLINE Have you ever noticed how everyone becomes an expert when you mention your dog’s not-so-desirable behaviour? Everyone has watched the shows on TV where amazing things happen when a sensible, dog-canny person assists some poor, struggling family with the wayward canine. The family comes out looking like idiots, the dog has an ‘aha’ moment, and the expert earns a truckload of adoration. Well, yes, I’m sure there are some easy ‘fixes’ but I thought I’d assure you that you’re not idiots if it doesn’t all work for you in the flash of a 30 minute show, by sharing some Baxter-moments and what is working for the non-dog-whisperers out here.
EARLY DAYS Nov 2009 Walked Baxter to Border North this morning: he walked there really well, ran around like a mad dog and when I ‘leaded him up’ for the return trip, he tried to dislocate my arms for half the trip, and then settled down… I think we’re getting there! He is panting, I am sweating, cat is hiding!
DEBUTANTE PUP Nov 2009 Nearly at the end of week 1 of hols. Having a 10 month old is hard work! Baxter treated the neighbourhood dogs to a game of ball and some raw chicken necks yesterday while I made orange halva treats for the dog’s owners! Yay, street party! Today is a trip to the vet for top-up vaccinations and possibly another run to the beach if the weather holds up.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Nov 2009 Took excessively-pooing dog to the vet yesterday afternoon because he topped his pooing performance with some pretty impressive reaching and retching. Diagnosis 1…possibly enteritis and here’s some pills (hear the ‘ker-ching’ of the vet’s till). Diagnosis 2…. kennel cough and here’s some more pills (cue ‘ker-ching’), and some injections (‘ker-ching’, ‘ker-ching’) and for this advice and the opportunity to stick my thermometer up your pooch’s you-know-where, here’s my final advice……keep Baxter quiet and indoors for TWO weeks….( cue uproarious unbelieving laughter from me) as he is infectious to other dogs and needs to rest. Hmm, well he got this cough from other dogs, didn’t he, and so why are their owners allowed to take them out? Also, try telling a 10 month old ball of energy he has to rest! Well, there goes my daily exercise program! There go our beach trips. My comment to Uncle Karl*** was along the lines of ‘oh he’ll get cabin fever’. Uncle Karl’s response was to shrug his shoulders. *** (yes, the vet is now endowed with so much Streater money that he’s family) So as I sit here sending this news to you, Baxter is pacing the floor (clickety, clackety,clickety, clackety), coming in to me and breaking into some doggie warbling (a musical ooooroooroooroooroo) and launching himself onto my lap to get my attention to take him out. Oh, why can’t dogs have thumbs so I could give him some colouring-in to do! Bev PS: Uncle Karl will be booking his next trip o’seas today.
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Written by Beverley Streater on 06 June 2010
What a marathon! I feel as though I deserve a medal.
Still not really taken by this classic novel I looked at some on-line reviews just to check if I was missing some of its value, and yes, it seems I was. Reviewer Bill R.Moore writes: Moby can be legitimately seen as both an exemplary realist novel of the kind made famous and immortal in the nineteenth century and as an ambiguous, highly symbolic work that in many ways anticipates Modernism. Mmmm, I see. No, I don’t really. I was just being a snob.
I was disappointed with the story-line and often perplexed by the references to biblical and classical characters, reaching several times for the dictionary.
I did, however, love some of the descriptions. For instance, “The warmly cool, clear, ringing, perfumed, overflowing redundant days, were as crystal goblets of Persian sherbert, heaped up — flaked up, with rose-water snow. The starred and stately nights seemed haughty dames in jewelled velvets, nursing at home in lonely pride, the memory of their absent conquering Earls, the golden helmeted suns!” That’s pretty impressive depiction.
I’m looking forward to hear my book group’s opinions.
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Written by Beverley Streater on 01 June 2010
I now understand why this book has an alternative title, ‘The Whale’. I am 3/4 of the way through it and gritting my teeth as I grind towards its end. If I had known this was going to be an educational tome about whaling, I probably would have given it a miss. The detailed content, combined with the ‘olde worlde’ language makes for extremely heavy going. I can now classify whales (cetology) and have read some graphic instructions on how to render whale fat. Will Capt Ahab get his great white whale? Oh, who cares???!!! Bring on the last page!
Tags: Moby Dick, whale
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Written by Beverley Streater on 01 June 2010
Penultimate – Oh, it’s such a lovely word, isn’t it? But it’s lost its way a bit.
In real terms, it means the next-to-the-last question. Of 10 questions, the penultimate question is question 9.
But some folk have taken hold of this lovely word and used it as meaning the ultimate, or last.So those who ‘know better’ cringe and those who don’t are impressed. This is the way that the language evolves. (Compare “wicked” and awesome”. It’s OK, language grows and changes just like people!)
Tags: awesome, penultimate, wicked
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Written by Beverley Streater on 01 June 2010
How often do you hear someone make reference to ‘the $64 question” or something like that?
Unless you are old enough to have seen the TV show “Pick a Box”, you probably have no idea of its origin.
The thing is, it hasn’t lost its meaning! It’s still about the really spell-binding question that could “win” you a lot of money.
To quote Wikipedia, ‘Pick a Box was one of first game shows to be broadcast on Australian television. Hosted by the husband and wife team Bob and Dolly Dyer, the program aired from 1957 to 1971.’
As with many Australian quiz shows, it borrowed from earlier versions developed in the US and UK. The ultimate goal of the show was to correctly answer the question that earned the most points, ie $64,000, hence the expression, “and now for the $64,000 question!”
PS: Barry Jones won it at least once!
Tags: $64 000 question, $64 question, Barry Jones, Bob and Dolly, Bob Dyer, Pick a Box, TV quiz shows
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Written by Beverley Streater on 16 May 2010
I am presently reading two books….
Moby Dick (book group choice)
The Slap (passed on from family).
Stand by for some reviews.
Tags: Moby Dick, The Slap, whales
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Written by Beverley Streater on 08 May 2010
In the early days of Baxter, my mother was visiting from Perth.(Hi Mum!) Anyway, off we went to the park, in the car, so Baxter could run off some energy. He had a glorious time, chasing Ibis birds, playing ball and getting pretty puffed out.
We stopped at the shops to pick up something for dinner. I asked the butcher for a chicken breast. After he weighed it and bagged it, I decided I needed one more, so he popped a second one into the bag. I paid for the chicken, picked up some salad makings from the IGA and proceeded to the car. Baxter was waiting with my Mum. Baxter routinely sits in the back seat. So I gave the bag of food to my mother and off we went to our house.
On the way home, Baxter thought it might be nice to sit in the front with Nana. Nana, a big dog-lover, thought that was pretty cool too. Baxter was remarkably quiet, sitting at her feet, and I reflected that perhaps this was a better option than having him leap around in the back seat.
Once home, we went inside and I started to prepare some chicken schnitzels…….however, only one breast in the plastic bag! We worked out that while he was sitting “quietly” at her feet, he’d been teasing the second chicken breast out of the bag and had wolfed it down!
Hmmm, two lessons learned -never assume a quiet dog is a good dog; Baxter likes raw chicken!
Tags: chicken schnitzel, dog tales
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Written by Beverley Streater on 08 May 2010
When I bubble over and tell people I have a blog called Queen of Grammar, I sometimes get a strange reaction, as if I’ve said I’m a psychiatrist or a plastic surgeon. People suddenly become very conscious about appearing not-so-grammatical. I guess I’d feel the same if a mate said,
‘Hey Bev, come and look at my blog…Maths for Stupid People‘.
I am extremely average at maths. So I thought about how I could ease people’s self consciousness. For instance, if I knew I was going to get some extremely useful hints and tips about maths, I’d probably rush off to my mate’s blog for help.
If you are following my blog, why not make a comment (oh please, I get so few!) and let me know what would be useful for you to have some tips about?
♥
Posted in Express yourself well | 3 Comments »
Written by Beverley Streater on 06 May 2010
Oh, I feel a little nostalgic because my dear departed father taught me this one and it is so cool!
If you are stationary, you are still/ not moving….so think of “Station ‘Arry”, the bloke what sells you tickets, ie the train is still.
Once you’ve got that sorted, you just know that the other one (to do with paperclips and all things cool) is stationery.
How good is that!!!! Thanks Daddy.
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vous when this big ball of black and white starts bouncing towards them. But as he approaches, he tips his head over and ends up in a half-roll at their feet, end of tail wiggling excitedly. So cute and so gentle!