And the Good News....

After taking a course of antibiotics for whatever was causing the temperature and elevated liver enzymes, 

Bella was fine this morning, and has now had her

annual vaccinations.

We suppose it was lucky that whatever it was,

it was nipped in the bud.

Get this!

chewing a stick.

Someone told HER that SHE must be a special person

to have adopted such a weird-lookin' dog!

Spin-off

For those of you who read our Flying Doctor Service post.

The Doctor Service introduced the radio to isolated areas, so they could be called to medical emergencies.

That also meant that the people in remote areas could chat with their neighbours. 

The early radios were pedal powered.

Only in the 1930s-40s would anyone dress up to talk on the radio...BOL!

In 1956,  children who had been receiving correspondence lessons through School in the Mail--a slow, unreliable source, could

receive lessons using the radio.  For the first time, they were

able to speak to their teachers and hear their classmates.

Correspondence lessons were still sent out from
the major cities,

but School of the Air became more user-friendly.

Through the years there was an evolution to improve
service delivery.

Today, there are five Schools of Distance Education in New South Wales.  They are, and have always been Public schools.
(Not the same as home schooling)

We have one of those facilities.

It has about 450 students, who due to  isolation, illness, disability, religion or other reasons, can't access  regular schools, or high school students needing subjects not taught at their local school.
The teachers have classes of children pre-school to year 12.
Work and resources still arrive through the mail, but with computers, phones and other technology access to teachers is easier.
There are schedules when teachers are broadcasting, so the children are in a virtual classroom and can ask questions.

Activities are organised, such as  a week's residence in town to meet their teachers and classmates joining in  Athletics carnivals, STEM subjects or other activities.  There are usually 'camps' during the year so the students can catch up with each other, as well.
All children are encouraged to drop by any time they may be in town.

SHE thinks for those days teachers experience in the classroom, a school with no students would be the way to go!

Half-time....

R and R!

Bella photobombed by Dui's tail.

Just in Time!

After our last trip outside at night, we are allowed ONE of these:

Fish skin jerky.

They are our FAVOURITES!

But look at our treat jar!

 It was EMPTY! 

But the very next day

 a new supply arrived. 

We didn't have to miss out even one night.

This has nothing to do with treats or fish skins,

But look at the Jasmine in bloom along our carport.

The area smells heavily of jasmine.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend.  Ours is going to be HOT!

We know in a few weeks we'll probably be complaining about the heat, but we're looking forward to some heat.

This is us.

Wordless Wednesday...

Tuesday Tour...

We'd like to introduce Rex. 

He's a new addition to the Weekend River Social Club.

He's very fast, so Dui and I grounded him so you could see him.

His peep is a Nurse Practitioner with the

Royal Flying Doctor Service. (nice segue into today's topic.)

As you may or may not know, Australia is a BIG place,

with a small population.

(About the size of the evacuation of Florida during Irma.)

Most people live along the east coast.

We live in the Texas bit.

 Most of the interior...the outback... is sparsely populated.

Hospitals and medical centres are small and few.

That's where the RFDS comes in.

We have a base right here in town and though, SHE sees it

whenever SHE goes to the airport...has never visited it!

Until today!

There was a museum and video

explaining medical help in remote  communities.

This is a modern First Aid Kit supplied to a reliable resident.

The list of contents is on the back.

 Everything must be accounted for.

This is an old medical chest.

This chart helps doctor's give medical advice for first aid.

There was a story of a man who complained he hurt in area 9, and was told to look for the drugs at 9 in the chest.

Asked how he was the next day and he said 'Great'.  He couldn't find 9, so took a 7 and 2!

Dubbo has a fleet of five Beechcraft planes....costing $9 million each.

This one was in the hangar ready for use.

Each BLADE of the propellers is worth $10,000.

They are made in the US and the pilots have to go there to be trained.  A new facility is in the pipeline, much larger and train pilots here in Dubbo in future.

The RFDS is always ready to transfer patients to Dubbo Base or larger hospitals in the cities.  They can have a doctor and nurse on board depending on the case, or just the nurse (and pilot, of course.)

They attend road accidents, farming accidents, rodeo accidents, illness, deliver the occasional baby, or transfer child transplant patients.

There was a simulator for visitors.

Cockpit

Supplies

The main cabin with stretcher, hospital bed, and equipment.

Also seats for the staff and any accompanying relatives.

Some of the bases provide health clinics to remote areas.

Ours has a Tooth Plane, providing dental services to remote areas.

Sometimes in the middle of the night, we hear a plane overhead and know the RFDS is at work.

Friday...

You know those mornings when something doesn't feel quite right?

Friday was one of those mornings.

We did have a short early walk....

but later, Bella was tortured on the grooming table,

and I, Roxy, had a powder puff bath and put on my best

collar...the one with the Ernie and Roxy tag.

We piled into the car and went

to the VET!

Bella went in first, and we found out she had a

high temperature!

(The vet took it 4 times with two thermometers!)

 So that meant she couldn't be vaccinated!

However, she did have blood stolen from her neck,

and was supposed to have a urine sample.

SHE, armed with a bright blue plastic kidney dish,

took Bella outside.

Bella was too nervous to cooperate.

So I, Roxy, after a ruckus trying to get me out of the car and leave Dui in,

had to sniff around to encourage Bella.

It didn't work,

Waiting for my turn on the table.

 So I had to go inside.

Ignoring everything that's happening.

I submitted to all the indignities stoically and had my injections.

We were piled back into the car....SHE had the kidney dish,

and we went to the soccer field just down the road.

Bella performed on the first post....sample collected.

Dui and I were having a great time racing around like maniacs, so we stayed for a little longer.

As we headed back to the car, SHE noticed a man approaching with a dog.  Roxy and Dui were put on leads...the precious kidney dish placed on the grass...and Bella decided it was up to her to protect the pack.  She chased that dog off the field...........twice!

All the time, SHE was holding lunging dogs away from the dish, and yelling for Bella like a banshee!

Finally, the kidney dish was  emptied into the little jar, and we headed back to the vet's to drop it off!

For $302 we discovered that Bella has slightly elevated enzymes in her liver and is on antibiotics for 10 days.

She shows no symptoms of anything, so hopefully, she just has an infection of some sort.  We'll just keep checking.

And , hopefully, she'll get her injections soon.

Magpies

Yeah??!!

Come down here, and say that!

Downhill....fast

It was a gorgeous day.

We went to the river walk we hadn't been to since last Friday.

There were loads of cockatoos...

We think they were speed dating.

I, Roxy, did a bit of grazing...I love grass.

When suddenly a lovely malodorous smell reached my nose.

Next thing I knew, I was mid-roach

and SHE was screaming at me!

The lead was clamped on my collar

and I had to spend the rest of the walk

stuck on the lead....next to HER!

As if that weren't bad enough, when we got home,

I had to have a dry bath that took all my glorious smell

and dirt off! (second time this week.)

Not impressed

SHE uses this stuff, originally bought for the scotties, but it's hard to brush out of black dogs.

I sulked most of the day!

Blogging influences...

You know how peeps are influenced by new products, treats and toys through blogs?

Well....we think SHE's been influenced by Da Phenny's blog.

As we were having a council clean-up this weekend,

SHE decided it was time to replace the old toilet cistern and

throw it out.

SHE put in the old one years ago...so how hard could it be?

Off to the hardware shop to select a new cistern.

Unfortunately, SHE was too lazy to walk to the front of the shop to get a trolley, so selected one based on its weight and proximity to the ground.

Got it home and discovered that it was a tiny cistern.  However, SHE removed the old cistern and tried to put the new one in.  It wouldn't fit in the pipes--though SHE tried on and off for hours--using some imaginative language.

Finally, it was packed  into the box and back to the shop.

The woman at the desk was rather rude and insisted that it

couldn't be returned if the plastic has been removed. SHE said there was no plastic.  Luckily, it was the lunch hour and the woman

opened the box which SHE'd packed with the open ends in the bottom of the box.  There was a line of glaring people behind HER so the money was returned.

SHE went home and tried, without success, to put the old cistern in place.  Gave up and called the Plumber.  It meant a night without a working toilet, but about 7 a.m. an eight-foot boy arrived, checked out the problem, went off to get a new cistern which he installed in about 15 minutes!

Naturally, there was a rectangle of very old yellow paint that wasn't covered by the new cistern...BUT...SHE was able to match new paint perfectly with the wall paint.

We think SHE should stick to getting recommended treats!

It's Spring!

We start Spring on the 1st of September.  We don't worry about 'official' days and stuff.

Of course, it is -5°C/23°F at the moment but will

be warm later.

We'll be going to the river soon--it's Saturday morning.

 September 1st is also Wattle Day...and the Wattle is beautiful...

 Our Jasmine is beginning to blossom.

 As well as our Magnolia tree.

Hope you have a happy (Labor Day) Weekend...