Scout skills learned come in handy

Yes - my scouts always say - " Do we HAVE to learn these knots??? Whats the use - when will we use them??" W E L L recently I was up in Auckland and actually this is a bit weird and funny - I found via Google a light weight granite aquarium background sold at a local Auckland store - and at virtually half the cost then anything I could find in my local town (Christchurch). I did consider asking them if they would snail mail that to me and projected costs - but then remembered that I was going to be up there soon anyhow for a short visit (see previous two blog entries) and that I could do a pick up on the way through. So I rung them and asked them to put two aside for me - I shall collect in 7 days time - which we did. Only then did I realize that the two pieces where a tad larger then my suitcase - problem here folks - how to bring that back with us. I ended up getting some plain brown wrapping paper (yes folks here is me sitting in the middle of Warkworth town - after lunch - some 50 km or so north of Auckland) and started wrapping both pieces up for the plane trip home. And here is where the scout skills learned came in handy - I ended up doing a self locking knot (ok actually two half hitches) and I always like to go once round like a square lashing. For extra strength I used a double string eg twice as much as needed but folded back once on itself.

This website shows it how its done --->   animatedknots.com - parcel knot

and ---->   animated knots - two half hitches

Excellent - the parcel survived the trip home unscathed and the knots are still done!! perfic


Thus a skill learned isn't learned until you use it often - I keep telling my scouts that almost weekly. . . . . . .

Labour of another kind

Excitement rippled through the local community. Seems other beings LABOURED this weekend too. I was feeding my fish the usual morning time when a teeny wee bopper showed his tiny wee face amongst the foliage. Yes folks we have one very proud swordtail fish daddy - and I have counted three offspring (so far). They were happily cruising amongst the Java sword plants and are incredibly hard to spot.

Now how to keep my silvershark from eating the young and vulnerable????
Do I need to intervene in nature and start a re-housing project for some social "undesirables"???? Lets have a sub-committee meeting on that. :)


Post script - This morning (Thurs 29 Oct) during feeding time I saw 5 offspring competing for food - wohoooo

Can a Fish be as playful as a kitten???

ok - that is a question worth investigating and until recently the notion that fish can "be playful" or play with a toy like a kitten was a complete foreign concept especially when you consider that goldfish are supposed to have the attention span of 2 sec (so the myth says).

This is me testing the equipment for any future investigation.


Anyhow - let's back track for a mo and refresh our minds that we had a cat who tried her water skills in the breast stroke - which failed miserably and I ended up with one wet & soggy moggy. (hmm perhaps she needed one of these very high tech modern swimsuits????) - anyhow - I am convinced that her escapades did the damage to the fish tank that led to the eventual cracking of the seam and subsequent flood in the house - refer to previous blog entry:

(oldbearnews-noahs-flood.html &
oldbearnews- swimming-cat-doing-breaststroke)

Soooo; one expensive large tank later with several late additions of water plants and different fish types we are all sweet - and set up - O N L Y
to hear once in a while a occasional twack, twack (it sounded just like a drop of water falling from the shower head on the floor) coming from the general region of the fish tank. - SOOOO I know what your thinking - I'm paranoid - but trust me - having had twice to mop up and since our NZ houses are timber framed and Gib lined - I could not face yet another clean-up - let alone the drama of shifting everything - again. Still after a extensive search I could not find any water on the floor or anywhere else. And yet the twack continued at various intervals - at totally random times. And I'm getting more and more worried - u know - 200 liters of 26 degree water - make a hell of a mess . . . .

'TILL I saw what happened. Well you see I have 2 striped Gouramis - who so I am NOW told can be playful and one of them takes pleasure in swimming lazy circles towards the area where the thermostat is attached to the wall and as he goes slowly and very deliberately past it he flicks his tail forcing the thermostat against the glass - which makes a very definitive "twack" sound - and then he continues - another lazy 4 inch diameter circle - returns and - "twack" - and - again "twack"!!
Mystery solved he says with relief - and it would seem that at least some fish have enough intelligence to be playful!! - who would have thought???? I therefore can confidently say - yep - at least some fish can be as playful as a kitten. Hmmm wonder if I can get the fish to catch the resident mouse ? ? ? ?

Noahs flood

Sigh - I walked with Michael to Venturers and that only took 20 min. By the time I got there - I got a call - panic panic - water everywhere and no electricity. YES - the 180 liter tank let go at the seam and spilled most of the water. I am told we had a lovely waterfall out from the Garage door. At least - by the time I got home - Mamabear had saved enough water from the tank to save the fish - which I can report now happily swimm in the washing basket. Now how to keep the breatstroke swimming cat out of there!!!!


We used up all the towles which needed a good wash anyhow, and we have lost several books.
Oddly enough the TV/video which where right underneath the tank - got not a drop on them - and - Trowel - all the PC's stored in the Garage stayed dry too - a minor miracle!!!

So - for the last three hours we mopped and shifted gear. Now - tomorrow urm - well - spose I have to buy a new tank . . . . . . . .
Then there is the timber in the floor that needs drying out, aww schucks - and I just finished my spring clean!!!! Im going to bed now . . . . .

TeddyBears Skateboard for fishtank

I bought last year a 180 liter fishtank and after our trip to Austria and the 7 day scout camp I attended, I managed to get it filled with plants and some fish. I got some albino sucker thingies and some Gouriami as well as some Neon Tetras and a couple of sharks who will eventually grow to 15 cm!! lol Good old Jaws!!
Anyhow it being 180 Liter tank I had the massive job of how to change water. I am supposed to replace a third every two weeks. As you can imagine thats lugging a lot of weight round - eg take out 60 liters and fill up with same amount. Thats 120 kg!! The older tank had 50 liters so that was not so bad has I had a 20 liter water container. After giving it some thought I decided to make myself a skateboard for the fishtank. I went and bought some Castor rollers and cut up a board. Some 16 screws later I had a perfect movable vehicle that could shift a plastic container full with 50 liters. One large hose and funnel later (that you hang on the shower head) I had it full again with nice clean water and hey presto - :D!!! Didn't take to long to change the water after all and it was easier on my crook back!

Sad thing is - my teddybears have now commandeered the Skateboard intended for the fishtank and are cruising round in the lounge!! Teenagers!!!! Ah well as long as they don't break it!! Hehehe you can see Tommy here getting into the spirit of things and getting dressed up for the occasion!!

Swimming Cat doing breaststroke???

Well it was one of those moments where one wishes one has a video camera.
Here is the cleaned up version of my new 180 liter tank with some plants and some dozen or so fishes in it. Next to it on the left is the old tank.
Seems our cat has shown a interest in fishing and so this morning I got a call at work from my son - asking how many fish there are supposed to be in the big tank.

Turns out the cat decided to break into the pool and do a few laps of breaststroke. According to my son she was one very soggy moggy!!
It would have made for one fantastic video - for Americas funniest home videos - the Swimming Cat. Anyhow by the time I got home the cat - had been rechristened to Jacques Cousteau and been banished into the Garage. And Jonno has cleaned up all the water she spilled. Great job son!!
Becky - you be pleased to know - no fish where harmend in the breaststroke excercise, and the plants have been re-rooted! But I still need a clean up crew - so I will need a Bristlenose plec and a few other scroungers!!