The school tortoises
School tortoise, Bingham Academy, Addis Ababa
Not many schools can boast having their own resident tortoise. Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa can boast six of them. The school has a closed compound with a high fence surrounding the campus and a guarded gate only opened to allow car and foot traffic through.
It was my observation that the tortoises do a good job of keeping the grass and weeds trimmed to manageable levels, so they certainly earn their keep. The children tolerate these large creatures, especially when they slowly wander across the oval during soccer matches. The students just play around them.
Bingham Academy was where my daughter taught last year. We visited her in December. I will add more about our visit to Ethiopia in coming days.
School tortoise, Bingham Academy, Addis Ababa
Happy birthday to me
2 Comments »16th November, 2011; Category: Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, Animals, Birds, Himalayas, Photos
Yes indeed – it is my birthday today.
As a treat for my many readers, today we will have something a little different. Instead of an article about somewhere I’ve travelled to, I want to share some photos of my favourite places.
Enjoy.
If you’d like to leave a birthday message in the comments section, that would also be great.
Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria
Ama Dablam, Nepal
Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour
Giant Panda, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
The statue of Curio at Marrabel
Life size statue of Curio at Marrabel, South Australia
I’m not into the world of rodeos and buck-jumpers, but I do admire the one-and-a-half life size statue of the famous Australian horse Curio shown in the photos on this post. This wonderful piece of art work stands at the northern end of the main street of the little town of Marrabel in the mid north of South Australia. We often pass by this statue on our way to visit our daughter in Clare.
Curio was evidently a buck jumping horse to be reckoned with, one that unseated every attempt at riding her for eight years. No rider could stay seated on the horse for more than 3 seconds until a famous day in 1953 when Alan Woods successfully rode her for ten seconds. He is also featured as part of the statue which is based on a photo taken during the famous ride.
The tiny town of Marrabel holds a well attended rodeo every October and has done so since 1935.
You can read more information on the sign shown below (click to enlarge) or on an article on the Marrabel Rodeo website.
Sign about the horse Curio at Marrabel, South Australia (click to enlarge)
Life size statue of Curio at Marrabel, South Australia
Life size statue of Curio at Marrabel, South Australia
A tribute to the Clydesdale Horse
Tribute to Clydesdale horses, Angaston, South Australia
When travelling from home through the famous wine region of the Barossa Valley here in South Australia we regularly go through the old town of Angaston. This region was settled by German settlers escaping religious persecution in their home lands and included my forebears in their number.
We often stop in the park at the western end of the main street to have a break or a cuppa and sometimes even lunch. The bakery in the main street is also a favourite stopover place. The park has a wonderful tribute to the Clydesdale Horses which provided essential help for the local farmers and businesses in the early days. I’ve featured this statute in the photos on this post. At the bottom of the post you can read more about these wonderful animals from the plaque next to the statue (click to enlarge).
Tribute to Clydesdale horses, Angaston, South Australia
Tribute to Clydesdale horses, Angaston, South Australia
Tribute to Clydesdale horses, Angaston, South Australia (click to enlarge)
Kangaroos, Pondalowie Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Western Grey Kangaroo, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia
Just as we were leaving the camping grounds at Pondalowie Bay we came across a small mob of Western Grey Kangaroos right next to the road. Being in the Innes National Park this would be quite a normal sighting. In fact, this group was not at all perturbed by our car just a few metres away as they are quite used to vehicles moving through the park every day. During the summer months vehicles probably pass this way every few minutes.
Various forms of kangaroos and wallabies abound in rural Australian regions (pun intended). They are a hazard to fast moving vehicles on country roads, especially at night when they tend to come out to graze. I have experienced first hand the damage a ‘roo can do to a car with no protective bars. The damage is not only to the car; many hundreds, perhaps thousands of kangaroos and wallabies become road kill statistics every year. Sad but true.
As we drove back to our motel in the dusk that evening I slowed done. I didn’t want to add to those statistics.
Western Grey Kangaroos, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia
Western Grey Kangaroo, Pondalowie Bay, South Australia