An Update on the anti-McDonalds Protests in Tecoma

The fight continues in Tecoma.

Last Sunday a march was held as a show of support for those protesting the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a McDonald's on Burwood Highway. Estimates of how many turned up vary greatly - from 1,000 to 4,000.

Media attention has been somewhat gratifying: Front page stories in The Herald and The Age (major newspapers here) and stories/interviews on TV and radio.

On Monday, protestors again mounted the roofs of one of the buildings scheduled for demolition, and once again the construction company sent their workers home, siting safety concerns.

At any time you can drive by and find at least a handful of placard-carrying protestors who wave and smile at passers-by. The Facebook page set up by members of the community continues to pump news about what is happening, and notes encouraging people to come down and spend some time on the picket line. (If you're a Facebook fan, look for posts on "NO McDonalds in the Dandenong Ranges").

Laka's "Monstah" - Caught on Film

Hubby Stephen plays chess one evening a week down in Ferntree Gully.  He came home a little early from the latest meeting, having defeated his opponent in the current tournament.  I heard his car come down the drive and heard him come in, but then heard the door open again and the sound of his footsteps going back to the garage, then up the drive! 

This was odd - it's pitch black here at night, and I couldn't imagine what he was after - but when he came back in, he was delighted to tell me he'd spotted something perched on the power cable above the road.  He'd run up with his camera and got this shot:

(click the photo above for a larger image)

A tawny frogmouth!  One of Laka's "monstahs" - who we (and she) hear at night as they fly around the house, hunting.  I love the expression on this one's face - a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

An Ant's Worst Nighmare

You never know when they'll pop up.  We know we have at least one echidna on our property - a creature I mentioned last February, who I've named "Spiny Norman" (after a Monty Python character).

Late in the summer another appeared in a neighbors yard:

This little guy made a bit of a mess - dug into our friend's lawn, scratching away looking for some tasty ants.  Well, you can't live in this area and expect to have a perfect lawn, I guess.

These creatures are sweet.  Slow moving and benign (well maybe not to ants or to anybody foolish enough to try and interfere with them - those spines mean business!).

I just wish they'd go after the bull ants!

Subtle Hints - Avian Style

We spent the weekend in the city, took the birds with us and turned the heating off here (no point in heating an empty house).  We came back Sunday night just about the time George and Laka normally go to bed.  It was 9C both outside and inside the house (nippy by anybody's standards).  We hustled the birds in from the car and took them straight up to their bed cages, moved George's bed cage into Laka's room (actually - a guest bathroom, but where we usually have Laka's bed cage) and turned on the heater we have on the wall.

After unloading the rest of the things from the car, I went in quietly to make sure the room was getting warmer. As I backed out of the room, from George's cage came his tinny voice - loud and clear:

"Are you COLD?  HmmmMMM?"

"Yes, George," I replied, "but the heating is on and it will be warm again soon.  I promise."

The heater did its job and just a few minutes later I could hear the sound of two not-so-little beaks grinding contentedly in the darkened room.

(Side note: George doesn't regularly communicate in English that clearly - but both he and Laka are capable of it and, when it suits them, this is the kind of exchange we get. It's not "parroting" or "mimicry" - George and Laka are both able to use "language" appropriately. I've lived with parrots long enough that I expect it.)