Nice of the Premier to be in Bendigo yesterday to wish our horses a happy birthday… but we reckon it might have had a few people scratching their heads. Why do horses all have their birthdays on August 1?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They don’t. Apparently racing and pure breeds have birthdays on August 1 in the Southern Hemisphere and January 1 in the Northern Hemisphere.
So, strictly speaking a wobbly little foal born on Thursday became a yearling on Friday. And conversely, one born today won’t get to blow out the candles for another 365 days.
It appears to have been adopted because of poor record keeping in the olden days about precisely what date horses were born. It’d be easier (and safer for some forgetful hubbies) if the same principle applied to humans!
Risking life and limb
We have mentioned recently that, among the things that make us go AAAARGH, is the common Bendigo practice of pedestrians expecting cars to give way when they are crossing a road anywhere near a pedestrian crossing.
One reader tells us it’s worse for drivers with Disabled stickers on their cars, which seemed odd.
She reckons that car park designers thoughtfully try to put the disabled car park spaces right near the front doors of shopping centres and public buildings. That’s nice, but it’s also where the most thoughtless pedestrians tend to wander like gormless goats. “I was trying to back out of the disabled park in front of Marketplace in Bendigo but people just kept walking straight across the rear of my car,” she said. When she tooted her horn at one mad wanderer, our reader got a torrent of colourful abuse, a rude finger and was told the pedestrian was “entitled” to walk wherever she felt.
Yep, and also entitled to a visit to the Emergency Department at Bendigo Hospital, we reckon.
Heavy metal
Either the entire town of Heathcote has been on a high-tech spending spree, or someone just got rid of an outdated tech factory.
Yesterday, DTM was fascinated by a media release from the City of Greater Bendigo, saying a computer e-waste special collection in the month of July in Heathcote had yielded 10.5 tonnes of technology waste.
Considering there are 1600 homes in Heathcote, that’s 6.25 kilograms per household, or about the same as three dead laptops per house. Or one old TV. Either way, Heathcote’s obviously gone radically up-market in the tech stakes.
All puffed out
The black balloon mob is at it again. Instead of furtively tying black balloons all over town to sook about a mosque being built here, they’ve taken to our mailboxes.
Key people have reported anonymous letters turning up in addressed mail, with flat balloons stapled to them.
DTM’s mate Bruce remarked that it appeared the campaign was a bit deflated. Running out of puff, even.